When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I’m proud to say that I’m now a 1st time Porsche owner with my soon to arrive Ruf RTurbo conversion Minerva Blue 996 Turbo!!
Recently purchased from 911-AL
This thread will be dedicated to the journey of the vehicle from where it has been, where it is now, and where it’s going to go in the future.. A lot of the future mods will happen with input from the forums and other social media platforms to really take something that is already unique, and make it into something even more spectacular.
The Seller
Before I go any further, I just went to give a big shout out and tip my hat to Al (seller of the car). Over the last month, we’ve talked on the phone many times for many hours to go over the vehicle as well as handle all the logistics of test drive, payment, and delivery. I even made arrangements to fly to Chicago for 15 hours so that I could see the car and go for a test drive (a little hungover). This was actually my 1st used car purchase experience (let alone my 1st P car) and Al was kind enough to walk me through the whole process. He has been a pleasure to deal with, and a great guy to get to know through the whole buying process. I see big things in his future in regards to selling Porsches, and I give him an A++ rating to do business with.
The Buyer
As the owner of the race division of CSF, I’ve been wanting to get a car that could be used as a company demo vehicle which was able to showcase our products and brand ethos of “true originality and passion for the automotive industry’ to the community of automotive enthusiast both locally in California at events, track days, rallies, etc… as well as around the world through the internet.
Over the last couple of years the Porsche platform has really grown for our all-aluminum cooling systems, and sales have taken off tremendously. It’s now our #1 platform by far, and continues to grow. Thank you all for all the support and for taking a chance on CSF!!
This car ticked off all the boxes that I was looking for, and it felt like the perfect car to get! (more on this later in the thread)
The Buying Story
I was actually looking at a stock basalt black on black 996TT in Orange County at the beginning of December. While I was getting the keys for the test drive some ****** bag walked in and bought the car from right under me. (Very Clean / 12,000 miles / sold for $49,500). I was crushed at the time as I thought that was the perfect car and platform to build something special for the brand. It was price right and lowest miles I’d had seeing yet…. In hindsight, I’m glad it didn’t happen ☺
I started going through the classifieds on rennlist and searching the Internet for a couple of more weeks before I came up on Al’s listing for the vehicle that he had originally posted back in the middle of October ’14. He had closed the thread because of trolling so I pm’ed him on 12/30/2014 to see if the car was still available. He said it was.
Over the next couple of weeks we talked for several hours on the phone, and I was able to stop by in Chicago on my way home to So-Cal from my office in Toronto to see the car.
The car was exactly as advertised, and in pristine condition! Mint both inside and out.
Side Note: Al told me that he had gotten an offer from someone in Canada who was willing to take the car at a higher price, without checking it out, and close the deal faster than I could. He however choose to give me 1st right of refusal when the other person was ready to move, and actually sold me the car at a lower price because he knew the car was going to be going to someone who would really appreciate it, and keep it in the Porsche enthusiast scene. I respect that of him immensely.
Last week the money was wire to Al’s account, and the vehicle was picked up in IL on Monday from Al’s house. It is scheduled to be delivered on Friday. I can’t wait!!
The Price
If you’ve read this far, I’m sure you’re wondering what the car was sold for.. Full disclosure the car was sold for $72,000 + a few SEMA tickets for Al and his friends.
Definitely the high side of the spectrum for the 996 turbo platform (might be the highest for used 996 Turbo in recent memory). After CA registration cost and enclosed transportation fees ($1650), I’m teetering in the high 70’s for this car.
I know that this is WAY more than 99.9% of Porsche owners would ever pay for a 996TT. However I can easily justify it to myself, and I think that is all that matters… We all know the sayin’ of “stock cars will appreciate and sell easier than a modified one” I believe there is always a buyer for a well tuned, maintained, and tastefully modified Porsche.. They are far outnumbered by the people who are looking for stock (or very lightly modified), but they are out there. I’m one of those people, and I think I got a very fair deal on this car…
Justification
A solid, well maintained, low miles (15,000-30,000), 6 speed 996TT can be found for $45,000.. A great to mint condition 996TT in a highly desired color (silver, black, white, red) will go for $50k-$53,000. Let use this as the basis to start with ($50,000)
- This car had a 1/1 unique factory paint job. In my head this commands a $5,000 premium. Pictures don’t do this car justice; you really have to see it in person to appreciate the Minerva blue paint factory paint job.
- The exterior modifications can’t even really be purchased anymore (RUF bits) or are super high end (Techart wing), and have been installed & painted with OEM look and quality. I would say this is another $4000-$5000 added to the cost of the car.
- You now get into the engine work, brakes, transmission, suspension, and wheels (I took the mint Ruf wheels), you are easily looking at $15,000+ in mods + labor..
- When you look in the interior, it’s not even a question that this car is in “Like New” condition.. The seats have been reconditioned and look brand new, even better than the car I had looked at with just 12,000 miles. This has to be worth an extra $2000 at least.
At this point, I’ve justified to myself that this car is worth the negotiated price.. Now this doesn’t even take into account the insane amount of preventative maintenance that has already been done on the car (which I hopefully will not have to deal with in the future). It’s in 10/10 condition, and the intangibles that come along with this car make it well worth the price. My budget was $70k for a car, and I felt that I hit it right on the money!
Sure I could have got a 997 Turbo for around the same price, but it would have been stock, normal color, no mods, and it wouldn’t have been what I was looking for as a company demo vehicle. I would have needed to spend another $20,000-$30,000 and a few months of time to get the car to show car / demo vehicle ready.. With this purchase, I’m good to go right off the bat with something that is truly unique, and extremely difficult to replicate. You can’t really say that about the 997 Turbo platform (Believe me when I say this, I’ve been around 100’s of them, and I also had the 1st ever Liberty Walk 997 Turbo in my booth at the SEMA show).
Al explained to me the history of this car, and as the 4th owner I look to build upon everything that the previous owner’s have done.. There is a lot of history and passion behind this build, and I took this into account when making this purchase. I look to spread the joy of the Porsche brand the automotive industry, and hopefully be able to build upon an already great 996TT
The Future
The good people at GMG will care and maintain the car. They (and only they) will be performing all the work on the vehicle for as long as I own it. GMG owner, Fabryce, really took a chance on CSF when I first started to get into the Euro market, and he has become a good friend and mentor to me. He’s also helped me with his great advice during the process of looking for the right Porsche.
Mods coming up soon in 2015:
- Obviously the 1st mod is going to be putting a fresh set of all-aluminum 996TT radiators on this baby (DUH!!)
- I’m also working on a set of all-aluminum intercoolers which are going to rock the market with technology and performance, My car will be getting the 1st set in the next 2-3 months, and will be available soon after.
- Really looking to get a GMG exhaust as well.
- GMG roll-bar powder coated Minerva blue to match exterior
- Sport Seats with Scroth 6-point harnesses in Gray
- Custom decal/livery design by KI studios
Vision
The vision for this car is “California Cool” The car is back in it’s original state of California, and I’m going to really bring out the epitome of the California car culture with this ride. The wood grain interior at 1st was a draw back for me, but when I saw it in person, it really hit me that it was “touring car like” and would be the perfect mix of driving down PCH with the top down.. Ready to take it to the track on the weekends.. Just because it hasn’t been done, doesn’t mean it can’t.. I was thinking about swapping the wood out for carbon fiber, but it the long run the wood will hold up, and I'm going to see how it looks with the other interior mods before making any decisions..
Stay Tuned, and chime in with your thoughts..
So-Cal beach pictures coming this weekend hopefully!!
There are some seriously great 996TTs here on 6speed but I have never ever seen one so amazing! THE COLOR!
p.s.: interior tho... I don't like gray/wood combo. I like wood as it gives really a GT like feel. But not on a gray background. I would probably go with CF in your case.
Huge congrats to you on your new car and getting what you wanted. It is worth spending the extra money for something so unique and well cared for. I bet you can't wait until it gets delivered. I went through months of searching for the right 996TT and I am happy to say it was just delivered last night. I hope you enjoy your Ruf!
Very very beautiful car, one of the nicest I've seen. I bet even people who don't like 996s will stand up for this one, congrats. I agree, the grey and wood combo is bad, swap out to CF and you have a 10.
Congrats! This car is simply stunning! Glad it went to another fellow P-Car enthusiast. Keep us posted with your future mods / installs. With the interior, in my opinion, the burl wood simply don’t belong in these cars. Best of luck!
Congrats on the car! probably the cleanest TT out there. Al is pretty fanatical about his cars. I wouldn't change much on it. Maybe complete the RUF theme by installing a correct Rturbo rear wing, steering wheel, door sills and their shifter. What I would do is maybe remove all the wood trim and have a body shop sand it and paint it in a matching Minerva blue thus tying the outside to the interior. Again, congrats..
You buy me all carbon fiber repalcements, and we can do an even trade, maybe a little extra for you, or a free set of rads??
Would be a sweet deal if I needed the whole kit. I am most interested in the map pocket covers. OEM covers delaminated and PO substituted for Savannah Beige. I love having 'full wood'.
Last edited by Shadetree996; 01-29-2015 at 02:46 PM.
Would be a sweet deal if I needed the whole kit. I am most interested in the map pocket covers. OEM covers delaminated and PO substituted for Savannah Beige. I love having 'full wood'.
Do you park your car in your library, now that's classy San Diego
FWIW I too vote C/F but I'm a freak for the stuff. Also, you can still get the RUF bumper from RUF if you want it although I've heard it might not be for much longer. Irish1000 bought one and I inquired with RUF but decided against it after it was all added up. I think it looks DAMN nice and I really like the color - congrats!
01-29-2015, 01:16 AM
