Mzsaad

hi guys,
i have always been a fan of porsche. planning to get one now.
i have found the color and type i m looking for. its a 2006 4s manual. the mileage is a bit on the higher side. its 115k kms (71k miles).
just have a couple of question.
what can i expect on this mileage:
1. any gotchas i should be looking at?
2. i think the breaks are 5mm left on the front and 8 mm on the back. not sure how long that would last.
3. how much clutch replacement cost? the owner said it would need replacement after some time? can it be done by myself? i know a little bit of break work but never worked on clutches.
4. how expensive are the porsche parts if i plan to work on the car by myself? i currently own an acura, good thing is most honda parts fit so its not so bad.
5. any other things that will help me?
thanks.

DC911S

Search button and good mechanic. All the items you mentioned are in many threads in here. Plenty have 71K miles or more on them, clutches will last a very long time...but none of us in here know well the clutch or items were treated or if regular maintenance was done, and done properly. You get to find all that out. I would do the oil, filter, brake (not breaks), flush, air filter, pollen filter, and give it a gook look at the RMS and other spots known to leak.

Fined

do loads of research. I mean.. its your money, but I certainly wouldn't count on the advice of strangers. research the hell out of it so you know what you plan to buy, and what happens with it. then find a trustworthy independent porsche mechanic. get the thing inspected, you aren't buying a honda civic.. so a failure to properly vet the car prior to purchasing can cost you big.

OKB

take the car to a dealer and get a complete cpo inspection, have them pull up all the service history if they can find it. look at carfax.
dont do anything till you do all that.

Mzsaad

thanks everyone who has responded to me so far.
yes i m taking the car to a porsche dealership for a CPO. but i m assuming because car is almost 70k miles, the dealer will point out some things for sure. i m not sure if that should scare me away.
the examples i gave above (for example: 8mm rear and 5 mm brake left), that is what the dealer mentioned to me when i asked him to pull the service records. also CD joints broken, stuff like this. is this normal wear a tear or i should stay away from this car?

3Series

I'm not going to tell you to search because that's a d*ck move. CD joints I'm assuming are CV joints. Not a big deal to have them replaced. Odd at 70k miles but mark it as a plus.

There are no "gotchas" on the 997.1. There's nothing really special about the car, it's really just a car. You can check the Rear Main Seal for any leaks, and the Intermediate Shaft Bearing (IMS) could be a potential issue. The odds are small, but it's still there that the IMS can fail on you. The bearing breaks apart and metal gets into the engine and your engine fails. The remedy is an engine replacement. Starter/battery cable is another item known to fail. Thats all I can think of now.

Any mechanic can change the brakes on a 997. Assuming you have iron discs, there's nothing special about 997 brakes. No one can predict how long brake pads will last because that depends on use, not mileage. Budget $400 for a pad swap on all corners at any indie. $100 for front pads, $100 for rear pads (textar) and $200 for labor. You might want to add sensors (mine are tied back).

Clutch - no idea

Factory Porsche parts cost way more than Acura/Honda parts. Acura/Honda parts are dirt cheap. Dealer labor rates at Porsche are perhaps 60% higher. Many folks call it the Porsche Tax. There are plenty of solid aftermarket maintenance parts, oil filter, serp belt, brake pads, brake rotors that are less than Porsche OE parts. But when you need OE parts and you are accustomed to Acura pricing, you'll be shocked.

Ben Z

It's a 10 year old car with 70K miles on it. If it was driven consistently 7K/yr that's better than if the first owner put 60K on it in 2 years and the next owner put 1250 a year for the next 8 driving it only on weekends in the summer leaving it sit the rest of the time. In that case you could end up replacing seals and rubber bits a lot more. So check the service records, don't just average the mileage over the car's age.

Also check to see how frequently the oil and filter were changed. Porsche recommended some very long intervals, and many diligent owners followed that schedule. I would be happier with a car that had its oil changed every 6 mos or 5K miles, personally.

Although an '06 Porsche might cost the same as a new Acura, the repairs are still at a level commensurate with its original $100K pricetag, and like any German car, parts are much more expensive than for Asian cars in general.

Cysco

Do your research on IMS bearing issues with 997.1 cars. Some might be scared to death of it, others may not. Just do your research.

At that mileage I would expect to drop a 3-5 thousand into the car over the next year. Chances are you'll need:

Clutch replacement (probably needs to be done by a shop unless you've got lots of know-how and tools)
Brakes and rotors - this you can do yourself with a little knowledge
Fluid replacement - probably do this yourself
Tires - you didn't mention them but i'm just guessing that you'll need them in a year or so.
Misc. - The car is 10-years old, there's probably some other things that should be replaced.

DC911S

I would do the coolant tank

TheMystro

The wide body 911s are awesome looking and have great street presence. Nothing wrong with that car/mileage. Just expect to do a clutch and IMS solution soon. IMS bearing is a fix and forget issue with the 996/997.

Mzsaad

thanks for all the replies so far. highly appreciated.
IMO is something new. yes, i checked the DIY break video yesterday. it doesn't look too complicated.
will look for some help for clutch. will certainly look into IMO.
DC911S, what would you check in the coolant? you mean replace the coolant?

DC911S

If the engine date is past the deadline, no need to do the IMS. I meant the coolant reservoir tank. Its plastic and known to get brittle and cooked after that many years. Things like that I replace before they go bad, since when it goes bad you get stuck on the road. The 997 has been out long enough now to establish a pattern of things that need to be done on schedule, regardless of what the manual says. Water pump, belt, and idler pulley for example. You may also have the hot start problem than can hit the 997.1. If you test drive one, get it all hot and bothered....let it sit 15 minutes....see how well it starts.

Mzsaad

Sent the car for ppi. There's some regular wear and tear but they also saw the following:
Could this be something big:
- rear left shock absorber with little leak
- showing little leak between engine and transmission
- over revs. engine -> 1 at level 6 (hour 730)
- small dent on the 2 inner front tie rods
- cv boots broken in the front

ATSR

I can't believe this hasn't been mentioned yet, but have them borescope the cylinders to see if there are any signs of bore scoring. That would be my main concern with any 997.1.

It would also be beneficial if you post the entire DME report.

Mzsaad

the report is in french. but with the help of fellow rennlister, i was able to get report. here is the translated report.

i m ok with the clutch, brakes, alignment, TPMS, and brake fluid. just little concerned with the small leak.

Main points:
- the front struts for the hood start to be tired..
- washer water level was low.
- warning for your TPMS. as the wheels are aftermarket, seems the sensors are not installed…
- warning light left brake (left brake light does is burned)
- wipers need to be changed
- noise when passenger window goes up
- Steering wheel is “not centered” (?)
- Wind noise driver side, on highway, at highways speed…(window door seal)
- Interior driver side door panel damaged/ worn out…
- dry-out belt, brake fluid is dark (oxidized), pollen filter very dirty
- major maintenance recommended, brake flush recommended, wheel alignment after that…
- switch to open hood is broken
- squeak noise in rear suspension on road bumps.
- door sill driver side broken (the one that says carrera 4s)
- tire sealer kit validity expired
- recommend to clean the radiators and blow the front water drains
- small dent on the 2 inner front tie rods
- both front VC boots are shot.
- Right front side -> something broken
- wheel bolts rusted
- Need to replace front rotors and pads (only 2.5mm remaining)
- Need to replace rear rotors
- Vehicle difficult to start up -> needs diagnostic
- Passenger mirror adjustment does not work/intermittent
- radio and A/C ***** are sticky / worn out
- some defects on the car body, small bumps all around, paint shot on the front left wing, several paint defects (left door, front bumper badly repainted)
-scratches on front right bumper and wing ; right door, rear bumper damaged.
- front tires not (N) Porsche approved
- rear tires very worn out on the inside part
- rear left shock absorber with little leak
- little leak show between engine and transmission
- rattle noise exhaust
- cracked ignition coils
-worn our leather on the seat exterior
- problem with clutch—> need to take out transmission to inspect
- over revs. engine -> 1 at level 6 (hour 730)
- DME hour 3362, airbag hours 3653
- during scan, DME error
- scan fault code P0830, clutch switch
- fault in Gateway does not erase (coding incorrect)
- Fault in left brake light.