I am off tomorrow to look at a GT3 down in Denver. This is my first passing at a GT3 after having owned quite a few air cooled 911's, with the last being a 993 C4S. Having read countless threads on the GT3 here on the board, I thought I would just ask what, if any, specific items I should look for when looking at this car. It is a low mileage example with 1 owner and all service records. Car has been local to Denver for it's life (from what I know). Do the GT3's fall victim to the RMS issues? Any information will help when I head down tomorrow (Saturday). Thanks ahead of time.

 

They can get RMS leaks. There are a bunch of threads about this. Get the DME checked for type 2 overrevs. These cars are very rugged, especially the drive train, given how high performance they are. PPI from a dealer or Porsche shop is always wise advice. Best of luck and post some pics if you get it. Kyle

 

Otherwise, best thing to look at is... the previous owner/seller. Really.

Cars are all but bullet-proof, and buying from someone you can trust is really all that matters.

Good luck, and please report back.

 

What to look out for? Easy.......

.....Look out for your wallet. I think we all speak from experience

 

I would worry about the coolant hoses and press fittings due to age of car. It's not a deal killer for me but at some point it needs to be addressed. Aircooled cars don't have that luxury of grenading coolant ancillaries. Rms can happen but not a big deal. If car started up cold don't worry bout the marbles in a can sound it'll go away. It squeaks/rattles. Sometimes it makes a boing sound up front if u hit a bump- normal. Clutch is abit heavier. Make sure u don't hear ne moaning sounds from wheel bearings. LSD is another thing if stock the brass wears fast ie non working LSD- u won't notice it on the street but on track under heavy braking rear wiggles bigtime. Hopefully previous owner has aftermarket toe links to replace the eccentric bolt type which under hard cornering can cause toe changes ie snap oversteer. Make sure if u interested get a ppi and body guy to check for possible frame damage. Mike

 

I agree.

Cosmetic condition, accident history, and mileage are the only thing that separate a 50k car from a 60k car.

The drivetrains aren't perfect, but they are bulletproof. Type 2 over-revs really aren't that big of a deal. Reading some cup car DMEs, you see overrevs over 10k rpm with no bent valves. I didn't bother with a PPI and just bought my car cash on the spot because the car looked good, drove well, and was being sold my a reputable guy.

I would use the following as "bargaining chips:"

1. Coolant pipes need to be welded (engine out procedure)
2. LSD is toasted (this is likely with almost any car you will see for sale)
3. Oil leaks (RMS can leak, but the water cooled GT1s rarely have oil leaks that plagued the air cooled cars)

Other than that there aren't any major issues that plague these cars. None of the above would prevent me from buying a car, I would just make sure the price was adjusted accordingly.

 

Well actually, I think that the risk to the wallet comes "after" the purchase, when the mod bug bites. At purchase, you know the price of admission, but after that, well, the sky's the limit... you've been warned

 

Amen.

 

The car is in excellent condition with full service history done at the local Porsche dealership. There have been 2 owners, with the car being in Denver for it's entire life. From talking with the dealership there sounds to be zero track time on the car. No modifications done to the car. Paint and body were perfect. This car is red in color and I have had 3 red Porsches. My first choice is to find a silver or white one so this is a part of my decision factor. Interior had matching sport seats and center console. So liking red is a must.

As for the price, I think they are asking a little much for it even though it has low miles (18k) on it. Given the cars I have seen sell on the board they might be about 3-5k high but then they are a dealership.

This is my first pass at a GT3 so I dont want to jump on the first one (unless it is the right one) until I have either seen or at least considered other cars that are not local. The local aspect is nice but isnt the deciding factor. I know this car has been for sale for some time which I attribute to the market and maybe the price.

Now I just need to do some thinking and get in touch with the couple other ones that are for sale, but not local.

 

IMO,

• service records
• DME scan
• PPI
• RMS
• check tires for alignment issues
• most importantly, post up here the cars you are looking at; you'd be surprised how small the US population of cars is; somebody here likely knows it

Good Luck!

 

I saw on the service records there were a couple of alignment entries. The car's most recent owner hasnt drive the car much in the past 2 years so there wasnt a lot on the records list. I asked about the RMS and was told it hadnt been done and I didnt see it noted on the records.

Here is a link to the car on the dealers site, Dealers listing

 

Has none of the following 'heavily optioned' bits:

Traction Control
Tire Pressure Monitor
Tilt Wheel

Looks like it does have the optional thicker steering wheel and painted seat backs (OEM option?). Not full leather.

Good pictures. Wooo, that's a lotta Red

 

That looks like a nice car. Not a fan of the red wheels just a little too much. Just make sure you get a good PPI with body work check. I looked at a Porsche at a F-car dealer and was sure the car had been stuffed. THe dealer agreed to pay for the PPI if it failed. The car failed, the dealer paid and I bought a different GT3

 

Ploglet, just some friendly advice. Dig deeper for info when you are looking at a car. I did some quick internet research on this car. It has been in Louisiana and Florida for part of its life. It has been in a FEMA flood damage zone. It has a damage history in Colorado. It appears to have had 4 owners including the current dealer. It may also have been in Arizona. Quite a history for the price they are asking. They told you it has been in Colorado its whole life?

 

Scorpio, thanks for the info. Yes the dealer told me that it was a CO car all it's life with 2 owners both being local. Goes to show how far you can trust a dealer once again. I have been lucky enough to purchase all my previous p-cars from private owners and post PPI's have all served me well.

I wouldnt have gone any further on the purchase until a PPI was done any way. Not to mention the large amount of red. Agreed on the red wheels as well.