Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself. I'm Franky and I've been lookinf through the forum for a few days now. I've been bitten by the bug again and in search for my next weekend car. I looked at a '02 911 C2 in Sept of '02 and ended up w/ an '03 M3 which was a great car but didn't get to use that much, Traded it in for a Lexus GX470 and have a itch to ditch the truck in favor for a pre-owned '02 911 and more basic everyday vechicle. I've always had an eye for the shape of the 911's.
Now for the questions!
1) Members w/ experience on CPO 911's, in you honest opinion, how is and how are you treated when a problem arises?
2)What are some areas of concern I should look for? I'm a FAA certified aircraft, and automotive ASE Technician so I know my way around a car, but I'm looking for something I may not know about and alittle direction. Any help would be great as I'm looking at a couple this weekend. Thanks in advance.

 

what is a CPO?

 

certified pre-owned

 

I got my '02 C4 cab last Jan '05 and then went Mod crazy !!!!! Almost all the mods that are listed were within a couple of months of Jan. Anyway; I have had only min. issues, Cup holder, etc. My local dealer Champion Porsche (Pompano Bch, Fl.) is fantastic regarding sales and service.

However this is not my daily driver and I drive it maybe 2 to 3 times a week. Round trip from the office is 85 miles and tons of traffic and on the weekends.

I would highly recommend any Porsche that is 2002 and newer. They can be your daily driver if you would like.

Good luck

 

Welcome aboard.

 

Welcome to the board!

Porsche dealers are generally good about honoring warranty work on CPO Porsches. That being said, there's BIG differences between the service depts at different dealers so make sure you get recommendations on a good one in your area.

As for what to look for on the car, regardless of your car experience, I highly recommend taking any potential purchase to a Porsche dealer for a PPI (Pre-Purchase Inspection). They go over it with the same checklist they do for a CPO vehicle. The 996 is a pretty bulletproof car though and I wouldn't worry about them at all as a daily driver. The main area of concern is the RMS, so I'd stay away from any with a history of those leaks. Two other common problems are cracked coolant overflow tanks (fixed permanently with new tank) and cam seal oil leaks.

 

Welcome to the board and good luck on your search.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I looked at 2 coupes, and one cab this weekend. I was disappointed w/ the cars. All were around 20k miles, and when I looked at the bottom of the engine, they could have passed for a 80k mile engine. Very dirty, surface corrosion due to cleaning w/ a powerful degreasor. I have a 91 vette (10k miles) and a 93 mustang (13 k miles) both verts. These cars are garage kept and the condition of those cars could have passed for new next to the 3. Even my lexus Gx470 w/ 21k that I use everyday snow, rain, and on the beach while I lived in FL was still cleaner then these cars. I must admit that I take extremely good car of my cars, like most of you on the forum and thats what disappointed me. Sorry for rambling and venting, but others around me are tired of hearing it.

 

make sure that you were not seeing the cosmoline on the engine - something that Porsche coats on the underside to prevent corrosion but it makes the underside look extremely ugly

 

Yep, RMS leak and coolant tank are the main issues. The RMS is pretty common, and more of an annoyance than a real problem. I don't think there are any recorded engine failures attributed to the RMS, although there is the theoretical possibility oil could get into the clutch. Mostly it's a "I didn't pay $80,000 for a car with a known manufacturing defect that hasn't been fixed in the past 6 years.

The coolant tank leak is the kind of thing that will leave you stranded at the side of the highway, but it's a simple fix.

Other than that, the newer cars are actually very reliable.

 

Welcome. Be sure to post some pics when you get your car.

 

welcome. just know that extended warranty is different than the original warranty. many tried to convince me they are equal, but the coverage is definitely differnt. so make sure there are no defects that may not be covered.