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Hello all,
Recently I have saved a Non-Turbo 2000 Porsche 996 with only 30k miles. This car was sitting in a driveway for 5 years out in the sun with no cover. Ouch, I know! I have taken in this car and have changed the oil, the gas, the fuel pump, the battery, and the tires. The car now starts up and does run very well. What I plan to do before I make it my daily driver is get the rotors resurfaced or just clean them myself, check on the pads/replace them most likely, give it a nice deep wash, clean and polish the calipers, change all fluid, change the spark plugs. My question is does anyone else have any suggestions on what to do/check for before I daily drive it? I’m less worried about cosmetics at the moment and more so performance/functionality.
Thanks for reading,
Alex
Last edited by Alex Tirado; 03-18-2018 at 10:39 PM.
Reason: Needed to add more details
Change the brake fluid and drive the corrosion off the rotors. You may want pads but the rotors are likely fine and just look ugly. I'd do a full coolant flush and a/c service too. Is it a tip or an m6 car? Is it a targa? It looks like a targa or vert with hard top.
Change the brake fluid and drive the corrosion off the rotors. You may want pads but the rotors are likely fine and just look ugly. I'd do a full coolant flush and a/c service too. Is it a tip or an m6 car? Is it a targa? It looks like a targa or vert with hard top.
I don’t believe it’s a Targa. It’s a Carrera Cab with a custom convertible hardtop the previous owner had made by Porsche. And yeah I just dislike the ugly looking rotors and want them to be good looking (Very Very Shiny) and functional. It’s 6 speed manual . I will do the coolant flush my next day off along with the brake fluid change and bleeding of the brakes. Any idea what brake fluid it uses?
You may want to drive it a bit and report back to us with your concerns and/or observations. (After you take care of brakes ) You addressed a lot of the obvious things which is good. Anything made of rubber would be worth an inspection in my opinion. Definitely remove the air box (easy and plenty of guides online,) give your serpentine belt a good inspection. Inspect the air filter while you have the box out - a new one from Mahle is very cheap and good quality.
I know you said cosmetics is your secondary concern, but you can clean up those headlights with one of these from Wally World:
Rad cleaning, low temp thermostat, new water pump, coolant exchange, rear motor mounts. That's a good start. Low mileage cars are notorious for IMSB failure. If you do the IMSB, and a rear main seal, you'll be in fat city for a long time.
I don’t believe it’s a Targa. It’s a Carrera Cab with a custom convertible hardtop the previous owner had made by Porsche. And yeah I just dislike the ugly looking rotors and want them to be good looking (Very Very Shiny) and functional. It’s 6 speed manual . I will do the coolant flush my next day off along with the brake fluid change and bleeding of the brakes. Any idea what brake fluid it uses?
Read up on coolant flush. It is not as easy as open drain close drain refill.
All 996 Cabs 1999 - 2004 came with a 73lb aluminum hardtop. Sometime late 2004 early 2005 the top became an extra cost option. Don't try to adjust the "gap" at the rear you will end up scraping the paint off the clamshell cover. Read the manual. If you don't have one search online.
Sitting for 5 years, wouldn't the spark plugs be a good thing to change out too? I'd also change the fuel filter, who knows what kind of moisture and sediment collected in your fuel lines.
The headlights are a performance fix imo cause it could hinder my view. I plan to change the filters and flush the coolant and change the spark plugs before mostly anything else. Oh and also doing a brake fluid change and bleed. Taking a look at my belts, they are all still solid, no cracking or bitterness. Sorry for the knowledge I don’t have yet. I come from driving a 99 accord where those cars are bomb proof. Im happy that I have this car that can reflect the work I put into it. Im 20 years old. I have rent to pay and many other things as well. Seeing as the car was free. Im going to enjoy it for 6 months to 1 year then probably sell it becaue realistically there is someone else out there who will be able to do more to it than I can with my budget. Once I get it driving I will happily share pictures here and see what else it will need. But first! It needs a proper wash.
Seeing as the car was free. Im going to enjoy it for 6 months to 1 year then probably sell it becaue realistically there is someone else out there who will be able to do more to it than I can with my budget.
Okay Alex. You wanted advice, I will give you a bit since it seems like you have a general interest in cars and may represent the future generation of car guys.
1) You lucked into a free running and driving Porsche. I'd have done bad bad things at 20 to make that happen. I had to buy my own Porsche after owning a long line of Mustangs and Corvettes.
2) Yes, you don't have the budget you want (big secret none of us does), but you have time which helps offset costs a lot, and you don't mind getting dirty! Advantage you again.
3) Keep repairing and changing things that need to be done. Once done, take this car to your local autocross or find a club near you (PCA is great) and go on some nice windy mountain roads with it.
4) Lastly, do not sell the car unless you absolutely need to. Learn about cars, enjoy the car, drive the car, drive the car hard and reap the rewards of your own efforts.
5) As someone else said, you can find a new hood (frunk) and then you can learn about buffing and detailing and the car will likely look spectacular. Porsche uses quality paint, and a lot can be done to restore or repair it.
I will also tell you my biggest car regret. When I was young and in the Navy, 80s Porsche 911SCs were cheap.... I mean cheap. I could even afford '80s Ferrari's if I stretched my budget. I went and bought new Mustangs instead. I regret everytime I see one not stretching my budget to get the Ferrari. Those cars are simply gorgeous, sound incredible, and their value has increased 4 fold since I could get one. I can't afford one now. I was also a good mechanic when I was younger, now I'm just not as motivated and don't have as much time to work on things as I did. Don't wake up one morning and regret selling your "Porsche." Once you figure out why you love it, you'll see it's not really about status, looks, but it's about mechanical perfection and enjoyment.
03-18-2018, 10:24 PM
Need Some Advice
. I will do the coolant flush my next day off along with the brake fluid change and bleeding of the brakes. Any idea what brake fluid it uses?
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