I was driving in my neighborhood last week and noticed a nice 996 (2002 Lapis Blue Carrera 4 Cab, Tiptronic, 104K mi.) that was parked on the street and looking neglected (dirty, parked under a tree, lots of bird poop on it, wheels black with caked-on brake dust, etc). The homeowner was working in his yard, so I stopped and introduced myself and politely asked about his 996, why it wasn't in the garage, does he ever drive it, etc.

It ends up he was hearing a grinding noise from the transmission while making fast turns, and his transmission was leaking (a few drops). The local Porsche dealer checked it out and found a broken trans mount and a leaking seal on the transmission. The dealer's estimate was $19K(!) for a new transmission, so the owner declined to fix it, and rarely drove it after that.

I asked the gentleman if he might be interested in selling it, and he said he was, so I test drove it and it seemed to run and drive fine.

The gentleman was the original owner, and had a large stack of service records, all from the Porsche dealer, original window sticker ($96K MSRP), etc. One odd thing was the engine was replaced at 30K and again at 48K. I don't know the cause for both of these engine failures.

So, I went home and did some research (the owner did too), and two days later I made him an offer, given that the car may need a new tiptronic transmission. The owner accepted my offer, so I now own the car.

I spent a full day detailing the car and it cleaned up nicely. My plan for now is to replace the transmission mount and just drive it. Interestingly, the car is not actively leaking any ATF. I suppose that could be really good, or really bad news. The service records show a transmission service a couple years ago and the car was brought back in shortly thereafter due to an ATF leak, which was found to be from an overfill condition. This is interesting, but I think the more recent leak is probably related to the broken trans mount.

I plan to take the car in for a PPI (post-purchase inspection in this case), so I'll let everyone know what my local Indy says.

 

Will be interested to hear back from your PPI. My tip trans is seeping oil and it's the 2nd time its done that, I'm wondering whether there is a repeating problem here. Mine is 2003 hence the MB trans which according to people rarely gives any problem.

 

The PPI came back good. The mechanic found evidence of past ATF leakage, but nothing is currently leaking. My plan for now is to replace the transmission carrier mount myself (part is incoming from SunCoast Porsche) and cross my fingers.

 

 

Sounds great and I'm excited for you , but.....where are the pictures ?!?!

 

Thanks for saving a Lapis.

 

 

Keep scrolling down to see the pictures...

My project list is growing, but the more I fiddle around with this car, the more I like it:

To Do List:

1) Fix front turn signal - using RL advice (DIY) - DONE
2) Replace cracked LR tail light - (eBay/DIY) - DONE
3) Get new Lloyds floor mats - Metropol blue with silver Porsche writing (eBay) - DONE
4) Need to replace engine lid struts and frunk struts. (Lift Supports Depot or eBay).
5) Need to touch up some chips & scratches (Dr. Colorchip).
6) Need to re-dye a small section of drivers seat back (Leather Magic kit).
7) Need to re-spray scrape on rear bumper (DIY with color matched paint).
8) Need to refinish LR wheel (18" Carrera II) (Local wheel refinisher).
9) Need to replace transmission carrier mount (SunCoast /DIY).
10) Need to replace turn signal switch (SunCoast/DIY).
11) Need to fix inoperative drivers side seat heater.

I'll keep you updated on my progress.

 

OK, you've been warned

THIS . . .

 

THREAD...

 

Here it is after a thorough detail (Wash, clay bar, machine polish, spray wax, compete interior scrub and wipedown) a new (used) tail light lens, and new floor mats.

I only paid $5.5K for the car, which means 996 prices have officially bottomed out. If the Tiptronic ends up needing to be replaced, I'll probably just have my Indy swap in a used one. As seen from my to-do list, it does have a few minor issues and I plan to fix those myself.

3K miles ago the previous owner had the dealer replace all 4 tires (Pirelli P Zero Rosso), the front brake pads and rotors, do an alignment and the 105K major service. That alone was ~$4.3K.

In the included paperwork, I saw the out-the-door price in 2002 was $102K, which would be around $135K today. The AutoCheck report showed zero accidents and a score of 97. Options include: Comfort package, Technic package, Supple leather seats, Porsche crest in headrests, colored wheel crests, 18" Carrera II wheels.

The front bumper could use a repaint due to rock chips




It has factory Xenon headlights. The lenses show some oxidation and minor star shaped cracks in a few areas. I polished them lightly but I'm hesitant to do anything more aggressive without more research.






The interior cleaned up nicely. I need to repaint the center console due to the usual chipping. I may go body color or integrate some Metropol blue sections, like the front lower side pieces and/or the console lid. I'm also considering a Carbon fiber kit. The door sills have carbon fiber decals to protect the black plastic.




The seats are in really nice shape. There is one section on the drivers side seatback where the dye has worn off on the lower left bolster. That should be an easy fix. The Metropol blue floor mats really wake up the gray interior.




In this photo, the quarter panel looks messed up, but it's just the reflection from my hedge & tree.




Here is the worst thing on the exterior - a typical parking lot scuff on the bumper. The photo makes it look a lot worse than it is The body shop wants $1K to fix this, but I'm going to fix it myself, and if I really mess it up I can always take it to the pros.




The top is in very good shape, goes up and down fine and doesn't leak.



One wheel has stains and etching from brake fluid. The other wheels are clean, but have some minor curbing, so I may have them all refinished.

 

Nice find! Congrats! (Thanks for the pics)

 

You'd better drive that car like you stole it ... which I think you did ;-)

FWIW, there are a few different brands of frunk/hood struts. I've had better results with Stabilus than other brands.

 

Damn. Nice score. Have any before pics because those don't make your find story believable!

Less than 6k for a 911 that is apparently in mostly good shape. That's just crazy.

 

Wow great find!!!!!!!