what is an 'early' 3.4 996?
Discussion
nebpor said:
Sounds like a 10k car to me as well. If you intend to drive 300 miles home I’d be looking for a shakedown run of 50 miles first to make sure the temp is behaving and that the coolant has been bled properly
I was just about to say this. Is this a Porsche dealer who understands what a pig it is to bleed these systems and the consequences of getting it wrong?
If you can do the work yourself on these, and you have the RIGHT tools to get stuff done go for it.
Once you start having to pay someone 8 hours to change front drop links, which cost £40 a side, because the bolt is seized, and the carrier has to come off, you start to realise why a 25 year old car which mixes lots of alloy with steel and is driven in the UK through wet summers let alone wet winters, can cost you an absolute fortune to get right.
These are at the stage where either loads needs doing if not done already, and they can be pigs to do the work on.
deckster said:
What help are you after? Personally I'd run a mile and I think you've done the right thing. 2000 miles in 7 years is disastrous for these cars and what you're seeing is exactly what I'd expect for a car that has hardly moved for over half a decade, and almost certainly the tip of the iceberg in terms of issues that are going to come up.
It's not like leggy C2s are hard to come by so unless this is very very cheap, and you are prepared to spend the purchase price again on it, it'd be a hard pass from me.
Thanks for the advice Deckster and I’m tempted to just leave it, but having made the 6.5 hour journey up and seeing the thing , I’m trying to find a reason to walk away.It's not like leggy C2s are hard to come by so unless this is very very cheap, and you are prepared to spend the purchase price again on it, it'd be a hard pass from me.
The seller has since swapped the oil pressure sender and repaired the water hose leak but I’m nervous that the car won’t get me back to London at circa 300 miles.
All things being equal, at what price is it worth a punt? I’m going to make a low ball offer to factor in the potential hassle, discs etc?
£12k? £13k? It was up for £16k so I’ll be dumping on the seller.
nebpor said:
Sounds like a 10k car to me as well. If you intend to drive 300 miles home I’d be looking for a shakedown run of 50 miles first to make sure the temp is behaving and that the coolant has been bled properly
IME when I've had the coolant emptied and refilled, it's taken 50 miles and a decent few (high) heat cycles to bleed the system, but nothing more scary than routine driving in traffic is needed. deutsche.diagnostics said:
Once you start having to pay someone 8 hours to change front drop links, which cost £40 a side, because the bolt is seized, and the carrier has to come off, you start to realise why a 25 year old car which mixes lots of alloy with steel and is driven in the UK through wet summers let alone wet winters, can cost you an absolute fortune to get right.
I will just caveat this by saying it depends on your view as an owner operator. If you are happy driving around in one of these which is far from right and you know that then jump in with both feet. You will still have something of a car to enjoy. Sure it wont be the best it can be but it will surely tick some boxes for You. Even the most right car wont be perfect but it will be better. If you have more serious OCD for things being right on your car then a 20 to 25 year old Porsche is financial suicide, especially if you buy a fixer upper.Fast Bug said:
Have you got a link to the advert?
Here it is:https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334867834965
It’s a very good looking car. The best I’ve seen by some margin.
maz8062 said:
Fast Bug said:
Have you got a link to the advert?
Here it is:https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334867834965
It’s a very good looking car. The best I’ve seen by some margin.
Nice ride height, and I like the front lip. Interior looks to be in great condition too.
But this wheels would have to go… they just look too big.
Assume suspension is in good shape overall if it’s got coil overs. And maintenance records will tell you where it stands on the other usual areas.
Biggest thing that would put me off is the smoke from the left hand tail pipe on start up. If it’s just a bit of oil down the bores as it’s been stood I’d expect it to smoke from both…. That’s what mine does if it’s left.
If it only reached £10 on the auction you could bid him 11-12, but only if the bores were clean.
But this wheels would have to go… they just look too big.
Assume suspension is in good shape overall if it’s got coil overs. And maintenance records will tell you where it stands on the other usual areas.
Biggest thing that would put me off is the smoke from the left hand tail pipe on start up. If it’s just a bit of oil down the bores as it’s been stood I’d expect it to smoke from both…. That’s what mine does if it’s left.
If it only reached £10 on the auction you could bid him 11-12, but only if the bores were clean.
Chris Stott said:
Nice ride height, and I like the front lip. Interior looks to be in great condition too.
But this wheels would have to go… they just look too big.
Assume suspension is in good shape overall if it’s got coil overs. And maintenance records will tell you where it stands on the other usual areas.
Biggest thing that would put me off is the smoke from the left hand tail pipe on start up. If it’s just a bit of oil down the bores as it’s been stood I’d expect it to smoke from both…. That’s what mine does if it’s left.
If it only reached £10 on the auction you could bid him 11-12, but only if the bores were clean.
Agree 100% with Chris.But this wheels would have to go… they just look too big.
Assume suspension is in good shape overall if it’s got coil overs. And maintenance records will tell you where it stands on the other usual areas.
Biggest thing that would put me off is the smoke from the left hand tail pipe on start up. If it’s just a bit of oil down the bores as it’s been stood I’d expect it to smoke from both…. That’s what mine does if it’s left.
If it only reached £10 on the auction you could bid him 11-12, but only if the bores were clean.
Also the miles wouldn't put me off (mines on 144k). But I wouldn't see that at £16k
I’m still torn, more so since I’ve just been to look at a high mileage MY07 Carrera 3.6. The seller of the 996 will let me have it for £12k so that’s a result. I didn’t drive the 997 but it had nice options include the leather dash PASM and nice 19” wheels.
I’ll defer to my spreadsheet on the way back to London and decide what’s what.
I’ll defer to my spreadsheet on the way back to London and decide what’s what.
I’m still torn, more so since I’ve just been to look at a high mileage MY07 Carrera 3.6. The seller of the 996 will let me have it for £12k so that’s a result. I didn’t drive the 997 but it had nice options include the leather dash PASM and nice 19” wheels.
I’ll defer to my spreadsheet on the way back to London and decide what’s what.
I’ll defer to my spreadsheet on the way back to London and decide what’s what.
jonny996 said:
I’m not being rude but would you not be best biting the bullet & buying from a acknowledged specialist
this, or at least get an inspection carried out by a specialist. It could save you a lot of money/heartache and give you a good negotiating tool. The 996 100% needs the bores checking by someone that knows what they're doing.Or you could just buy the first one you see and get lucky like I did
jonny996 said:
I’m not being rude but would you not be best biting the bullet & buying from a acknowledged specialist
Example https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/14868808
Fast Bug said:
jonny996 said:
I’m not being rude but would you not be best biting the bullet & buying from a acknowledged specialist
this, or at least get an inspection carried out by a specialist. It could save you a lot of money/heartache and give you a good negotiating tool. The 996 100% needs the bores checking by someone that knows what they're doing.Or you could just buy the first one you see and get lucky like I did
jonny996 said:
I’m not being rude but would you not be best biting the bullet & buying from a acknowledged specialist
You are 100% correct but there really is no fun in that and it costs significantly more for the dealer stamp of peace of mind. No, I like the chase, the gut feel of a car. Working out the potential spend and negotiating, building a spreadsheet to help with the decision, seeing sellers squirm while I share the diagnostic data with them, the overrevs etc. The fun ends when you’ve bought the car and you’re on to the next one. Rinse repeat.It’s interesting that folk are singling out the puff of smoke from the left tail pipe. The car has had the RMS & IMS done, drove as sweet as a nut and the engine was quieter than any I’ve seen.
Between the 996 & 997, the 996 would stop a crowd with its stance and gleaming paintwork, the acid green callipers shouting “look at me.” The 997 has covered 14 miles in 3 years and was perhaps more grown up, classy, understated.
What’s the worst that could happen? A lot!
996 - £12k + engine rebuild = £25k
997 - £18k + engine rebuild = £30k
Both would be worth a reasonable chunk of the spend come resale, so the risk is relative in my eyes. Yet I can’t decide
maz8062 said:
Both would be worth a reasonable chunk of the spend come resale, so the risk is relative in my eyes. Yet I can’t decide
In that case, the only thing you really need to concern yourself about is, do you prefer the earlier dashboard and headlights?14 miles over any period measured in years, though, is asking for trouble IMO.
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