Tubbehh

Not an expert or anything, but you can probably find a nicer lower millage 997 Turbo for around the same cost if you look. About a month ago my father bought a 08 red Turbo Cab with ceramic breaks on it with 27k miles for a little bit over 60k.

Skwerl

Cabs are cheaper. (So are Tiptronics.) A clean 6spd coupe with 27k miles and PCCBs isn't going to be close to $60k.

Tubbehh

Good point. Is it normal for used convertibles to be cheaper than the non-convertibles? Or is that only in Porsches?

mattonrennlist

Thanks for all the input here, really appreciate the comments and support from this forum.

The car finally shipped and I had a chance to test drive it today.

Paint and body: Overall I definitely would not say this is a cherry car, but it has lots of potential. Needs a good paint correction to get all the swirls out, some minor touch up paint for the rock chipped side intake vents. Has a poorly installed clearbra that covers 1/2 of the front that seems to be on it's last legs. Body panels seem to be in good shape and gapping as it should be. front lower lip has seen better days and likely needs replacing.

Interior: First time I've seen full leather, its MARVELOUS. I never thought I'd appreciate something like that but its really gorgeous in person, gives the car that extra premium feel and look. Seats are a bit worn but nothing a good leather treatment can't remedy. The
PCM buttons and ***** however, and terribly worn and they're hideous. Everything else is in decent shape.

Superficial examination: No immediate red flags as far as leaks or obvious issues upon inspection of the car overall (suspension, brakes, engine bay, etc). No major rust from what i could see.

The drive: First time experiencing the short shifter on 997's. What have I been missing. Reminds me of the stock S2000 shifter, and leaps and bounds better than the stock shifter. Not sure how boost is suppose to build on the turbos, but it seems to start waking up after 4k RPM. Honestly below 4k it didn't feel too much different than my previous 997.1C2S.

The Turbo felt heavier, steering a bit heavier as well, it must be the 4wd vs rwd I'm feeling. Still extremely fun to drive. Didn't detect any issues during the drive, except the clutch.

Issue/potential deal breaker: The clutch was extremely tough to depress, and the engagement/friction point was very high. I've been driving MT cars for 18 years and have driven countless cars and have not experienced something as stiff as this before. I've been reading that the stiff pedal might be due to a faulty clutch slave cylinder, but the late/high engagement of the clutch may signal a worn clutch?

Carmax will have their techs inspect on Monday and I've requested they replace the clutch and flywheel, though that may not be the core issue and they may diagnose it differently.

Depending if this is a light fix, I'll likely take the car, but if it's a major fix (i.e. clutch replacement) and Carmax won't cover it, I'll likely end up passing on this.

atcbi5

Don't worry about the DME, it can be changed back to all "good numbers" for about $500.

pfbz

I'll almost guarantee the issue is the clutch slave / accumulator. About $1,700-$2,000 to get addressed at the dealer, possibly covered under Carmax's 30 day warranty?

Steve 96C4S

Good luck with this one, sir. If it was me, based on this line you wrote "The
PCM buttons and ***** however, were terribly worn and they're hideous", I wouldn't buy the car. I'm just oddly finicky this way. I'd feel like, if the previous owner of this car cared this little for the interior to let these ***** get to this yucky condition without addressing them/replacing them, I just wouldn't want to own their car after them. I'd feel like the rest of the car really wasn't kept up to snuff either.

It's just an OCD thing with me, and a general feeling about these things.

saabin

Yah, maybe a little OCD

Its a very common issue on the 997s and 987s.. my turbo had it and I managed to get the dealer to replace the unit under CPO..

There are other solutions as well, there's a company that makes the switches themselves for replacement.. although I've heard mixed results with them..

Good luck.

Skwerl

Part of the reason I think the 09 update has some value. The switches hold up much better and keep the interior looking new and clean. I've seen nice 07-08s (and Caymans) with less than 40k miles with flaking, chipping switches and it can make the whole car seem ratty by extension.

It's not a hard fix and I wouldn't pass on a good 997 because of it, but it's just sort of a downer.

Quadcammer

fwiw, most 08s have a different finish on the clima unit buttons, which eliminates that issue. My 08 buttons are pristine.

mattonrennlist

Quick update here:

Carmax service has been top notch. It's taken almost a month but they had the turbo sent over to porsche fremont and replaced the the clutch, fly wheel, + misc stuff like a head lamp (which i didn't even know there was an issue with it). I didn't get to see the comprehensive list yet but I"m hoping the clutch slave cylinder was replaced too (not holding my breath however). Overall very happy with their service and very happy it was a dealer working on the car instead of the service dept at carmax.

If everything else checks out I'll likely be purchasing end of this week and sending it to a shop for a PPI, then hopefully to the home garage!

atcbi5

Nice car and with just a little elbow grease it will look great! Good luck!

mariodesmo

I saw your car sitting on the Carmax lot in Fremont this past week. I was there to look at their 2017 Carrera and noticed the turbo sitting in the lot, right in front of the main door next to the other Porsches they have. I was there on Tuesday (9/19) and there was a customer (maybe you) standing around it talking on the phone. I looked the turbo over and asked the sales weenies about it since I immediately became interested in it, but no one seemed to know anything about it. The Carmax sales weenies don’t seem to know much about anything actually.. Anyway, the turbo had their sticker on the window so I assumed it was for sale, but it didn't show up on their website, and no one at the store knew anything about it. It looked like a good used car that with a little elbow grease could look great new again. The paint needs a good correction and I took some pics of it, and again tried to find information on it, but as I mentioned no one there knew anything about it. The things it needs are all easily replaceable, and should not be a deal killer unless you want a brand new looking car. The new clutch is great but take beware of any other mechanical issues as they will determine if it’s worth their asking price. Let us know if you actually buy it and the PPI results or if not, why. Here are the pics I took of it!
Good luck!

PS: this is probably the most documented used car for sale on this website ever... lol

Steve 96C4S

Wow, nice. I'd MUCH rather own this car than a similarly priced 1996 C2 or C4S. GREAT PRICE!!!!!!!!!

mattonrennlist

Thanks for all the comments so far, it's helpful to get feedback from all the turbo owners/enthusiasts here.


Appreciate the info and the pics - Wasn't me there but while I was at carmax a few weeks back the turbo did grab a lot of attention, more so than the 991.1S sitting right next to it. Will definitely keep this thread updated!