Hello All-

I am completely new to this forum and the realm of Porsches..I would like some expert advice on finding the best priced Certified' 09' 911 base model (not S or higher) in PDK (my manual days are over) as my budget would be around $60-$70K.

Since I like to purchase one anytime btw now until December, I am not in a rush, so any advice on best timing due to depreciation especially with the new 2013 911 body styles out is much appreciated.

Some local dealers have these listed anywhere from $66-$75K Certified pre-owned here in NorCAL, and I like to know what some good mileage (10K vs 30K mile car,etc.) on these vehicles should be for an 09' and the better pricing out the door one should expect now or in December, etc.

Lastly, despite these being Certified pre-owned, are there specific mechanical areas I should check for when purchasing this model and year,etc?

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my newby questions and for your expert advice.

 

You are spot on for a well appointed '09 base 997.2 with PDK. This was exactly my car and target price and I found a great CPO car with 20k miles on eBay. The whole experience getting the car to LA was really simple and problem free. The car has been a dream, and my local dealer Auto Gallery (along with a shout out to House Auto in Pasadena) has been terrific. Good luck.

 

Many thanks for chiming in daberlin..your car on the avatar looks like my dream, as I want one in silver. Let me search up on the above two dealers you mentioned and if it's worth my while, I dont mind driving to LA and picking it up and driving back here to the SF bay area ;-)

 

So here are a few of my 'lessons learned'

1. After driving a few of these cars, pick your 'must haves' and don't compromise on those elements when shopping around. There are tons of P Cars at Dealers, Enthusiast sites, and Auction Sites. These are not rare cars - especially in No Cal/So Cal. For me, I HAD to have a PDK, Nav, and a CPO car. The rest were options I was willing trade off based on the shape of the car, mileage, and cost.

2. Go walk into your local dealership and talk to them about what you are looking for. You'll find (or at least I did) very few (I didn't say no..) pressure tactics used by these guys when you are talking about spending upwards of $70,000. You aren't buying a Honda. Talk to them about options, etc. When I was discussing my price point, we talked about Tip vs. PDK and S vs. non S and I knew immediately I was not going to buy anything earlier than an '09 even if it cost me more money. I also compared prices on auction sites vs dealership lot, and knew there was a good potential for negotiations if I had found the 'right' car locally.

3. If you find a car privately, before you buy it, take the VIN # to the dealer's service manager. If they are a good service team, they will be very helpful to you. Arman at Auto Gallery was SUPER nice to me and made me feel very welcome at AG even though I was not buying the car there. You can get a very informative print out of all Porsche service done to the car along with the full spec sheet of the car. This goes a long way to giving you some piece of mind. Before I even saw my car, I confirmed EVERYTHING the seller was telling me (service calls, CPO, options listed on the car, etc.). I knew more about this car than the owner did once I was done since I knew the car had never had the High Pressure Fuel Pump recall done on it - this was my first task once the car showed up here in LA.

4. You are buying a PDK. You can't money shift a PDK. You will read all about DME on the site here. Don't sweat it on a PDK. Especially if you are buying a CPO. You will know more if a late model car has been abused by it's internal and external appearance and by reviewing basic wear items - brakes, tires, etc. I was really bothered about DME after visiting the site here. Don't be.

5. Investigate Insurance rates. I was STUNNED by what most insurance companies were quoting me here in the San Fernando Valley. Some wouldn't even quote me a policy yet I own three other cars, two homes, zero accidents and zero tickets on my license. I thankfully found a great rate with Liberty Mutual.

6. Once you get it. Drive it. Like you stole it. The stupid grin on your face factor of these cars is off the charts. No matter what kind of day I've had, one trip in my car and I'm immediately in a better mood.

 

Good day daberlin- Whoa what a serene and beautiful picture, I feel at peace with my stressful day looking at yours already!

Many thanks for your thoughtfulness and taking the time to write enlightening me who's all new to Porsches for my first purchase..Sounds like you "have" and I (AM looking) for the same car: PDK, Nav, and CPO ..I also want a Silver one (not sure if there's compromise here since I realize beggers can't be choosers to some extent) when looking for a CPO (to have mechanical shape and color choice).

1-How do you know if a 997 already had the HPFP recall done,etc.? I have never seen this reflected on any of the carfaxes these local dealers provided with their CPO's for sale.

2-I have also read about a PDK update which helps smoother downshifts to 1st, any thoughts on how to confirm this? I'm assuming having the VIN# ran by a Porsche dealer would answer questions #1-2?

3-For prime purchase timing, do you think prices on the 09' CPO's will come down further this second half of the year with 2013 around the corner and the new models out?


Again, I greatly appreciate your guidance and any other feedback you may think of along the way. ---Love your point #6 "Once you get it. Drive it. Like you stole it. The stupid grin on your face factor of these cars is off the charts."


Happy grinning' in that beautiful car!

 

This is the single best point as it really is true, amazing what a car can do.

 

Just to clarify;
what is your reason to want a base not S model? Is it price point? Because you could probably get an S model with a little more miles for the same price as a non-S model with very little miles.
I had 29k very hard miles on my 997.2S/PDK after just 2.5 years when I sold it back to the dealer. It had absolutley no problems. And remember those years, porsche was rated #1 per JD Power as being the most trouble free car maker in the world.
If I was in your position I would definitley be looking for a S model PDK with sport chrono.
I would be shocked if you could not find one for under 70k with less then 30k miles on it.

 

I can tell you as part of my own research (not to answer for the OP), there were two items of concern to me to address your question - price delta and insurance rate difference. I was not dismissing having the S - I would have loved it. I listed my minimum selection criteria as PDK, CPO, and Nav. I was seeing lots of S's that fit the bill nicely, however they were roughly $7K - 10K more than I wanted to spend. My goal was to be on the road for $70K. With the highway robbery California sales and license tax, i was looking at about $64K for a nicely appointed car. I simply did not want to exceed my budget with an additional $7K AND run the risk of getting hammered on the insurance rates - the base Carrera rates in So Cal were bad enough!

 

Thank you for the nice comments about my car. Like many on this board have said, you WILL find all sorts of excuses to go into the garage for no other reason but to stare at how beautiful your car is. I've owned many cars over the years, but whew, this gal is a looker.

1. I knew about the Tech Bulletin on the 997.2 (use the board here or do some google searches) and asked Arman at AG specifically if the car had it done. He saw no records of the recall being performed (it would have listed this service being performed in the report on the vehicle). When I finally received the car, I brought it in and Arman confirmed that the HPFP had an original serial number and was to be replaced. It took about 3 hours on a Saturday morning. I had no problem spending three hours at Auto Gallery looking at all the Porsches, Audi's and Lambos.

2. I had the PDK software rebuilt two weeks ago. Why? I don't really know why. I honestly have no idea if some of the somewhat rough? (this is a stretch of a word here..) downshifts from 2nd to 1st or Reverse to Drive were caused by the old software or because I live on a hill. But, THIS is why I wanted a CPO. I made an appointment, brought the car in and said I'd like the software rebuilt because I 'thought' I was having gear shifting issues (maybe I just wanted the latest software version ). PS on this story - I was warned that 'sometimes' the early '09's cause the PDK module to crash which will require a new module - your car will be out of service for several weeks waiting for a part from Germany if this happens. I shrugged my shoulders and said do the reset anyhow. I had no problems. I also had a late '09 - not sure if this mattered.

3. I'm not sure. People have been talking for months on the board here about the prices of 997.2's staying steady because of the significant price jump to the 991. Honestly, I don't buy into 'buying drop tops in winter' theory. If a seller wants to move their car, they will price it competitively. Doesn't really matter when.

 

Thank you zzzspeed - my reasonings in looking for the base model is exactly like what daberlin stated above. But since I am actively looking and not in a rush, when the right car and price comes along ... ...

 

You've been a fountain of knowledge daberlin! Thanks so much for your insights and patience with my rookie questions. Seems like your search in finding that beauty and mindset for what you wanted with it, are exactly what I am going through now, and I am very fortunate to have had your input. Like minds think alike, now only if I can find the right "same" car so we may share the same grins ..

 

Just returning the favor the folks here on 6speed have shown me. I consider myself just as much of a newbie as you. The knowledge base here on the board is massive. No such thing as a dumb question, and no reasonable question left unanswered. You still have to apply your own judgement (you can't believe everything you read on the internet!) to what you read, but overall, the accuracy of the information here has been terrific for me.

BTW - I really like the color of my car, but don't let other colors deter you if you find the right car. I'd have been extremely happy with Blue, White, Red, or any other color other than Black (never buying a black car again, regardless of make). I saw a 991 at the Beverly Hills Concours this weekend in Yellow. It was freaking awesome. So far, for me, the one major thing that 'really' makes these cars stand apart from one another are the wheels. Thus, you'll see LOTS of discussion on wheel upgrades for which I highly recommend. Mod #1 in my book.

 

You guys are the best!

Totally agree on leaving the color scheme options open- Ideally for me it would be Artic or GT Silver.

Livermore Automall up here has a CPO with 40K miles and fully loaded. What's interesting is their carfax reported it was damaged in multiple areas and towed (per the report) at 10K miles and had 3 prior owners...how is that going to be a CPO listed at $65K, so i passed.

Here's the links to their ad just as fyi:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ctd/3093920683.html
http://www.cuzuwucejujoh.com/jhz6w17...w0hs9/yf/k.jpg

 

This is a very interesting advertisement indeed. Why would a Porsche dealer advertise a CPO car (even if it had not been CPO'd by them) that is clearly no longer worthy of a CPO (ie been in a wreck). I can understand if some used car lot on the side of the road was selling it, but a Porsche Dealer? Gotta say I'm surprised. But your choice was the right one. Pass.

 

Shopping at the bottom end of the price band is always precarious. Keep in mind several things:

Repainted panels or damage is not always on Carfax. Be sure any prospective car is paint metered. If you don't know what that is, do a bit of research and check it out, it will be worth your time. You can easily check if a car has been repainted. Also, EVERY dealer has one. They may or may not be willing to show it to you.

High mileage is high mileage. The 40k car you look at will be a 60k mile car when you sell it. Higher mileage is more expensive maintenance and lower resale value. And it simply makes the car harder to sell.

Blow your budget! The biggest values around now are 2011's. MANY have hit the lots as people have dumped them for 991's. That includes GTS's, which are a really good value. I've seen them in the 80's - think of the nominal additional cost for a MUCH newer car. An '09 with high miles for $70k or a 2011 with 5k miles for $85k. I think it's a no brainer.