Need help! 1st Porsche! Ready to buy 996 TT but few records
 

Growing up in the 70's I used to have a stack of Car and Driver and Road and Track mags and was always dreaming of a sports car. I'm pushing 60, the kids are done with college, married and doing well. Now I feel like that little kid again. I'm getting ready and really serious with a new girl... a 2003 996 TT Tiptronic with 80K miles. My 1st Porsche! Arctic silver with black full leather interior. My only real issue is very few records. It is getting a PPI on Friday. Can I get your thoughts O wise and powerful men and women, lovers of Stuttgart metal? Price around 34k. Thanks!

Buy a 6spd.

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This

Tip will not hold the value of a manual trans. If you are OK with automatic, then take it to a trusted shop for evaluation. Price appears fair for Tip.

1) See and drive several before choosing one. Do not buy the first one you see without having a point of reference. It's important that you understand how this car feels when it's operating properly.
2) Get one with a known maintenance history. At 80K miles there are several items that are likely needing to be replaced (if they haven't been already). Clutch, radiators, coils, hoses, coolant expansion tank, motor mounts, transmission mount, to name just a few. Catch-up maintenance will eat you alive.
3) Go here and learn more...
996 Turbo Forum - Rennlist Discussion Forums

The 996 turbo is a fantastic car. Good luck in your search.

Sounds like a nice price if the PPI checks out. I would take it to Cantrell or Gerber. I've seen some super fast tips when guys start modding them. If it's your "daily" sounds like a great balance between comfort and convenience. The turbos have always been Porsche's "luxury" line of cars. I see no reason to avoid a Tip if you aren't a track junkie.

Thanks for the replys. I appreciate them all.
I can't really put out the extra 6-10k for a 6 speed so the tiptronic will have to do. I'm anxiously waiting the PPI on Friday and see what it exposes. Heard a cooling pressure test is a good idea so I will have that done. Any more thoughts?
Thanks again-Tim

I don't want to sound like a jerk, but if $6k breaks the budget, a 996tt may not be the right car at the right time. Buying a Porsche on a tight budget is seldom a good idea. You should expect some maintenance cost even if you do most of the work by yourself. The engines have a reputation for being bullet proof, but there are other parts that are known to be prone to failure. Coolant expansion tank, water pump, rear spoiler mechanism, steering fluid reservoir come to mind off the top of my head. Remember these cars were $120k plus when new.

Check for Transmission leaks!
 

Make sure they thoroughly inspect for ANY signs of transmission leaks and also pull the lower chassis cover to inspect the transmission mount. The stock tranny mounts are lame and prone to failure. Once they fail, the entire trans starts flopping around, causing the transfer case to flex and the transfer case to trans housing gasket to fail. Ask me how I know...:(

Porsche doesn't offer ANY replacement parts for Tips other than fluid change related items. Sooo...dealer says "you need a new trans, that'll be $15k..."

The gasket is available aftermarket, but good luck finding a Porsche dealer or indy shop willing to do the gasket replacement / repair. I ended up doing the repair myself and changed the fluid as well. Local dealer Reeves was willing to do it for $2k, which I thought was extremely reasonable.

This.

I bought a good one. PPI and all.

A service, brake and coolant flush, some PDR in a couple of places and new wheels and tires (it came with 997TT wheels and I went back to stock) and I dropped the best part of 5k.

Nothing on this car is cheap.

It's fabulous to drive - makes me smile every time I'm in it - but if you are on a budget be warned, it may tax your resources more than you appreciate.

Good luck.

Usually, posts that start that way don't end up well.

But Rick is right. There are a few items on our cars that have a cost of repair appropriate to the original window sticker.

You may never encounter them, or they may be lurking unseen in your 'new to you' car. These are not cars you want to buy with 'deferred maintenance' history. But you can't always see a problem coming, nor can your PPI vendor. $6K or so in reserve is a good idea.

It and every other generic watercooled Porsche is a depreciating asset. If you're fine knowing that you'll never be above water on it, buy it.