I recently acquired a mint 997.1tt cab with MT with less than 2k miles. Clean PPI. Has new tires, oil and filter. Was going to change trans and diff fluids as well as brake fluid. Also made an appointment for some PPF to protect paint. Looking for addition recommendations as the last Porsche owned was a 1966 912, definitely a different and distant ancestor. Please note that I have no intention to track the car nor will it be a daily driver. Just a weekend pleasure vehicle. Have seen posts about Sharkwerks water elbows and securing them as well as pinning cams, etc. Looking for guidance from the learned group members. Thanks in advance.

 

Change the plugs and coils, drive belt, and air filter At some point you should drop the engine and replace the coolant hoses and the elbows. While it’s out replace the water pump and fuel filter. Maybe front O2 sensors. Cam sleeve slippage is relatively rare but if you want to spend the money for peace of mind pin the cams while engine is out for the coolant hoses since it also requires the engine to be out. Check engine mounts and transmission mounts.

 

The major items I just did to my not so mint 997.1 (41K on the clock) due to a coolant leak on the rubber piece at the end of the Cyl 4-6 turbo coolant line:

1. Pinned Cams
2. Pinned Coolant Pipes
3. Replace plastic elbows with Sharkwerks
4. Replace all hoses and many O rings on the engine

With 2K your car has not been through the heat cycles that seems to be attributed to the coolant line failures. Also the low miles should also mean the rubber would be in decent shape, unless it was stored carelessly. Also the low miles would indicate the plastic elbows would not have seen the heat cycles. I guess the years alone could cause either the glue on the pipes or the plastic or the rubber hoses to degrade, but I am not sure I would do what I just did to my 40K car on your 2K car unless I saw something that didn't look kosher.

some of the other things I did, that I am enjoying the benefit of:

1. GT2 Clutch Slave - I cannot tell you how much of an improvement this has been. It is heavier, but it is consistent now
2. GMG Sways - combined with the mounts, the car plants solidly into the turns/exits
3. DSC control unit (if you have PASM) - makes the sport and non sport modes so much more responsive (especially with the coilovers)
4. Upgrade exhaust to Kline - I just didn't like the stock exhaust, yet I didn't want something too much
5. Upgrade engine/transmission mounts - Function First for engine and Function First inserts for transmission

The car already had Bilstein PSS9 coilovers when I acquired it and the DSC unit has been the single most significant suspension upgrade I have done in any vehicle I have owned.

Ed

 

Good to hear this, I've seen so many people say this - thanks for pushing me towards springing for it

 

Purchased a 12k mi 997.1tt 6spd coupe last fall so understand your excitement and questions: First set of things to know is this a long term love affair or a 2 yr fling?

Must have upgrades; Suspension...DSC and strongly recommend a GT2 rear sway bar and bushings to really improve and tighten up handling regardless of how long you plan to own it.

If it is a fling just bring up all the service levels up to date:
Plugs, Porsche recommends every 4 yrs due to corrosion (possibly coils while they are doing it - preventative)
Fluids, including 12 yr driveline fluid flush
Belt
Air Filter
Fuel Filter
Check/reset alignment
Tire repair bottle

If it is a longer term love affair (4yrs or more) then in addition to the list above:
Motor mounts, tend to "droop" with age.
Transmission mount and bushing inserts (Function First), improves shifting and tightness of car.
PPF, at least front end of car...Ceramic coating would be nice.

Note: You will likely need to replace the accumulator (clutch system) and possibly the clutch slave due to the rubber seal leaks on cars that have very low mileage....mine needed an accumulator at 10.5k mi.


At this point you have a decision to make regarding handling/preventing the known weak points of the car....coolant lines, water pump, clutch system (accumulator and slave) and cam slippage. While any or all of these could happen, it is a small amount of cars and tends to be higher on tracked or aggressively used cars. With that said, anyone of these is a $1200 - $4000 repair for each incident. So, do you want to take an aggressive position and address before failure, wait until they happen (if ever during your ownership) or get an insurance policy.

Fidelity will still offer an extended warranty on your car, and your mileage (sub 10k) you will get their lowest rates. Because any of these failures would be covered under their Platinum Warranty, the Fidelity warranty would provide the luxury of not needing to spend on prevention yet giving you the peace of mind on these potential problems as well as any other failures ie, starter motor, alternator, coolant tank, power steering reservoir, axle joints and boots, locking dif, and etc,.....all the mechanicals are covered. In addition, when you are ready to sell any remaining warranty maybe transferred to the next owner or you can cash in the unused portion (time or mileage). NOTE; I HAVE NO CONNECTION TO FIDELITY.

If you are interested in going the Fidelity extended warranty approach make sure you shop around and get competing quotes, bc they can vary widely. Since your car is below the 10k mileage, I suspect you could get a 4 or more year 10k/yr mile coverage for $600/yr or less (depending on the deductible level chosen). Since any engine-out service starts at $1200 plus repairs, it is very easy to exceed $3k each on a coolant or cam repair.

I chose this approach on my 2007 12k turbo, bc it offered me the the peace of mind for occasional driving without the concern for a huge repair bill....or spending for the preventive repairs. When I did an analysis of the cost of a single engine drop to preventatively fix cooling lines, cam, replace the clutch slave system, and water pump the numbers quickly went over $6k (parts and labor)....more if not done all at once. I figured that an extended warranty with an annual cost of up to $750/yr was the best use of my $$$, especially since everything else was covered too and could add to the value of the car when sold (not traded).

 

Print what lflouie said above and don't ever look back especially if you are going to drive the car.

If you will only put 500 miles or less a year, just keep a close eye on things and find a very good indie.

Some of the stuff is personal as well. The clutch and the suspension never bothered me on my stock car as it is just used as weekend / nice weather car. I am sure my opinion would be different if it was driven more often.

The good thing is that you came to the right place, tons of help in here.

Enjoy your new car.

 

Just my two cents: a future classic with low miles, don't modify the car -- you'll spend good money to do it and it will hurt the resale value. If you want a driver or modified car, they can be found readily; a 997TT with 2k miles cannot.

 

Absolutely agree. Modifying a 40k MI 997.1tt is ok, doing it on an otherwise stock sub-10k MI 997.1tt is wasting money and devaluing the car. If owner is going to enjoy and drive it, adding miles anyway, it is a different story. The value drops at 10k and 20k disproportionately as miles increase, IMO. So drive as you wish, mod it if you wish or preserve it....whatever makes the owner happy

 

But then why buy the car if your are not going to be driving it? If you want to do that you should buy a Ferrari ��. Some might disagree but I don’t think a cab will be nearly as sought after as coupes in the future so if you are planning to drive it, mod it (or not) as you see fit. While these cars are holding their value reasonably well, they are not investments. My $0.02.

 

Drive it.
maintain it. Bring service up to date.
drive it some more
should be mechanically perfect.
drive it even more
teh above lists are helpful once stuff happens
although I modified by 997 turbo, you can easily leave well enough alone and you’ll have a fantastic drivers car

 

And if you want to drive w a bunch of 997 turbos, were heading to PCA event on ocean city in a couple of weeks

 

The cabs are already discounted vs a 6spd coupe so I don't think the spread will change disproportionately, but yes 997tt will depreciate. I believe they will always be desireable, just not collectables.

 

What joe said....come out and cruise with us.

Ill talk you into some mods

 

[QUOTE=o7silverturbo;16149654]What joe said....come out and cruise with us.


Thank you all for your opinions/input. This is not a fling. This is a "keeper" and will go to one of my son's when I take the "dirt nap". Will make replacements as needed but will likely keep it stock. Will upgrade the PASM as that appears to be an easily reversible modification. Will change all fluids, plugs, coils, filters and drive.
Thanks again.
Steve

 

Sounds like a great plan for what you want. You'll enjoy the DSC. Keep an eye on the cooling system and enjoy!

Ed