Hey guys.. I think this may be my first thread. I've been lurking on here for quite some time. Now I need some advice.

I'm looking to purchase an 01 TT. The dealership was kind enough to give me the name and phone number of the previous owner for me to ask him questions regarding the car. Essentially, this is what he said:

-GT2 skirts, chin lip, spoiler, etc..
-Gemballa ECU
-Carbon Fiber steering wheel and stick
-Passport radar detector and jammer
-Recently had the plugs, diverter valves, brakes, and new battery installed.
-Car has 30,000 on the odometer.

He mentioned that the only problem he has ever had was that the car popped out of 2nd gear on him twice. In other words, if he was to floor it to lets say 6500 rpm and let off the gas, the stick would pop out of 2nd. He checked the tranny oil levels and everything was fine. I'm not sure If I should take it to porsche just in case and have them do a pre inspection before I were to purchase. What are your thoughts on that.

I drove the car, and it is insanely fast. Only complaints I have is that the interior seemed to rattle a bit. I"m not sure if that is common on all pcars or not.

They are asking for $73K. Is this a good deal? Would you be concerned with it being chipped with Gemballa?

In regards to me, I'm the type of guy that will mod the car. So him having the mods on their are a good thing, as I don't like keeping things stock. So I'm at a cross roads if I should purchase this tomorrow or not.

Please let me know.. I'll be glued to this forum until bed time.

Thanks!
Bojan

 

Sounds like a decent deal for the car at retail, plus it has some tasteful mods which are nice since you do not have to purchase those items. The only concern I would have would be the 2nd gear popout. Since it is an 01 and out of warranty, make sure the dealer repaired the tranny (very expensive to repair or replace). I would say that these cars do rattle somewhat, but with patience you can repair most of them, or ask the dealer to repair them...but make sure you get it in writing. I have not had a dealings with Gemballa esp. with their computer upgrades. I think most people on here do GIAC, which seems to be the leader in upgraded chips for Porsche. Anyway, best of luck to you....you will have a hard time falling asleep tonight....when I was buying mine, I sure as hell did!

 

You could buy an 03 TT with no history of mechanical or structural problems for a few thousand more (similar miles) and get the balance of the factory warranty.

 

Maybe like this one??

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ad.php?t=42560

 

I have no idea what you are talking about

 

Sound like a very decent deal. 2nd gear issu is very common . The interior will be noisier if compared to your M5. But who cares your going to slap on a loud exhaust for those turbos to breathe anyway.

 

Popping out of second gear is common. I had this problem before the short shifter was installed. The dealer replaced my transmission under warrentee. 9 to $10,000 to replace.

 

Look at this thread, I suggest you find a car that does NOT pop out of second gear especially if you are the second owner.

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/showthread.php?threadid=249285

 

Yes, it is NOT common and can lead to a total rebuild. Count your lucky stars the dealer put you in touch with the previous owner.

 

Thanks for the tips guys..! I was pretty eager in purchasing the car today until I read what you all wrote. I greatly appreciate it. I called a nearby Porsche dealership and they will be doing a buyers inspection on the car Tuesday of next week. It costs $300 (spendy but I think worth it) and I'll have them look at those issues.

I wonder if they will be able to get any accurate information regarding the tranny and 2nd gear pop. Would they have to remove the tranny to have an accurate picture.., or do you think they have other ways of finding out. They are also doing a 'oil pressure/leak' test. Not sure if I understood that correctly.

Anyways, I will keep you informed and I appreciate the advice given thus far.

Bojan

 

I’m on the one who had to pay $12k for a transmission replacement on my X50. The ‘popping out of second’ thing is the same problem manifested differently. Porsche is not being consistent about warranty replacement in this area and lots of us are having transmission problems. In my case, Porsche arbitrarily said that the transmission problem was because of ‘abuse’ and refused to repair under warranty. PAG and I are having a heated disagreement as to what constitutes ‘abuse’ and I am losing.

Worse yet, the dealer that had the car couldn’t get all the parts, so a completely new transmission was required at the total cost of $12k. You should expect the same treatment should you buy this car. I don’t think that it necessarily kills the deal, but please be aware that the 996TT’s appear to have very weak transmissions, and Porsche is not standing behind the product. This may add $10k to your costs.

I am fairly certain that they need to break open the transmission to see if there are any issues. In my invoice, which is here: http://www.dinigroup.com/~mdini/trans_invoice_2-2-06.pdf . They make it clear that they dropped to engine to get to the transmission. This means that it is unlikely that your $300 dealer ‘lookover’ will get to this level of detail. There is some disagreement as to whether the engine needs to be dropped to get to the transmission. When I had the clutch replaced on my last 996TT, the engine definitely needed to be dropped.

The ‘Porsche Certification’ thing appears to be meaningless so don’t get caught by that nonsense. And make sure the dealer looking over the car reads the ECU codes AND GIVES YOU A PRINTOUT. If you see ANY REV2 violations or higher, PAG completely voids the warranty. (And insults you: “Learn how to drive! Go away!�)

Sorry to send you to another board, but I strongly suggest you read this Rennlist thread:
New transmission needed on 2003 X50: Porsche refusing to cover under warranty

 

the 2nd gear is real problem. have an 01. with stock shifter it poped out of 2nd very few times and not under hard decel. neillo porsche replaced the trans,under warr. even after i changed the shifter . have new trans and no probs.factor in a new trans or find a dif car. they are out their....good luck....steve