Quick, thanks for the laugh man. Totally enjoying

 

Yes, very useful post. I am enjoying it so much I ran out of tissues.

 

The devil is in the details. With that said a good PPI is a must for a 10+ year old supercar. You're doing the right thing by reaching out to TT owners and test driving a few to set a base line. Then you'll begin to see the difference in pricing and what you're getting. Enjoy the process its half the fun. The other half is owning one!!!! kenny

 

prices are driven by what people are prepared to pay - thats basic knowledge.

the issue is that sellers are not being realistic with asking prices.. 997 turbos can be had for 65k all over ebay. these are 2007 cars with moderate mileage.

anyone attempting to sell a turbo older that 2003 for more than 50k is totally nuts.. nobody will finance a potential buyer. porsche dealers are actually being more realistic with asking prices for turbos.. a 2004 cabriolet with 19k miles just sold for 53k in new york! now thats a bargain - kbb listed it as a 74k car!

yes 2007/8 was the real turbo recesion and thats when i snapped up my old car from a porsche dealer with cpo.. but the prices are driving up and i do not see why when you can still get the gt1 block from the 997.1 models

sellers need to get real and stop thinking they are going to turn a profit of cars purchased 2 years ago.. if we were taling 993tt's it would be another story interely

this was not intended to be a rant - i just laugh when i search autotrader and see cars still for sale from from when i was originally searching for my old car.. that was nearly a year and a half ago!

 

I'll bet many of these people don't really care if they sell the car. They just put it out there and if someone gives them a good price they'll try another car for a while.

 

I think winter '08-'09 might've been the bottom for 996TT's.

If you're following the 997TT market, yeah I'm sure you can get a first model year Tip for high 60's with higher mileage, but it's not really a good comparison to the 996TT in immaculate condition where an owner might be asking $50k-ish.

The price delta between similarly optioned, similar condition 996TT's and 997TT's appears to be roughly $25-30k. The "sweet-spot" for nice 997TT's looks to still be $75-80k+. That will probably move down once the 991TT becomes available.

 

Take your time shopping. I looked at many "accident free" and "clean carfax" vehicles and was dissappointed so many times. From cars with electrical gremlins to those I could find evidence of paint work on (which the Porsche PPI missed)... In the end, I bought a spotless car with 20k miles... Went over my own budget a bit, but it means something to me that I can tell you about the two scratches the car has (which is a complete list of its issues) in one sentence.

I firmly believe these cars are largely done depreciating, so it's not like you're going to lose tons by paying a bit more for a clean one.

 

Purchased in June 2011 with 62k. Mechanically it had all of the usual turbo issues (spoiler, clutch accumulator/slave, coolant reservoir), nothing I couldn't fix in a weekend on my lift. Cosmetically the dash was warped from sun exposure, which I still haven't fixed.

 

You can find them under $40k but it's not easy. I found my '02 with 67k mi under $40k. The only story on it is that the rear bumper has been repainted from a small fender bender, so yes, it was in an "accident" but pretty irrelevant to me. The only thing the inspection could find is the repaint on the rear bumper, nothing else whatsoever. Mine is a manual. Also, it had most maintenance records; I probably spent $1.5k getting it perfect (brakes, CV boots, restore headlights, etc.).

 

Its hard to find them under $40k that haven't been beat up or not taken care of. I am actually in the process of selling my 01 Turbo (full service/clean car fax) and SPI maintained in the low $40s. It does have higher miles (81k) but the car drives like its brand new.

 

Guess I lucked out. I bought a 2001 with 66K miles for a little under $40K. And it had another set of wheels along with stock, K24/18g's and a few other Misc things. No accidents and paint is probably 8 out of 10. 6MT. She's probably going to go up for sale in October so I can get a GTR.

 

Got mine in 7/2012. Under $40,000 and under 50k miles. Spent a year looking. They are out there. You must be patient, as Yoda would say. As a DIY'er, I would say those who wrench on their own cars have better maintained cars. I learned cars back in Highschool, and though I never have wrenched professionally, I think my cars run longer and better then those who rely on a dealer. You learn to feel and hear what your car is doing. You notice very subtle things and start to recognize patterns, which are not problems, just the rhythm of the car. I have owned many cars over the years and have never taken them to a dealer for service except in a warranty situation. BTW, my brother is a Doctor and he also has never taken a car to the dealer. I would rather use the money to buy tools and manuals then pay the dealer. I have OBDII scanners, many specialty tools and will be getting a Durametric Scan tool soon. Use the forum to gain knowledge from the other members and you will be rewarded with the satisfaction of keeping your car running in tip top condition.

 

It will be interesting to see how much the release of the 991tt drives down prices of the 997tt and subsequently 996tt pricing. Does anyone know how production numbers of the 997tt compares to the 996tt?

 

At least for the higher mile 996TT's (say 50k+), I think the price is pretty much at the bottom as it is.

The 991TT will be so much more $$ than a used 997TT that I doubt it will have a huge impact on prices right away.

 

Just make sure you buy with your head and not with your heart. A Porsche Turbo has always been my dream car, so it was hard for me to be patient in looking for one. You will also want to believe every story people tell you. I bought my 2001 from an older guy for under $40K. However, I had to spend time and money getting it up to par (knock sensor, clutch, and maintenance). Since then, I had to go thru 2 batteries and a starter. My PPI missed a few things, so it is important that you also do your due diligence and find a strong mechanic to do your PPI. Even with its shortcomings, I bought this one because I knew it was not abused. I would probably also stay away from auctioned vehicles...the two or three that came by my friend's dealership looked nice and he got them for under $30K, but he recommended that I look for better cars if I were to keep them long term.