I don't know if you have been following, but the 2004 44000 mile cab I found 100 miles away has been cleared off my table. This was the car I drove 2 hours to see. Car is at mechanic shop waiting for axles from Germany that are on order due to third party warranty- this is cure for torn CV. Nobody will admit how long car has been at shop but it has expired tags, So I am naturally a little unhappy given keys to 630 HP modded car with EXPIRED tag. Naturally I demanded my mechanic- Frank Eibell- do PPI. Owner takes car there yesterday andd Frank asks if i will spring for new oil filter so Frank can saw old one (yes he did find metal particles!). Mucho problemas with car- loose chain tensioners causing engine noise, tires worn down to cord, clutch worn to end of pedal release, Bilstein coilovers unbalanced so car handles like crap, turbo with loose mounting and disconnected hose, oil leak at plug, low coolant........best money I ever spent!! Yes everything is fixable- but not on my dollar..so if anyone knows of a nice lo mileage 996 TT coupe reasonably priced....

 

Good call, the right car will show up.

 

Good call dodging that one. The car was clearly unloved and the owner had no interest in putting the money in to take care of it. I unfortunately bought a car like that and I'm still fixing things two years later.

 

Money well spent. It took me 3 PPI's before I got my 996tt. Just keep looking there are some very well cared for cars out there. Good luck.

 

I agree. I went through two PPIs before finding mine. Why pay money to inherit someone elses problems.

 

i've never had a pip but good thing you did!

 

It's hard to find a clean 996/997 Tt. I've seen alot of beat up cars.

 

^You got that right.

 

Bad PPI results are just about the best money that you can spend on a car.

 

+2!!.. It's getting harder to find nice and clean cars. I think this will continue to get worse over time. For those of you that bought say 5 years ago or more I think you had a larger pool of very clean and well maintained cars. Don't get me wrong there are still plenty of great cars out there. I just think that nothing can be taken for granted, just because an advertisement says the car is totally awesome, tubular (lol), and super clean doesn't mean the car can be bought without investigating it.

Buying a 996TT in 2015 without a PPI is sort of like a reverse lottery ticket...You could get super lucky, break even, and get a car as advertised. Or you could win the reverse lottery...lmao You know what happens next.

Personally I need three things to even consider a car.

1: Service history that backs up the mileage on the car (I would rather have a higher mileage car with a service history to back it up than a low miler with spotty records)

2: Clean Carfax, again hopefully with lots of service history to back up mileage whether high or low miles. (I know carfax's have to be taken with a grain of salt BUT if it has issues on the carfax, that can be a bad sign plus if you ever sell, the next potential owner probably will want to see it)

3: P-P-I !! If the car makes it this far, it's PPI time. Not just any old PPI either, it has to be done by a trusted mechanic. Or if the car is remote to you reach out to the forums and find a reliable/trusted mechanic/shop where the car is. At the minimum they will drive the car and give an evaluation, make sure everything works, run a diagnostic on the car, and put it up on a lift to have a look underneath.

Nothing above is foolproof but would you rather have a car with a great service history, clean carfax, and the all clear from a great mechanic?? I know I would Or, you could try the reverse lottery...lol

OP, congrats on weeding out this one! You will find your car, it's out there

 

we told you to stay away

Now you know where to look when you find another TT. the owner needs to be kicked in the *** for sure. And i'm sure someone will buy that car, good luck. even if ppi checks 100% fine, you still may dump some money to fix it. these cars are 10+ years old.

 

How much were they asking for the car?

 

Looked at hundreds of TTs advertised across the country for nearly a year. Had a lot of guys on different forums do walk around inspections and take photos for me in their home towns of potential cars that met my criteria. 5 failed PPi's later and the 6th passed, a verbal commitment to hold for my personal inspection and I found a car that was worth the trouble. I did have to drive 450 miles to check it out and had the pleasure of driving it home.

 

in Autotrader car looked and sounded like price was fair- 44000 miles, cabriolet, with costly mods- 500 watt stereo with speakers replacing back seat cushions, and of course flashed ECU and hybrid turbos good for 630?? HP. I am new to this car- i do not know what it is supposed to sound like nor how it is supposed to handle. Thank goodness my mechanic spent about an hour and came up with close to $7000 in immediate repairs. Best $165 I ever spent!

 

IMHO. Wait for a car to show up on one of the forums. Seems we take the time to brag about our cars (mods, etc.) and changing oil every 1000 miles.

Good luck in your search.

I am amazed how many 100-150K cars are neglected and abused out there.