PPI recommendation for a 996 TT in DFW

I would like to get a PPI recommendation for a 996 TT in DFW. Do you usually take the car to a location for the inspection or do most inspectors travel to the car? What is the average cost of a PPI?

Any advice on a 996 TT? I have seen and driven the car. Looks 9.5/10 and unmodified.

 

I've never heard of a mobile ppi. To do properly, they need their tools, a lift, etc. I'd suggest RAC Performance in Dallas. Very close to Addison Airport.

 

+1. The only place I'd go for Porsche. But I'm not a Porsche guy.

 

Thanks. That is helpful.

 

There is Zims in Euless and Mayo in Bedford if the car is closer to Fort Worth.
Both exceptional.

 

Car is in Addison, so RAC was a good choice. We had the inspection perfromed yesterday and here are the details. Very happy with the expertise of RAC.

2003 996TT Artic Silver with 50k. Price ~$45k. Car looked very clean with no major mods. 997T wheels which are a personal favorite.

PPI -
Minor Bank 2 chain housing seep.
Minor Front lower rad. air guide damage
Minor bottom front bumper tear
Spoiler Drive leaking
Serp Belt needs to be rpelace
Belt roller needs replacement
Two high tone horns (versus 1 high, 1 low)
rear window seal needs glue or replacement
Right rear tire wear on inside
brakes 75%
Range 1 = 31026
Range 2 = 1560 (RAC said this indicates over rev ignitions and is average for the mileage, but shows spirited driving. It was interesting that they estimate ~260 over rev occasions.)

Rear bumper painted
Both front fenders painted

Buy, walk, or run?

We chose to walk. The price seemed in line for a clean car with no paint work. We were willing to work around the other issues. Most concerning were the spoiler drive and the belt/roller needed immediate attention. The rest is understanible for an 8 year old 50k car. Even rear bumper paint could be to touch up, because nothing was noted as far as damage, but both front fenders beng painted was troublesome. They can't measure the front bumper paint becuase its plastic, but I can't help but suspect at least a font end collision. This may explain the two high tone horns. I am not very well versed in Porsches yet, but any opinions on the decision?

 

Did you ask them if an early 997 Turbo might be a better car?

 

I have had several Porsche mechicans tell me these cars are pretty much bullet proof.

Just because they are painted, doesn't mean the car was wrecked. Any high performance car driven around the metromess is going to get rock chips. If RAC said they couldn't find any evidence of damage, I'd take them at their word. Generally, if you put the car on a lift and look, you'll see evidence of repairs if they exist.

Does the car have any records showing past work? Was it ever a lease car? Basically, you want to know whether it has been loved or not.

That said, there are a lot of these cars out there so take your time.

Dale

 

I bought a 996tt from RAC and then they sold it for me 8 months later. It had great push you back in the seat performance, but the engine/exhaust sounds just don't do it for me.
After trying 2 P-bugs, I am convinced they are not my thing. That sale allowed me to move in to my favorite car ever, '05 Ford GT. No regrets 4 years later.

Going off-track, backwards, at 70 with dryhole driving, at MSR was my most vivid memory of that car.

 

Was that not the first mistake?

 

Good move walking away, I would say Run instead!

That car has been run ragged. The over revs tell me either the owner didnt know how to drive the car or it was beat on consistently, obviously both are bad.

I have owned 4 of these cars. I Currently have an 04 996 TT X50 cab. The 911 has a reputation of being dependable if maintained. I have had a good experience with the cars I owned.

I have never experienced the sort of repairs that car needs. I say it has been abused.

There are alot of these cars out there, be patient untill you find the right car.

 

Sure a 997TT would be a better car, but out of the price range. I agree that painted fenders doesn't always mean front end damage, but the price was firm and not worth potential problems or further investigation. RAC said a true body shop would need to assess for prior damage. The search goes on....

 

If the car has had the ECU changed/flashed the overrevs should not be too much of an issue. Range two really isn't that big of a deal. Bumpers painted? EVERY used car has had the bumpers painted.

Minor Bank 2 chain housing seep. Normal.
Minor Front lower rad. air guide damage. Normal.
Minor bottom front bumper tear. Low car. Normal.
Spoiler Drive leaking. It will fail as they all do. $1200 (?) to fix.
Serp Belt needs to be rpelace. Normal maint.
Belt roller needs replacement. Normal.
Two high tone horns (versus 1 high, 1 low). Lol. Soprano horn.
rear window seal needs glue or replacement. Yep.
Right rear tire wear on inside. RR tire is the drive wheel.
brakes 75%
Range 1 = 31026. Meh.
Range 2 = 1560 (RAC said this indicates over rev ignitions and is average for the mileage, but shows spirited driving. It was interesting that they estimate ~260 over rev occasions.). No big deal at all. That's what, 1000 over redline? I've seen a lot worse from cars that have been tracked and have been on the road for years...

Rear bumper painted
Both front fenders painted
Both nothing to worry about.


I'm no longer an expert on Porsche pricing (been out of the loop for close to a year) but it sounds like a typical higher mile 996TT.

 

Type 2 over-rev is the REVOLUTIONS the engine has had over red-line. 1560 is not too bad really. Could be only a couple of missed shifts. I'm assuming stick shift. Dont know how an auto would have type 2's.
These engines are beyond stout.
Front bumper replaced and especially the horn replacement was a good catch/clue.
I'm thinking Mike L did the inspection (?).
996TT are a screaming deal right now and that does not sound like too bad of a car all said and done.

 

http://www.straightlineautomotivegroup.com/web/used/Porsche-911-Carrera-2003-Dallas-TX/869659/


Ask for Dale. Offer 50. Much better car imho.

 

I trying to say is that range two is 1000 RPM over revline (IIRC. Maybe range two is 500 and range one is hitting the limiter). Since it measures each cylinder overreving, take that 1560 and devide by six. That's how many revolutions it was in that range.

Keep in mind that many "tunes" will raise the redline up a few hundred RPM. This is recorded by the ECU as an overrev.

Mike is back at LoD. Saw him there Thursday.

 

That car is an excellent value , but know that it's had a front end replaced after a hard off at the track. It was fixed " right " but has some needs as well.

As for the engines being bullit proof, I've replaced 3 in the past 18 months... so be sure to get your PPI completed before pulling the trigger on whichever car you chose!

S

 

Actually, there are 3 ignitions per crankshaft revolution with the M96 engine so divide by 3, not 6.

FWIW, my Turbo has a few recent range 2 ignitions and I know I am not misshifting.

Michael.

 

Thanks for the correction. I thought it was six.

 

Range 2 readings are fairly meaningless. Bumping up on the rev limiter is going to create a range 2, but who cares? The engine is more than capable of operating there. In my 996 race car I sometimes have to hold the car at those rpms because I am out of gear and coming into a braking zone where it makes no point to shift up. All Range 2 means is that you are using all the rpms the engineers at Porsche gave you. You paid for them, might as well use them.

Over revving on a downshift is a completely different issue. They call that a money shift for a reason ...

 

The hydraulics for the rear spoiler are a common failure on these cars, nothing to worry about there........and the belt and rollers are just maintenance items.

I am not too concerned about the number of times he'***** the rev limiter, it's easy to do.

The painted fenders require investigation, but if it was for purely cosmetic reasons, it is also a non-issue.

It's not like you can call the "used car factory" and order something to your specs, you've got to accept that these are volume production used high performance cars and they will all have some sort of expenditure that will be required, or minor repairs that had previously been done, which will be of little consequence to the educated buyer. If the paintwork was for cosmetic reasons (key scratch, chips, etc), rather than an accident repair, it sounds like you passed on a good car.

 

I'd say that 90% of bumpers on an eight year old Porsche have been painted. They are named "bumpers" for a reason.

 

How hard is it to see frame damage? I have done my own inspections of various cars, including a 330 GTC, where I put them up on a rack and never found any real damage. But I would think if you look carefully enough, even a novice could figure out if a car has had any repairs.

That said, I'm thinking panel gaps and door swings are a waste of time. They are easy enough to adjust by any bodyman.

Your thoughts?

Dale