996TT Buying Advice

[Dogman]

Hi Guys

New to the forum so HI to all....

Can you point me in the direction of any buying advice as I'm looking to buy a 996tt in the new year and want to try and be as clued up as possible.

(Apologies if this is an easy search on the forum - have tried but failed)

Got an E46 M3 at the moment and got my 911SC ('79) back recently which has sparked off everything in me that the M3 does not. Don't get me wrong, the M3 is very accomplished but just does not get me excited like the SC does................HENCE the 996TT (always said that if I got another 911 it would be a TT or GT).

Any advice would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

DM

[wross996TT]

What advice do you want? Yes the Porsche Turbo is simply a classic sports car always was and always will be. Try searching some other sites...

Rennlist

6speedonline

that will get you started...

Edited November 23, 2008 by wross996TT

[Dogman]

Hi wross996tt

Many thanks for the pointers.

ust wanted to get an idea of any model specific issues that I should look out for.

Will check out the sites you suggest.

Thanks again

DM

[PeterK]

Check out the 2nd gear pop-out thread on the 6speedforums

[Chuck Jones]

2nd gear pop out....and the fact that the 01 didn't come with a glove box or coffee cup holders. There have been some killer deals recently on some 04 TT's with relatively low mileage on them....actually are selling for less money than I paid for my 02 last November.....great time to buy.....lousy time to try to sell one.

[txhokie4life]

Where is the best place to look?

m

[Dogman]

Hi Guys

Thanks for the responses, I agree good time to buy!!

Will check the 2nd gear threads.....

Thanks

[nmlss2006]

The usual places (ebay/autotrader/cars) are a good start. The forums are ... OK, but generally are about six months behind the times in pricing *and* they tend not to be a good source of unmolested cars.

[Dogman]

Thanks nmlss

Have been looking at the usual trading sites but will focus more in the new year.

Just wnated to get an idea on the 996tt specific issues I should look out for.

Unfortunately I'm a bit anal with things and do a fair bit of research before committing.........then again teh phrase 'impule purchase' would not be out of the vocab of my other half when I want something and get a bit of a b*ll*ck***....lol

Thanks.

[XLR82XS]

2nd gear pop-out, MAF sensors blowing plus the downfalls on the 01's noted above. Just look for the normal stuff any try to get maint. records.

[Dogman]

2nd gear pop-out, MAF sensors blowing plus the downfalls on the 01's noted above. Just look for the normal stuff any try to get maint. records.

Thanks XLR82XS for the advice, mush appreciated. :thankyou:

DM

[jpflip]

Purchase mine in march and I did a Carfax to know if the mileage was exact and also how many owners and they will also tell you if there was a possibility the car was in an area of major flood. My first question to the seller was were the maintenance was done and I have contacted the shop and they told me about the frequency of the oil changes and inspection etc.... That was a valuable information. Before I purchase my airplane tickets to fly down to Orlando I ask the seller to send me high definition pics of the car... But my own inspection was really important + after I drove it there was no return. I fell in love and do not regret it.... Good luck.

[rgwirtz]

I bought a 996 TT 2002 in 5/08. Awesome car. Had 20k miles and I drive it every day. Put in an aftermarket alpine 2 DIN stereo and a short shifter. Also have a car seat in back! My 6 year old and 3 year old love it. My wife is a bit squished. Car drives SO much better in snow than my E46 M3. Liked the bimmer, but you can't compare the two cars. 4wd is great, and there is NO turbo lag. Unlike the M3, you don't have to get the car to 4.5k rpm to feel the torque. It's smooth all the way up!

[Chuck Jones]

I've never had an M3, so I'm not qualified to make a comparison or give an opinion, but I've had a 99 996 C2, and currently have an 87 930S and an 02 996TT. Having both the air cooled and water cooled varieties gives me the best of both worlds, however since I'm a bit older than a lot of the folks on these forums, I'm coming to appreciate the comfort and amenities of the TT a bit more. One thing you will notice I'm sure is that it doesn't ride quite as softly as the M3, and it has a bit more road noise.....but the power and performance never fail to put a smile on my face. Although it will get up to 24 mpg when driven with a very light touch....I find that I seldom get more than 14 mpg drivng around the city...but will get up to 23 on the highway until I feel "the need".

I don't think you'll regret getting a TT...and for very little extra expense ($2-3K) you can do some aftermarket performance enhancing additions that will elicit an "Oh MY" from the wife.....or in my case..."I'm not riding with you anymore". There is a method in the madness. :)

[kurtkrum]

I am in the same boat of considering an upgrade to the 996TT (I have a 996 C4S right now).

Can you give an idea of some of the modifications you have done to your 996TT and your impressions of the results?

[youzzi714]

I bought my 2003 996 Turbo with X50 with 38k miles for $53k in Ocotber of 08....

[Dogman]

Hey Guys, thanks for all the comments.........I'm in the UK and things over here are a bit uncertain economically (probably similar to the states by all accounts), would really like to get a TT before march but may be prudent and wait a couple of months (although trying to finalize a contract at work which may make budgets available a bit sooner :thumbup: )

On a side note do any of you guys know the rules regarding a UK firm working short term in NY for a US company?

Got a project to complete over in NY and our engineers would be fitting out FTSE NY for a couple of weeks, have heard there may be 'Union Issues'......don't let this detract from the 996TT matter as we must keep things in perspective...lol.

Thanks again

[Chuck Jones]

Kurt: I'm a bit conservative, so my approach to the modifications was to research the most talke about tuners and contact some folks directly to elicit their private responses to questions I had about the modifications.

For the tuners, the main folks I found were Tony from EPL, Kevin from UMW, and the GIAC folks. There are others that I'll probably get some hate mail for not mentioning, but this is my thread so I'll respond my way. I narrowed it down to those three. I eliminated the folks who required you to remove your ECU and send it out for a lobotomy for several reasons. One is that I didn't want to mess with removing the "brain", and the second was I didn't relish the thought of mailing my brain out thru Fed EX, UPS, or anyone else. Third was that technology doesn't require it with the advent of the OBDII port flash....the tuner sends you a small device that downloads your map thru your OBD port and you load up your new tune thru the port....no muss and no fuss. You'll also find that there's a fairly wide fiscal spread amongst the tuners insofar as prices go. I'm not going to post prices becasue I don't feel that's up to me...you can research the prices and see for yourself. I will say that eventually I went with a UMW tune that was administered thru the OBD port. I also upgraded my wastegates with the UMW kit.

I think that of all the mods....the wastegate upgrade was $395, and it probably represented the BEST return for the money of any of the mods. Remember now....I'm running an 02TT X50 with the larger K24 turbos, so the wastegate kit is designed for the larger turbos. I also put in a set of GT2 EVOM headers that I bought off eBay for $600 and am not sure they're worth the expense. From what I hear, the stock headers that are ported and polished will do very nicely and give you a good return for what little it might cost you to have them done...or do it yourself. I did the swap out on mine and it's about an hour's job but you need to replace the steel gaskets and bolts.

I also did the diverter valves....and used the billet type from EVOM....got them off eBay also for $80 for the set. The OEM diverter valves work fine, but they're plastic and eventually the internal diaphram will tear and affect your boost. It's highly recommended, but not mandatory....to replace them. New, they're only around $250 for the set and can be done yourself with some patience and a good vocabulary of colorful words. Make sure you buy the ones that have a 90 degree fitting rather than a hose fitting that comes straight off the top. You will also come away with bleeding hands...there's very little room in there to maneuver around, but I did it in a couple hours with colorful language....and I'm no master mechanic.

Then there's the free flowing exhaust system. I went with Europipe which uses 100 cell cats and they really reduce backpressure and free up some exhaust. They're expensive, but truly works of art. There are many manufacturers out there....some who claim they add XX horsepower and produce smile generating sound. You need to be cautious about some of the claims because some are not supported by dyno information, and quite frankly, some generate drone at certain rpm's....and that can drive you nuts. Some are also very loud...depends upon your individual taste. Exhaust systems run from $1500 all the way up to $7,000 or more. With that sort of price spread...you need to do some research and figure out what your objective is for your particular car. If you intend to eventually go with BIG horsepower....get the 70mm pipe so that you don't run into airflow obstruction and inhibit your plans to keep adding horses. If you don't intend to go over 550 or 600....from what I've read (do your own research)...the 60mm piping is sufficient and that's what I run....but as I said at the beginning, I'm a bit conservative. Loren has driven my car with the mods I have....and he was impressed even though I'm not going to be the fastest guy on the block.

So what have we got at this point?

1. Flash tune thru the OBD port. Prices run from $800 all the way up to $3,000 or a bit more if you include dyno tuning. Also depends upon whether you have a stock TT or the X50. X50 may cost you more....be sure to check.

2. Replace diverter valves....cheap.....$250

3. Wastegate upgrade (K24 turbos)....my particular kit was $395 and another Rennlister helped me modify the stock ones.

4. Headers....port and polish your stock ones....do it yourself with a couple good steel cutting rotary bits or pay someone about $100+. If you choose to buy them, they run around $600 and up....watch the Chinese stuff for quality control.

5. Free flowing exhaust system....probably your most expensive mod...and you need to do some research before choosing. Systems run from $1500 on up....some with 100 cell cats will throw check engine lights...do research to see which ones don't. Some companies stick with the 200 cell cats on their enhanced systems. Some systems drone even tho the vendor says they don't. Check with guys who have run them. I won't bad-rap any product on a public forum ...but doing a little searching for phrases like "exhaust drone" or other similar phrases will bring the info you want. If you contact me privately, I'll give you my honest opinion.

That's it as far as what little I know....hope this helps.

Regards,

Chuck

[kurtkrum]

Chuck - thanks sooo much for your prompt and complete response. This is my first Porsche so I am very new at this and I appreciate guidance that real owners give me.

One last question - With All of these mods that you have done, how much horsepower do you think you have added? With the added horsepower, have you had any engine cooling problems?

[wross996TT]

Just to add....The reason the wastegate was so impressive for chuck was he already flashed the ecu...by itself without ecu mod you won't get much with the wastegate upgrade. (that being said, once you flash the WG upgrade is essential). Your car will always be limited by the weakest component. Chuck did a great job of researching, understanding what he wanted and bought components that fit nicely. I suggest you follow his model.

GL...it is fun. BTW, I have also done some modification (almost bone stock right chuck). NO absolutely NO issue with engine cooling.

[Chuck Jones]

Kurt:: Yes...if you really want to see a "bone stock" car....take the time to go to WROSS's personal website and look at what he's done to his car.....I would classify it as slightly modified.

Now with respect to your other question...my downsides.....everyone wants to give you the upsides...no one wants to mention the downsides.

Depending upon what you end up doing....if you add horsepower....at some point you're going to over tax your clutch....like I've done. It may not happen right away...but it's more or less inevitable that it will happen eventually. Some guys say it happened three days after they flashed their cars. I think that's more a result of them becoming intoxicated with all the added power and running at WOT (wide open throttle) and launching their cars aggressively. As I said before, Im a bit conservative and usually progress thru stages after researching the products and deciding. Even driving conservatively....but still getting on it usually at a rolling start....I've futzed my clutch.

I have not dyno'd my car...so I'm going off what my tuner told me to expect given the mods I've done...and he puts the horsepower between 490-520. WROSS is probably a better source to estimate that than I am. All I know is that as the car sits, it will probably outrun 98% of what's on the road....but I didn't make the mods to outrun folks.....I fell into the same basic trap that most guys fall into.....herion addiction. You start out as a "recreational user" and end up needing more.

Personally, I have set my limit and intend to stay here. The performance is outstanding and I don't really care if I can shave another two 10ths off a quarter mile time. I don't track the car but I do look forward to DE days. I just like the rush of the turbos pushing me back in the seat....and the feel of merging into traffic as quickly as I might want....or passing a line of cars (not on the double yellow mind you) on a straight away.

If you are set on modding your car....have a PLAN....don't run helter skelter around buying a cool air intake, then throw on a set of diverter valves...buy some SAMPCO hoses etc. You usually want to start with the basics....if you're after some horsepower....I'd say the flash first....keep some money stashed for a clutch down the line....diverter valves are a cheap but good investment, and the exhaust system is a key ingredient too...then sit back and drive you car and try to figure out what you want. Try to find guys who have already done certain things....especially when it comes to exhaust systems because "sound" is so subjective....what sounds good to me is too loud or too sedate for you. I've already warned you about DRONE....the nemises of guys with the need to have everything just right. Drone is an annoying and overly aggravating sound that you just can't escape. You see exhaust systems all the time up for sale....usually one or two particular manufacturers.

Other than that....best of luck in your quest for whatever it is you're looking for. Don't be afraid to ask questions....Loren is a wealth of info on technical issues, and folks like WROSS and others are always willing to help you out with a straight answer.

[wross996TT]

I fell into the same basic trap that most guys fall into.....herion addiction.

Hey Chuck, what is herion addiction?...sounds like fun :D

[Chuck Jones]

Oh....from what I've read....it's sort of something you pick up on weekend jaunts .....sort of like a weekend cruise on a waterbed with an adventurous gal. Sort of like...jes' cant get nuff....... I'm getting too old for that stuff...but I read a lot.

Edited January 17, 2009 by Chuck Jones