Aite guys, getting pretty close to pulling the trigger and want to make sure I'm not getting ahead of myself. For context, I've been looking for about 4 or 5 months now, hoping to get into a ~25k mileage '05 997 for about $50k. However, I was willing to pay a slight premium for a better condition car that had been a garage queen of a fellow 6speeder or Rennlister just for peace of mind.

I've been getting antsy since I hoped to buy before my new job started (Sept) and since I moved into a new place where I'm paying an extra $350/month for parking that is currently unused.

Here are my three options that are in the immediate area:

'05 997
$52k, $54k CPO
22k miles
silver/black
under warranty until 03/09
xenon, nav, heated seats, sport shifter, 3m bra

'05 997 (fastlane's old car)
$53.5k, $57k CPO (hoping to get them down to $55.5k w/ CPO)
14k miles
silver/black
under warranty until 12/08
xenon, bose, 19" wheels, heated seats, power seats, chrono package, fabspeed intake/exhaust/cats, h&r springs, ultimate pedals

'05 997 S
$61k CPO
15k miles
silver/black
under warranty until 12/08
bose, heated front seats

I'm leaning towards fastlane's car since it's got some nice aftermarket mods and should pull as hard as an S. Assuming I can get it at $55.5k, does it sound reasonable (particularly vs. an S at just $4.5k more)?

Thanks for all the help in advance guys. I'm paranoid I'm getting trigger happy.

 

Also, any reason why they're insisting that the CPO will cost $3500? Previous dealers I've encountered have said it was a $2k option, but this one insists it will cost more. At $3500 I'm tempted to just let get an aftermarket one and save some $$$ . . .

 

I would say fastlane's car is more attractive, PLUS you can be sure he took good care of that car.

I do not know fastlane so I have no bias here.

It is obvious to me that one who put the extars into his car has a greater love for the vehicle than one who just bought a Porsche if this makes sense.

 

If the S is in great condition, I'd probably go for that one. At 61K CPO'd (with full warranty after August 1, 2008) it seems like a good deal. The S has more standard options, and you'll enjoy the extra bump in power.

 

get the S. It will have a better resale value if you decide to sell it.

 

I would definitely go for the S for all the above reasons others have stated and if you choose to mod it, you'll have a better engine to start with.

 

Tough choice but I'd go with the S . With Fastlanes car you get the peace of mind knowing the previous owner can discuss the history and even point to any quirks . BUT you can get the S checked throughly right down to an engine over rev scan and bodywork analysis . In short it takes a bit of homework.

 

Well, to be honest the biggest attraction to the S is resale value. This will be my very first car (unless you count my parents' Nissan Sentra which I learned to drive on) so the bump in performance is nice but not going to necessarily be fully utilized.

In terms of non-performance options, the only differences are the xenon and the red calipers I thought?

So w/ that in mind, do you think I'd get more than $5.5k in resale for the S than the base?

Thanks for everyone's help!

 

Get the S, see if you can chip off another grand or two (was $61k the asking?). W/ CPO, it's almost a no-brainer. - but you posted the warranty is up 12/08? Doesn't sound like CPO to me- The S has a lot of nice extra options like larger brakes and active suspension (PASM), plus it sits lower than the standard model.

G/L with your buy, post pics!!

 

$64k was the ask, I've actually not negotiated w/ them yet, just assuming I can get them down to $61k since most dealers have knocked $2-3k off the price after a little negotiation.

I meant the factory warranty comes due in December. w/ CPO my understanding is it will be extended to 12/10 or 100k miles.

 

Hey yrralis1 -

Thanks, I always appreciate your advice.

How close do you think it is given that I'll be a novice driver? It makes me worried that 1.) I won't fully enjoy the options and 2.) I won't be able to do the right "homeworK" to catch any problems.

In my mind if the S will fetch exactly $4.5k extra in resale, then I'd probably just take baby-steps into the C2. At $6k I'd probably get my pen/paper out to start figuring out the right questions to ask at PPI!

 

One thing to remember on the CPO's - As of August 1, 2008 all newly applied CPO's on pre-owned pcars will give 100% bumper-to-bumper coverage extension, same as the original warranty. All previously CPO'd cars only get about 60% coverage. This would be something important to ask the dealer when talking CPO. I got the word on this straight from PNA corp office last week. I doubt that dealers will offer this information voluntarily.

I'd still shoot for the S at $61k, not bad at all. -and don't worry, you'll be more than able to enjoy the extras on the S.

 

As I have mentioned and others on this board. The C2 is definitely a great car, but for an extra 4K more you're in an the S. The power difference is noticeable in my opinion. The PASM suspension, xenons, and the bigger wheels/tires along with the extra boost in power is well worth the 4K difference from a pre-owned car. Think of it as getting mods on a C2 that's already there from the factory. The price difference between a C2 and S is reasonable compared to an x51 power package in terms of bang for the buck.

 

I would pick the "S" because the most important aspect of a car purchase is to get the right car right out of the gate . In fact Fastlane posted that he bought a 996 turbo = more Hp.

There are those car buyers who simply want a Porsche 911. A C2 would be fine but this is 6speedonline and merely typing in the website address hints at a car buyer who wants more . Once the novelty erodes the wrong car choice makes a huge difference.

You can have the car's DME scanned for engine over revs .
You can take the car to a body shop to inspect it.
You can have the routine wear parts checked and test drive for hidden problems like water damage (ie flooding --2005 was a big hurricane or flood year) .

Resale -- The difference is so marginal .

 

Thanks for all the advice guys. Some snags have arisen at the last moment, would love more input:

1.) The dealership told me they can't CPO fastlane's C2 due to his performance mods (notably the fabspeed exhaust). Is this correct? Assuming I buy a $2k aftermarket warranty, how different is it from the CPO?

2.) I'm tempted to go for the S, but it's lacking power seats, which I assume means it's manual for forward/back/recline, etc. Is that accurate?

Thanks again everyone!