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Hey y'all. Long-time lurker and first time poster. I think I’ve finally found the Porsche I’ve been patiently waiting for, a 2004 996 4S cabriolet 6-spd. But as with everything in life there’s a catch and I’d appreciate your Rennlister opinions on what you’d do in my situation.
TL; DR version: In 2013 and 2017 the car’s wiring harness around and under the intake manifold and oxygen sensor were chewed up by rodents. All wires were replaced and there were no other traces of rodent damage then or since. Would you buy this car for the right price?
Turning 40 next month and I’ve been looking for a 4S coupe 6-spd since January. I’m in western Canada and a few have come up for sale here. They were either neglected, had been in serious accidents, or were clean but priced in turbo territory. Fast forward to this week and I came across what looks like a nice 2004 cabriolet. Not a coupe but that’s not a deal breaker. Specs below:
Originally sold and serviced by Porsche Beverly Hills
Imported by the current owner in 2010; had 51K km at the time
Full service history up here with a well-regarded Porsche independent shop
Complete Carfax report validates all sales and service history in the US and Canada
All known issues completed and documented: IMS (LN), RMS, water pump, etc.
Only accident on record is $1,500 spent on the right front fender
Asking CAD$30K (USD$22K)
The owner is a nice, retired gentleman and he provided me with access to his shop’s online service history for the car. He’s spent almost $25K on it in the nine years he’s owned it. Within the past couple of years new parts have included an alternator, water pump, ignition coils and O2 sensor. New ContiSportContact 2’s were put on in 2015, 15K km ago. IMS, RMS and clutch were all done in 2013, 20K km ago. That service alone cost over $6K.
In 2013 and 2017 the shop noted there was wiring damage in the engine likely caused by rodents. The damage was to the wiring harness around and under the intake manifold and oxygen sensor. Over a dozen wires were replaced; there were no other traces of rodent damage then or since. I spoke to the tech who’s always serviced the car and he said he’s confident all the damage was addressed at the time but that you can never be 100% sure where the little ***** may have gotten to or what they sunk their teeth into. FWIW, when he asked me how much the owner was asking and I told him, he said the car is a steal at that price and he would buy it as is.
But after reading on here all the horror stories of rodent damage and the longer term risks, I’m now scratching my head on whether to pull the trigger. I’m less concerned about the risk of breathing in rat poop from the A/C vents than I am about electrical wiring and fuel lines crapping out on me down the road and costing me thousands. Do you think the risk is overblown? If it were your money and it passed a PPI, would you go for it and just hope for the best?
You may want to post this in the water-cooled section… you’ll likely get more responses. I have no sense for whether $30K is a good deal for that car… seems a little high for a 996, but like I said…dunno.
My best advice would be:
1. Normally, I’d say rodent damage is evidence of a car sitting for a while, but since it happened twice, it sounds like it was just parked somewhere with lots of rodents. Like anything else, if properly repaired, there should be no long-term issue – the key word being ‘properly’. A thorough PPI with an extra focus on looking for rodent damage, should answer this for you.
2. Get a PPI by a mechanic you know/trust or a Porsche shop with a strong reputation. Don’t just rely on what his mechanic said – get a second opinion.
3. Verify which LN option was used on the IMS. If LN Solution, then I’d say you have the best possible remedy for the IMS issue on the M96 engine. If just an LN retrofit kit, then fine, but less so. I assume if you are looking for a 996 you know all about the IMS risks.
4. The PPI should include a computer readout… this should give you an idea of whether you have any recurring warning lights/fault codes (that have been cleared)… OBDII cars like this give you much more info about their history through their computer than the older cars – but you need to have someone with the right tool to readout that info. Make sure your PPI shop has that ability… not just a regular OBDII reader.
08-09-2019, 11:37 PM
What would you do?
and I’ve been looking for a 4S coupe 6-spd since January. I’m in western Canada and a few have come up for sale here. They were either neglected, had been in serious accidents, or were clean but priced in turbo territory. Fast forward to this week and I came across what looks like a nice 2004 cabriolet. Not a coupe but that’s not a deal breaker. Specs below:
