Aloha,

Hoping for a few thoughts on this 2008 997.1 still available here in Honolulu:

http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/cto/5519074833.html


The history in the Carfax is not great...several owners, sold at auction once, and not much service history. It looks like 22k miles were driven on the Mainland. According to the current owner, 3 or 4 of the ownership changes were the result of one individual changing ownership via new businesses. Price has dropped $1500 in about 60 days. Red flag?

In our brief emails, current owner strikes me as an "enthusiast" and a straight shooter. He just purchased a 2013 991 4S, is selling this 2008, and plans to sell his 1990 964.

According to the window sticker, the car only has a few options but not an issue for me. "Black" is my second color choice and the only mods I'd be interested in are exhaust and eventually, new wheels and perhaps a modest lowering. Other than the frequent unannounced rain showers, Oahu is perfect for cabriolets. But my personal preference is a 6MT coupe.

My commute is only about 2 miles and 30 MPH on the Ala Wai. Fun drives would be early morning weekends or weekends with the local PCA group.

Flying to the Mainland and picking out the "perfect" car, then having it shipped, is tough given the number of long flights it might take to go that route. Much easier to check out cars when the flight or drive time is only 2-3 hours. That said, used inventory here is meager.

It is a far from a perfect "buy" compared to many of the deals I've read about on the forum, but if the PPI turned out solid, it could still be worthy of consideration given the lack of choices here.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts/observations.

 

It looks pretty good.
It just seems like the car doesn't like the owners.
I personally wouldn't do it. That many owners and it has been all over the place.
You can fine 997.1 C2 at cheaper price and better history.
I would rather have high miles, less owners.

 

Normally everyone suggests you wait until you found a car that had everything/most of what you want but living in Hawaii you apparently don't have that luxury. So here's my thought if I were you.

The multiple owners is troubling and the owners are listed as personal and not corporate or commercial if they were registered to a business. That seems to be in conflict with what you've been told.
Nevertheless, I see some positives to give this car consideration.
They are:
- Price: Today's Porsche USA website has a similar car with 36k miles for $48k.
- CPO: The car was CPO'd on 3/22/2012
- History after 3/22/2012: The car was under Porsche warranty from initial purchase until 5/27/2014. Current owner purchased the car on 10/23/2013 while still under warranty. Combined mileage for the 4 years after 3/22/2012 was only 7.3k.

If the current owner is an enthusiast, he will have service records for his ownership time.
Oil changes and a brake fluid change would be minimal service performed during this period. If either of these weren't done pass on the car. Also, as current title holder he can obtain from Fletcher Jones the WO for the CPO. (Not just the 111 point sheet but the actual work done i.e. new battery, tires, clutch, etc). He can also obtain any work FJ did for the previous owner. Knowing what has or has not been done at the time of CPO and after will help give you an idea of how much work/new parts may needed. Brakes and tires are expensive normal wear and tear items.

Definitely get a PPI. Have them do a borescope of the cylinders. The 997.1 engine has a limited history of scored cylinders (notably cylinder #6). You can google "997 scored cylinders" for further info. Since the only cure is a new engine its worth doing even if you have to pay extra for it. My guess is its not an issue but worth it to confirm. Also, have them check the over rev (beyond redline) history. Continued over reving is a sign of abusive ownership and damages the engine.

Lastly, if you decide after your due diligence you want the car, offer him less and use the money to buy a third party warranty if you want some piece of mind. Good luck in your quest


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Aloha jaybr and R33_...thanks for the sage advice. I'll use your recommendations along with everything else I've found here on the forum regarding best practices when buying a used P-car. Mahalo.