Help with 2002 C4S Purchase
 

Looking at a 02 C4S with 73k miles. Car look pretty good, except for the front bumper. Needs repaint and shouldn't cost too much. Owner states the car has not had the 70k service. RMS seal done at 50k. New brakes and tires at 65k. Does anyone know what's in a 70k service and how much? Clutch has 25k miles since last replacement. Is there anything I should look for before purchase?

The usual stuff: RMS, IMS, Water Pump, etc. Get a PPI. Does the owner have the car's service records? How much are they asking? I'd drop the cost of the car by whatever the 70K mile service runs.

-Eric

P.S. I love the Arena Red 993TT in your avatar. Why did you sell it?

My info is dated (service schedules and such are subject to revision by Porsche so you really need to check with your dealer service manager to know what's what), but a major service is scheduled at 72K miles.

Major service consists of oil/filter service, spark plug renewal, engine and cabin air filter replacement, along with a bunch of inspections and checks for fluid leaks, excessive play or other signs of trouble.

The car is just a used car so a thorough used car checkout can go a long way in spotting something.

I always recommend a thorough test ride/drive covering 15 miles and consisting of varied roads so you get to as a passenger experience the car without having to focus on driving the car.

Turn off the A/C. Be sure when the key turned on all the warning lights come on then go off. Pay particular attention to the check engine light.

Start the engine and let it warm up while you listen. Listen carefully for any abnormal noises. Let the engine get warm. It won't get up to temp at idle but let it idle a good while.

Then head out and have the driver demo the car to you.

Back at the starting point you take the car out on the same route and drive the car the same way.

The engine and in fact the whole car should perform ok and the engine should still remain quiet.

Then if you still like the car treat the car to a full used car check out. Check everything.

Then if you still like the car, believe you can buy it at an agreeable price, arrange for a PPI. The oil filter housing oil should be dumped into a clean pan along with the filter to look for scary bits of metal. You want to do this *after* the 30 mile test ride/drive in case the oil was just changed before you came to view the car. At the same time the car's underbody can be checked for any signs of fluid leaks. The DME overrev counter should be read and the numbers considered.

And on and on. A good PPI guy should know what to do but you can ask him some questions to be sure you're on the same page.

You're in Silicon Valley? IIRC Steven Creek Porsche does PPIs. I forget the price.

Sincerely,

Macster.

$255@Stevens Creek.

That ain't a bad price. Do you know what the PPI involved?

Sincerely,

Macster.

It's the same as the certification inspection for Porsche to CPO a car. They'll do more. You just have to pay for it, although when I asked about a leakdown test they said it was entirely unnecessary. FWIW, I haven't used them for the inspection yet so I can't comment one way or another on whether or not I'm satisfied with what they do. I can tell you that I am planning on having them check some additional stuff for me.

-Eric

Sue Esponte, someone gave me an offer I couldn't refuse.

I usually take my car to Don's Autowerks in Campbell, been using him for years. I've did some service at Modderman in Mountain View. Both are very knowledgeable and price is reasonable. Car's in the Oakland area. Anyone know a good independent around Oakland?

Hi Tec in San Rafael would be worth the drive from Oakland for an inspection.