Hey everyone!

I'm in the market for a 997.1 GT3 or Turbo and I noticed some of the ones I have interest in have a record of a minor accident like "Minor damage reports, Moderate Right Rear Damage reported, Airbag not deployed".
I was wondering if it's something I should stay away from?
Does it really bring down the value or a Turbo/GT3?

Thank you for your input.

 

Those cars would be 7-8 years old -a minor scratch or dent repair wouldn't stop me if everything else was what I wanted.

 

Not for me.. mine had the drivers door repainted. Dont know why. still original door!

 

To me it would matter what I was planning on getting the car for. If you are planning on getting a perfect low mileage garage queen and paying top dollar and putting minimal use on it, i wouldn't settle for less than perfect.

On the other hand, if i was getting this car to putz around in whenever the weather is nice, park in public spots, and not care about adding miles on it, I'd just get one that has already taken the "driver" instead of "garage queen" depreciation hit and understand that its just a car. fixing a scrape or ding "as good as new" really isnt that hard and there is little practical reason to avoid a car that had minor cosmetic damage. That being said, make sure minor means minor. Get the car in the air and make sure nothing is bent/wrinkled/twisted that shouldn't be, and that it looks like it was fixed right.

 

If you buy a car of that age, I would expect it would be difficult to fine one that was mint unless you were willing to pay top $ for someone's pride and joy. If you plan to drive it and enjoy it, it would not stop me as long as the car was repaired correctly and functioned as intended.


I love my car and it does not see the use it should. I really need to drive it more and stop treating it like a rolling piece of art. When I get it out on the road I enjoy it so much, need to do that more.

 

As long as it's repaired correctly and non structural damage, I have no concerns . Happens to the best of cars

 

I agree; with a proper repair it shouldn't be an issue. My 997 turbo was hit on the left rear side only a couple of months after delivery and with less than 3,000 miles on the odometer. It was repaired properly at a certified Porsche shop, and you'd never know unless you read the report.

 

Just make sure it was not a hack job or it would be even better if they have before and after pics. Usually, if it is something small and mainly cosmetic, people will take before and after.

The main thing is to make sure it has been fixed right. If it looks like crap, it is going to bug you every time you look at it...

 

I pass on painted cars. You never know what really happened, you never really know how it was fixed and theres always a story to tell. These cars are not that old that you cant find a clean one.

 

No matter how well it's fixed it will be worth a bit less than a comparable non accident car. It wouldn't stop me personally, but that's just the reality.
Back in the 80s and 90s a lot of cars had doors, hoods, bumpers etc repainted in the pre-paint less dent removal/clear bra days, not so much now.

 

You also have to realize that just because there isn't a record of an accident on Carfax, it doesn't mean the car is virgin. As you all know, many people pay out of pocket for repairs to avoid the Carfax record. The only way to really know is to see the car personally and have a professional look it over. In the end, get the car you want. You are paying for it so who cares what other people think.