I'm in the hunt for my first Porsche (and first 911). Been looking for awhile, all from afar as I'm 2 hours from the closest major cities where Porsches can be found with any regularity, which makes test drives, inspections, etc. difficult. Sometimes I wish I lived in Toronto so I could check cars out as they come up, but being 2+ hours away makes it difficult, which is why sites like 6speed and Rennlist are so invaluable.


This being the case, I don't feel that I'll be able to do a lot of testing of different cars, etc., and will likely have to pull the trigger on one (or at least put down a deposit) sight-unseen.


So, my question is, for those of you who bought pre-owned, how many cars did you typically drive before finding "the One"? How picky were you about condition, recent brake and tire replacement, PPI/DME report, etc.?

 

I first drove 2 911.
at first I thought a base 997.1 would be enough power for me. turned out I much preferred the Carrera-S. (so drove 2 cars, just to know what I wanted)


then I spent a lot of time online looking at cars, contacting dealer about a car they have that I would like.


the experience you have with a dealer is very important to me. if I email/call and don't get fast and valuable replies. I pass.
then I found the car and a dealer that communication was great. bought a plane ticket to the US to test drive the car and have it inspected by another Porsche dealer.


so I actualy bought the first one I tried.

 

Wow, I drove and inspected quite a few before my purchase... that was just a month ago and I still smile every time I open the garage door!

- I drove a 997.2 with PDK first and eliminated an automatic right then
- I drove a 997.1 manual (didn't like the options)
- I drove a 997.2 manual (too many miles on it)
- I drooled over a 997 turbo (out of my price range)
- I drove a 997.1 S manual (purchased)

 

None, I tried looking at Porsches once and it was a horrible experience. It doesn't help that I look like a teenager. Walked around awhile, had a few salesmen look at me but none approach. I was actually looking for an Aston Martin vantage at the time but had always been fond of Porsche 911's. I drove the 964 enough to know that 997 is an awesome car. One day while browsing ebay, I stumbled on this CPO 997 C4S, AWD isn't what I had in mind. But after reading about the C4S all day, I placed a bid the next day. There were also a couple of things I didn't like, wood trim and chrome wheels but I know those are easily replaced.

 

I'm not sure how far away from Toronto you are, but if you are close enough, I have a friend selling his and it's what I would consider mint and worth a two hour drive...

For me, I drove one. There weren't more than 3 gt3's in the area in my price range and I paid the deposit then continued to drive the remaining appointment I had made just to make sure I had made the right choice. The second one was at a dealer ..(Chrysler). They had one in that had been traded in for a viper. After seeing the condition of the car I didn't even want to drive it...

 

I drove four dealer cars and then two private party cars before deciding on the second private party car I drove (05 C2S).

The dealer cars were more expensive with all other things being equal. But they also seemed more willing to deal. The private party cars were in far better condition - better interior, fewer chips, dings, wheel rash, etc.

I had a PPI done of the dealer cars and it all checked out good but I passed on it, changed my mind and it was already sold when I went to look into it again. The car I ended up with was a one-owner car, 37k miles, all service records, oil changed every year (4-5k miles), and really a perfect car with no chips, dings, never driven in the rain, etc. Because of this I bought it without a PPI. He had a Durametric setup (which he gave me with the sale) and showed me that there were zero over revs in any range so I took a little bit of a chance but the car was so good, the right price, and the colors I wanted.

It did have an open recall so I had that taken care of right away and the complimentary dealer inspection showed that everything was in excellent condition.

After looking at cars in person I can't see how anyone could buy one without seeing it in person. I located one of the dealer cars on eBay and I thought it was THE ONE - 25k miles, black/black and spectacular. I went to see it in person and it looked like a 100k mile car on the outside. Rock chips to the extreme, dings, hardened cracking rubber. It was shocking because the inside was pristine and appeared as though the driver's seat was the only one ever used.

When you find the car within your budget, the right options/colors/etc., be ready to pounce. But even with a good PPI I would be sure to see it and drive it in person before pulling the trigger.

 

I was looking at 911's online one evening, found one on ebay at an independent dealer with perfect feedback on 400 cars sold. Bought it the following morning, arrived from San Diego as advertised.
Had it 4 1/2 years now, great car.

 

drove two dealer cars, looked at CPO cars online (about 50 or so), then found one on a dealer site (1500 miles away) , slowly worked a deal by phone, drove and inspected it, the price was pre determined after haggling , drove it home. About 3 months of looking. It was a CPO car with 5K miles and in perfect condition. I was very picky.

 

I looked online for about 1 month. (Craigslist, eBay, autotrader, car gurus, all the Porsche dealerships in California) I test drove: 1. A 2009 4s from a local non Porsche dealer but I didn't like the history of the car. (Registered in 4 states with 4 different owners) and they weren't willing to negotiate. 2. A private party 2011 S via Craigslist but the seller wanted the max blue book value. I told him his price was too high. I saw his car on Craigslist now being sold by a consignment shop. I guess owners always tend to over value what their selling, even when the market tries to correct them. (Been about 2 months now and his car still hasn't sold, even after multiple price drops by the consignment shop) 3. I drove to a Porsche dealership just north of San Francisco (I'm in the Cupertino area) and test drive a 2011 Carrera S with 23,000 miles. This was the biggest waste of time ever ! Cosmetically, the car looked like it had 100,000 miles on it. I mean it was hideous. I'd be surprised if they found someone to buy that car especially at their asking price (around 65k) 4. A 2011 Carrera S w/23,000 miles. I found this one, surprisingly enough, at the Toyota dealership in San Francisco. I was able to do all the communication etc. Via email and phone. Everything was all taken care of and I just went in to do the paperwork and pickup the car. If it looked crappy when I got there, I would not have gone though with the purchase. But it was in very good condition. 1 previous owner and it is a local San Francisco Bay Area car. Now that I think about it, I am pretty happy with that dealership. (and I hate dealerships!) later they told me they surprisingly sell a lot of Porsches.

Anyway, I test drove 4 and bought the 4th. Also want to add to the OP that no Porsche dealerships in my area offer PPI's anymore because Porsche corporate got sued or something(?) I could have take it to an independent shop if I wanted. BUT instead of going through that hassle, I made sure the one which I bought still had some factory warranty left. That way if there were any issues, I can get it taken care of under the factory warranty.

 

The day I bought my 911, I didn't even know I was going to buy a 911. As luck would have it, I only drove one; the one I bought.

 

Four months for the 997. Looked at a multitude of cars, always something not quite right. I just didn't want to compromise, and was beginning to get pretty despondent. My search took me all over the U.S. via internet..... then I finally found THE car listed 10 miles away from home. Met the owner, and as soon as he opened the garage,and I saw it sitting in all its glory, I knew it was the one.

Went home, made a stupid offer over the phone to the seller…….. and after an agonizing 30 seconds of absolute silence, he agreed. My wife drove me to pick it up the next morning, and I could not be happier (Unless it was a Turbo S).

 

I love that Toyota dealership! That actually happens to be the first place I ever test drove a Porsche Carrera. It was an '05 base with 70k miles and they let me take it for a proper test drive. I eventually decided the mileage was too high, and they never pressured me at all throughout the process.

A couple of months later I drove an 07 C4S through a consignment company which was also a great experience since they came to my house and let me test drive it as I pleased. It was already on eBay and the bid went higher than I wanted to pay.

Finally I found an '06 C2S with 21k miles on Craigslist at the high end of how much these cars typically sell for. I was honest with the seller that I didn't want to go above a certain amount and he said he was willing to negotiate. PPI checked out, and we agreed on a number.

I hate haggling and I always come up with a number I'm willing to pay for a car. If the seller rejects, I simply move on. Took me a couple of months, but I got the car I wanted with the budget I had in mind.

 

I test drove 4 different cars and I think it would be hard to commit to just one car without doing so.
My suggestion for you, since you will most likely be looking in all the same places as I was for the past couple of months, is to find 5 or 6 cars you are interested in at 2 or three dealers in the Toronto area and schedule a day to test drive them all back to back. This should give you a worthwhile trip and give you a good comparison for all the cars on your possibility list.
Check out Kijiji, and AutoTrader, there are usually some god dealer listings in there. I went to World Fine Cars in Etobicoke, Pfaff Porsche and Downtown Porsche. All were helpful and willing to deal if you are serious. If you call ahead to let them know you are interested in test drives they will have the cars lined up and ready to drive for when you get there.
Good luck.

 

Two -- almost identical (black on black, 2011 model year, cabriolet) except one was an S and the other wasn't. My wife decided the non-S wasn't enough of an upgrade over her Audi S4 cab but came back from the test drive of the S with a big sh*t-eating grin on her face. Three hours later we were driving home in it.

 

Drove 1, my friends 997.1S.

Then flew out 300 miles to buy mine from a Porsche Dealer in LA. I probably spent 2-3 years researching 911. So I knew what options I wanted. Mine was CPO from a Porsche dealer, so I wasn't as worried about purchasing a car unseen.