It’s hard to resist auction deals or anything else with the word ‘deal’ tagged to it. For that reason, people attracted to the illusion of gaining more out of a little sometimes end up losing big time. Top on that list are vehicle and home flippers.
Tyler Hoover of Hoovies Garage YouTube channel is big on making purchase decisions on cars that most would consider ‘dumb.’ Those dumb decisions have earned him a considerable following on YouTube and a hefty repair bill at his favorite mechanic.
He recently spotted a 996 Porsche 911 Turbo with 146,000 miles (234,964 kilometers) at the Porsche of Wichita dealership going for $28,500. Being a bottom feeder and a sucker for hard-luck projects, he couldn’t help adding this unit to his inventory.
“When I saw this 996 911 Turbo right here sitting in the back with a completely ruined paint job, I thought, oh my God. I have to have this thing,” Hoover revealed about his first reaction to the Porsche.
The Porsche 911 Turbo (996) was produced between 2000 and 2006. Under the hood, it packed a twin-turbo 3.6-liter engine good for 414 hp (420 ps) and 413 lb-ft (560 Nm) of torque. It came with a 5-speed automatic transmission and could bolt from 0 to 62 mph (100kph) in 4.9 seconds.
There were a couple of reasons why any rational car lover wouldn’t touch this car. For starters, it was an ex-Las Vegas rental car. It was faded (previously repainted with glitter sparkle shade), had a few oil leaks, and was missing a muffler.
Later, when he took it out for a ride, a ‘failure for spoiler control’ warning light popped on the dash.
“It has active aero, and well, it isn’t popping up. A very common issue on these things, but if that’s the only mechanical problem this thing has other than oil leaks, it’s a miracle. It really is,” Hoover confessed.
The Porsche dealership initially wanted to fix and paint the 996 911 Turbo and put it up for sale or increase its inventory.
According to the Carfax report, this Porsche 911 Turbo started its life in Santa Monica, California, before being sold to a luxury car rental business in Las Vegas. It went from 9,000 miles (14,484 kilometers) to 133,000 miles (214,042 kilometers) in a short period and later found itself in Wichita.
Hoover thinks the ex-Las Vegas rental Porsche is an easy revival project. But that opinion might change after a scheduled professional checkup with his mechanic.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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