Hey Guys,
As I mentioned, I am new to the Porsche world, but have had all kinds of Euro cars. I have found a mint condition, 1 owner '05 Turbo cab with 55k on it. Dealer maintained with all service records. Original owner installed what looks like a Tubi exhaust. I am only going to be driving this car on weekends and on rallies. I plan to do some other performance mods as well. Are there any common issues I should look into before buying this car? From what I've read, these cars are very reliable.

I can buy this car for 47.5K. From my research, and looking at recent auction prices, that seems like a fair price. What do you guys think.

Thanks,
Adam

 

I just paid a little over 60k for a 2005 Turbo S Cab with 17k miles.


Seems like your pricing is in line with that.


Even after a PPI was clean, I have found 2 issues. Seems that both of them are fairly common.


1) Had to replace two idler pulleys that were making a screeching sound. PPI should have caught this but did not. Probably cuz there is a loud aftermarket exhaust on the car and the screech could be heard only under certain circumstances.


2) The clutch hydraulic system has a pressure accumulator in it. I am seeing signs of failure. Apparently this is pretty common.


Good luck on your car.
Mark

 

Seems like a fair price if all checks out. (I put extra value in a 1 owner car with all records). Manual?
A search can lead you to more in depth things to look out for, but the short list is (with estimated shop costs):
- When was last time sparks and coilpacks were done? $800
- If manual and stock clutch - Slave and accumulator and/or clutch condition $700 - $3k
- Radiators (3 up front). Debris can get stuck and rot on the radiators, causing them to rust prematurely.
- Diverter valves - ever replaced or rebuilt if aftermarket? $100-$300
- MAF, ever replaced? $300
- Hoses and clamps, especially F hose - ever serviced, replaced? Personally, I would go in proactively and replace every (practical) one of them and do a boot/vac test. Do it right, do it once and you won't have nagging issues in the future. $2k-$3k
- Coolant hoses pinned or welded? Shop can inspect about 3-4 accessible ones to look for signs of degradation. $1k-$4k to weld / pin depending on how many you choose to do.
- Condition of tires. Take rears off and inspect - hard to see the inside with them still on the car.
- Drive the car and listen to hear if the exhaust drones, if it does - it make drive you nuts...replacement = maybe $3k
- Look at the coolant tank, yellow and brittle? replace maybe $1k
- Look for leaks, drips, etc.

Definitely get a PPI done, you can use this as a negotiating tool and for peace of mind - they may not find everything, but hopefully the big stuff.

These are 10 year old cars and while engine design is reliable, it takes money to keep them on the road. If the previous owner did not drive it much and claims he had to do 'nothing' to it...I'd say that you will be the one footing the bill for alot of maintenance. Clamps, hoses, sensors, coolant - things go after 10 years for a performance car. If he has maintenance records indicating that he fixed things right as they occurred, less will likely pass your way.

 

Great reply! Thank you. The P/O actually traded this car in for a new Turbo. It is for sale at a local Porsche dealer, who maintained this car its whole life. The car is 6 speed. It just went through the shop. I have yet to see the R/O, but I was told they did around 2500 worth of work to it. Also has 4 new tires. They have it listed at 55k, but I have bought a handful of cars from them, and I am close friends with the GSM, thus the price of 47.5 out the door. I am going to get a copy of all the service records when I go down there. I will sort through them, and compare to your list.

 

47k is a great price

Clutch and ICs', cooling system

I just bought a 2005 Turbo S for 60k (luckily had some added mods worth about 20k, AWE exhaust, tune, GT2 carbon fibre wing ++)


floor it a few times and see what happens (3rd gear if you can)