Purchase advice

[sbest]

Hello all:

I believe I am finally going to buy my Porsche. I have looked for years and believe it is now or never. I had a few questions for the people who know much more than me. I am looking at a 06 911S. She has about 5k miles. She has the following options: Classic rims, sport chrono, sport exhaust, Bose, sport shifter, steering wheel w/controls. She does not have the full leather nor does she have navigation. She is basalt black with black interior. The price is 72k. The car stickered for 93k. A few questions.

-Does that sound like a good price? (I am in Ohio)

-Does it not having full leather and nav bother the car?

-Do all the sport exhaust (factory) have the switch to turn the exhaust off/down?

-Are there any problems to look out for? (I found many of the earlier 996's I looked at had the dreaded oil leak).

-How many miles can I expect on the tires?

-How much should I expect to pay for tires?

I appreciate anyones time and imput.

Scott

[99C2_Riyanto]

Price sounds reasonable. When I bought my car, I checked prices for similar cars on autotrader.com, panorama classifieds (through PCA), and edmunds.com. That should give you the average and reasonable ceiling/floor. When it comes to precious cars like Porsches, it's hard to get a more exact figure as when we are shopping for a civic. When you love the car, a couple thousands more/less is less important.

As in what could be wrong with the car, a $225 Pre-Purchase Inspection at a respectable dealer is the best investment. Don't have the selling dealer to inspect it though, due to the obvious conflict of interest. I don't know which part of OH the car is in, but I had my PPI done by Midwestern Auto Group. They were excessive in what they recommended I should fix, but better excessive than not thorough enough. Stoddard is also in OH if you are closer to them. In my case, I bought a 6 year old Porsche. You are buying a 2 year car under factory bumper to bumper warranty. I would not be too concerned about problems.

If you are referring to 996's RMS leak problem, I think you must have read enough about that on various forums here. Unless you really like to have the bottom of the car squeaky clean, it is really not a problem. On 997, I believe Porsche AG has redesigned that section 3 or 4 times, so it should be a lot less likely to happen on your 997.

Can't comment on leather interior and Nav. Those are personal preferences. I am budget limited and prefer to have extra $$ in my pocket for those fun DE events. My iphone is good enough to give me directions and real time traffic updates.

I believe all PSE have on/off switch if they are factory installed.

What tires did you get from the factory? Bridgestone S-02 and the approved pirellis are known to wear our really fast, though the bridgestones are known to be quiet. I believe Michelins last longer. It is very common for a pair of front tires to last as long as a pair of rear tires due to 911's rear weight bias and being the driving end. I use Yokohamas. My fronts can last almost 20K miles and the rears only last 10K miles. The bridgestones and pirellis mentioned before last shorter than these.

How much? Close to $1K for a set of 4 depending on whether you are on 18 or 19". Check Tire Rack.

Hope it helps.

[donlycan]

Hi! Sounds like a nice car. Let me share my experience with my '06 997. I purchased my car from a Porsche dealer in 12/07. the msrp was just over $100k. I paid $70K. It had 1800 miles on it. Later in Dec. I purchased Factory 997 18" wheels with great replacement tires for $405. I have had some previous DE experience, and I know the wear and tear that will be inflicted. Always go for the best handling least expensive sized tires. In this case 18's are much less expensive than 19's. With regard to PSE, mine is turned on/off with PASM and/or Sports Chrono Plus. I think the previous reccomendation is a good one, if you spend a few extra dollars that make you feel better, go for it. Having said that, don't jump so quick. Another resource not mentioned is eBay. Watch the 997's that have no reserve, that's the real market value at that time. Car prices are off, big time, right now. Good Luck!

donlycan

Edited March 25, 2008 by donlycan

[White987S]

Sbest, are you buying from a Porsche dealership? If so, try to get them to CPO the car. This will add warranty coverage (about 2 years) and mileage (100,000). Should increase the cost approx $2k.

[sclemmons]

Skip the nav. Buy a Garmin Nuvi when you need a GPS. Easier to deal with and cheaper. And who needs nav much anyway? Much less always on, permanently installed. Maybe if you were delivering packages or making sales calls, but in a C2S? Not likely.

I would be sure it has the sport seats. Not the comfort seats. Check the Tire Rack for your model. PS2's are expensive. For the C4S, which I just bought, it was $550 each for the rears and $300 plus each for the front. Plus installation, which is not trivial with those high dollar 19's of yours. C2S tires are the next size down in the rear, 295 v 305. You should get at least 10k on the rear tires. More on the front. I do not have the full leather. I think it would be cool to have, but I would not let the lack keep me from going for a good deal. I also have the basalt black with tan standard leather. Nicer than most cars. You will love the sport exhaust and shifter. Sport chrono is gingerbread which is fun to play with, but it takes a 12 year old to figure it out. I have not figured mine out yet.

CPO if you are going thru a dealer. The process will highlight everything wrong with the car, and they will recommend fixing it or not.

Shop around if you like, but the miles are low if you like the color and the price works for you. It is a buyers market but it is coming into peak selling season.

Have fun.

[eqs]

Hi Scott, I have a 987S and went through similar type questions. I looked at 911s, Z4s, and Elises, coupes and droptops. The most important thing for me was to get a DME download and a PPI from a dealer that didn't sell the car to me - to get an independent verification. Also I used Edmonds and other web sources to determine comparable pricing for each vehicle I looked at, based on specified options, mileage, and conditions. I then used this information to calculate apples to apples price comparisions which I found were to very accurate once the variables had been addressed. With this information I could then compare "relative values" between the cars that were available to me. Somewhat time consuming, but very accurate - kind of a price calculator I had to devise for myself. When I found my car I knew then right away if it was a good deal or not. It was and I put an offer down within an hour subject to my conditions. My method worked flawlessly and I was given the peace of mind that the car was a good specimen. It is and I can't tell you how much fun the car is to drive. The PCW will also give you some level of comfort - but you know or course that the dealer has priced that in.

Good luck, drive safely, and have fun. Cheers.