My two cents is that I'd look for a Carrera S, instead of a base Carrera - mostly because they come with a few more goodies that are worthwhile - like bi-xenon headlights and PASM as well as a few more horses under the hood and better brakes.

I've got a 2005 Carrera S, and only recently found out that my intermediate shaft broke at 42,000 miles / 5 years and was the engine was replaced under CPO warranty.

Great cars - make the leap.

 

I found out from mine that the cheaper the car, the worse the condition. Not mechanically but visually. Mine was at least 3K less than it should have been. This was due to many paint chips on the front end, some nicks in the doors, it was possibly smoked in, and various wear and tear on interior bits as well.

So if the price seems to good to be true...its probably is.

 

You are right. For being so cheap, the MA car is probably, if not a disaster, close to it.

Anyway it is going to take me some time to find what I want, but I will get there.

In view of the variety of prices, it is just difficult to get a sense of a fair purchase. I would not necessarily mind increasing my budget, but then I know that I will be saying if I spend 40K instead of $35-36K, then with a few more thousand, I can get a newer year, a better model and so on. I need to establish some price limits and get a sense of what I can reasonably expect within that price range.

Then if I find a good deal and cost a few $$Ks more, I can extend myself but I need to be able to recognize it, which is the hard part. This forum is very helpful.

 

I can try and stop by and actually look at the car if you want. Take a couple of pictures of the bolsters etc. I honesty expect this guy took the car in on trade and then has gotten stuck with it.

Will see if they will let me have a test drive or not. Feels a bit cheeky when there is no way I will buy it though. Wife would freak out if I came home with another Porsche after having only bought one a couple of months before. Still would be a lovely replacement for the cavalier . Midnight blue also looks amazing on the 997

As to price limits, I originally set out to purchase a 996 4s or a Boxster. In the end I ended up buying the 2007 997 C2s Cab. Budgets always seem to get pushed. All I can say is don't stretch above what is comfortable otherwise owning the car will be more painful than pleasurable.

 

This sounds risky. It's not just the IMS retrofit or DME that concerns me . An out of warranty car that is 8 years old with almost 50K miles can turn 36K into 50K in less than 6 months . That's quite often the case where the dream car turns sour when the novelty erodes and reality sets in.
If you face a problem and the car has over 50K miles its a nightmare . Most guys shopping for high mile older cars have to finance them and lenders quite often will reject them because the bank does not want to get stuck with a broken down car that the owner can't afford to fix and pay the montly car payments. In short .. you can get stuck with this car.

My opinion has always been to put as much up front to get into a car that has some type of safety net of reliability and resale potential .

 

thanks yrralis1. I understand the general concern and I agree with it but can you be more specific? Which car are you referring to? The 2005 911 with less than 50K, the cheap MA car? Any 997 in the $35-40K range?

What would you define as a car with a safety net of reliability and resale potential? a low milage 2007, a CPO certified, a new car?

With respect to putting as much upfront as possible, that would probably not work for me. I can buy it new if I want, but it would defeat my basic needs. This would be not just my first Porsche, it would also be a weekend drive, a car that I would not want to park at a station, and a third car that does not fit my kids. In other words, a hobby car.

That is why I am giving myself a budget and I am trying to see if I can work with that. Now I feel like it is a terrible idea.

 

1) I define the safety net on two issues -

a) Cars (especially high end) with over 50K miles are harder to finance. Most will not be able to buy it from you so if a repair happens it has to be paid .. plus the car payment .


b) Warranty -- It does not mean a car will be trouble free but it does mean that there is manufacturer support . That not only gives reassurance to you but to the next buyer (if things arent working out) .

These two things are an exit strategy for you .

2) Age of cars -- Preface --This applies to all cars --
A car can become so old and worn that a major repair might be worth more than the entire car .

I have found that most used Porsches seem to have a ceiling on a price bottom . They plummet in the first year . Look at a 135K GTS for instance . They can be bought in the 80's and 90's.

With the age comes dated technology , safety features, and performance . this is not just true of Porsches . A friend of mine faced huge hurdles trying to trade in his impeccable 95 Mercedes SL to a Honda dealership . they simply did not want his car because it lacked all the used car features (safety/technology) that they find desireable.

Outside of the rare "classic" Porsches --- an 05 997S is just not a future classic .

3) Buying a car as a "hobby" -- I hear ya !!
But I also hear you asking about cost and listing a budget . If its the primary reason of NOT buying a newer car then it ought to be the same reason to back away from a used one which might add up on the cost to own. That's my point .

I have a hobby car (997 Turbo) but i bought it new , know the cars entire history,has only 15K miles and have had 6 years of enjoyment with it . A person buying the same car today comes late to the party and does not know all these things . Hence the risk increases exponentially with each factor of a used car coupled with time .

 

I understand. Perhaps buying an extended warranty would solve some problems and give me peace of mind? I heard some people on this forum doing something along those lines.

 

that's what I did. But they aren't cheap. You have to weigh it out against just getting the worst case scenario fixed and putting the money aside for any eventuality. Take a 1999 c2 these car with about 65 to 75 are still selling despite having a far worse reputation than a 997 for 20 to 22k. if you only lost 12 to 14 k on the car in 6 years would you be bothered? Would be fairly low depreciation in my opinion

 

Hello plantagenet, thanks for your help and continued assistance. I really really appreciate it.

I would not be concerned about depreciation. If I wanted to invest that money I'll put them elsewhere. I would also not be concerned if a bigger repair or tune-up comes one year requiring, say, $5K. It is expected in a car of this type.

However, buying a car now and having to rebuild the engine in a year to the tune of $20K+, that would bother the heck out of me and that is why I am want to edge against it. That is how I got the idea of the retrofit.

 

no I agree with you. I think retrofit or warranty are the only way to go. I think on an early 2005 car retrofit is probably the better option

also for your budget I think a good c2 is better than a bad c2s. If you go off magazines like evo the c2 offered the slight overall better drive

drive a few and see where it leads.anyway.

 

As stated --extended warranty isn't cheap but it also does not cover in the identical fashion as a factory warranty .

 

I was in your same boat about 2 months ago. It took me about 4-5 months of actively looking for the right car. I looked at quite a few of them and at the end I ended up paying more then what I wanted but I got an S and very low km car. That was fully maintained by local dealer.

I went through the car and also used a paint gauge to ensure all panels were original paint. Took it to local dealer for them to do PPI. Wasn't cheap I think $450 but well worth it in the event something was wrong. There was a few for low 30's in LA area which I had my cousin go look at one for me. The idea of me buying a car that I had not seen was too much risk even though it would still be though PPI and that one had I think 60000 miles. Mine only has 15 000miles.

My suggestion would be take your time, your in no rush you already have a sweet comfy A6 as your daily. The buying and hunting process is fun. Drive as many test cars as possible so you can get a feel to what's normal and power dif. I would try to go for the S do to more power and all the other tid bits is worth it. I have a Porsche document that goes through all the differences in detail. If you want to pm me your email, I'll be glad to send it to you. Also when you do get your PPI make sure you tell them to put as much detail as possible on the report. Mine was not as detailed as I wanted it to be.

 

Thanks i think that probably it will take me more time and $$ than originally planned. This weekend i'll be out of state but will be test driving from the following one.

I will also head to some good porsche mechanics in the area and get a sense of how crazy my approach is.

 

Just a few comments about recent developments. I have been considering increasing my parameters to the mid-$40Ks and get a 2007 vehicle. I got a chance to ask a few questions to a service person at a local Porsche dealer.

They seem to think that I should either get a 2005-2006 vehicle and do an IMS retrofit for peace of mind OR buy a 2007 vehicle and purchase an extended warranty. Not sure if this last part made sense since buying a 2007 + extended warranty, would further push up the budget into the same range of a CPO vehicle, which would then become a better choice.

He also said that there is no way to verify in advance (during PPI) if a 2007 model has the new or the old IMS bearing. He said you need to open it up to find out. I though that VIN number etc. would give some assurance in that respect.

In sum, I had thought that buying a 2007 vehicle would substantially reduce the need for a warranty by taking away the IMS issue, but it seems that this may not be the case, at least according to the Porsche person that I spoke with.