rodneyr

I would not be too concerned about purchasing from a non-porsche dealer. I would just make sure the PPI is extensive. You can't take the word of the dealer because they may not be totally transparent so happen to know the real history of the car. I bought one of my Porsches from a Volvo dealer and took it to an expert in my area for an extensive PPI. The main thing is you need to know the facts and what you are getting into. Good luck with your search.

aero997c2s

I bought a users 996 turbo that was highly modified sight unseen after long discussions with him about the car. Upon arrival, I found the moton shock to be leaking and needing removal for a rebuild, was low on oil and coolant level, one of the brake lines was leaking, and maybe after 500 miles after I received it the car needed diverter valves. If I learned anything, don't trust anyone even if they are a member on a small board of generally good people. Due your best due diligence on the car.

Crazy Canuck

I bought mine through a car broker. I did have the car undergo a PPI at a Porsche dealer where they also measured paint thickness even though the car only had 980 miles on it.

ti-jean

Thanks everyone for all the inputs. It seems like it is not black and white but the one thing that resonate is that PPI results are very important. I believe the place doing my PPI is quite knowledgeable (found it with a search on this forum). I specifically asked to check the paint and other things for possible prior body damage. I'm curious on the results of the DME readout as well, who knows if this car has overrevs or not? Once I get it, I'll post it here to get some feedback.

I'm waiting to see if I can get in touch with the local guy Pete knows and get info on his vehicle. That could be the best solution but, as suggested, still doing PPI if it looks interesting.

targa996

Maybe someone traded it for a mustang ! Might make sense in Texas . Yes- run carfax, take Vin to local Porsche dealer and see if u can get service history and do full ppi @ Porsche indie recommended by someone on this board. If that all passes .. And price is right .. Why not ?

enthusiast

This car has been for sale a few times in Texas; at Momentum Porsche, Park Place Motorcars, and a private party. It had aftermarket exhaust tips at one point, not sure how much of the exhaust system was changed.

From current dealer photos; front spoiler lip missing, aftermarket exhaust tips, clear side markers, and tinted film on glass.

Any Porsche Dealership Service Department can look up the car and give you information about recall and warranty work performed by the dealership network.

Obviously car breaking down and ignition issue is not normal or common for GT3.

***I would still have someone take a look at the car for you. There are plenty of Rennlist and PCA people in the Dallas Fort Worth area.



I am glad to know about the two key requirement for full power on the GT3, now I can go faster on the track.



.

dan212

The ignition switch is a failure item on 996's. I replaced mine. If that is what it was, no big deal.

I agree that I wouldn't normally buy from a 3rd party dealer, but If RUF is doing a thorough PPI they can give you a good assessment. Good GT3's are hard to find in part because there weren't that many of them.

Canuck is right about checking paint thickness. That tells you about body damage not repaired impeccably. Don't freak out if there was body damaged repaired. If it was done right, you are OK - RUF should be able to spot this if they are being thorough.

Incidentally - the Ford Dealer was right. There is a special key to enable the Continuum Transfunctioner

ti-jean

You're good... PPI report shows aftermarket exhaust with scraped tips. Also, front spoiler lip is missing just like you pointed out.

Other items to note: Front trunk bottom scraped, front bumper scraped, small chips&scratches all over, paint protection film peeling off, driver seat bolster scuffed, small nicks on door panels, gas lid hinge broken, horn in-op, has paint work.

DME readout:
Number of ignitions, range 1 : 1858 589.2 h
Number of ignitions, range 2 : 233 24.9 h
Operating hours counters: 590
Total distance: 38838km (~24132miles)

Does the "h" in the number of ignitions means hours? I'm not sure how to read the numbers. Anybody know what they mean?

I'm no expert but to me it seems like the car has been tracked with at least a few mis-shifts. Exterior is not as good as it appeared on the pictures and putting all this together now makes me wonder if this is really a good car to get.

What you guys think?

serickson

Your answer lies in the GT3 Must read section.

roberga

If you really like the car make them a deal: if it passes PPI without body damage then you will payX. If it has been repaired then x-y. If it does not pass PPI then they pay for the PPI.

enthusiast

+1

Take some time and read the information relevant to your questions and purchasing a GT3.


Cumulative total engine ignitions and time of last recording in hours...

Range 1: engine ignitions at electronic limiter over a specified rpm

Range 2: engine ignitions over specified rpm

The GT3 engine at 8200 rpm has 410 ignitions per second so you must look at the magnitude of that number in proper context.

The low number of Range 2 ignitions for this red car shouldn't be an issue. They took place a long time ago so a resulting engine issue would have surfaced already. Before you ask, no the DME does not record the highest rpm reached in Range 2.

- I pointed out the front lip because it is part of the car (kind of expensive even though it is a wear/tear part) and it usually protects the front bumper cover from scrapes.

- The stock tires are pretty expensive so I trust the PPI person examined them closely. The rears normally wear out at the inner shoulder circumference area while the middle and outer sections of the tire will still have plenty of tread remaining.

- Track use. An easy place to check for signs of track use is the front brake system. In the case of this red GT3 it has the first generation PCCB. Those brake disks did not hold up well in heavy track use. In light track use I don't know if there are any tell tale signs.




.

ti-jean

Believe or not, I actually read it but was too hung up on trying to convert ignitions count to the reported number in hr... I couldn't make the math work. Once you mentioned it, it was clear... it's the last recorded event in hr.

enthusiast,

Thanks for the input on what to watch for. I'm going to have some thinking to do and see what my move is going to be...

sanyata

Listen to your gut. It seems that you're in some doubt over this car. That doubt will haunt you as you lay down the cash and drive away with this car. I's suggest walking away and keep looking. Patience will pay off in the end with a purchase that just feels right. Good Luck!

chakka

So from the data, that last rev in range one(at the rpm limiter) was less than an hour before the car was tested(589.2 hr/ total operating hours of 590hr)? Must have been a fun ride to the shop to get checked out or a spirited test drive by someone.....

tgavem

Everybody here are giving good advice. I was in same boat as your before buying my car in that I was looking all over the country. Had a couple of cars sent for PPI, which gave me doubt about the purchase. In the end, I decided to wait and hold until something came available within reasonable driving distance. Good luck.