So on my hunt for my own 996TT I keep on finding ones that I loves and thy are in my price range but a big problem for me is that they will have the tan leather or some other hideous option I am really just a black type of guy when it comes to interior and with these cars as I'm sure you guys know they go to the extreme with interior colors door card,carpet dashboard, plastics ect. so my question is 1st is it possible to do a swap considering vins on the dash and all that and if so how often do you see hole interiors swaps come up for sale and I'm sure it would be costly considering all the parts included

 

funny, all i could find were black interiors, would have loved tan!


I have seen guys do full swaps, find a totaled car, but there may be misc pieces you need to fill in here and there.

 

Actually pretty easy to do a swap - and you can normally find a full interior on eBay. I saw a low mileage gt3 interior with every part for 4K a while a go. It was perfect.

 

Swapping interiors us pretty easy, the hardest thing is the headliner, and if you don't mind not having vinyl dash and door panels, then you buy lots of 986 parts back to 99 and probably sell your tan interior for a profit. If you are looking for complete leather interiors, then the story will be more expensive.

 

So what about the VINS on the dash ?

 

It's under the dash, not actually on the dash itself. It us part of the body of the car

 

That is correct vin is not an issue. I would have to be in love with a car or it be a very good deal to go thru the hassle. Things never go back together quite as well either- I have changed quite a few interiors.

 

^Agree, wait for the color you want.

 

It's easier said than done, but I also agree. I almost bought a seal grey 2003 turbo with light gray interior (when I really wanted black int.) and fortunately the car failed PPI due to a coolant leak.

And it all worked out in the end, as I got a 2002 seal gray with black interior just like I wanted (with no carbon fiber trim to peel, crack, or fade!).

A lot of folks (non 996 owners) seem to poo poo our interiors but I actually like the simplicity and lack of bells/whistles etc compared to modern cars.

 

Very easy to do a swap. I did one a few years ago and considered replacing my grey interior on my 996tt and decided to leave it alone.

 

I would actually like the grey interior if it was two tone. Like Road King said, I like our interiors as it doesnt age as badly as some of the newer ones, just dont like the monochrome with the non-black ones.

 

Speaking if interior, how is everyone dealing with the plastic parts that have the rubberized coating when they get scratched or pealing away a bit at a time ? Or maybe no one has those problems. I don't want to paint them or vinyl wrap them but rather want a way to return them back to OE look and feel .

TIA

 

I think it can depend on how previous owners treated the car. I am fortunate that my 48K miles show well...the PO was very meticulous and theres very little wear on button and touch surfaces.

 

+1, when you are actively hunting for a car it can sometimes be hard to pass up a great one because of something like interior color. I only wanted black inside and there were some really nice non-black cars back when I was shopping. Looking back, I think I could have been a bit more open to a more unique interior color just to have something different. Who knows, in the end it might even grow on you I guess it just depends how badly you want black!!

I also agree that the interiors in our cars have a sort of simplicity to them. I mean you can even get a gt3 center console delete for our cars to even make it more old school looking. I don't think that's possible with 997 and newer.

GT3 Center console delete:
(pic is from a member of rennlist: Serge944)

 

Audis do the same with the rubberized bits, I have Audis with close to 100k with no problems= its mostly how they are treated. My Porsche still looks new.