Current 996 Turbo Import Values & Gotcha's

[9eleven]

Hi all,

I am a relative newbie on the forum and in the midst of performing due diligence on a couple of options for my first Porsche purchase.

One of the options that keeps presenting itself is the 996 turbo, and specifically I am seeing a number of them for sale currently at under $100k, mostly due to the fact they are imports.

Right now in Sydney there are examples for sale from the UK, Hong Kong and New Zealand, and I am wondering apart from the discount these cars seem to attract in comparison to their Australian delivered counterparts, what any other potential pitfalls or issues might be in purchasing an import?

As an example, here is a Hong Kong import that AH in Sydney has for sale currently:

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2004-porsche-911-turbo-996-auto-awd-my04/OAG-AD-17648274/?Cr=6

Curious to hear some thoughts here around the potential pro's and con's that a potential purchaser might want to be aware of, aside from the usual requirement for a thorough inspection and PPI.

Thanks in advance!

Nick

[Dreamr]

That seems very highly priced for an import AND an auto ...

Your biggest hurdle is going to be resale ... we don't take too kindly to them over here. Right or wrong, it's a thing ...

UK cars have the worst reputation out of all of them due to salt being used on the roads and some horror rust stories are out there ..

Be prepared to hold on to it a long time of you decide to sell .. you can buy them cheap but they also have to be sold cheap.

The import stigma seems to get thinner the older the car, but with a 996, it is definitely there ...

I personally am in the "I wouldn't buy an import" camp but others will think differently ..

[smit2100]

6 hours ago, Dreamr said:

That seems very highly priced for an import AND an auto ...

Your biggest hurdle is going to be resale ... we don't take too kindly to them over here. Right or wrong, it's a thing ...

UK cars have the worst reputation out of all of them due to salt being used on the roads and some horror rust stories are out there ..

Be prepared to hold on to it a long time of you decide to sell .. you can buy them cheap but they also have to be sold cheap.

The import stigma seems to get thinner the older the car, but with a 996, it is definitely there ...

I personally am in the "I wouldn't buy an import" camp but others will think differently ..

I agree with all of the above comments but I have a ppi report done on a UK import 996 turbo that was indeed a  horror story, i.e only rust infestation was a small patch on a clutch cable probably the result of parking it  near Southern sydney beaches.  I am also in the buy import camp if price is right for condition as I am not aware of any part numbers  on a 996 turbo that is AU centric except for vin plates

@9 eleven, I have two years on you in terms of due diligence on a 996 turbo  and three in terms of ownership. Wasting your time as I see it    Buy @ q1w2e3r4's 996 turbo if still available.  He has even more years of experience than me and we both espouse to some tweaking on a 996 turbo.  Nothing comes near it at that price point in terms of an all round   P car and best setup 996 turbo that has come on the market for quite some time at that price in my opinion if not taken back to stock ( what a shame if it is).    Its a jack of all trades, master of none, eg can hold it's own on traffic light to traffic light action; 2nd gear rolls, quarter mile, track, smt, milk run and could  do a school run for three providing bags are on laps if need be.  Plenty of boost on tap for plenty of smile on your dial and easily driven off boost as well. Not all 996's turbos are alike.  Like @DreamR what are you thinking in terms of looking at a tipper.  Due diligence line item 1 = general rule out of tippers on a botuosted 996 turbo.  

 

[MR901]

As an expat Australian for the last 20 years I’ve imported a couple of my personal cars back to Oz & can not understand what the fuss is about. The cars came from the same factory, drive exactly the same & are 20-30% cheaper. Provided you do your due diligence on the import approval & get a PPI from a trusted source you can enjoy these great cars & pocket the difference. Just be mindful you will be selling at a discount too....having sold a couple of imports I can assure you there are plenty of buyers like me who couldn’t care less about local vs import & will take it off your hands when you sell. I’m in contact with every person I’ve sold my imports to & miraculously the cars haven’t turned into a pile of rust, spontaneously combusted nor provided less enjoyment. I say go for it & good luck !!

[jakroo]

54 minutes ago, MR901 said:

...... The cars came from the same factory, drive exactly the same & are 20-30% cheaper. ...

 

....miraculously the cars haven’t turned into a pile of rust, spontaneously combusted nor provided less enjoyment....

Wise words. 

Though, I reckon it's only luck that's prevented them from spontaneous combustion.  It's a well know fact that ANY car sold in Australia can do this.

And as for the tipper vs manual debate....PDK is for all intents and purposes an auto as well.  There's no human actuated clutch with a PDK.  A truly manual gearbox and clutch is a dodo bird and those who limit themselves to this dinosaur tech are limiting their options but the good news is that if you're open to the idea, you can buy it cheaper than it needs to be (but keep that quiet so the Dino lovers don't wake up and spoil it for us)

Buy it.  Drive it. Enjoy it.

[9eleven]

10 hours ago, smit2100 said:

I agree with all of the above comments but I have a ppi report done on a UK import 996 turbo that was indeed a  horror story, i.e only rust infestation was a small patch on a clutch cable probably the result of parking it  near Southern sydney beaches.  I am also in the buy import camp if price is right for condition as I am not aware of any part numbers  on a 996 turbo that is AU centric except for vin plates

@9 eleven, I have two years on you in terms of due diligence on a 996 turbo  and three in terms of ownership. Wasting your time as I see it    Buy @ q1w2e3r4's 996 turbo if still available.  He has even more years of experience than me and we both espouse to some tweaking on a 996 turbo.  Nothing comes near it at that price point in terms of an all round   P car and best setup 996 turbo that has come on the market for quite some time at that price in my opinion if not taken back to stock ( what a shame if it is).    Its a jack of all trades, master of none, eg can hold it's own on traffic light to traffic light action; 2nd gear rolls, quarter mile, track, smt, milk run and could  do a school run for three providing bags are on laps if need be.  Plenty of boost on tap for plenty of smile on your dial and easily driven off boost as well. Not all 996's turbos are alike.  Like @DreamR what are you thinking in terms of looking at a tipper.  Due diligence line item 1 = general rule out of tippers on a botuosted 996 turbo.  

 

Thanks for the feedback! Do you by chance have a link to an ad for q1w2e3r4's 996?

I guess the other side of the coin would be opinion on prices for an aussie delivered 996 turbo.

I actually test drove a silver aussie 996 at AH listed at $114k, with around 105k's but extensive service history and a stack of recent expensive preventative maintenance having been completed.

There seems to be a pretty broad range on the aussie delivered front, from $85k up to $150k if you look at carsales.

 

[P-Kay]

You'll also find it advertised on the forum, just use the search function  

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2003-porsche-911-turbo-996-manual-awd-my03/SSE-AD-6408836/?Cr=0&gts=SSE-AD-6408836&gtsSaleId=SSE-AD-6408836&gtsViewType=Spotlight&rankingType=Spotlight

 

[Spets87]

3 hours ago, P-Kay said:

You'll also find it advertised on the forum, just use the search function  

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2003-porsche-911-turbo-996-manual-awd-my03/SSE-AD-6408836/?Cr=0&gts=SSE-AD-6408836&gtsSaleId=SSE-AD-6408836&gtsViewType=Spotlight&rankingType=Spotlight

That's one tasty looking 996T

 

[smit2100]

11 hours ago, jakroo said:

Wise words. 

Though, I reckon it's only luck that's prevented them from spontaneous combustion.  It's a well know fact that ANY car sold in Australia can do this.

And as for the tipper vs manual debate....PDK is for all intents and purposes an auto as well.  There's no human actuated clutch with a PDK.  A truly manual gearbox and clutch is a dodo bird and those who limit themselves to this dinosaur tech are limiting their options but the good news is that if you're open to the idea, you can buy it cheaper than it needs to be (but keep that quiet so the Dino lovers don't wake up and spoil it for us)

Buy it.  Drive it. Enjoy it.

I'm a dino with a dodo bird P car but also have a dual clutch auto in another mark. Horses for courses. 

But my comment is purely in the context   of the topic of this thread being a 996 turbo.

Can you point me in the  direction of who on this planet post dodo birds and dino's  has actually retrofitted a this century patented  pdk unit to replace either  a manual 996 turbo gearbox setup    or a 996 turbo  tippa unit which are both  based on  last century technology. If they have done it, ( what a minefield project) and is that cheap as you allude to.    Isnt it a minefield to  actually repair a pdk box which I thought was a totally sealed unit,  let alone trying to match this century 1's and zero's with last centuries 1's and zero's with respect to coding ecus and tcu's to retrofit a pdk.

[jakroo]

44 minutes ago, smit2100 said:

Can you point me in the  direction of who on this planet post dodo birds and dino's  has actually retrofitted a this century patented  pdk unit to replace either  a manual 996 turbo gearbox setup    or a 996 turbo  tippa unit which are both  based on  last century technology. If they have done it, ( what a minefield project) and is that cheap as you allude to.    Isnt it a minefield to  actually repair a pdk box which I thought was a totally sealed unit,  let alone trying to match this century 1's and zero's with last centuries 1's and zero's with respect to coding ecus and tcu's to retrofit a pdk.

I'm not sure what you mean by retrofitted.  What I said was be open to buying a personal import which are cheaper because of some odd thought that they are different to those imported by Porsche Australia.  I also said be open to buying a tipper and disregard the old fashioned belief that pushing a clutch with a foot while shifting a lever is superior to every other technique or technology of changing a vehicles gear.

[LeeM]

 I slagged off tiptronic/pdk for ages having not driven one, as I couldn't understand why anyone would want to own an auto sports car...then I drove a tip! It took me less than 5 minutes and a few corners of a favourite bit of road to 'get it' and now totally understand that if you want to concentrate on your driving in the hills or track, an 'auto' box is a no brainer in my opinion. I like manuals for sure, though would LOVE to own a tip in the future. Hmmm...wonder if I could fit a tip box to the '78? 🤔

[t888]

when i first drove a 996 tiptronic i expected to hate it. Since it was city driving, it pretty much stayed in second the whole time so gear changes were neither here nor there. That said the shifts are much slower than a modern pdk or zf automatic transmission and the shift logic is much less intelligent.

I have watched the 996 turbos on carsales for quite some time and the ones listed well beyond $100k tend to stay listed for a long time. 

[smit2100]

13 hours ago, jakroo said:

I'm not sure what you mean by retrofitted.  What I said was be open to buying a personal import which are cheaper because of some odd thought that they are different to those imported by Porsche Australia.  I also said be open to buying a tipper and disregard the old fashioned belief that pushing a clutch with a foot while shifting a lever is superior to every other technique or technology of changing a vehicles gear.

Ok, I am not convinced you should be referencing a tipper gearbox setup and Pdk gearbox in connection to a 996 turbo. ( you also appear to  talk  about PDK). I have a view they are different units and have different performance characteristics and for those who are coming up to speed with the 996 turbo (@9eleven)  perhaps  best not to mention pdk unless you reference it with  newer generation p cars,  given my understanding was the first turbo porsche that went into full  production with pdk gearboxes was a series 2 997.  Happy to pay for a slab if you find  advertisements  for the sale of three ( covers advertising mistruths)  996 turbo's that mentions pdk from any location on the planet.  With respect to your retrofit question,  the first hit from google in terms of meaning of retrofit is  "add (a component or accessory) to something that did not have it when manufactured."  Therefore , if the factory didn't install pdk units into a 996 turbo, how else do you get a post generation (997 series 2 gearbox into a prior generation 996 turbo with a tipper unit unless you retrofit one. Based  on my readings of numerous 996 turbo posts across a few 996  turbo  forums over the years from a small population of dino's who  are likely to  have more dollars than sense to embark on such a project, although a couple of posts reference dropping a pdk into a 996 turbo, I  am not convinced that project has been taken on and if it was, unlikey to have been successful without a lot of dollars dropped. ( just buy a series 2 997 pdk turbo).

[edgy]

I'm not sure why the PDK is reference here either, other than the bleedingly obvious fact its only got 2 pedals too, like a Tiptronic car... PDK is on another level all together in my experience!

However, there is nothing wrong with the Tiptronic box if it suits the intended use of the car, when you learn how to drive it and rev match it on downshifts with a left foot brake and right foot throttle blip, its almost as rewarding as a 3 pedal car (almost)... its a nice middle ground of IMO between manual and PDK and they really get a bad wrap when they shouldn't, cos they're a lot better than you think if you haven't experience one properly. 

All bull shit aside

@1q2w3e4r's 996 TT is THE best one I've seen hit the market in recent times, it is a lovely looking example... it would be my first port of call if I was shopping for a TT. 

[LeeM]

6 hours ago, edgy said:

 

However, there is nothing wrong with the Tiptronic box if it suits the intended use of the car, when you learn how to drive it and rev match it on downshifts with a left foot brake and right foot throttle blip, its almost as rewarding as a 3 pedal car (almost)... its a nice middle ground of IMO between manual and PDK and they really get a bad wrap when they shouldn't...

 Perfectly said 👍

[jakroo]

7 hours ago, edgy said:

I'm not sure why the PDK is reference here either, other than the bleedingly obvious fact its only got 2 pedals too, like a Tiptronic car...

This is why I made the comment.  It was in reference to the constant dissing of non manual clutch gearboxes and the fact that almost all cars of all marques are headed to no manual clutch set ups for their gearboxes.  But I can see why people have got all messed up with it in this thread given the age of the model in question and PDK not being available at the time.  If I could withdraw my references to it from the thread without destroying the integrity of last 'n' posts, I would do so.

 

Anyway, on to the thread intent chaps.  Move on, nothing to see here.

[smit2100]

On 11/12/2019 at 09:37, edgy said:

 

However, there is nothing wrong with the Tiptronic box if it suits the intended use of the car, 

 

@9eleven, good point raised above regarding intended use.  Something to consider If you want extra boost compared to the pedestrian 0.7 bar of factory boost.  A school of thought in tuning circles  is a  tipper box even with new clutch packs and a tcu tune is good for holding only  around 550 US hp ( co-incidently around the limit of mezger rods) along with  shifts at WOT being slow.    With a manual box, an upgraded clutch such as single mass flywheeled gt3rs  based clutch kit will do the job for more than 550hp  at a cheaper cost compared to upgrading a  tipper box.