Stepping into the water and making my first posting. After many conversations with the wife and several years of waiting, due to other important priorities, I’m looking to finally join the Porsche ownership club. I’m currently looking at three different options / scenarios (stair steps sort of speak) and wonder what this forum thinks.
2008, 2 owner 997.1 C4 with 11k miles. PP asking $50k, but I’m targeting $47.5k, MSRP (guessing $90k-$95k)
2009, 3 owner (2 in last 24 months) 997.2 C2S with 26k miles. Dealer Asking $60k, but I’m targeting $53k (discounting for the amount of owners), MSRP (guessing $95-$100k)
2013, 1 owner 991 C2 with 12k miles. PP asking $78k, but I’m targeting $72k, MSRP $100k
My goal is to get a reliable model that I can enjoy as a DD (5 miles round trip) with occasional weekend trips to the mountains (100 miles each way). I hope this car is one I keep for many, many years, but if in the off chance I need to sell it in 3 years I can with the minimum amount of loss.
I’m sure some or many are thinking this should be more of an emotional decision and it is (that’s why I will be joining the ownership club soon), but now that the emotional piece has got me here my logic / finance brain is kicking in and trying to make the best emotional decision possible.

Thanks for any and all advice / feedback.

 

mileage is not a tell tale of the car. I sold cars a long time and the 2 owners in 24 months I don't like. Sounds like dealer bought it then flipped at the auction to another one. If you buy a car on price you get what you pay for. Have to look at the overal condition.

 

You really can't compare a 997.1 to a 991. Two very different vehicles. Drive both and see which speaks to you. Of course you will want to get an independent PPI w/DME scan.

Also agree with the comment about the car with two owners in 24 months. I would pass on that. I recently saw a 2007 F430 Spider for sale at our local Ferrari dealer. The on-line car fax showed 6 previous owners. One only had the car for 3 months !

PS: Welcome to the forum and good luck in your search.

 

I have owned over 325 cars in the last 20 years (some I kept less than 100 miles) and you need to keep this in mind. With cars like Porsche's Ferrari's, and Lamborghini's some people buy them a soon realize how impractical they are (I had a neighbor who kept a Ferrari for less than 30 days for this very reason). I can tell you this much none of the cars I decided not to keep had anything to do with them having issues. There is a member on this forum who kept the S version of the Panamera less than 6 months and then went with the turbo. People rarely purchase cars like this for transportation (who would you can get that for 15K) they buy them for other reasons. Some have passion for the brand, some for status, and probably far less than you think because of the way they drive. If your worried about what you will loose if you sell in a year or two buy a car that has already been depreciated by half. CPO'd cars are a good bet but just because a car has multiple owners or that is has had no service issues does not mean something will not go wrong down the road. Good luck in your search.

 

get a 997 - last of the hydraulic steering!

 

Agree on the 991 comparison. I've driven both and feel the 997 is a more traditional 911 than the 991, like the 993 was more than the 996. 991 interior seems more luxury GT than sports car, but naturally the lap times are all sports car. In the end if you can afford either it is simply your preference. Have you driven both? What do you think?

I think your target price is achievable on the 997.1, but I don't think you'll hit your targets on the other two...I could be wrong.

 

Thanks for all the responses. I will definitely have a PPI done on all orany of them before buying. Some of thesecars will require me to fly and drive back, so I’m relying on the photos,carfax (all clean) and PPI before jumping on a plane.

The 997.1 looks to be in phenomenal shape (paint andinterior leather). The 997.2 looks to bein great shape as well and the appeal there is 1yr newer which in this casegets me the mid-model enhancements (HP, PCM upgrade and S model). Looking at the carfax MrPrice might beright. The car has never left the stateof NC. I’ll be calling the dealershiptoday to see what information they can provide me on its history.


Year purchased2010
2012
2013
Type of owner
Personal
Personal
Personal
Estimated length of ownership
2 yrs. 9 mo.
8 months
6 months
Owned in the following states/provinces
North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina
Estimated miles driven per year
5,630/yr
---
---
Last reported odometer reading
15,660
24,755
26,173

I did sit in a 991 and then immediately sat in a 997.2 thedealership had on the lot. I agree thereis no comparison when it comes to the cabin and driver feel / comfort while init. I almost felt like I did the 997 adisservice by sitting in the 991 first.

The 991 is financially doable, but might require me toactually look at my monthly expenditures in a little more detail over the nextfew years. That is why I’m a little tepidabout the 991. I ran some numbers and onpaper it might make reasonable financial sense as compared to the other two options.

I’m going to drive 997.1 and 997.2 sometime over the next5-10 days to take my analysis to the next phase and get me one step closer tobuying one.

If the carfax and PPI checkout is there anything else Ishould do before making the trip to physically view and purchase any of thesevehicles?

Thanks!

 

Will try to add some photos later tonight if that helps

 

I think you are looking at it reasonably.
You will buy a 911 for the passion, but make the selection with your brain and not your heart.
Meaning do your homework and do not settle. There will always be one just for you.
I waited several months before I pulled the trigger on a 997.2 2009,(xmas of 2011) had 16k at that point.
2.5 years later, one flat battery later, a couple of rear tires later.
I am happy as a clam. I have precisely what I want, maybe I would have traded an option for another one. But very close to the way I would have ordered it out of the factory.
Good luck! Post some pics

 

To me the choice is between the '08 and the '13. IMHO the '08 is more of a sports car and the '13 more of a GT. Looking at the numbers, the '08 makes more sense to me. I would prefer the lower entry point price wise and have some $$ in my account for maintenance, etc., especially if there is no warranty. Just my $.02.

 

09 or 13. 09 is an S. I would also be supprised if you can get them at the prices you state. Then again, I didn't see the cars.
08 , you don t need a C4 in NC. Not as updated as the other two cars IMO.

 

I just bought my car recently and pondered similar things. I wanted to make sure it's comfortable enough for DD but could handle itself well on the track. My M3 did a good job of this, and I didn't want to be compromising that. I ended up with a 997.2. I was willing to buy a C2S but got lucky with a C4S for the same price and better options.

I opted the 997.2 over a 997.1 due to higher hp engine and fixed issues. Here is the posting that I reviewed regarding the 997.1 that I didn't want in my car. Also, the tiptronic upgrade to PDK (faster 0-60, better reliability) and the GPS system/center console looks old. 997.2 still looks modern for a 5 year old system (yay bluetooth and ipod!)

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...n-997-1-a.html

I wanted as low miles as possible and hopefully a private owner/few owners. With a private owner, I could see how they were as a person (car abuser/car guru?) and what was done to the car (tracked? launched? garaged?). That way, I have confidence in what I'm buying instead of a car sales man that will get back to me after he looks for what paper work he has, if any. The lower the miles is straightforward: the less wear, the less potential abuse, the less parking in a parking lot and getting dented.

Finally price. I couldn't get over the fact that someone out there sold their car for probably 40-50k and the dealer is selling the car for 60-70k to make a profit. I kept pondering, if only I got to them before the dealer... I did almost buy from a dealer due to low miles and good color/options. I was iffy about 3 owners, one guy owned it for 6 months and probably wanted a ferrari instead or the car was a dud and offloaded it to a dealer. (Oh the taxes I would have paid...) Have to compromise when it comes to used cars.

Therefore, for a few thousand more, I was willing to pay for a 997.2 versus a 997.1. I also reasoned that I'll get that few thousand more back when I sell my car and probably more desirable due to the updated engine. I really do like the 991, but it was above my price range for a S. I reasoned that a 997.2 S versus a 991 S is only 15 hp difference, some electronic improvements, for $30k more? I couldn't justify that. You're looking at a 991 non-s, so it's 350hp, so it's more hp than the 2008 (325hp) but less than the 2009 (385hp). Also, you must analyze the options. Is one cheaper bc of less options? Figure out which options you must have. For the 997.2, I know that if you're getting the PDK, having sportchorono(+) is a must and greatly affects resale value.


If you only have the 3 cars to choose from, I'd pass on the 997.2 2009 car due to so many owners. I wouldn't want to buy a lemon and be stuck with a high bill for something I couldn't fix myself and pay premium prices. Also, once one thing starts going wrong with an old car, every little sound makes you think something else is wrong with the car. Then you start to think what could the other owners have done to the car. The 2008 with low miles and 2 owners is quite nice. Just wish it was a S or a 2009 model. It won't depreciate as much as the 2013. If you want to enjoy a new car, with warranty, less old car headaches (older tech, rubber just got old...), then try the 2013 if you can be at peace with the price and the room for depreciation (I couldn't be at peace). I still need to save for retirement, but if you have some cash to spare, you and your wife only live once and should spoil yourselves. (that's how my mom got a brand new car)

Or, just keep looking. I looked from November and coincidentally found my car in March. It's so much money; you want a confident buy.

Last piece of used car buying advice: PPIs are not as thorough as you'd like them to be. We've bought probably 4 used cars in the last 4 years, and each mechanic/specialist did a 80% grade job. You're probably just paying them to use their lift so you/someone can see the underside of the car better. If it was something major, you probably could have seen the frame damage or the imperfect paint job (or carfax). If the engine isn't healthy, you won't know until you've driven the car many miles and get a feel of the idle and throttle of the car. They'll even tell you (esp porsche mechanics) that if it's a bad car, then you'll know within the startup, idle, and driving the car around the block (45 min job). Then you bring home the car, it needs a valve job, boost gauge doesn't work, fuel pump is going out, shocks needs to be replaced... but I really doubt that's gonna happen with a under 50k mile car.

Definitely get a compression test. One of the cars we bought was horrible because of low compression on one cylinder. From then on, we always got compression test when we could from our PPI. We were looking at one car with low miles (40k) and one cylinder failed compression. We walked away happy knowing that was something we didn't want to fix.

Sorry for the info overload. Hope that helped.. or not. Good luck finding the one!

 

Thanks for all the post and private messages, good information toponder. Waterrei, our thinking is verysimilar.

A few additional details about myfirst post, the 2008 C4 had a recent price drop that I felt made it attractiveto buy. Pros: low miles and gets me intomy first Porsche that is very manageable. Cons: I do hope to keep this for several years and the lack of Bluetoothfor longer road trips is disappointing, but for the 4 times a year I’m driving soloI could probably manage. Also, the PCMdoes look dated by today standards.



As I was going through the processand talking with the owner and trying to arrange a PPI I started to really askmyself if the 997.1, even though in great condition, would make me happy tomorrowand 3 years from now. I jumped into the 997.2,2009-2010 model years, research and the C2S I found was the most reasonablepriced. My target prices are what I’mwilling to pay for them based on what I know. If I can’t get the price I’m targeting then I’ll continue to researchuntil I find the car that is in the condition I want for the price I’m willingto pay. I was once told to plan yourdive and dive your plan and it has worked for me when purchasing vehicles,house or any other big ticket item. Keeps me from getting too caught up in the moment and overspending.



Must have options: Manual, powerseats with memory (2 year old that I’ll have to put in a car seat from time totime in the read…I’ve researched this and believe I have the car seat to makethis work) and sunroof



Nice to have options: S model Bluetooth,NAV, heated and vented seats



To sum up, I’m going to remove the current2009 C2S off the list. If I can get the value proposition from the 2008 to workI am leaning toward a 997.2 2009-2011. I’mjust a little nervous about the car below slipping away while I research andthen me not finding a 2009-2011 that I think is good value.

 

I recently traded a 991S for an 2011 997.2S, for several reasons listed prior.I have to agree with other posts regarding the 991 as a GT.It is a fantastic car ,but 1 month into 997.2 ownership I can honestly say I feel more connected to this one.

OP I agree with your opinion re some BT and PCM comforts in the 997.2 vs 997.1. Enjoy the journey in finding the right car.

 

I have a 2008 C4S myself and one of the best things about the 4 wheel drive model is that it's wider in the back than the regular C models (I'm an a$$ guy ).

I upgraded my stock PCM to an aftermarket Pioneer NEX unit and it def puts the car in line with modern cars