Check to see that the pressure hoses between the turbo and the intercooler are tight at each end and not damaged. Mine had an engine sputter at about 3500-4000 RPM and was slow building boost. Having the same problem after changing plugs, rotor, cap, etc, I found a loose clamp on the turbo end of one of the hoses. It was leaking only when the boost would start to build. It hadn't sputtered since tightening the hose (many months ago) and the boost builds very quickly.

 

Mark,

now that you mention it... I do remember the dealer saying something about one of the turbo hoses having a small split!

D'oh... it really could be that simple, I remember the 964T being the same... once there was the smallest leak in the system everything would go off a tad....

... I'll sleep much better tonight

 

Hi Everyone

First, a huge thanks for the input and advice... it made a big difference to just have background on a car I really knew nothing about in the first few days of ownership... so sincerely - thanks a ton!

Here's the outcome:
1) instability at speed turned out to be Wheel Alignment. Shocks are fine. No evidence of accident or anything untoward... took the car up to 286kph the other day and she's steady all the way there and back.
2) belts were replaced, and the 'Xmas Lights' were all due to this problem. The ticking was probably due to the fact that the car had gone 14 months without a service (did about 12000 km). Porsche did a full service (100 000 km) and she's running beautifully.
3) the lack of boost early in the rev range turned out to be a leaky Boost hose. I had both replaced with the upgraded hoses as advised, and my god what a difference it has made!
4) the tiny bit of rust on the bottom left of the front window was done under warranty, job is fantastic but the window squeek is now there. I will follow the advice here and get the window reseated with the rope fix...

I also had Porsche set the toe and camber to be a little more agressive without affecting tyre wear too significantly, and it has made a world of diference to the handling!

So, thanks again - my baby is back, and I am one happy camper!!

 

Kevin, I've found the 993 Turbo to get better with each day. For some reason, I never connected with my 964 Turbo, I always felt like it was not engineered as a Porsche should be, the MFI was the most obvious evidence of that.

Enjoy the car, the only difficulty you'll have is trying to figure out what to replace it with in the future!