used turbo? Please advise
 

Hello everyone,
I was thinking of buying a used turbo convertible 2001-2004. Any opinions on years? Is one year better than the other? Years to avoid? Things to look for good or bad....
Any help would be great.
Thanks,
James

i am no 911 expert, but i'm pretty sure that porsche did not offer the 996 turbo cab in the US until 2004.

I can't help much with regards to US release dates and specs, but we've got an Australian-spec MY04 Turbo Cab which is, without a doubt, an absolutely brilliant car. Other than doing the normal checks you'd perform buying any other used Porsche, I don't think there's too much turbo-specific to worry about.

All I can think of:

*Make sure you get the removable wind deflector (and carry bag) that can be fitted over the rear seats. If there are only 2 people driving and the roof is down, having the deflector fitted makes a huge difference to the amount of wind in the cabin.

*Here in Australia PCM (including navigation) wasn't standard in the Turbo until about MY03, so a later car is a bit more 'future proof' from that point of view. As you can now get some excellent iPod integration solutions for MOST-capable Porsches, the PCM unit has the advantage of full iPod integration with the factory stereo with the right after-market parts.

*If the car 'looks' modified, take a quick drive on a suitable open road and put your foot down with the boost meter showing on the dash display. I've never seen more than 0.8bar of boost on our (standard) car - if you see more then there's a good chance the car has been chipped or otherwise modified. That's not necessarily a bad thing though... just worth watching for in terms of warranty and/or reliability.

Good luck with the purchase - they're completely different cars to the Boxsters and each has their own merits, but geez the Turbo is an absolutely fantastic car to drive and I guarantee you won't get tired of it!

As "they" often say, get the newest one you can afford. Be aware that Turbos are popular cars to "chip" which may impact engine reliability depending how much HP they are making. While not a Cab, a friend has a 996TT S, chipped, and is ungodly quick. 3500lb car never seemed so fast before. Other than high maintenance costs go for it!