Looking at an 05 launch ed. 997S w/ 31k. what are the pros & cons of buying a launch car? Anyone ever own one & has anyone had any issues with one. What are the downsides to owning a car with ceramic brakes besides replacement costs? Thanks in advance, & sorry if this opens an old thread!

 

I owned a 05 997 launch edition car. I owned this for 3 years before trading it in for a 997 TT. I had no issues with it. The carbon brakes were the best part of the car. Compared to the 997 TT of which does not have the carbon brakes, the car stopped quicker and most importantly there was no black brake dust.

 

I bought an '05 997S launch edition last year and am loving it! I bought it with 25k miles and now I have 36k miles with no issues. This car is very reliable - the PCCB brakes are great! A lot of people will say they are so expensive to replace but unless you track the car repeatedly, you probably won't need to service the rotors/pads for a very, very long time (100k+ mi.). I just do a brake flush every two years (as with all models) that cost less than $200.

I've had no mechanical failures, and have only taken it to the dealership once for routine maintenance (4-year service). The only thing they found was the ignition coils were aging and starting to crack so I had them replaced. IMO, these cars are some of the best deals out there if you want a used 997 - they have fallen in price since they are now 5+ years old, and they have all the right options and are very reliable.

 

39k on my launch. Brakes are fantastic. Excellent stopping power and no dust.

PSE mufflers failed (welds) and CPO didn't cover them. That is about the only thing i can think has gone wrong.

 

Sounds like these are very good cars & great buys! Do you guys thinks 53k is too much for a CPO'd dealer car?

 

CPO is a great plus for an 05. 05's have a greater tendency to have RMS issues. Be sure to have the DME scanned to see if the car has been overreved. 53k is a way premium price for an '05, especially considering the miles. I think the miles are just about right, at least the car was driven, which tends to reduce the chance of issues. Be sure to have the brakes throroughly checked by a qualified P dealer - I guess you get it CPO, so it shouldn't matter much. If you need to change the rotors, they are over $10k. The launch cars can be very nice.

 

The car is being offered for thru a Porsche dealer & the rotors looked as though they were replaced( no cracks). PCCB rotors cant be resurfaced can they?

 

I'd say you're in the ballpark - that's a decent deal but if you could work it closer to $50k that's even better. I doubt they'll go much below that given they're offering the CPO warranty. The mileage of 31k is pretty average for these cars at 5 years old. I've seen the launch editions recently listed anywhere from $43k to $59k depending on condition and mileage (6k to 80k miles), so you're in the middle of the price range.

 

I got mine this past June. One owner with 24K miles on it. 2/24 warranty and the dealer replaced the rotors and pads before I got it. Score!!! The car also had GT3 LCAs on it along with a few other cool do-dads.

 

I had a launch car and kept it for only one year . I absolutely loved the car and it had no problems at all. It did face one slight recall but my reason for sellingt itr was that at that time xenon light theft was so bad in my region . My previois 02 car had them torn off and my 05 car faced a few times where the rear lights were taken . The worry was enough to sell the car .

18 months later i was back in a Porsche but I never forgot my black launch car.