Got a nice one for you. PM sent.

 

I went through the same agonizing decisions: First get yourself an S type. It is much better. Then maybe add a little bit more money and go with a 2006 to put behind you the risks of IMS/RMS failures, which are costly.

I was dealing with the Porsche dealer of Knoxville, KY and they had a 2005 S which had had the RMS repaired, with 50K miles on it. They wanted $45K and would not budge. I paid an independent shop to inspect the car, and the results was enough to let me stay away from that specific car.

One week later I found a 2006 C4S, with only 36K miles in Atlanta, for $2,000 more dollars than what the Porsche Stealer in KY wanted.

I have been extremely happy with the 2006 C4S and the service and courtesy of the people in Atlanta was first class.

Take your time....there are plenty of cars to buy and you are in a good position with the winter coming....


Yves

 

Very valid points made and taking it all into account. Decided I will go ahead and see the car and see what I get for the trade. I totally understand 06 and up would be a safer bet for the IMS, but I've set myself a $40K cap which is what I'm comfortable spending and why I was not even considering a 997 before. Can I spend more? Sure but if I go and "spend a little more" before I know it I'm extending myself financially and that's not good! Have to consider the house, wife and kid too

As for this car, if they CPO it I'm hoping it means its in good working order and at least for two years its covered (I did not find any other CPO car in this price range at all) and is why I'm not as hesitant to look at this 05. Having said that after those two years is what I'm worried about, will probably only put 6-8K miles a year and may not run into issues until after those two years but who knows.

It will have to be a really good deal to buy this car. I know I can always wait and a newer one will pop up at some point in the next year or two, but then again that's what I've been saying to myself for the past several years and still have no 911! Lets see what happens.

 

Ban-

Sounds good. The base carrera is plenty of car for the majority of us here. Set your limit and stick to it.

best of luck.

 

I think the CPO will provide you the peace of mind that you need. That, plus a hard look at the car and its service records, will make all the difference in the world.

My next car will be an '09 C2S, but I've been plenty happy with my '05 C2 and it definitely allowed me to scratch the Porsche itch, though I'm now hooked for life.

 

I am not sure if this would be a negotiating point, but I paid back in Nov. 2009 for a late 2005 with CPO from a Porsche Dealer - one owner and 22.000 miles about 43.000 $ including tax. I returned to Germany a year ago - so I am not into the US market anymore - did the price pulled up since than?

 

Went to look at the car yesterday evening. It's not a garage queen for sure, had a few rock chips in the hood and bumper that were touched up and the door's edge had some touch up too but no dents or scratches. Paint had some light swirl marks so could use a detail. Nothing to put me off too much as I was not expecting a pristine showroom condition car. Interior is in good shape, the leather in the seat cushion does not look worn down, neither does the shifter or steering wheel. The stone guards were missing with some adhesive residue left on. He said they were a bit yellow so they are replacing them.

CPO report says brakes have 70% and 80% front and rear from what I recall, everything checked out and nothing else noted. Unfortunately did not get the DME, guy said it was too late in the day so am trying to get it today. Test drove it briefly as it was very late, engine felt strong and car felt tight. The brake pedal seems a bit soft and traveled longer than I thought it would, but maybe its because it was all low speed? I did not drive it over 45 mph. The clutch felt good. Will do a proper longer test drive if things move forward, anything else I should be looking for? Known noises that signal pending issues?

I'm a bit nervous/excited now that I saw the car and see its really in good shape, did not get any bad vibes or see any signs of abuse, just normal wear. It's a nice color combo, low miles, CPO and close to the price I can comfortably afford. I think I'm ok taking a chance on the IMS, seems chances are very low. If it happens hoping it gets covered under warranty or I can do the upgrade afterwards.

Was offered about 1K less for my trade than what I wanted and did not accept it. Today he's going to "see what he can do". If that checks out will see if they would lower the price a bit as well. I think it'll depends on the dealer if they willing to deal and for me to stay firm on my limit

 

Good luck! I'll look forward to pictures!

 

See if you can negotiate to have them care of the rock chips. You will probably want them removed after you get the car and the Dealer can get it done more economically than you can. I have that issue on mine and I see them from a mile away, but nobody else notices them! When I first saw it I said, so what, now I want to fix them becasue I dig my car so much! My cost to do the front hood and bumper is $1,400!! So that might cover the difference on your trade. Also, I sold my trade on Craigslist very quickly. If you can get a cash number from them, you might do better selling the trade yourself. Probably all stuff your thinking of anyway, but I felt I should throw that out.

 

Yeah I need to look again under better lighting but they were pretty small. DME came back and its pretty clean, 0 for range 4-6, 15 for range 3. Time to haggle a bit and see where this goes.

 

I will ad a bit here. I am not a porsche guru by any chance and I have actually been shopping for the last 5 months and still trying to get a good deal. But about the RMS/IMS issues (and this is coming from my buddy who is the top porsche mechanic at the dealership here who everyone knows) basically when you run the vin# you will be able to tell if its an M96 or an M97 engine. If its an M97 engine you should be good. It does not mean the issue is not there; the issue is there and stops at the 997.2 models. Its just that its been mitigated and not eradicated but should not be cause for much worry. Most of the 3.8L S engines were M97 models. This is just my 2 cents from a guy that breathes porsches 6 days a week.

 

That DME is pristine, not "pretty clean".