Originally Posted by turborich1946
So I pulled the trigger, I finally bought my dream car (a 2000 911 C2, 40 some-odd thousand miles) advertised by a"reputable"dealer, "longtime Porsche owner (993 C4 Cab)", PCA member, and from the Pittsburgh, PA area..just under a year ago.Life is good for this guy.
Being the 28 year old tech-savvy retard that I am, I found the car on Autotrader in the pristine condition I wanted it in.. shiny, glossy, the right color and carbon fiber crap to boot (all the right rice) ... Porsche visual sex at its finest. Upon further netrosexual inspection prior to purchase I found that the vehicle had a clean carfax and that the current owner (per the advertisement on trader) was the owner of the dealership and that this was his personal car and the advertisement was for serious inquiries only! It must be an amazingly maintained and pristine automobile! All for $23,000!!! Riiiiight...
So of course I'm serious right!?! I have the money, my porsche pee-pee is stiff, and I have made up my mind that I am going to buy this car as long as its legit.. so I get a pre approval and obtain applicable checks, then drive the 280+ miles to inspect this dream, with full intentions of purchasing it if it meets the equivalent altitude of my 996 hard on.. and it does when I show up... LOOKS amazing!!!
.. that's where the fun starts.
So when I show up to the address provided by the (dealer) seller, I find a pristine 2000 996 sitting in the DRIVEWAY of a RESIDENCE. Upon meeting the seller I am explained that he is in transition of selling a dealership and is experiencing health problems. The individual then tells me that the car is in the pristine shape that I expected and ensured multiple times that he is providing full disclosure of all known problems ( missing headlight washer topper, owner's manual, tow hook plug, and tires that need replacement in the rear within the next 10,000 miles). He even states that his "guys at the shop" ensured that the vehicle passed a "comprehensive safety inspection from the State of Pennsylvania".
This is where most people would run, but alas the boner prevails and Richie feels bad for a *****... SO...
I proceed into this "Porsche Aficianano's" residence and seal the deal. The title is in a dealership's name (Nordstorm Select Auto) and all is well. I purchase the car under the impression that this individual is truthful in his disclosure and my purchase is covered under lemon law warranty in the State of Pennsylvania from the DMV... WRONG IS THIS DUMBASS...
So apparently while inspecting the bill of sale for this vehicle at the nearest rest stop (approx. 25 miles away from the seller's address) the bill of sale stated on the top "private sale" handwritten albeit the bill of sale was obviously a commercially produced reciept with the DBA crossed out. What makes this even better is that the individual notarized the bill of sale, as he is a notary public in the State of Pennsylvania.. read the fine print. realy.
So I return to said Douchebag's home and knock multiple times (for approx. 30 minutes) to no avail. I then proceed to drive the car towards my residence as it is late and repeatedly attempt to reach the seller via cell. I finally reach him shortly following the point that I cross the PA/ NY line and THE CEL COMES ON following hard accelleration out of a rest stop, violent vibration over 3000 rpm, and inability to put the car into gear following such jaunt. I tell him about the episode and he states that this is normal and that the check engine light will turn off and I might have been driving it "too hard".
.. it didn't turn off, and we all know that 911s are not to be driven like grandmas.. So I'll bring it to a shop and get checked out, no big deal (so I thought).
3 days later I try to title the car in NY and DMV tells me that it cannot be titled as the bill of sale does not match the title (private seller vs. dealer) I call the seller and ironically he picks up and faxes me a bill of sale on letterhead that matches his "ex-dealership" with the fields filled out that match the prior bill of sale less a few hundred dollars " for my troubles"... Not notarized BTW.. and states this is OK from Penn... this was accepted @ NYS DMV. He apologizes for my troubles.. nice guy..
Anyhow, Within the next week I bring the car to Advanced Automotive in New Windsor, NY and Tom Florio does a series of diagnostics and inspections that take much of his valuable time and my valuable money... need less to say I have put less than 500 miles on this car since purchase and not by Tom's part, as he has been painstakingly troubleshooting this car for the better part of a year despite multiple e-mail and phone call attempts to the seller..no response has been recieved.
So in the time the vehicle has been in the capable hands of Tom it has been found that the car prior to my acquisition had a catostrophic collision with a curb, damaging the case just adjacent to the intermediate shaft, the transmission has been completely replaced as well as the motor mounts, tranny mount, oil pan, and some hack ended up JB welding the case (or equivalent) to attempt to solve the problem. There are other unknowns as well however the vehicle leaks oil like a sieve when full.
What we have deduced is that the CEL is being caused by a violent vibration that is apparent at 3,000 RPM or above, and such vibration will cause misfire codes in4rearward most coils. If the car is driven at little load and rpms are sustained at 3,000 rpm the CEL will flash, even while sitting still believe it or not. The tranny, clutch, and flywheel appear to be new as per Tom as well as the motor mounts.
All compression is within normal limits/coils have been moved/ replaced to no avail. RMS/IMS have been replaced with no solution to leak, Vehicle had a seized reference sensor bolt that was extracted and unit replaced, MAS replaced, smoke test done without negative result..
It seems that possibly this collision prior to my purchase might have tweaked an internal engine component (ie. crank balance, intermediate shaft) as most if not all other causes have been negated secondary to process of elimination as far as we have deduced. If anyone has any advice as to how to handle this unique situation please feel free to LMK as this is turning into an unbelieveable situation that is becoming quite costly. It is seeming that the only alternative is to purchase a new/ used/ refurbed motor, and eat the costs as the PA attorney General has told me to go scratch as the original bill of sale, albeit deception and tax evasive measures, was in a "private sellers" heading.
Be aware and be informed.. times are desparate out there... DO NOT let yourself be scumbagged and ensure a through and through inspection of your perspective p-car purchase, as it could cost you a bundle in the long run!
F-me
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