GT3 Mk1 - should I buy it?
Discussion
Hello everybody, this is my first post. I am currently looking to buy a 996 GT3 and I have seen one that I like. I have offered the full asking price subject to the car being in a fit condition for me to purchase an OPC warranty. I have paid for an 111 point inspection which has cost me £150+VAT. The inspection itself seemed to be pretty comprehensive as it listed all sorts of snags, most of which are wear and tear related. The snags range from the insignificant (light marks on driver's sill panel, tyre sealant out of date, cigar lighter not working) to the not so insignificant (front discs heavily corroded, rear discs corroded & holes blocked up with brake dust, all wheels scuffed & signs of corrosion on 2 of them).
However, there are 2 issues that Porsche want rectifying before a warranty can be purchased on it, and these to my mind could be worrying given the cost of GT3 engines. Both these issues are oil leak related. There are 2 reported leaks, the first leak is "from the front of the engine" and the second leak is "at bank 1 cylinder 3". Now I'm no mechanic so I don't know what this means, but the OPC is insistent that they take the engine out for further investigation. I tried my best to get them to offer some advice but they don't want to play the speculation game and just want to take the engine out. I could'nt even assess whether the leaks are significant or virtually non-existent.
The dealer who is selling the car is selling it on behalf of a client and it looks unlikely at this stage that the client wants to foot the bill for the engine to be taken out. The other snags are a bit more black and white in that the cost of fixing them is a known amount, but the engine?
So, my question is this. Has anybody else had similar problems with oil leaks from the engine like these? Did it cost a lot to put right? Is it a common problem on this car? Is it serious? Should I stay or walk (or run)?
The car itself has 20K on the clock with FPSH. It has a Rev 1 reading of 1,614 but no recorded Rev 2 readings.
However, there are 2 issues that Porsche want rectifying before a warranty can be purchased on it, and these to my mind could be worrying given the cost of GT3 engines. Both these issues are oil leak related. There are 2 reported leaks, the first leak is "from the front of the engine" and the second leak is "at bank 1 cylinder 3". Now I'm no mechanic so I don't know what this means, but the OPC is insistent that they take the engine out for further investigation. I tried my best to get them to offer some advice but they don't want to play the speculation game and just want to take the engine out. I could'nt even assess whether the leaks are significant or virtually non-existent.
The dealer who is selling the car is selling it on behalf of a client and it looks unlikely at this stage that the client wants to foot the bill for the engine to be taken out. The other snags are a bit more black and white in that the cost of fixing them is a known amount, but the engine?
So, my question is this. Has anybody else had similar problems with oil leaks from the engine like these? Did it cost a lot to put right? Is it a common problem on this car? Is it serious? Should I stay or walk (or run)?
The car itself has 20K on the clock with FPSH. It has a Rev 1 reading of 1,614 but no recorded Rev 2 readings.
The Porsche 111 point inspection isn't worth the paper it's written on quite frankly, I'd be taking the car to one of the specialist indies, Fearnsport or Parr spring to mind (depending on your location obviously)
PM me if you want further info on this subject................
PM me if you want further info on this subject................
Edited by Slippydiff on Wednesday 29th August 20:52
Not that this has any bearing on the car, but is it blue?
Personally...if I'd paid for the inspection and this had come up, I'd want the vendor to contribute to the cost of the eigne removal...or at least to agree to rectify the fault if I agreed to pay for the engine to come out. There seems to be no shortage of good Mk 1s about and it is a buyer's market.
Personally...if I'd paid for the inspection and this had come up, I'd want the vendor to contribute to the cost of the eigne removal...or at least to agree to rectify the fault if I agreed to pay for the engine to come out. There seems to be no shortage of good Mk 1s about and it is a buyer's market.
rubystone said:
Not that this has any bearing on the car, but is it blue?
Personally...if I'd paid for the inspection and this had come up, I'd want the vendor to contribute to the cost of the eigne removal...or at least to agree to rectify the fault if I agreed to pay for the engine to come out. There seems to be no shortage of good Mk 1s about and it is a buyer's market.
Not as many as you might think Personally...if I'd paid for the inspection and this had come up, I'd want the vendor to contribute to the cost of the eigne removal...or at least to agree to rectify the fault if I agreed to pay for the engine to come out. There seems to be no shortage of good Mk 1s about and it is a buyer's market.
When I used Fearnsport Andy to look at a couple of mk1's, I think I learn't that engine oil leaks were a "bad thing".
The problem is that if you are set on the OPC warranty (which is obviously a matter of personal choice) you are stuck. The cost of getting it (involving an engine out and almost rectification work) will be to much for the seller to bear. Even if you get an Indy to give you advice, it wont get you an OPC warranty.
Choices:
1 compromise on requirement for OPC warranty and try to get comfort that the car is ok elsewhere (Indy). But you really don't want oil leaks. So the cost of the engine fixes and the brake fixes will prevent the purchase (unless you are willing to effectively pay more or the seller is willing to stick to their agreement of price adjustment).
2 walk away
Graham
The problem is that if you are set on the OPC warranty (which is obviously a matter of personal choice) you are stuck. The cost of getting it (involving an engine out and almost rectification work) will be to much for the seller to bear. Even if you get an Indy to give you advice, it wont get you an OPC warranty.
Choices:
1 compromise on requirement for OPC warranty and try to get comfort that the car is ok elsewhere (Indy). But you really don't want oil leaks. So the cost of the engine fixes and the brake fixes will prevent the purchase (unless you are willing to effectively pay more or the seller is willing to stick to their agreement of price adjustment).
2 walk away
Graham
Slippydiff said:
rubystone said:
Not that this has any bearing on the car, but is it blue?
Personally...if I'd paid for the inspection and this had come up, I'd want the vendor to contribute to the cost of the eigne removal...or at least to agree to rectify the fault if I agreed to pay for the engine to come out. There seems to be no shortage of good Mk 1s about and it is a buyer's market.
Not as many as you might think Personally...if I'd paid for the inspection and this had come up, I'd want the vendor to contribute to the cost of the eigne removal...or at least to agree to rectify the fault if I agreed to pay for the engine to come out. There seems to be no shortage of good Mk 1s about and it is a buyer's market.
Graham
gridgway said:
When I used Fearnsport Andy to look at a couple of mk1's, I think I learn't that engine oil leaks were a "bad thing".
The problem is that if you are set on the OPC warranty (which is obviously a matter of personal choice) you are stuck. The cost of getting it (involving an engine out and almost rectification work) will be to much for the seller to bear. Even if you get an Indy to give you advice, it wont get you an OPC warranty.
Choices:
1 compromise on requirement for OPC warranty and try to get comfort that the car is ok elsewhere (Indy). But you really don't want oil leaks. So the cost of the engine fixes and the brake fixes will prevent the purchase (unless you are willing to effectively pay more or the seller is willing to stick to their agreement of price adjustment).
2 walk away
Graham
The problem is that if you are set on the OPC warranty (which is obviously a matter of personal choice) you are stuck. The cost of getting it (involving an engine out and almost rectification work) will be to much for the seller to bear. Even if you get an Indy to give you advice, it wont get you an OPC warranty.
Choices:
1 compromise on requirement for OPC warranty and try to get comfort that the car is ok elsewhere (Indy). But you really don't want oil leaks. So the cost of the engine fixes and the brake fixes will prevent the purchase (unless you are willing to effectively pay more or the seller is willing to stick to their agreement of price adjustment).
2 walk away
Graham
always listen to your Uncle Andy (and if it makes you feel any better, you're not the only one faced with this predicament at the moment.......)I would walk away..
I had 3 MK1's PPI'd before I bought my one..
All only failed on things like Diff, Clutch, and panel changes..
NONE OF THEM HAD ANY ENGINE PROBLEMS ! one @38k one @25k and the one I bought @15k.
These are very good engines, and are built to last ! Give Steve at JZM or Andy at Fearnsport a call, they will be able to shed more light on this matter.
I had 3 MK1's PPI'd before I bought my one..
All only failed on things like Diff, Clutch, and panel changes..
NONE OF THEM HAD ANY ENGINE PROBLEMS ! one @38k one @25k and the one I bought @15k.
These are very good engines, and are built to last ! Give Steve at JZM or Andy at Fearnsport a call, they will be able to shed more light on this matter.
Not that this has any bearing on the car, but is it blue?
It is blue, rubystone. In fact it's this one...
http://www.dealer.autotrader.co.uk/2589/porsche.htm
It is blue, rubystone. In fact it's this one...
http://www.dealer.autotrader.co.uk/2589/porsche.htm
Edited by gttastic on Thursday 30th August 08:54
I was looking to buy this one, but it was sold before I had chance to go look at it.. Now back on the market !
http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/CARS_popup.js...
It was up for £48,995 when I was going to view it 8 months ago !!
http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/CARS_popup.js...
It was up for £48,995 when I was going to view it 8 months ago !!
7357 said:
Any of these any good ?
http://pistonheads.co.uk/sales/217706.htm
http://pistonheads.co.uk/sales/192681.htm
http://pistonheads.co.uk/sales/230390.htm
I'm after a Comfort version so that only leaves the yellow one. I will be using it as a daily driver with little prospect at the moment to use it on a track. The decision in the end came down to a choice between the 996 TT and a 996 GT3. I have driven examples of both, although it has been the GT3 Mk2 that I have tested so I would welcome any advice as to what differences there are between a mk1 GT3 and a mk2 GT3 on typical British roads. The reason why I prefer the drive of a GT3 is that you don't have to go crazy speeds to enjoy yourself. Also, very good though the TT is, and it probably is the most practical choice as a road car, it just did not feel special in the same way as a GT3 does. The TT seems to do a lot of the work for you and does not feel as involving as the GT3 and the TT engine lacks the vibrancy of the GT3 aswell. Throw in the rarity factor and it makes the GT3 hard to resist.http://pistonheads.co.uk/sales/217706.htm
http://pistonheads.co.uk/sales/192681.htm
http://pistonheads.co.uk/sales/230390.htm
I am now wondering if it makes sense to spend a little more on a mk2 and have the benefit, not to mention peace of mind, of a longer OPC warranty.
7357 said:
Any of these any good...
http://pistonheads.co.uk/sales/217706.htm possible, but a long trek from the south! Especially when taking an expert to help out.http://pistonheads.co.uk/sales/192681.htm milage to high for me...I'll be putting 12k miles on per year for the next 3 yrs.
http://pistonheads.co.uk/sales/230390.htm ditto on miles
Graham
gttastic said:
sounds cheap - possibly for a reason...On the first car - I would definitely walk away. GT3's are rare but not so rare that you can't find another one. That colour is Cobalt by the way.
The engines are normally totally bulletproof so one with oil leaks is a big warning sign - the OPC did you a favour by identifying these issues.
Both Mk I and Mk II are great cars. Both have their pro's and con's. The Mk II has more power, better brakes and stronger gearbox. The Mk I is a little less expensive and rarer with subtly different styling. There isn't a huge difference between the two in cost so why restrict yourself...especially as you're already arrowing the choice to comfort version.
There are cars coming up for sale all the time so if you don't see what you like right now - wait a few days and look again. Alternatively talk to dealers and owners. A lot of cars get sold without ever being advertised. The perfect car for you is out there somewhere.
Good luck and don't forget to post some picks here when you finally buy one.
The engines are normally totally bulletproof so one with oil leaks is a big warning sign - the OPC did you a favour by identifying these issues.
Both Mk I and Mk II are great cars. Both have their pro's and con's. The Mk II has more power, better brakes and stronger gearbox. The Mk I is a little less expensive and rarer with subtly different styling. There isn't a huge difference between the two in cost so why restrict yourself...especially as you're already arrowing the choice to comfort version.
There are cars coming up for sale all the time so if you don't see what you like right now - wait a few days and look again. Alternatively talk to dealers and owners. A lot of cars get sold without ever being advertised. The perfect car for you is out there somewhere.
Good luck and don't forget to post some picks here when you finally buy one.
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