Going to look at a 2002 Carrera Cabrio, 106K miles ask is only 9K. Current owner says it makes a ticking sound (I know, not good) but drives well without any issues. I'll know more when I actually see the car (Friday or Saturday). He has no idea if IMS/RMS has been addressed, so not during his ownership. I'm at the very beginning of this process and haven't run background checks or asked for or seen any maint. docs. I recently missed out on a killer deal on a high mileage Mercedes e63 because of hesitation about the head bolt issues that plague the car. Any thoughts as to what symptoms to look for that could indicate issues? Or thoughts in general on the car.

2002 Cabrio

I've searched and read the forums, this would be my 3rd Porsche (2 928s previously).
TIA for any feedback

 

9K is roller territory - I'd be EXTREMELY cautious! That car should be going for around 22K, why isn't it?
Get an extensive PPI done by someone that knows what they're doing.
Oh, and that dent on the door?
Does the top go up and down perfectly? Condition of the top?

 

current owner stated has taken a recent road trip (100 miles) with no issues. Dent is fixable. Again, I'll know more when I see it in person.

 

I'll cut to the case... More than likely this car is experiencing the core symptom of cylinder bore scoring. Eventually, this engine will have to be completely rebuilt. Most people misdiagnose the ticking sound with a noisy lifter, but on the M96, the sound is usually coming from the cylinders. If you bore scope cylinder #6, I'm almost positive you'll see scoring. Check out Jake Raby's videos on the topic to learn more:

 

Yeah, walk away. Too many decent cars out there to buy one with a potentially fatal problem. He'll tell you his mechanic said it's a lifter, but it almost never is.

No such thing as a cheap Porsche.

 

junk

 

i've come to trust "the collective", my term for the wise, experienced members of the 996 forum. take "their" advice!

 

Wait a minute...$9 k ASKING...it's worth a good look over first....test drive at least 1/2 hour in "all" conditions...if it passes the "Not A Rat" test..PPI...for sure

 

That car is a Mk 1, so 2001 or older, not 2002. If the owner is not even honest about the year of the car, I'd keep looking. Too many red flags already.

 

The owner knows he has internal engine problems and is trying to dump it off on someone else...Maybe $5K is worth a look but not $9K.

It's not an 02 and the stated mileage is not the same as odometer.

 

Just because it's ticking doesn't mean it's automatically bore scoring. What maintenance has been done on the car? If nothing major has been done at that mileage it'll probably need new chain guides, cam pads, tensioners, etc.

 

True but when a seller is deceptive about one thing, it raises red flags to me.
Buyer beware!

 

Thanks for all of the responses, I watched the entire video series. I always question why, after visiting the forums, that anyone (myself included) buys these types of cars. I've had many and always learn something when I venture out to a model I've never had. Each enthusiast car has it's weak points that are discussed at length on the forums, the bore scoring was something I had never heard of until I arrived here, it was just the IMS/RMS that was commonly discussed. I will know more when I actually talk to the current owner later today (text only to this point) and then hopefully much more when I see the car in the next couple of days. Thanks again for the comments, I will keep the thread updated as I learn more. BTW, this will be a third vehicle that is driven on weekends/recreationally.

 

That's true. I looked up the license plate and it's actually a 2001.

 

100 miles is not a "road trip"... These are awesome little sports cars, but don't be blinded by how good it feels - at their worst they still feel great compared to most other cars. If you buy a car with problems it WILL be a very expensive proposition to straighten it out properly... you've been warned!