hi all, i'm looking to buy my wife a low mileage (12k) 2009 Carrera coupe (no special options/packages) just standard. what is a low mileage 09 run?i need some feedback on what to look out for as this is the first time I've ever been in the market for a Porsche. any known issues that I should be aware of? I really want a stocker so what should I keep my eye out for in terms of performance mods or one that has been reverted back to stock. i drive a modded 07 gt500 and one of the first things anyone does is intake/tune. I imagine tunes are common so any way to know if the guy still has the factory tune?

i have done zero research on these cars so i gotta start somewhere. i'll be searching the forum so keep that in mind.

 

fuel pump should have been replaced (at least on the S engine), check on that. Warrenty work.
Is it a CPO Porsche dealer car? Get a history if you can, and a DME scan. That should tell lots.
Tunes on the 997.2 have not been out that long and are expensive IMO , so chances are good it was not tuned. Good luck.

 

Sorry you are not getting much of a response here..... your question is good but so open.

Price: Used prices, particularly for 2009 and later have actually risen. You can get a better deal if you buy over the 'net but if you are not comfortable with that, buy a small tub of Vaseline. I found an amazing deal, but I looked for about 4 months. Deals are out there but you really have to work at it. I personally think most overpay for their cars and rationalizing that some option makes it OK, but that is my opinion.

When you get below 20K mileage, the price really jumps. Under 10K miles, the prices get stupid. I think a good sweet spot is just over 30K miles.... but that is just me.

If the car is being sold by a Porsche dealer, it will probably be CPO which is a good thing but they will stick you for it. CPO or not is your risk tolerance issue. These cars are expensive to maintain but pretty solid and not too buggy.

If not sold by a Porsche dealer, take the car to a Porsche indy/speed shop and they will do an pre-purchase inspection for around $150.

Check CarFax if you can. If there has been an accident, ask the pre-purchase inspectors to check it out. I think a fender bang is good thing as many P-buyers will run like hell from this and will allow you to really negotiate them down.

If the car is a manual, have both the dealer and the pre-purchase inspectors dump the computer and check for over-revs. Much is out there on what to see, but any car with 0 over revs level 2 and up is a perfect result.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

 

Solid advice in the previous posts.

The question of risk tolerance is a good one. I'd recommend spending the extra to buy a CPO, either from a dealer or some private party with a lot of miles left on their CPO. General repairs are expensive, major engine and tranny failures are really expensive even in a non-S model. While rare, especially in a non-S and non-tracked car, you can think $20k plus for a new engine and $12k for a PDK tranny. Another example: A replacement headlight is more than $1400.

The CPO warranty adds around $2400 in cost to the dealer, but they are also required to make sure the service and maintenance is up to date. On both of my cars, the dealer spent between $2500 and $3000 (beyond the CPO cost itself) on getting the car fully serviced and included new tires, brakes, spark plugs, filters, etc. Some of the extra cost at the dealer comes from that, consider that when looking at the extra cost you may find at a dealer, it isn't as unreasonable as it first seems. The CPO does not guarantee a bullet-proof car, so be sure to check it out thoroughly. Many here spend a few hundred to get a independent inspection (PPI), I've cheaped out and just given a thorough looking over myself both times. Porsche dealers are used to their cars getting a thorough inspection by buyers, so don't be shy. If you aren't comfortable looking for problems and signs of damage repairs, consider the PPI.

The PDK transmissions are amazing in many ways and are very robust and easy to drive, and unless your wife is a hard core manual transmission person, get her the PDK transmission. It will cost a few grand more but well worth it in my opinion. The clutches in the PDK last the lifetime of the car, so at least the extra cost is made back up by the savings on clutch replacements on a manual.

Sounds like you can avoid the costs of an S model, even a lot of enthusiasts love the base model and the cost is much lower. The power in the 2009 and up DFIs is great across the power band. The 2009s and up (997.2s) also have much better electronics. If Bluetooth and iPod are important, make sure the car has those, some don't.

If she isn't a performance enthusiast, you can consider forgoing the additional cost of the Sport Chrono package. However, be aware that Sport Chrono is much much than the clock. The throttle and PDK shifting behavior is much crisper when the Sport button is engaged. There are also other features that get oddly rolled into to it as well, such as memory seat settings, etc. Leaving off the sport suspension (PASM) sounds like another potential savings if again, you aren't a hard core enthusiast.