Hello All, Looking to purchase my first Porsche and have found a 996 TT with less than 20K miles. Besides the standard maintenance for this low mileage car are there any other services that i should be checking for or problems that may occur on a 13+ year old car even with this low mileage?

If i decide to purchase I will be doing a PPI but just looking for normal things that should have been done before going through the PPI process.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

I looked at a car with 25k miles on it and was stunned to see the amount of corrosion underneath. Every through bolt on the case and hose keeper was rusted thoroughly. Get a good look or really good pictures of the underside.

As you'll read in other similar "what to look out for" threads the hydraulic Rams on the rear wing will fail, the clutch Soave and its accumulator will also go.

A PPI will only go so far but make sure it includes an over rev report (DME Scan) to gauge health and treatment of the engine.

I also passed in lower mileage cars after seeing several (4+ owners) but that's personal preference. Would rather see more consistent ownership than lower miles.

Are you able to see this car in person?

 

I would say maintenance would be standard 996tt fare except lower issues with wearables. No serious age related issues I have seen from reading the forums, and a good PPI will find those. Buy it!

 

About all you can do is give the car a good checkout, a thorough test ride then a test drive to experience the car on the road as you intend to use it.

I recommend you visit the car cold and with the A/C off -- so the fans don't run -- start the engine. Be sure the CEL comes on then goes off when the engine starts/begins to run.

Pay close attention to the engine from dead cold as it idles and warms up. It should be, will be, a bit gruff sounding but should not manifest any distinct knocking or ticking noises. Of course the engine will make noise but it should be the noise of a healthy reciprocating internal combustion engine, which you should be familiar with.

As the engine idles walk around the car checking body/panel fits/gaps. But keep an ear on the engine.

Check tires for age and condition. If older than 6 years, they should be replaced. If unevenly worn this is likely a sign the alignment is not optimism and you should budget for new tires (soon) and an alignment.

After a while then have the seller take you on a test ride. The route should cover 15 miles or so and give the driver a chance to demo the car as you intend to use it. After the ride back at the starting point then you take the car out and drive it the same way over the same route.

You must spend time with the car in its natural environment. All this running gives the DME a chance to go through its readiness monitor checks and if it finds a problem it wil turn on the CEL.

This running also gives time for any leaks to leak so the PPI to follow has a better chance of spotting any leaks.

Afterwards give it a good used car check out to make sure all systems from wipers to brake lights, to fog lights to spoiler, work without any problems.

After the above then get the car a PPI which among other things gets the car in the air so a close inspection can be made for any leak sign. There is the RMS, water pump, rear and front diff axle flange seals, rear and front CV boots, transmission seals (all of them not just the bigger ones -- it was a very small selector shaft seal leak in my 2003 Turbo that triggered a tranny replacement, thankfully under CPO warranty), coolant hose connections at the block, radiators, and so on. In short, every hose, pipe, clamp, hydraulic fitting, seal, gasket, o-ring or what have you needs to be checked for any leak sign.

The engine run time and engine over rev counters will be read also and the PPI guy should go over with you the info obtained.

Try to learn what services were done and when. Plugs are due on time if they haven't been changed due to miles. Brake fluid flush/bleed is due every two years. I'd probably have the coolant drained and refilled with fresh to renew the anti-corrosion and water pump seal additives.

Then just keep an eye/ear out for any issues. If you feel the clutch pedal pulsing when you use the clutch, if the clutch pedal is harder to depress when you get into the car after it has sat overnight vs. when the engine is running, the clutch accumulator has failed. When you have this taken care of you probably want the clutch slave cylinder replaced as often one failure is accompanied by another although I do not know if the failures are related.

Check the fluid level in the small reservoir under the plastic panel ahead of the driver. If this is full, or if there is fluid around, this is a sign the clutch slave cylinder is failing and it should be replaced. And if you have the slave cylinder replaced seriously consider having the clutch accumulator replaced at the same time.

If you hear a high pitched whistle when you roll up to a stop with the ttranny in neutral and the clutch pedal released this is a noisy high pressure relief valve in the power steering system. Replacement is the only cure I know of. This requires the power steering tank be replaced -- the valve is part of the tank.

Be sure the body water drains are free of any trash and are dry. Check the radiator ducts. If a lot of trash build up budget to have the bumper cover removed and the trash cleaned out. Trash build up can shorten the life of the A/C condensers and radiators.

During your after test ride/drive portion of the used car check out, with the engine still idling and when the engine is hot enough to trigger the radiator fans be sure both are running.

You can also run, and should run, the A/C. Turning on the A/C turns the fans on. But it is nice to verify they come on when the engine gets hot enough, too.

 

Thank you for the very detailed information. I will definitely use this as a guideline when doing the inspection.

 

I have macs answer memorized now.

 

Pretty much a new car, check for previous damage, get PPI then buy it if you like what you see.
Change the fluids and tires if old and drive it.

 

A good PPI should catch anything.... should.

 

Completely agree.

If there are no mods it sounds like this car was a garage queen and it's waiting for someone to buy it and drive it.

 

It will most probably be like new, but I have seen the insides of a transmission from an older but very low mileage car. There was a line where the top of the transmission fluid sat. Everything below that line looked pristine, and everything above it had bad surface corrosion. Maybe an exception rather that a rule, but just something to think about with a car that is never driven...

Dan

 

Bought mine with 19k miles, November 2014...it's as new and doesn't need anything.

 

"Bought mine with 19k miles, November 2014...it's as new and doesn't need anything."


I'm hoping for the same. Its a one owner car with less than 20k miles, clean carfax that shows periodic services at local Porsche dealership, I am supposed to get copies of all maintenance performed. Only upgrade done was the Bilstein coilovers which I saw the receipt from the dealership.


I am driving it over to another Porsche dealer tomorrow and having PPI done, hopefully all is well.

 

Thank you to everyone for the helpful advice on this thread. Had the PPI done on Friday at Parkhaus1 in Miami and pulled the trigger the same day. (BTW anyone in the Miami, Fl. area I would recommend this shop, from the tech to the owner everyone was very knowledgeable, detailed, and friendly).

I picked up the car yesterday and simply WOW, what an unbelievable driving experience.

 

Enjoy!!

 

Great info. already shared but remember the age of the car. I am in year 2 of a 30K mile '03 purchase and have a close friend with an '04 with the same mileage. Service histories were very good for both, use about the same and we've both experiences similar "post-purchase" service needs.

At the age of this car it should have had a major maintenance already done. All fluids changed (oil-diffs(2)-brakes-coolant), filters, belt and plugs. If that's not been done, budget for it and replace the coil packs at the same time.

Both of our cars have had water pumps and alternators fail. These are only done when needed but plan on doing it them in 12-24 months. Do both if either fail.

These are fantastic machines but they will require some care. Keep in mind that what you have is virtually new car at 20K miles and it's by far the best $$$ spent for a very reliable supercar.

Enjoy!