Fellow enthusiasts,

I'm taking a 500-mile pilgrimage to go view an '04 996 Turbo Cab and hope to learn from your experiences here before I go. I'm picking up the car from a private seller and taking it to the local Porsche dealer for a thorough review.

- Is there anything in particular I should ask the techs to review, or look at myself?
- She's had 4 owners, so the service history is somewhat foggy. The Porsche tech said that's not so much of an issue as he'd be able to review the records and give a wink or a nod if it's a well-kept car. (Evidently, they can't give precise details due to privacy?)
- The car is already equipped with an RPi exhaust, about which I've read good things. No word on where the OEM unit is, I'll assume gone. Any thoughts?
- Given the exhaust upgrade, there's a chance the car was tuned. But I have no idea when or where or by whom. Is there any way to track down this info by snooping in the ECU?
- I'd like to upgrade to the K24s but have read that the RPi exhaust gets a little droney once you start fiddling with bigger turbos. Does this make sense? Does droning even apply to the Cabs?
- I'm sure the Porsche tech will tell me what he finds, but are there any other upgrade/tuning items I should be looking for before I take it to get checked out?
- When investigating insurance, my provider reported that the VIN comes back as a GT2. Is that normal?
- What else...?

It's been too long since I've had a Porsche, and this will be my first 911. So I'm hoping to get this right and will be grateful for any insight you all might provide.

Best,
-V

 

I can't help with much, but I can answer your question about the VIN coming back as a GT2. I don't know if it's "normal" but the same thing happened with my insurance company (GEICO). I tried to explain to them that my car was most assuredly (unfortunately) not a GT2, and they explained that their system just doesn't have every single model identified separately. So nothing to worry about there.

 

Thank you for that tidbit. Coincidentally, the gecko is my agent, too. :-)

How 'bout it, guys? Can any of you share some wisdom on those other questions?

Cheers,
-V

 

Look for 2nd gear pop out, leaky spoiler rams, leaking clutch accumulator, over-revs, etc - do a search and you'll see all kinds of things to look for, plus the shop will know.

As far as a tune, the shop will be able to see the tune but probably not identify it.

As far as records, it all depends on the dealer. I got every single record from pre-delivery until now from the selling/servicing dealer no problem.

Could you PM me the details of your deal? Colors, mileage, price - I have an 04 TT cab as well.

Thanks - good luck!

Todd

 

Thanks Todd!

I'll try to shadow the tech as best I can, assuming they let me watch the procedure - and will share all the gruesome details once all's said and done.

Thanks,
-V

 

Ask the dealer to dump the DME and look for over-revs. Be concerned with major over revs occruing in the recent past. Search will be your friend.

Use a paint meter. Paint is fine, IMO. More importantly it will clue you in as to what to look at closely.

Finally is the seller a good customer of the P dealer doing the inspection? or did this dealer do most of the service? This creates a conflict of interest.

Dont assume the tech is as smart as they act. Remember, and 'expert' is someone who knows just a bit more than you...

Will you make a buy decision on the spot? or will you post PPI results for comment?

GL

A

 

Yup, big fan of search, and advocate on other forums where I both member and mod. Still getting a feel for the layout here...

I'm taking the car to a dealer further away where it was not serviced to avoid the conflict - good call. Service manager was pretty cool, recognized it's me paying for the info, not the owner, so the way he figures it he'll give me everything and what I do with it is my business. Not making an on the spot decision, so I'll post up some key tidbits and questions from the PPI and welcome the guidance.

-V

 

If this deal doesn't pan out, let's talk about mine before I post it up for sale. Might be up your alley.

 

Will do, LL. Thanks!
-V

 

Taken from my post in another thread:


---
Here's a brief list of things that you may encounter:

-failed clutch slave and accumulator
-worn tranny mount
-leaking front radiators
-leaking coolant tank
-rear wing hydraulic failure
-failed DVs/torn F hose
-various boost/vacuum leaks

these are more isolated but also much more expensive to fix:
-2nd gear pop out
-coolant leaks from engine

 

So much for not making a snap decision...

Okay, so I saw the car today. Drove it from the seller to the dealership, suppressing a smile the whole way. Wow, these are some serious machines.

Dealership was very accommodating, and allowed me to shadow the tech for the entire few hours it took to run the CPO tests plus take about a 15-mile drive, with the tech driving. Tech has 30 years under his belt - this was not just a box-checker guy.

He was straight up, told me the car has not had an "easy life," but nowhere near being abused. Well maintained, but still due for routine service nonetheless.

Car has only one "programming event" on the ECU, which he tells me is the factory program.

The car has an RPi exhaust, which, speaking very kindly, drones unbearably. It either needs to be swapped out, or adjusted. Could a tune possibly affect this at all, given that the factory programming is still in place with an aftermarket exhaust?

There is zero bodywork, verified. Chin guard did its job a few times, but is still passable, not cracked or anything.

Front driver side wheel well trim needs replacing. It got knocked a little out of whack when, it appears, the driver side chin area got curbed a little. There is no visible deformation while the car is on the ground, and only a slight indentation visible from underneath. He suggested a heat gun to warm it up and pop it out. No radiator issues behind the fascia or chin.

Clutch slave cylinder will need some tweaking or replacement in a few more thousand miles, nothing urgent. He just said that in his experience, what he saw today is telling him that.

DME dump shows ~29,000 ignitions in range 1, and 323 in range 2. No error codes, and none surfaced in the ~50 miles total we put on the car today. All warning lights are functioning.

I had the seller start the car from dead cold, no smoke to speak of. Also, the car has been stationary for weeks, verified by the odometer and pictures he's sent me over the past two weeks. The floor under the car is spotless aside from the requisite dust from the storage unit, i.e. no recent client cleaning.

That's all for now... should be an owner by end of next week!

Keep 'em crossed,
-V

 

Sounds like a good PPI and you are on your way!

Could you PM me the details of your car? Just curious about the color, options, pricing, etc - I'm likely to list mine shortly so this would help me out.

Thanks and best of luck!

Todd

 

Thanks Todd, and Dietrich, ard, and flavorpacket too for the tips. And everyone else in the threads I've read, this is a great forum and I hope to contribute before too long.

Todd, I'll send details as soon as I can PM. I'm still not allowed because of my post count. So much for being a member for almost 8 years and knowing the site founder back in the day...

-V