I'm looking to get into my 3rd 997 Turbo... I've owned a 2009 Cab and a 2007 Coupe. Missing the platform too much to stay away.

So, looking over various cars these days I'm seeing more and more with 50k+ miles on them... my question is what sort of things should I be aware of if I were to step into one of these higher mileage cars?

I sold my 2009 with 19k... my 2007 with 30k.... they were both solid, but of course I'd expect them to be that young in life.

Turbos? Any known problems when you get up there? Anything I should look for? Any input would be great. Thanks!

 

Low owners, no wrecks, great maintenance. A higher mileage well cared for example can be fine. Water pumps are an issue with this platform but the car with higher miles may have already had one replaced.

 

Anything I should be looking for? I didn't know there was a water pump issue... or should I just leave it up to a good mechanic to look over?

I found a spectacular color combo car with 66k miles on it... I feel like the next 997 I grab I'm going to hold on to for awhile, so it doesn't bother me a ton as long as I know I'm not going to be dumping money into turbo's or transmission or weird engine malfunctions etc.

I plan on upgrading everything eventually anyhow, just want to be able to drive it and work on it at my discretion and not because the car needs something.

 

Maintenance matters most, period. I would rather have a car that has been properly maintained with 5 owners than one with less miles that hasn't had any corrective and preventative maintence done with 2 owners.

 

You can find good examples if you use the dealers at times. If you have a good relationship with one, you can have them call you for a car they would otherwise flip to a wholesaler. anything over 45k miles I would imagine at this point they would rather take the trade in, make the sale on new car and be done with the trade in car (out to an auction). You can ask them to call you before they get rid of it.

 

Great advice guys... thanks. I'm feeling better about maybe pulling the trigger on a higher mileage car. Hopefully 3rd time's the charm and I'm done. lol

 

if you are looking fora higher mileage car find one with the sharkwerks coolant pipe upgrade and pinned. trust me i am in the middle of an engine drop on a 63k mile car, also look for a car with potentially the clutch done while in there you should be good to go after that. the coolant issue is the biggie

 

There is no expiration date on these cars. I just crossed 70k miles on mine. A well maintained car is what you need/want. Take advantage of the good deals you can get with buying a higher mileage car, because the only real difference between a well-maintained car with 60k miles and one with 30k miles is price...and oftentimes you can save nearly $10k just because others get scared off by the mileage for no real reason. Unless it is a car that you plan on selling within a year or two, save the money.

 

Condition is paramount. You want a car that has been serviced properly. It would be nice if the owner could also provide you invoices showing he took care of the little things, too. You want a car that was loved by its previous owner.

A thorough road test is next.

I recommend a 15 mile test ride then over the same route a test drive.

You must experience the car in its natural state: engine running and the car on the road being driven like you intend to drive it.

Afterwards you must give the car a thorough used car checkout to ensure every system is working properly.

A PPI is highly recommended. Among things this gets the car in teh air -- after the test ride/drive -- and allows for a thorough inspection for any leak sign.

What you are striving for is a car that when exercised for about an hour's time trips no CEL, or other warning lights, manifests no issues on the road, has all systems working and shows no signs of any leaks.

However, just because the car is problem/issue free at this time doesn't mean it will remain so.

Things work just fine until they don't. My Boxster's water pump was just fine until at around 172K miles I heard a low rumbling noise which I traced to a water pmp with excessive bearing play. Same with the fuel pump. It was fine for 200K miles until one morning just after engine start the fuel pump died.

And I could go on. Coolant cap. Coolant tank. Radiator fan motor. Wheel bearing. AOS's (3 so far). And little things like the oil filler tube cap. I get around 150K miles per cap. Gas tank filler cap/tether. Tether broke. But the cap seal was dry/cracking and probably leaking a bit. O2 sensors. One converter brick got loose and I had to replace the exhaust manifold. And of course there are the normal wear items.

As the miles add up things happen. My Boxster has just over 305K miles. You have to be observant and listen to the car. Thankfully I heard the what proved to be a noisy water pump and took the time to make a preliminary diagnosis on my driveway.

My 2003 Turbo has over 148K miles. It has suffered some of the same issues: Water pump. RMS. Hydraulic spoiler. Radiator fan motors. Radiators (leaks). Front diff axle flange seal leaks. O2 sensors. Idler/tensioner roller bearings (2 sets now). Coolant cap. Even the rear view mirror develops a leak. And just last week I had to have the ignition switch assembly replaced the old one was making removing the key every more difficult.

All you can do is make sure the car has no existing issues and then after you buy the car be watchful. I don't fret over my cars but I do pay attention to how they start, idle, run and to gas and oil consumption. I keep an eye on vital fluid levels... well, I look for any leak sign. When I have the cars in for their 5K mile oil/filter service and whatever other services are also due the techs check the vital fluid levels, tire and brake condition and report anything out of the ordinary.

 

I went and looked at a car today... wasn't top on my list but I wanted to start getting some seat time again to get familiar of little things to look for.

This 2008 looked pretty worn out... lots of smoke on start up, which I remember mine would do from time to time, but not often... interior was "weathered" to be kind. Looked like some paint work on the front pontoon... headlight washer pushed in on that side as well. Made me sad... was hoping this slate grey example was in better condition. No worries tho, it's not the one I have my eye on... but definitely made me understand what a "used" Porsche can look like. I tend to take way better care of my cars... this one looked beat up. Oh, it also originated in Florida and had 4 owners... now it's in Seattle... hmmmm.

 

Agreed that sounds like a "run" from not walk.

Lots of junk-boxes out there.

I dont get any smoke at startup on my car. The wifes boxster occasionally does. I do get occasional hiccups on startup though.

 

Normal: https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...up-normal.html

But yeah, it worried me the first time it happened to me as well.

I would not run from the car OP went to see because of the startup smoke, but for the other reasons, yes... pass. There are other cars out there!

 

Yeah, I remember my 2009 would blow smoke about once a month... random. Having see a car do this on it's first start up was disconcerting of course... and it was quite a bit of smoke.

Dealt with the rear wing failure on my 2007... had the cam shaft "rotate" or whatever you call it on my 2009, but that was under warranty (thank god).. just a couple things that came to mind as I was looking at this car. (someone mentioned shark werks and pinning the cam shaft or whatever). The car did look like it had new tires at least... funny I literally didn't even bother taking it for a spin, I knew the moment I sat in it that there's no way I'd buy it.

This 2008 looked so much worse than my 2008 M3... just wondering how people could beat on a nice 997 Turbo so bad! Crossing my fingers the one I want looks as good in person as it does in it's pictures.

There's a few other Turbo's for sale around the country that I would consider but as long as I have my M3, it's going to cause me to stay local and trade it in. I may have to just bite the bullet and sell it first but I really hate dealing with tire kickers etc and would rather just swap it out.

 

what colors/options are you looking for? I will help you look.

 

There are all kinds of owners.

Couple of years back I recall reading about a Jag owner who when driving his new Jag encountered a raised manhole cover lid. He hit the cover and it damaged the oil sump. The owner continued to drive the car and when the warning lights came on drove to the dealer and turned off the engine.

When the SA went to book the car in for work it was found the engine had seized.

Then after the car was repaired again the owner was driving the car and had a tire blow out. He continued on with the tire shredding itself and just ripping the heck out of the car's body -- aluminum too -- at the fender/wheel well. The wheel was ruined along with the brake hardware.

There was the Carrera GT owner whose car had a wiring problem and instead of having a new wiring harness fitted -- not cheap by any means but one doesn't (or shouldn't at any rate) buy a C-GT on a budget -- he had the wiring re-done by running separate wires.

Some couple of years ago I came upon a rather dusty/dirty looking 993 Turbo S -- God only knows what it was worth then (currently prices can Top $200K with some special one demanding even higher prices) -- the owner had left sitting outside for a couple of years. The tech told me the fuel had gelled and the car required a new fuel tank, pump, fuel lines, fuel filter, and injectors.