it took me a while to find one too, but i found one that i'm extremely happy with. be patient and you'll find a good deal. you've driven more than one so you know what they should feel like...if it's anything different, walk away.

Thanks, that was indeed helpful.

So I updated the first post with the 2 cars I currently have my eyes on. Both seem to be great. But which one is BETTER? Please revisit the first post and give me your thoughts. THANKS!!!!

Both cars look good. Both have a flash already, you just have to hit it and smile!

Comes down to which car is cleaner, tighter, less interior rattle, noises, play in suspension/steering etc.

Around 60k miles it's plugs and when in there change coilpacks too. But maybe plugs were done already along with flash on either car.

Clutch will last til 100k miles but depends on how they were driven and at what power level.

[QUOTE=Volder;3405124 But which one is BETTER? Please revisit the first post and give me your thoughts. THANKS!!!![/QUOTE]

on paper ( paper?! ) the "03 sounds "better", but that'll depend on the car once you go over it. as a reference, i also bought a very decently ( and similarly ) modded '03 in july for $42k, to replace my '02, and couldn't be happier without a 997.2tt.

sometimes i feel like i *may* have slightly? overpaid, but my bonus is the ability to reach out to the last owner who knows these cars, and wrench's 'em any time there's a an issue or service need. which to me, was worth any premium i paid.

you gotta pull the trigger man. get the modded 03 if it checks out! and you're gonna freak when you get one and this xmas will remind you of your first VERY serious toy. seriously. GL

Good points guys. Anyone have the speedtech exhaust? How does it sound?

Another thing, I don't plan to keep the car forever. 2, 3, 4 years maybe. A 2003 would most likely have a higher resale value and be more sought after than a comparable 2001, I would think. Any reason this wouldn't be so?

at this point with these cars, i'm not sure resale should be much of a factor in your decision. the'yre goin down, and where they stop, who knows. you'd have to garage it to preserve it, and even then, i wouldn't be thinking of it as an investment. nice and as they are, they're not 993t's. plus, they're almost all nearing ten years old. another point, it's an amazing second car, and fine even if you end up with it as a dd as i have ( fkn economy! ), you'll still be pleased since once the main problems they all have or get have been dealt with, you're good to go daily.

have you driven one yet? don't buy one earlier than 03 if you have choices. they were still sorting stuff in the earlier iterations, and the best ones ( imo ) are 02-05. esp if you can find an x50 or modded/flashed k16. cmon man, get one. you will never look back

what's up with the 03 in your listing.. have you checked it out in person?

I'm interested to see what you come up with. I am in the same area and have been looking for the same car, with basically the same budget. There are quite a few cars I wouldn't mind owning, but they have been just out of reach dollar wise. I'm 'pretty' sure I know the '03 that you are interested in as I saw the same car. I have yet to look at it, but the owner seemed straightforward and it is definitely a car I could see myself purchasing.

On a side note: I noticed you mentioned that exhaust was a problem with some cars for smog. Is this normal for the turbos? I've had all kinds of other cars with aftermarket exhausts and never had an issue.

If those were my 2 options, I would go with the '03 for sure. 60k service already done, no "pop-out" worries, still has some warranty, sounds like it has the mods you want plus records...

The '01 does not seem similar to me. Depending on the power, I would pass on the car due to amp/sub mods alone. It's not like these cars have bulletproof alternators and they aren't cheap (I just had mine replaced). Plus "pop-out" could show its face later... and 60k service not done yet, and I like my glovebox Just my .02

I've driven a few of them actually. X50 would be ideal, but I can't really find any. It's not a matter of getting one, its a matter of when. Just waiting for the right car to come along.

Going to see the 03 in person in a couple days. I'm just wondering if the 01 was a better buy.

I have a couple concerns with the 03. We'll see how the PPI and smog come back. From what I was told by the guy with the 01 turbo, some cars pass smog with the exhaust, some don't. I think its a combination of which exhaust/ECU flash you have. I don't think either of these 2 cars will pass smog without the original exhaust being put back on. I too, however am curious to know more about this.

The amp/sub mod doesn't really scare me. I would listen to the engine most of the time. Do the 03 cars not have pop-out issues? I'm not sold on the warranty, what would it cover? The car has been altered. Gloveboxes are over rated, I thought this car was purpose-built. It just adds more weight.

On the warranty side of things it really depends on who the warranty is through. I purchased EasyCare for my Turbo S based on feedback from this forum. There are a handful of people that have had EasyCare claims with reasonable mods (ECU, intake, exhaust) with no trouble. I would do some research on the warranty company.

Although the 2001 models get a bad rap for the pop-out issues, I've heard that the issue can exist in later models as well. Not sure if Porsche quietly fixed it at some point and didn't make much noise about it, but I believe that the problem has been reported in at least some 2002 and beyond models as well. We're used to focusing on the problem for the 2001 model year of course, and remember that those cars have been on the road the longest (and I believe they were sold in the highest quantities per year too).

Anyway, definitely have the car inspected well regardless of the year you pick, and know that GBOX does sell a strengthened second gear detent that can be installed without too much trouble to help with that problem (assuming the gearbox isn't badly damaged). Best wishes!

Quote of the thread! haha

Hopefully one of these turns out to be the one for ya Tim!

I am currently overseas and will be in the market for one of these next year or in '13. My questions are: What are known reliability issues/mods?

I read that a FPR is recommended. I also read that colder plugs are recommended. Why is this?

What is the issue with second gear popout?

This is my first post on the forum, so please don't flame this newb