I am thinking of buying a 2001-2002 996tt but since I live in germany as an american my only choice is to buy from the united states. The reason being that the EURODOLLAR is killing us and prices are ALOT higher here, even for used vehicles. I was looking on ebay, autotrader, etc and was curious what you thought? What process should I take to acquiring a 996tt?

PS. I work for the USAF as a govt contractor.

 

I have bought my last 6 cars out of state. You just need to make sure that the sellor is willing to take the car to a dealor for a pre purchase inspection.......other than that, you need to try to asertain how reputable the sellor is..........since you're out of the country,......I would try to arrange for a PPI and then to have it shipped FROM the dealor.....maybe arrange something with them.....if they are willing.....

Chris Barton

 

You need to do all the work as well. You need to get the in service dealer (should be in owners manual). You should also use the vin and call 1800Porsche to find out about any warranty work. Using this info and carfax, call every dealer that ever did work on the car. Talk to the service dept. This should allow you to make some sort of informed decision on the car. I would also try and have someone local be involved. Is being sold through a new car dealer, or is it a exotic type shop. You should check online as some of these places have really bad reputations.

 

I think my best chance to not get screwed is to first find the porsche I want then make arrangements to fly into the states to inspect the car. I am willing to spend $1000 on a plane ticket to make sure I see before I buy. Thanks for your ideas guys.

 

I bought mine from an ebay auction:





Only had 9000 miles, 2001, been very happy with it. Not a single issue yet.

Fortunately, the car was only 3 blocks from where I live. The car was so clean, I just bought it on the spot, and then took it to the local dealer afterwards.

They did an A-Z inspection. Didn't find ANYTHING wrong with the car. Had them change the oil, and that was it.

I couldn't be more pleased with the car.

 

Ebay purchase from a Chicago dealer, certified so not much issue. Had a friend go look at, then flew out to pick it up. Maybe a little too trusting, but cert from a dealer...worst that could have happened was that I drive a 997S home. :-) That was a year ago.

 

Here is one 4 sale, if you like make an offer
LOOK

 

Chaapa'ai,
I'm sure that if you found something exciting, you could ask if a board member could take a look at the car for you and then if you liked the initial report, take the ppi route for insurance.

I'd be shocked if there wasn't someone in any city who would offer you that courtesy.

 

oxleygf:

Beautiful car. What kind of wheels are those? They look really sharp.

Adam

 

Be very careful. Have a shop in the area check it out first and/or have a very experienced private party inspect it. Do all of your homework, run Carfax, and even try to get an insurance broker friend to run a Clue Report. Sometimes costly "repairs" are not reported and you have to dig deep to find the entire story about he car. Porsche dealers do NOT do this in their PPI's, so don't rely on that for anything but checking the basics. Hidden crash damage is all on you for good detective/research work. If it's a dealer, you have more chances of recourse if the deal goes sideways.

If you inform the seller you've got to do this due diligence and he balks, you bolt. If he claims ignorance of the car's history and you're not sure what to do, bolt.

If everything checks out, make a deal, but get the exchange done without you risking your dough and him risking nothing. Fair deal/risk is good for both sides.

There are plenty of cars out there, so when in doubt, buy one closeby if possible and be patient...unless money is no object.