san_arthur

All of the above. Or, to put it another way, I don't know if anyone specifically deserves to be a Porsche owner or enthusiast, but as the owner of two vintage 356s, and (serially) two modern Porsches, I love the look of the car but don't own them to be flashy, and I love how they drive, but am not really interested in racing. However, I don't look down on those who customize their cars, who race them, or who like to tinker. (OK, I look down a little bit at those who try to make standard 911s look like GT3s and whatnot). A modern Porsche is generally a high-reliability car, very safe (if driven responsibly), and (as you've seen) they hold their value pretty well. I recently went shopping for a new car, and I found that modern Mercedes had too many gizmos and gadgets and whatnot for me -- I love my Porsche for its simplicity. I recently bought a 2004 996 C4S with 45k miles for $40k, which I thought was a reasonable price. I sourced the car on eBay, but ended up buying it directly from a non-Porsche dealer in another state. The thing I did right was have the seller take it to the nearest Porsche dealership for a complete PPI, which I paid for directly. I got a very complete appraisal of the vehicle. What I did wrong was buying a car in another state, sight unseen. But I really wanted the C4S, it was the color I wanted, had the removable hardtop, and was in excellent condition, so I fell in love with it. I should have either flown there or waited for a car that was closer, as I had trouble with shipping and getting the title. But that is all worked out and I love the C4S. Use eBay (completed listings only), and other sources to get a good idea of price, then get a certified pre-owned car from a dealer in your area. I'm happy with my car and have an excellent independent Porsche mechanic, so I don't rely on the local dealer, but the "certified" label and the warranty that comes with it are probably worth it. gnetwerker: I remember back in the 80's some people installing wale tales on their non turbo 911. Some even going as far as widening the bodies, remember seeing some? I have always been close to Porsches; my brother owned a couple of 930s, I even raced with friends a couple of 356s in 4 Panamericanas (picture attached) but I've never own one myself. Is time to get one for me and best of all, the wife agrees.

Thanks Victor, I'm enjoying it more since I let the 1st one go.

Good idea, let me go for a beer before continuing with the blog. Here the wife and I at the Oktober fest enjoying the german best!

Thanks for your advice, I immediately e-mailed Phil, unfortunately he doesn't have a car for me, but we will be in touch.

I love this blog! Thank you all for your answers and good suggestions. I don’t understand why people modify the truth when is so easy to go on-line and get a record of the vehicle. The more I think about this first purchase experience the angrier I get and thanks to this blog, the wiser I get. Is difficult to describe how I feel the seller thinks, but is something like this: - Since you don’t have the means to purchase a brand new car out of the dealership, you don’t know anything about used Porsches and this used car is the only car you disserve, is perfect and is the right price.- Instead of acting out of impulse, I need to learn more about the 996 and enjoy the purchase experience. I have two questions for you? Who is or who disserves to be the real Porsche enthusiast? The brand new purchaser, the racer, the collector, the mechanic, the hobbyist, the historian? Where should I look for a used Porsche? Craigslist, ebay, clubs? Thanks San Arthur

HI every one! I have been a Mercedes guy since I can remember; my wife drives one and I have a 1970 280SEL coupe garaged. Unfortunately last November I manage to kill my 300SD which was my daily driver. With only 275,000 miles it was in perfect condition. I lost control of the car one rainy night and I ended up destroying the front suspension, engine and gearbox against a very tall sidewalk. While looking into replacing my car, my brother offered to me his used Boxster, but had to back up on his offer because my sister in-law needs a kitchen renovation urgently!! We all know how it goes and who is the boss! Anyway and sorry for the long story, the bug bitted me, I want a Porsche and found a 996 Carrera coupe, 01 with 70,000 miles, a two owner car. The current owner lives out of the country and the car is in a high-end cars storage facility. Asking 25K. I let a local specialist perform a PPI. Leak test came 1, 5 and 6 at 93% and 2, 3 and 4 at 95%, with clutch and everything else ok, and as expected after reading your blog, RMS is leaking. Yesterday I inspected the car myself and found that the front bumper was in too good condition considering the big scratches in the under tray and I also found some paint on the carpet behind the spear tire. There are no signs of repairs under the carpets and weather seals, everything looks original. I also noted some color fading (barely noticeable change of tones) in the left rear fender and a spot (size of a credit card) where the clear coat is gone. Also the rear bumper is 1/8 of an inch missed aligned near the wheel well. When I drove the car the interior was a little noisier (small rattles) then expected, but again is a 10 year old car. When I asked the seller about the front bumper he told me the owner hit the bumper and under tray while parking. He never noticed the color fading and he will ask the owner about it. At night I did a carfax check on the car and found some interesting information. In 3/2010 parts were requested to repair damage after an accident or other incident. Front bumper assembly. Also 6 owners instead of 2, nothing on the left rear fender and no Porsche service information. I called the mechanic how services the car and he remembered the incident, he told me his neighbor back up on the car. And finally my question to you: I’m not scared of main seal repairs and after 70k miles I’m expecting a new clutch will be in order, but is this a 25k car? Should I run away from this one or make a contra offer. Thanks for taking time reading. San Arthur