Zshark

First post guys, thanks for reading. I want to know your opinion on a car that I have found.

It is a 2000 996 C4 6 speed. Viola metallic. It has been sitting in a mechanic's yard for 7 years. The car needs a transmission and the owner never would put the money together to have it replaced. The car runs and drives but there is a terrible sound from the transmission, especially when coasting in gear (goes away when push in clutch). The driver's seat is stuck all the way back. It has some light body damage from being pushed around the yard so many times. I also saw some evidence of previous paint and bodywork on the driver's quarter panel. Interior is in decent shape. I think the car could be had for about $7,000. My intentions would be to daily it with occasional track use.

Device2

Multiple variables on this one. Welcome to the forum and if you actually buy it are you then willing to fork over more money for re-pairs and fixes $$$$. Also are yourself able to roll up your sleeves and do some of the work yourself? It all would depend on the time, money and the mechanical state of the car and things you would be willing to do. Remember with these cars the lower you pay to acquire usually translates to the more you will fork over to fix. With the Porsche brand name (it will cost more) for parts and services (mechanic labor rates) so I would be thinking of a those aspects. But hey if you want the car why the hell not go for it.

I bought mine with the intent to disassemble, fix and drive. But mine was in decent shape already when purchased. Plus I had most of the european specialty tools, mechanical skills and resources to take on the project. Definitely get a good PPI is what i would recommend. The car itself is fun as hell to drive, not going to lie there so no regrets. But truthfully in the end it is truly your choice, since it will be your time, your money and feeling of satisfaction on the line.

AzDropTop

What does a new transmission cost? What info do you have on the engine?

Dion Houng-Lee

I agree that you need to be prepared to spend some cash and/or elbow grease to get it going to be road worry and to be happy. I found mine (was super lucky) for $8500 and it was running fine. But to put things into perspective, I has an indie to the RMS/IMS/AOS and I am doing brakes and caliper rebuild, a bunch of simple mods like lights and stuff, short shifter, fixing the fuel evap system, All drop links, replace coolant tank, motor mounts, gundo hack, 997 airbox and shift **** and I am into it for 10K above what I paid for.

But I have a passion for hobby cars so it's about the love of it vs the value.

Zshark

I can do some mechanical work. But I would probably pay someone to swap the transmission. The mechanic who is storing the car said he'd swap it for $600. I thought that would be worth it. I have found transmissions (used) from between $1500 to $2500. Haven't priced a new one.

I have already done the cheap Porsche thing and I definitely know that a cheep Porsche is an expensive mistake. But for 7 grand, it seems that there is a lot of margin to have a great car, especially one that I wouldn't mind beating on at the track.

KoB

Seems like it probably depends on your budget and the state of the engine. $7k is about what a decent roller (i.e. trashed engine) seems to go for. I don't know what a transmission rebuild would cost, but there are probably a few threads on here that would give you an idea. You might be able to contact a Porsche specific transmission rebuilder like Gbox and get an idea of the worst case cost for a replacement transmission.

That said, if you buy the car for $7k and put the same amount into transmission rebuild, clutch, and the usual "while you're in there" items, you could come away with a pretty nice car for 14 grand.

It's important to bear in mind that we're talking about an 18 year old car, and there may be maintenance and wear items that need to be addressed. Find out as much as you can about how the car has been maintained. And before you go too far, figure out what your all-in budget really is.

Alan A

Can you afford to write off the $?

If so go for it.
If not wait until you can.

JMO. GL.

Splitting Atoms

I bought mine several months ago as a non-driver, but I did get to look it over thoroughly and listen to the engine run. I suspected it had a bad ground and a bad alternator, which it did. You will probably find, like I did, that there will be a list of little things you find to fix and replace. The list of parts I have been creating as I go is literally about a page long. I figure that by the time I replace the IMSB with the IMS Solution, replace the chain guides, water pump, and all the other maintenance items I want to do in the near future, I will probably spend an additional 7k above the 11.5k I spent to buy the car. Since my car had the electrical issue, I did buy it a little below market, so I feel comfortable where I will be dollar wise.

Having said all this, I drove the car about an hour ago, did a couple of second gear pulls to 6500 rpm and they put a smile on my face. I really enjoy driving the car.

Based on the info you have given us about your car, the things that would bother me most include the body damage, since little dings and dents could be expensive to repair, and the condition of the engine, since that's where all the money is. If the engine is truly solid, it's probably worth 6k just for the engine. Is there any way he would let you change the oil where you can cut open the filter and inspect it for metal particles? If you find more than a few very small non-ferrous particles in the filter, I would pass on the deal. Having him put a good used transmission in for $600 is not a bad deal, if he does quality work. If you buy the transmission from a recycler, the oil will be drained prior to shipping. The Porsche oil isn't cheap.

Zshark

Im sure I can do the oil change idea. Thats good advice. I have a good relationship with the mechanic and Im sure that he would be willing to allow me to do that.

Any other way to test the motor? I drove the car for less than a mile, but it did fine during that time.

The body damage is two dents on the passenger door and fender. I think they could be worked out with paintless dent removal.

Splitting Atoms

While the car is parked and running, stick your head up under the rear bumper behind the tires. Listen for a ticking noise, kind of like a diesel truck. A healthy engine will have a very soft ticking noise and it will sound the same, with the same volume, on both sides. There are some youtube videos of 996s with "bore scoring" you may want to listen to. Other than the IMSB failure, bore scoring appears to be the second most common catastrophic failure.

Search the 996 forum. there are some true experts on this site that know a lot about the engines and have a lot of experience.

808Bill

You can buy a driver in better shape for not much more. The worst thing about this car is that it's been sitting for so long...

Splitting Atoms

True. I have seen some decent cars for around 13k, or I should say "cars that appear to be decent". Almost every 996 is a little bit of a crap shoot.

Zshark

A boroscope would show scored cylinder liners correct?

Well anyways I see that everyone is not really impressed by the selling price. It is purple after all. I think the lack of excitement over the price tells me what I need to know.

808Bill

Pictures are worth a 1000 more words!

johnireland

You are headed for heartbreak and bankruptcy if you buy this car. I would never start an engine that has been sitting in a lot for seven years. The gas in the tank is loaded with crap that now just got sucked into the fuel system. All the rubber on the car is now trash. Hoses belts seals gaskets, etc., plus the clams should be replaced. By now mice have been eating the wiring harness. The grease has dried out on the wheel bearings. The waterpump, the brake and clutch master cylinders, the steering rack, all need to be serviced or replaced, the shocks are already dead or will be as soon as the car starts being driven, all the other rubber in the suspension system is toast, all the fluids need to be changed. And now you can start thinking about replacing the transmission. And now you can think about the body work...and a paint job. Have we talked about the interior? Oh yes, one of the seat motors isn't working, but how good are all the other electrical motors in the car, the windows, the window sensors...they haven't worked for seven years as well so the health of the lubrication in them is also suspect. Just sitting in a yard for seven years is harder on a car than if it had been driven all those years. Why pay seven thousand dollar for the right to spend at the very least double if not triple that amount? The only reason to buy that car is because you don't really want to drive, but rather you are looking for a project that will give you amusement on your weekends for the next five or six years.