Hey all,

I have my eye on a 99TT and an '04 cabriolet with the X50 popped up for sale locally. I drove the car and liked it enough to have my local independant Porsche specialists do a pre-purchase inspection. A few observations and associated questions:

- The '04 996TT with the "full leather" interior option seemed less premium than my '06 987. I know lots changed between 9X6 and 9X7 but I didn't expect the different to be as drastic as it was. The plastic felt, well, plasticky. Control stalks, buttons, etc. When soft touch is available even modern Kias it makes the '04 feel a bit dated - which, of course, it is.
- The cabriolet top's inner liner seems to be detaching from the top's mechanics. Best as I could tell, the liner was attached with double sided tape at various spots. Is that correct? The liner caught just behind the rear seats while putting the top down. No tears or damage, but it needs fixing for sure.
- The stock shifter seemed to have awfully long throws, at least compared to my 987 with the factory short shifter installed. If I get this car I'll be installing a short shift kit. Is there a factory GT2 option? Any merit to that over the Carrera kit or aftermarket?
- The car has one key. What's it cost to replace a 996 key?
- It seems that the front license plate holes are pre molded which was a surprise. Is that correct? I didn't get a great look.
- The climate control LCD isn't working completely. I understand that this is a common problem with a relatively cheap fix. Is that right?
- The car told me to test the oil fill height while running! That was a big change from my 987. For what it's worth, after some modestly spirited driving, the oil showed 100% full, that is it took up all the tick marks. I suppose that's better than being low, but if I buy the car I'm replacing the oil with DT40 and ensuring its properly filled. Peace of mind I suppose.
- The previous owner seems to have been a Porsche lover: there was a certificate of authenticity sitting in the frunk.
- Speaking of the frunk, the liner looked pretty beaten up. Has anyone replaced theirs?
- Tires were shot. That'll be a quick $1500 I think.
- I was surprised to see that the steering wheel telescopes but doesn't go up and down. At 6'4" I fit fine, but a bit of extra knee space would be nice.

I'm hoping the PPI comes back good. I'm ooking forward to owning a turbo and doing a little restoration work to get it back to '04 cleanliness!

 

I have a '99 Boxster and have since it was 3 years old. I had a 996 C2 Cab for 7 years, I also have an '04 TT Cab and have going on 6 years. My TT looks near showroom and has under 29K miles.

About the plastic. Never been in a Kia. Don't know, not important to me. I didn't buy the Turbo because I liked or did not like the feel of the plastic buttons. I bought it for the Metzger motor masterpiece.

The top liner uses elastic pieces and velcro. Mine was problematic at 15K miles. It's not a deal breaker. TLC, work with it and it will be fine. Common to get unattached and not fold properly.

Don't compare the Turbo to your Boxster, they are very different cars. For cheap you can find a SSK and reduce the throws. There are many types available.

Dealers prices vary on keys, call them.

I didn't know the LP holes were pre molded. Is that an aftermarket bumper cover?

I didn't know climate LCD was a problem at all, call the dealer.

The Turbo has a true dry sump and the majority of the engine oil is contained in a tank, not the motor. Checking it is different.

The car you are looking at sounds a bit rough. It may be enthusiast owned but maybe not very well taken care of. It could still be mechanically decent and pass a PPI OK, but sounds like maybe very average or a bit worse than average condition.

I'd look at several. It seems you're knit picking a bit, but from what you describe, I'd walk.

 

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it!

It's not terribly important to me either, it was just a surprise comparing the 9X7 with the 986.

This is good to know. It looks like something that I could address with some GooGone, mineral spirits, and some new velcro patches.

Not that I can tell, but I asked the Porsche specialist to check. EDIT: I did a little googling and it seems that some 996s came with factory molded bumper holes, some didn't. The holes are definitely not drilled, but they're there.

Looks to be a common issue: ModuleMaster


Other than the top liner, the frunk liner (which really isn't that bad - I'm just ****), and the LCD, the car is very clean. Paint looks near perfect. As all of those things are easily addressable, I'm not too worried about anything other than the mechanics.

 

Good luck! You're ****?

I looked for 15 months for my 996 C2. I looked for nearly a year for my Turbo. I looked every day, all over the US. I had 6 PPIs done and paid for before I settled on the car I finally bought. My car was so showroom perfect, I handed over the check before even driving it, starting it, or sitting in it. Luckily it was "close" to home only 450 miles away.

Persistence in my search paid off big dividends. I do all my own work and outside of maintenance items like tires and oil, I have spent less than $150 on repair parts in over 5 years of ownership. I'm still on my original wipers, brakes and most everything else. My under frunk looks like a car less than a year old that has had great care. My car also came with 4 keys, 3 electronic, 1 valet. Not boasting, just stating.

Again, Good Luck!

 

So I have a similar car. I have replaced many of the plastic items with CF, though there is quite a bit of leather...I have to disagree on the overall look.
Never had the slightest of issues with the top liner...11 years old
Agreed one of my first mods in 2004 was an SSK
Contact Sunset, they can get you a blank and then it just needs to be programmed to the car...cost is very dealer dependent, though anyone with PST2 or PIWIS can do this.
Not sure if they were molded in or punched, but mine came that way too and I used bumper plugs to plug them...although front plates are required in many states. Since I have replaced with TechArt.
Common....first I've heard of this and I've been on every porsche forum for over 10 years...LOL
A talking car...wow. The oil needs to be checked while the car is warm

No
I replaced my wheel with a 340mm wheel...much better IMHO.

 

I took a look at your gallery and like what you've done with CF. The caar I'm looking at has the "Brake/Shifter Carbon/Aluminum" factory option which would go well with more CF. Which vendor(s) did you get the CF from? Real CF or laminate?

Cool, thanks.

As a child of the 80s, I wish it talked like KITT. That was the inevitable future, after all...

 

MACarbon for all pieces...real CF and lasts longer than OEM. Installed myself (it's that easy). Steering wheel is FVD 340mm CF.