drumbraker

I'm an air cooled guy thinking about taking the water pumper plunge!
Got eyes on 2003 with 30k miles. 2 owner.
What are the pitfalls? What do I look for?

HawkFan#12

Crickets....try the stickies and browse the forum a bit. If you end up crossing over to the dark side, welcome!

Mike Murphy

Which air-cooled model did you have? The 996 is a good choice once you understand IMS, AOS, bore scoring, water pumps, and anything else on a 14 yr old car. Otherwise, not far off from any regular 911 in that performance and features, except the 996 is much cheaper than other models.

craig001

I made the move from 993's a year or so ago. The difference in driver comfort is noticeable. Every model Porsche has produced has it's own quirks and foibles. Other than my 993's were sorted out and the 996 is a work in progress, no regrets.

mdsarch

I sold my 964 C2 and picked up a beautiful C4S this summer. I couldn't be happier and I am able to use it as my daily driver. It has a lot more power, great feel in the twisties and is AWD. As stated above, get the IMS/AOS, low temp thermostat done, and you are good to go. I added a deep sump kit with the x51 baffle as I will be tracking the car in the spring.

J Berk

I have had my c4s for two years now... Came from a 91 944s2.

I am by no means an expert but I have a wonderful indy mechanic who did PPI's on several cars I was looking at. I went with a higher mile car that had already had the ims bearing replacement, passed a PPI with flying colors and was at a low enough price point where I could afford to do some regular preventive maintenance.... Like motor mounts, cats, coil packs, etc

I love the car!!!

Barn996

Nice to hear from some air cooled owners who have happily crossed over to the water cooled side.

jb1007

I bought a low millage 12k car last summer. Did IMS, RMS, AOS, water pump, thermo stat, front coupler for the awd, and some other items to get the age related stuff up to par and the piece of mind IMS done. The original was fine(little play in shaft) but now Im covered for 6years or 75k. Car is a blast. A 30k car should be good, but depending on what the previous owners have done, plan on 3-4k to get it healthy if needed. IMS is most important if you buy in to all the hype created around it. My Indy put in LN pro bearing which is best short of the Solution I guess.

Mike Murphy

At some point, daily driving a really old car was getting to a bit much for me. And lack of air conditioning. My first Porsche was a 3.2 Carrera Targa, and then, a Boxster S with very good AC(lol). Now a 996.1 Cab.

Macster

What to look for? Everything.

The Porsche is just a used car. Give it a thorough used car checkout.

I hate to tell you to search but I have not saved any write ups on checking out a used car Porsche and I don't have the time to type it all in from memory.

Briefly, visit the car cold. Start the engine and be sure the CEL comes on when you turn the key to on then goes out as the engine starts and runs. Listen for any scary noises. Letting the engine idle get out and walk around the car looking at the body panel fits, finishes, tires, wheels, brake discs, etc.

But take your time in order to let the engine idle for a while.

Have seller take you on 15 mile test ride. The route should give the driver a chance to demo the car like you intend to use it.

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

You must experience the car in its natural state, engine running and the car on the road being used.

After your test drive then if you still like the car check all the systems to be sure they work right. Lights. Wipers. Spoiler. Mirrors. Heater/AC. Radio. Everything.

If you make it this far then arrange for a PPI. Among other things this gets the car in the air so a thorough check can be made for any leaks.

While the car doesn't have that many miles leaks can come on at any time. Lack of use can increase the car's risk of developing a leak.

Couple of things might not be obvious. If radiator ducts full of plant trash -- this is normal, these cars are just hoovers when the radiator fans are running -- if you buy the car budget for a bumper cover removal and radiator duct cleaning.

If the radiator ducts are full of trash chances are the body water drains are too.

The PPI is probably better suited to checking these body water drains as the plastic panels on either side of the battery cover need to be removed -- requires a Torx security bit -- to expose the front body water drains. I'm not sure where the rear body drains are on the 996.

Check for dampness along bottoms of the doors. If damp this can be a sign of water collecting in the door. (A door membrane that normally keeps the water out of the dry area of the door has probably failed.) If you buy the car this door dampness must be addressed promptly. And the car should be kept out of the rain and not washed until the doors are once again dry.

Check under the seats for signs of dampness. The security module is on the cabin floor under the passenger seat. If this is wet or gets wet shortly after you buy the car this can be a real mess to fix.

Uneven tire wear say more wear on the inside edges of the rear tires strongly suggests the alignment is not quite up to snuff. With a proper alignment rear tire wear (and front tire wear) should be even across the tread face. The rear tires -- for some reason -- can appear to wear a bit more in the center than the edges but the difference should not be much. If the right rear tire is more worn the left rear chances are the car has been hotrodded a bit, at least around town. Not the end of the world perhaps.

If you find a severe problem or just have a gut feeling this car may not be for you walk away. There is always another car.

And price is not fact only an opinion.

Best of luck.