997 Turbo, buying
Discussion
Be very very careful who you send cars to for, just reading pistonheads for reviews of independent isn't enough. You need to dig further.
I spent 10k+ on my 996 GT2 at probably the most recommended specialist on here, and what was done was mostly shambles. Another fat wad of cash later at someone who actually know what they are doing, and the car is fine.
I spent 10k+ on my 996 GT2 at probably the most recommended specialist on here, and what was done was mostly shambles. Another fat wad of cash later at someone who actually know what they are doing, and the car is fine.
IMI A said:
If using as a daily driver OPC warranty is a no brainer. I must have had circa £40,000 in OPC warranty claims over first 7 years and 60,000 miles of ownership whilst using as a daily driver which included a new engine, turbos, clutch accumulator and slave cyl, and 5 rads. So when you see a 60,000 mile 996 or 997 turbo for £50,000 and think its really cheap think again! Two year OPC warranty a must 
Sounds like a right old lemon 
Joking aside, I think early cars under warranty also run higher bills because the warranty cover is there - both owner and garage lean heavily on this - what can be repaired is replaced, etc.
If the above was the average for the non-warranty car as well then no one would touch them imv
So running cost appear to be luck of the draw here - some very low, some extremely high. I must stress, I would not pay £1k to replace TPMS - that seems crazy.
I'm fortunate enough to live within driving distance of two really good indys. I'd ask one of them to do a full PPI before purchase, and also have a long chat with him regarding what his opinion of the model is.
Mint examples are nice, but I really don't mind one with a few miles on it - at least then I know it's been run and likely maintained. £70k is too strong money, i think that's well beyond what I value the car at. Somewhere in the region of 50K plus a good inspection and a few grand in the bank to cover any immediate repairs of maintenance is where I'm looking. I would sleep easier at night with a good warranty too.
It's going to be my daily driver, so doesn't need to be a mint example, but mechanically sound is a must.
My guess is that most of these cars have been looked after by people with the means to do so, and unless they have been tracked, I doubt there's many poor examples out there.
I'm fortunate enough to live within driving distance of two really good indys. I'd ask one of them to do a full PPI before purchase, and also have a long chat with him regarding what his opinion of the model is.
Mint examples are nice, but I really don't mind one with a few miles on it - at least then I know it's been run and likely maintained. £70k is too strong money, i think that's well beyond what I value the car at. Somewhere in the region of 50K plus a good inspection and a few grand in the bank to cover any immediate repairs of maintenance is where I'm looking. I would sleep easier at night with a good warranty too.
It's going to be my daily driver, so doesn't need to be a mint example, but mechanically sound is a must.
My guess is that most of these cars have been looked after by people with the means to do so, and unless they have been tracked, I doubt there's many poor examples out there.
LaSource said:
IMI A said:
If using as a daily driver OPC warranty is a no brainer. I must have had circa £40,000 in OPC warranty claims over first 7 years and 60,000 miles of ownership whilst using as a daily driver which included a new engine, turbos, clutch accumulator and slave cyl, and 5 rads. So when you see a 60,000 mile 996 or 997 turbo for £50,000 and think its really cheap think again! Two year OPC warranty a must
Sounds like a right old lemon Funkstar De Luxe said:
IMI A said:
if a bit soft out of the box.
That's exactly what I would like 
Sounds too good to be true but it really works.
fredt said:
Be very very careful who you send cars to for, just reading pistonheads for reviews of independent isn't enough. You need to dig further.
I spent 10k+ on my 996 GT2 at probably the most recommended specialist on here, and what was done was mostly shambles. Another fat wad of cash later at someone who actually know what they are doing, and the car is fine.
Does it start with 'F'? For water cooled Porsches (Turbo and GT cars) I trust 3 shops, 2 in UK, one in Turkey. One is nineexcellence. I spent 10k+ on my 996 GT2 at probably the most recommended specialist on here, and what was done was mostly shambles. Another fat wad of cash later at someone who actually know what they are doing, and the car is fine.
IMI A said:
With the TPC DSC module the suspension is still lovely just roll, dive squat improved significantly without any sacrifice to comfort. For road use I'd choose this upgrade over coil overs.
Sounds too good to be true but it really works.
It does actually. I have real difficulty believing that a small company could calibrate the suspension better than Porsche. Colour me skeptical.Sounds too good to be true but it really works.
Funkstar De Luxe said:
IMI A said:
With the TPC DSC module the suspension is still lovely just roll, dive squat improved significantly without any sacrifice to comfort. For road use I'd choose this upgrade over coil overs.
Sounds too good to be true but it really works.
It does actually. I have real difficulty believing that a small company could calibrate the suspension better than Porsche. Colour me skeptical.Sounds too good to be true but it really works.
Chubbyross said:
And if you want to save a few quid get your TPMs deleted from the software until you come to sell. Use your eyes like everyone used to do.
Not sure if relevant or helpful but a few tyre specialists I have spoken to have said they keep a multitude of different TPMS sensors for cars and they can reprogramme them to work with the default software - so you can replace a sensor for a fraction of the price, if it is the individual sensor at fault of course.I found this out on my Morgan, as the BMW sensors are no longer available.
NickCW said:
Not sure if relevant or helpful but a few tyre specialists I have spoken to have said they keep a multitude of different TPMS sensors for cars and they can reprogramme them to work with the default software - so you can replace a sensor for a fraction of the price, if it is the individual sensor at fault of course.
I found this out on my Morgan, as the BMW sensors are no longer available.
I had the software suspended on my car. My tyres were all fine but one of the sensors was playing up and causing a warning light to come on intermittently. It was driving me nuts. My indy offered to switch the system off. I took the option but might get all the sensors replaced when I fit new boots at some point next year. I couldn’t see the point of spending money having wheels (centre locks...sigh) and tyres removed unnecessarily at the time. I hate TPMs. I never track my car and always check my tyres before driving anywhere. I found this out on my Morgan, as the BMW sensors are no longer available.
Funkstar De Luxe said:
So running cost appear to be luck of the draw here - some very low, some extremely high. I must stress, I would not pay £1k to replace TPMS - that seems crazy.
that's an OPC price9E replaced mine for £600 using OEM parts, you can get aftermarket kits for half that but 9E said occasionally they didn't work correctly
Initially they switched off the warning on the OBC but I like TPMS and find it useful so for me its worth it, just unfortunate the battery died during my ownership (years 6-10 of its life)
The latest type tyre sensors and apps make the OEM sensors pretty much redundant. They offer so much more than just binary good/bad monitoring now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cili2VJ7OXs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cili2VJ7OXs
IMI A said:
With the TPC DSC module the suspension is still lovely just roll, dive squat improved significantly without any sacrifice to comfort. For road use I'd choose this upgrade over coil overs.
Sounds too good to be true but it really works.
The TPC DSC module was the first mod I did to my car when I got it. The difference really was amazing. Without it I found the normal mode was so soft the car seemed to just wallow and bounce down the road like a boat. Also, when you floored it, the front of the car seemed to shoot up in the air like a speedboat. It was so bad I nearly sold the car. I was a bit wary of the cost of the TPC module, but it was well worth it. Transformed the car. I subsequently had CG setup the geo on the car and that again made a massive difference. Car handles perfectly now.Sounds too good to be true but it really works.
Adam B said:
Juno said:
My friend has what I think is the mintiest 997 Turbo manual out there and it’s 10k cheaper than that!!!
if its sale please provide linkhttps://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
Juno said:
Looks lovely. How is it a 2009 when I thought 58 plate went to gen 1.5 with updated PCM?Punchy price IMHO. I sold my 2008 08 black/black manual for £57k privately, similar miles and a few more leather options inside but no Kline.
But it does look immaculate
I have owned my 2006 low miles manual coupe for three years now and I cant think there are many/any cars out there - for the money - than can top a good example of one of these cars.
Personally, necessary expenditure has been low but mileage covered would reflect this I guess. I replaced the plugs, coil packs and tandem pump cover (ACP) myself when fitting the S/S Kline system which these quieter Turbo cars require - in my opinion.
Anyone considering one should know that they are a huge step up from the Carreras (owned previously) and need not bleed you dry if you buy right.
Personally, necessary expenditure has been low but mileage covered would reflect this I guess. I replaced the plugs, coil packs and tandem pump cover (ACP) myself when fitting the S/S Kline system which these quieter Turbo cars require - in my opinion.
Anyone considering one should know that they are a huge step up from the Carreras (owned previously) and need not bleed you dry if you buy right.
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