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I do have a 66' 912 I bought as a project that I am rebuilding the motor on now. It is a rust bucket, but has been fun to see the roots of the 911/912. Things have come a long way since then. ,,,,snip...
--Aaron
If I remember correctly, the '66 912 had "script" looking "912" numbers, not the '67 Block looking numbers. Anyway, I have excellent silver 4"-engine-lid and 3"-glovebox original silver numbers. I also have owners manual, 912 toolkit , P-factory brochures (of the day) and other stuff. Probably even period NOS ignition parts, and so on. Lemme-no if interested....
if they offered you under $35k you left a lot on the table. Even if you can't verify the x51, a nice condition aero kit Targa would likely bring 35-40 on BaT these days.
Well, I didn’t get $35k….I think I may have been able to get that, but that would have taken some investment on my end.
Carvana is pretty cool in that you get a 7 day, 400 mile return policy. I didn’t know that till I saw guys doing that on the 991 board. A ‘Post’ Purchase Inspection. What a great idea.
If someone is interested in this Targa, buy from Carvana, check it out and return if if doesn’t pass you inspection. 😎
Most of these cars end up with a dealer and some (mine) end up on BAT.
Another place is PCarmarket dot com. Some say that auction prices are higher there, dunno. Many bidders "appear" to be knowledgeable and ask detailed questions about cars and their known "warts".
I do know that I often see the last minute "feeding frenzy" bidding and some prices are pretty darn high. Just another option to consider.
CarMax has the same return policy. I used it to do a post-PI on a Merc wagon. Very handy.
I think people put too much trust in a PPI. Who is to say that mechanic was correct, or even honest? There is an obvious conflict of interests for shops doing PPIs. I would suggest getting either no PPI and trusting your own judgment, or getting two PPIs, letting each shop know you are going to get another one from somewhere else and then compare the two and make a decision. How many buyers walk away from good cars based on a bogus PPI, or will spend needless money on things that dont really need attention? They can just as easily give a false sense of security that everything is fine when you actually need to be addressing something that is causing long term damage.
I got a PPI when buying the 996. The seller was a dealer, so it didn't come with maintenance records like is more common from a private seller who is an enthusiast. The PPI revealed some flaws, and I took those to the selling dealer, and they fixed them all without additional charge. That was at least one advantage of the PPI.
I think people put too much trust in a PPI. Who is to say that mechanic was correct, or even honest? There is an obvious conflict of interests for shops doing PPIs. I would suggest getting either no PPI and trusting your own judgment, or getting two PPIs, letting each shop know you are going to get another one from somewhere else and then compare the two and make a decision. How many buyers walk away from good cars based on a bogus PPI, or will spend needless money on things that dont really need attention? They can just as easily give a false sense of security that everything is fine when you actually need to be addressing something that is causing long term damage.
I don't see an issue with a PPI that is paid for by the potential buyer as it was in my case and as I suspect it is in most cases. I guess it's possible for an unsavory seller to steer the job to a shop that will lie for them, but that's starting to stretch things. If a person is concerned about that sort of thing then they need to only consider cars they can see and touch in person.
I took the Merc to a local garage that is in its 3rd generation of Mercedes servicing. I trust what they have to say.
I think people put too much trust in a PPI. Who is to say that mechanic was correct, or even honest? There is an obvious conflict of interests for shops doing PPIs. I would suggest getting either no PPI and trusting your own judgment, or getting two PPIs, letting each shop know you are going to get another one from somewhere else and then compare the two and make a decision. How many buyers walk away from good cars based on a bogus PPI, or will spend needless money on things that dont really need attention? They can just as easily give a false sense of security that everything is fine when you actually need to be addressing something that is causing long term damage.
"There is an obvious conflict of interests for shops doing PPIs"
And what would that be? Are you afraid the shop will make up a story about the car so you don't buy it? Or that they'll say it's fine so you buy it and then pay them to repair the issues they hid? What would be their gain in either of these scenarios? If it's the first one they lost a customer because you didn't buy, if it's the second they lost a customer because they missed the issue and you take it elsewhere to be fixed.
Getting a good PPI starts with a reputable, specialist shop. If they're not experts in the particular car they're inspecting and don't have a great local reputation then don't have them do it. If there are no local experts then you're going to be on your own for repairs anyway. Hopefully your "judgement" can detect bore scoring as well as a bore scope can though.
I'd rather pay $250+ for peace of mind or avoiding spending $30k on a car that need $25k in repairs.
Having been on both ends this spectrum....selling a swb [67 coupe] to an out of town buyer...we both agreed to use a known shop that was halfway between our locations.... a fly and drive situation for a 65 coupe that used my shop [local to me] that knew the car..... and lastly a pure Internet photo only interaction with an out of town dealer [my 99 early build(4/98) that I have recently bought]...SRMPDX is quite correct, do a PPI when possible...or try and represent the car honestly [while in it's best light]...OR as I just recently did trust to instinct when first seeing the pictures and then in person [after doing as much research as possible]....In any case it's all in the pursuit of motors we love...
I think people put too much trust in a PPI. Who is to say that mechanic was correct, or even honest? There is an obvious conflict of interests for shops doing PPIs. I would suggest getting either no PPI and trusting your own judgment, or getting two PPIs, letting each shop know you are going to get another one from somewhere else and then compare the two and make a decision. How many buyers walk away from good cars based on a bogus PPI, or will spend needless money on things that dont really need attention? They can just as easily give a false sense of security that everything is fine when you actually need to be addressing something that is causing long term damage.
PPI caught a small issue I didn't know the car had since I'm not under it ever. Not detrimental or catastrophic, seeping valve cover gasket, but did help inform potential buyer and myself to something I was unaware. I disclosed as much as possible that I know from my own end, but PPI helps in situations like this. It can however add fear or just a bargaining chip for things that may not be be that big of a deal.
Now if it was a 911 that was prone to bore scoring, I'd 150% get a PPI specifically for borescope.
Another thought is for a "brand-new Porsche 996 buyer": Some things are not found in PPI and maybe not as common and unknown by new-buyer.
One of those things is "2 keys". If dealer/owner only has 1 key, that is ~$900 bill and PITA to get another one. Another one is A/C working correctly? Are front fans operating correctly?
If buying in cold weather, maybe some of these things are missed? Fans can be cheap - needs a new resistor, or expensive needs a new fan.
I should get my dealers license and sell maintained 996's. The problem is no one would want to pay the prices after the $10-15k in service most cars I see need.
I should get my dealers license and sell maintained 996's. The problem is no one would want to pay the prices after the $10-15k in service most cars I see need.
--Aaron
Aaron, you should! No doubt in my mind that the market is starting to develop. Once people understand how great of a car a well sorted 996 is, they will want to pay up for one that is already sorted.
BTW, nice job on Will's videos. Always enjoy watching them when you are on!
I wonder what impact on "sale price" is a higher tier 3.4, 3.6, 4.1 engine would be on selected cars? By "higher tier", I mean Slakker, LN, Hartech, and similar, not just the shop down the street. I look at the parking lot and see air-cooled cars, and a couple of Macan-Cayenne looking cars, zero 911s of water-cooled variety. The first person you talk to (service manager?) does not seem to know anything about the later cars just turns me off. Say 996 3-chain C2 engine and get a blank look back, no lightbulb there.
What makes them elevated is known results, support, and warranties on their engines and whatever they did (added) to the car. Things like different trans +limited slip, suspension stuff and so on, all documented.
Maybe there is an $ increase now, as more people are appreciating, meaning placing value, on these premier builders. Dunno.
Just random thoughts...
YMMV
Last edited by Siberian14; May 18, 2026 at 05:22 PM.
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