"RightFootDown" (rightfootdown)
10/17/2015 at 09:44 • Filed to: None
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"RightFootDown" (rightfootdown)
10/17/2015 at 09:44 • Filed to: None | 14
| 15 |
Recently Josh found a reasonably priced Porsche 996 while scouring Craigslist. Something he does on a daily basis. This particular 996 Carrera was a white on black 1999 coupe with 92k miles. That’s fairly low mileage for a 15 year old car. Inside, the car was good with a little wear on the touch surfaces to show it’s age. It was clearly daily driver spec, and that’s what was wanted – the Porsche 911 to take anywhere at any time and not worry about it.
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The seller was kind enough to hand me the keys to have a pre-purchase inspection performed at a shop on the far other side of town. He told me there was an airbag light on – likely due to a fault receptacle – and the transmission was recently replaced with a newer used one due to grinding gears and that the clutch was original. I asked about the rear main seal and intermediate shaft bearing as well. The seller said they were inspected when the transmission was out and showed no sign of needing replaced. The replacement transmission raised a little concern but if it shifted fine then it’s likely good. As for the rear main seal and intermediate shaft bearing, can’t see those from under neath so would have to take the seller’s word and hope we don’t see any oil while the car’s on the lift.
It had been a while since I last drove a 911 and the clutch seemed oddly hard. The engagement point was low, just as I like, but this certainly wasn’t stock. During this time I put on maybe 70 miles through the city in stop and go traffic and stretched the legs a bit on the highway. The speedometer half-size gauge on the 911 is to the left of the large center tachometer and the numbers are so tightly spaced it’s a good thing a large digital readout also resides below the tach. I had this thing close to no-no-no MPH several times without even realizing it. Now I’m not saying the 300 horsepower 3.4l engine is an animal, but in a sub 3,000 pound car it does accelerate with relative ease. Sensation of speed really sets in around 5k RPMs and doesn’t relent until 7k RPM. If the road avails, you’ll definitely hit the next gear because the engine is so smooth and that flat 6 sound is so delicious!
Interior design is all opinion. I personally liked the design just felt the execution was below par. The seats, while powered and semi-bolstered, were not all that supportive, nor all that comfortable. The steering wheel is adjustable fore and aft but not up and down – a bummer but I made it work. The rear-view mirror was manual tilt and the driver’s side mirror vibrated at speed. Checking your 7 or 8 was like watching footage from a shaky cam.
The shifter knob was worn. As was the emergency brake handle and the top of the steering wheel. The shifter was not precise. It was a bit sloppy if I’m honest. A short throw kit would surely be one of the first modifications.
Oh, and the back seat space. The Porsche 996 will most definitely haul kids. Surprisingly, it has more rear leg room than the GT86 twins.
I wasn’t impressed by the interior materials. The dash, the door cards, the buttons. Either hard plastics or flimsy buttons. The radio and stereo worked fine but sounded muffled by the engine. Granted, nobody buys a car like this to listen to music. Point I’m making is that this didn’t feel like a car that was once $70k. The 996 interior barely felt like like $15k, which is funny because that’s more or less the seller’s asking price. But this is a performance car. The interior short comings can be overlooked if the mechanical bits faired well during the pre-purchase inspection.
A quick test drive by the lead technician at IMA Motorwerkes confirmed what I had thought about the clutch. One of the previous owners had installed a high performance pressure plate and that was giving my left leg a workout. The clutch was certainly no deal breaker, but surely didn’t support a high daily drivability score.
The point of the pre-purchase inspection is to get a better idea of the used car you’re about to buy. Once we had the car up on the lift it was time to put down the googles and get serious.
As expected at a PPI, we found things that needed attention. Most were not major but a few raised my concern. Watch the video below or continue reading. Or both.
Click Here to Read the Full Story on RightFootDown
Click Here to Read the Full Story on RightFootDown
First thing that was done was a computer scan to see what codes were present. That airbag light? Looks like a faulty passenger belt receptacle that would be about $220. This car showed minimal over-revving which was good and a few minor faults. Most notable was a bad oxygen sensor that would cost about $150.
The key was difficult to turn in the ignition and needed jiggling in order for the lights to come on. Once jiggled, the lights stayed on. Removing the key was also difficult and required finessing to get right. The ignition was failing and required an entirely new assembly with coded keys. The price, parts only was about $800. Labor another couple of hours.
The front hood wouldn’t stay open and was bound to eat me if I didn’t replace the struts. The rear trunk, or frunk or whatever it’s called that covers the engine compartment also had blown struts. Chalk up another $200.
Moving on to the suspension, the front struts were not tight and the rear sway bar bushings were toast. That’s $600 for parts.
Finally, my main concern, the engine. All belts and hoses looked good. Air filter was clean and exhaust was in good shape. Moving further forward we shone a light on the transmission and followed it back to the engine. There was a dark color at the bottom of the engine where it mated to the transmission. Exactly what I did not want to see. The dark spot was oil and could be coming from either the rear main seal or the intermediate shaft bearing. Unfortunately, without removing the transmission we had no way of knowing which it was, but it definitely needed further investigation. Cost to pull the transmission and replace both RMS and IMS? $2,000 minimum.
And while the transmission is out I might as well install a new factory clutch. That’s another $500.
Now you see why the community swears by the PPI on these cars. If I had purchased this 911 for $15k I would have shortly been investing another $4k to have a reliable, road worthy 996.
To some, given the color combination and mileage, $19k may be worth it. But we’re passing on this Porsche.
Click Here to Read the Full Story on RightFootDown
//Follow Josh on Twitter @JoshTaylorUSA
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Your boy, BJR
> RightFootDown
10/17/2015 at 09:51 |
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Did you get the seller’s permission to film and post this?
LongbowMkII
> RightFootDown
10/17/2015 at 09:54 |
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good choice. i was wondering how it added up to $5k in the video. damn porsche tax.
Opposite Locksmith
> Your boy, BJR
10/17/2015 at 10:00 |
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Shhhhhhh
Flavien Vidal
> RightFootDown
10/17/2015 at 10:01 |
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The RMS bearing replacement is mandatory if you buy a 996. The rest that you described are mostly details for a 14 to 16 year old cars, nothing there make is less reliable. If you wanted a very nice 996 with an already replaced RMS, you would have looked at prices slightly over 15000$ (19 to 20000$ 996 all fit your description of a”reliable “ 996). The way you describe it, this is a great 15000$ 996 to me.
brjklein
> RightFootDown
10/17/2015 at 11:00 |
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You’re looking to buy a 15-year old car, that isn’t designed like a traditional car, that used to be more than $70K...and you’re not going to do your own work? Either you’ve got a lot of discretionary funds for the ensured reaming any shop—even an indie shop—will give you, or you’re just naïve about it. 15-year old Corollas need a ton of work to make them nice, a Porsche is only going to be worse.
The IMS is $600 (on the high end) to DIY. The 996 is fairly easy to DIY. Why not DIY?
Der Untergeher
> RightFootDown
10/17/2015 at 11:06 |
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You buy an used car and have to replace parts that wear off? What a surprise! Irony off!
BahamaTodd
> RightFootDown
10/17/2015 at 11:37 |
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My boss just sold his. Convertible, green with tan interior. The RMS hadn’t been done but it also had under 20k miles. It was in very good condition and stored indoors, but he wasn’t driving it.
takearide
> RightFootDown
10/17/2015 at 14:01 |
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Let me get this straight. You don't think that a the interior and electronics of a 17 year old car are up to modern standards.
Steve in Manhattan
> RightFootDown
10/17/2015 at 15:36 |
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You did exactly what the Car Guys recommend. I sent a friend for a pre-purchase inspection when she was looking at a used S4. It needed an engine . She wound up with a new Jetta.
Jorge Milian
> RightFootDown
10/17/2015 at 15:55 |
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Sounds like theft recovery. Ignition key is the giveaway.
chiefstinky
> RightFootDown
10/17/2015 at 18:59 |
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Nice article, thanks for sharing. GL on finding the right Porsche for you.
Zed's dead baby, Zed's dead.
> RightFootDown
06/12/2019 at 13:45 |
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I know this is an old article, but a couple of things:
The hard clutch is not the sign of a performance clutch. It is a sign of an old clutch in these cars, something that the OP admitted to. The ignition is just a $20 part. The frunk struts are $20 each. Sounds like you got scared off by some pretty basic “old car stuff.” The mechanic definitely has dollar signs in his eyes when quoting you.
IMS/RMS/AOS is basically a must do unless proof can be shown at the time of purchase, and the price of the car should reflect whether the work has been done or not. This car would have been a solid buy even without negotiation - or is $19k too much for a nice driver quality 911?
It seems a shame to miss out on such a car for the most basic of items - perhaps a nice Lexus IS?
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Zed's dead baby, Zed's dead.
> Flavien Vidal
06/12/2019 at 13:50 |
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RMS is Rear Main Seal, and should be done when it leaks or the clutch is removed for whatever reason.
IMS is InterMediate Shaft, and the IMSB (InterMediate Shaft Bearing) is the “mandatory ” item with these cars.
Terminology aside, I agree that he missed out on a fair deal on a nice 911.
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Zed's dead baby, Zed's dead.
> BahamaTodd
06/12/2019 at 13:51 |
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IMS*, and they are more at risk in less frequently driven cars.
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Zed's dead baby, Zed's dead.
> Jorge Milian
06/12/2019 at 13:52 |
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A rough ignition switch is a fairly common problem and a 30 minute job.