a couple questions before buying 996 TT

[josserman]

Hey Guys,

I'm planning on purchasing a 996 TT but have a couple questions first. I'm looking online and finding a number of these cars with 20K - 40K miles between $40-60k usd.

What are the big differences between the 996 TT and 997 TT, they seem to share the same engine?

I live outside New York City and deal with all seasons, can the all wheel drive enable the car to run year round and more pointed can this be the ultimate daily driver? What winter tires do you recommend and how concerned should I be about ground clearancen?

Anything you would look out for when buying, plan on bringing potential cars to dealer for pre check and purchasing a quality after market warranty what else would you suggest?

I've seen a number of performance specs online but would be curious what you all are actually seeing for times?

Any other advice/suggestions would be great.

thanks guys,

Justin

[nmlss2006]

Hey Guys,

I'm planning on purchasing a 996 TT but have a couple questions first. I'm looking online and finding a number of these cars with 20K - 40K miles between $40-60k usd.

True. I would ... not overpay for cars right now. There is very little money chasing a good number of cars.

What are the big differences between the 996 TT and 997 TT, they seem to share the same engine?

It's faster to say that there isn't very much that is alike. The engine is certainly *very* different, from the turbos to the camme system to the fuel system. The transmission is different, the suspension is quite different - the new cars have PASM aka electronic suspension and different rear geometries for the multilink - the interior is very different and the body is sort of the same shape.

The 997 is quite an evolutionary step. If your main goal is comfort and speed, then it's an evolutionary step *forward*. It is, however, a little more... insulated from the road, giving it a slightly different feel. Some prefer the 996 (heck, some prefer the 930...), some prefer the 997. It's a personal taste matter (whereas the speed and comfort are not).

I live outside New York City and deal with all seasons, can the all wheel drive enable the car to run year round and more pointed can this be the ultimate daily driver? What winter tires do you recommend and how concerned should I be about ground clearancen?

I would not be worried about using it as a daily driver year round, that's what I do with mine - with winter tyres from Thanksgiving to Easter if you want to be doubly safe. Ground clearances are a large issue that we all get to live with, but they're bearable with US suspension. Be prepared to change the front lip often.

Anything you would look out for when buying, plan on bringing potential cars to dealer for pre check and purchasing a quality after market warranty what else would you suggest?

In my opinion (and it's my personal opinion, mind), I'd go for single owner cars with no accident history and full maintenance records. Anything else is a potential liability - be PARTICULARLY weary of cars which have had several owners and/or 'tasteful' modification. Another thing, if at all possible, avoid cars that have gone through auction - the process is not kind to the car, to say the least. You can feel free to replace 'avoid' with 'only purchase at a SUBSTANTIAL cost advantage' if you have a mechanic who knows the car well enough to assure you of its condition pre-purchase. Note that save for extremely rare exceptions, dealerships DO NOT FALL into the 'knows the car well enough' category.

I've seen a number of performance specs online but would be curious what you all are actually seeing for times?

Well, the R/T and/or Car & Driver tests are fairly accurate as far as 'times' go. Note that if your main concern is 'time' in a straight line, you may be shopping for the wrong car - that is not any Porsche's main strength.

Any other advice/suggestions would be great.

thanks guys,

Justin

Well, start with the above. I realise I am being somewhat tranchant - but there is really no reason to 'settle' for a compromise car in today's market. And one axiom of Porsche ownership still holds true, I found: any money that you 'save' during the purchase process will generally be money you spend twice over trying to remedy 'previous owner care' as a known forum member puts it. So look for the car you want, make sure that it's in the condition you want - or make sure that you realise what the potential cost of bringing it to that point will be - and have fun. The boards are an extraordinary source of information, I wish there were the same in Europe.

[Blue Monster]

I live outside of NYC and did the same thing last spring. I spent 6 mos tracking the market and researching the exact specs that I wanted. There are plenty of cars out there, but make sure you have it FULLY inspected and drive it before purchase. I daily drive mine and love it. I have tracked it a few times as well with no major modifications. Not sure what I will be doing this winter, but so far driving it every day. And if anything does go wrong..... you always have Loren!

:renntech:

[josserman]

Overall I want a car that has the best performance (handling, braking, and yes acceleration and speed) that I can drive year round and that fits within my budget.

I was hooked on the car when I first test drove it on windy back roads and felt the rear end pushing out of the apex of turns and the acceleration pinning me back in the chair.

I'm glad to hear I can run the car year round and hopefully the front lip isn't too expensive to replace. I also checked tirerack and $850 doesn’t seem terribly bad for the safety of extra traction on the snow covered days of winter.

Blue Monster, did you see the prices of these cars change from winter to spring time when you purchased yours? I also hear yah...just got the wife a new 4 wheel drive Lexus so I have a backup plan!!!

I have to wonder why more people aren’t out their buying these cars….it seems to me to be the perfect vehicle?

[nmlss2006]

The front lip is ~$260 from Sunset Imports, so it's not too bad.

As to why more people don't buy these cars: they're still relatively expensive to own, expensive to maintain, very expensive to repair if something major goes wrong, extremely impractical (despite being, perhaps, the most practical serious performance vehicle out there) and full of bad habits and little quirks. With all that said... I own two :).

Have fun searching!

[josserman]

started reading pierres blog and went online to check out prices of engines...20k+ usd WOW

see what you mean about impracticle, especially if thats a sign of the cost of other parts....hopefully a good aftermarket warrenty will cover me...looking at GE's policy and it seems to cover a lot.

[Blue Monster]

Justin, PM me and I'll be happy to answer any questions you have.

[nmlss2006]

Actually, the 'impractical' part was related to trunk space, seating for two only, ride height, noise, comfort... the $20k+ engine falls under 'very expensive to repair'. I would not count on an aftermarket warranty for tremendously much, personally. I hope to be proven wrong, but I have read too many interesting stories to put my trust in that kind of thing.

If you have any questions, we're all here to help.

[josserman]

Actually, the 'impractical' part was related to trunk space, seating for two only, ride height, noise, comfort... the $20k+ engine falls under 'very expensive to repair'. I would not count on an aftermarket warranty for tremendously much, personally. I hope to be proven wrong, but I have read too many interesting stories to put my trust in that kind of thing.

If you have any questions, we're all here to help.

[josserman]

Thanks for the clarification....I'm starting to see the repair/service cost a bit better now. The local Porsche service manager told me a clutch can be up to 5K to replace, and a 30k mile service is 2k, that's very expensive in my book, but still doesn't mean I'm not going to move forward :) After driving my friends for 24hrs I can't imagine owning another vehicle. I know I've seen a number of threads on the general cost to maintain but I didn't seem to see any definitive numbers. But based on what I know I'm guessing if I get a quality aprox. 20K 02 996 Turbo I should be looking at around 6K in general service/repair per year/15k miles. Sound about accurate?

Thanks,

Justin

[Loren]

Thanks for the clarification....I'm starting to see the repair/service cost a bit better now. The local Porsche service manager told me a clutch can be up to 5K to replace, and a 30k mile service is 2k, that's very expensive in my book, but still doesn't mean I'm not going to move forward :) After driving my friends for 24hrs I can't imagine owning another vehicle. I know I've seen a number of threads on the general cost to maintain but I didn't seem to see any definitive numbers. But based on what I know I'm guessing if I get a quality aprox. 20K 02 996 Turbo I should be looking at around 6K in general service/repair per year/15k miles. Sound about accurate?

Thanks,

Justin

Get an estimate from an good independent Porsche shop. You quoted prices are way high.

[nmlss2006]

Yow! If you were in Europe - which I understand you are not - I'd say those prices are about correct. But as Loren says - and he certainly knows much better than I - for the US those are VIOLENTLY high. Even the two dealerships around here don't quote that high.

[phillipj]

Thanks for the clarification....I'm starting to see the repair/service cost a bit better now. The local Porsche service manager told me a clutch can be up to 5K to replace, and a 30k mile service is 2k, that's very expensive in my book, but still doesn't mean I'm not going to move forward :) After driving my friends for 24hrs I can't imagine owning another vehicle. I know I've seen a number of threads on the general cost to maintain but I didn't seem to see any definitive numbers. But based on what I know I'm guessing if I get a quality aprox. 20K 02 996 Turbo I should be looking at around 6K in general service/repair per year/15k miles. Sound about accurate?

Thanks,

Justin

$5k for a clutch???? Should be half that amount.. Remember that a dealer charges $225 for an oil change and an independent charges around $125. Same oil, same filter......... Stay far away from dealers