13sinned

PPI... DME Scan... RMS... improved IMS bearing... maintenance costs and even baby car seat.

hi i been lurking and trying to do my best to amass all the information i need to arm myself on getting my first porsche. i almost bought a pristine 996TT two years ago but a different twin has stopped me on getting one... that's why i also research on suitable car seat for my twins.

everything i read must eventually come into practice, i finally came across to this ad and would highly appreciate if anyone can offer further information about the car and the dealer - mars motoring @ sunnyvale. http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/ctd/3187620139.html






my further concerns are:
1. price? i emailed the mars motoring about the price but replied what's my reasonable offer. he mentioned that the car is posted below KBB and based from its mileage and options. the KBB price ranges from $42K to $47K. I just need further advise how much will be my offer.

2. where can i have the car PPI? i read that sharkwerks doesn't offer it and stevens creek porsche is not a good option. someone suggested rennshop. are there any other shops that offer comprehensive PPI within sunnyvale area?

3. has anyone dealt with mars motoring? it was once mentioned @ a 993 thread but dwelled more about the car and how it was flipped in a short time.

4. the description said that plugs were changed on 38K maintenance then the clutch @ 52k... is it premature? is it a red flag on how it was previously driven?

5. just want to affirm about DME - ideally dew on 1,2,3 then zero on 4,5,6?

thanks!
dennis

Little Green

Awesome looking car. Good luck. I Wish I could help

Eric - Plug Guy

One question on the interior - what the heck is that dimple in the driver's seat?

Don't know squat about the brand of rubber on those wheels, might want to check with others on that.

Orange calipers? Odd....not stock finish.

Beyond that, nice lookin' example. Good luck.

Macster

"orange calipers" can arise from the calipers getting too hot. The red changes to a more orange color from this excessive heat.

Sincerely,

Macster.

Macster

Mars Motors is not familiar to me. Sorry.

The car has mods that suggest to me it has been tracked. If I'm right what this means to you is up to you.

I do not see what the car's being offered for, thus I can't do any research to see if its price is indeed below that from KBB or any other site.

But remember this: Anything a car salesman tells you is intended to get you to buy the car as soon as possible and pay as much for the car as possible. So that comment the car is being offered below KBB needs to be considered in that context.

Now if the car is being offered below some market price one has to wonder why? Used car salesman are not generous by nature so if they're giving you something under market this suggests to put it bluntly they know something about the car or the market you do not know.

Get the car's VIN and google it to see what turns up.

Sincerely,

Macster.

sixtosune

????? first time I've seen this

sixtosune

(on any Porsche)

13sinned

thanks guys! everyone has a great set of keen eyes! i'm taking notes everything you mentioned.

re: the price, the seller never mentioned it and his reply when i asked how much it was, is plainly to give him a reasonable offer. though he mentioned from the ad it will be lower than KBB where it should range between $42-$47K. i'll check it thoroughly this weekend and bring up all those concerns that was mentioned. then assess if i'll take it to next level - PPI for further verification.

Dave I

Heyer Performance or Modderman Service would be good for PPI imho...both are in Mountain View. Never heard of Mars Motoring, and don't have any other answers to your questions. I will say that people that won't state their selling price even if it is a starting point are not worth the time of day in most cases, but hopefully this will be an exception.

13sinned

dave,
thanks for those suggestions!
i share the same sentiments on how he makes his deals. hopefully it turns out for the better this weekend.

sy308

That is a nice looking car. Some basic questions for you. What are YOU going to do with it? Collect, occasional drive, keep for sunny days, only car, daily driver, etc? Remember the list of modifications do NOT add value to the car. The only things which do are factory options. If you like the car and it drives well enough, you should have a shop or person you know that will be able to look it over. Figure this will cost around $200. Hopefully, you have a trusted person who is familiar with this model and they can give you honest data. Sometimes this process is pretty simple, other times it is just not too helpful. I would not go to a dealer, I would find someone like my shop. They work on all top end cars, like Ferrari and Lambos, so Porsche is common and they know what to look for. Your basic inspection is nothing more than putting it on a lift, checking tires, brakes and leaks. I think you need a bit more, so you want someone you are familiar with and their work level. If you can get service records, review them yourself. You might be able to get some, but probably not all. Porsche tends to purge records from their system after some years. Presumably you might get the later year(s) of warranty info from the dealer who serviced. Many cars go to private shops. Identifying the shop that did the custom work would be helpful here, there are lots of add ons. They probably knew the owner well. You can't assume anything about the previous owner(s) but probably only they liked the GT3 look. I tend to agree the car probably was modified to perform at a higher level, who knows if it had track time. One can not judge the clutch life other than put it in second and make hard accelerations. That will tell you how it is today. Clearly, some people go through a clutch in 2K and others will be 42K, it is very variable and hard to say. The only thing about clutches you need to know is the replacement cost, if it does go (and it will). Lastly, regarding price, I would recommend looking at trade in to start putting a value on the car. I would use the mileage and your area and very good condition with options listed. I never negotiate around retail pricing. If you like the fin look and the car checks out well, you are part of the way there. Finding the right car at the right price is a trick some times. Be patient because a better one is always around the corner (so to speak). Oh, yes. If you need to do a complete service on the car, it is not cheap. I am not familiar with the recommended intervals, but 60K is probably a big one on many cars and generally this can be a 2K investment by the time you change all the filters, fluids, flush, alignment, and stuff you did not count on like rotors, pads, gaskets and other broken stuff. Good luck.

MLindgren

I would overlook the need for a replacement clutch given the number of pressure plate failures that have occurred on the 997s. Nice looking car. If clean PPI including the DME report I'd say go for it.

pissedpuppy

Why can't Stevens crk do a PPI?

If it checks out, it seems like a bargain

Hella-Buggin'

I believe it's disfigured from the po driving with a wallet in the back pocket.

Datura

If it was my first Porsche, purchased used, I would go with a lower-miles CPO from a reputable Porsche dealer.