Daveco56

Hello to all. My name is Dave and I'm new here. I have been hanging around trying to learn as much as possible from all the turbo talk. Here's my problem. I have found a beautiful low mile 2001 tt. BUT it has almost no records, larger turbos, and an unknown tune. Would you buy a car like this? Am I crazy to consider it? For me, perfect colors ,no engine leaks, less than 50 k miles, and everything ,at this point, works as it should. Also less than 50 k to buy. I would appreciate any and all thoughts.

rael

Maybe do some homework and call some of the major tuners and see if they can tell you by the vin. I really have no idea but I would try to figure it out.

"02996ttx50

there is very little about bolt on's or a even an unknown tune that would rise to the level of " caveat emptor & don''t buy the car".
just do your due diligence, have it inspected competently ( if you feel incapable of making an informed decision/judgment on your own ) and if all checks out. buy the car.

bolt on's are ( usually ) just part of the deal as so may mod their 996turbo's , but rarely a deal breaker. GL with it.

my04996tt

Find a good Porsche indy for the PPI, check the usual items: paint work/body condition, engine overrev report (with tune, you will most likely see high #'s) will give you an idea how car was driven, if manual trans check for 2 gear pop out, clutch slippage, coolant smell from radiators, check for functioning spoiler, condition of interior, all electronics working, brakes/tires condition and age, exhaust stock or if aftermarket (listen for drone). As mentioned above it's worth calling some local indies to see if they serviced the car. Here's a helpful link from fellow rennlister:

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-turb...s-missing.html

Daveco56

Thankyou for the replies and advice. I have been told the pass side fender was blended due to a scratch while being transported. Also front bumper cover for road chips. .Very hard to distinguish from pictures I"ve seen. Still concerned about lack of service records and only 1 key.

"02996ttx50

only ONE key for an 18 year old car? uh oh

my04996tt

If you thoroughly inspect it, and the test drive goes good, it should be fine. 50k miles isn't much A good PPI should catch most issues. If you are comfortable with the price, use the lack of history, lack of spare key as a bargaining tool.
Purchased mine with 12k miles 2 yrs ago, no history included. To date, only one issue with the spoiler pump blowing. Mine also only had one key, had to shame the dealer to provide a spare.
Good Luck.

32krazy!

If you purchase the car decide on a tuner such as Kevin or protomotive and have a datalog sent to them and retune. No need beating on a unknown file. Start over

Daveco56

Are you saying the car can be reprogrammed or retuned without knowing what was originally done. The person selling only knows it has larger turbos. It is also a tiptronic.

32krazy!

sure you need to start with a datalogger like a cobb or mygenius from a tuner you choose. then make a 3 rd gear pull from 2000 rpm to redloine. send to the tuner and he can reflash your car with new tune based on mods installed and datalog. basically your starting over on tuning. with no files to look at no knowledge of the tuner you could have a lean tune or a tune for race fuel only lots of different things you wont know about

FRUNKenstein

Yes, you can have the car retuned. Is it being sold by a dealer?

Daveco56

Thanks again for all your replies. Yes a dealer has it. I believe a typical auction grab. He thought there was a good demand for these. I really don't think he knew the difference in demand between tip and manual. Also only discovered larger turbos and probable tune after and Indy shop did some maintenance.

FRUNKenstein

Shoot me a VIN and I'll see if I can look it up on one of the two big dealer auction sites and can tell you what he paid for it.

Turbodan

if its 2001, has been modded, and 50k and tip IMO 50k is too much. A Porsche like this will take a lot of time to sell and price will reflect this. I would pass and get a better example for the same money, and a car with records. Great to buy from an enthusiast who has taken care of a car, as opposed to a dealer who doesn't know or care too much about the car.