Price check 05 997

[w cole]

Hey guys,

Not sure if this is the correct forum but I am currently in the market for a 2005 997 Carrera 2, 6 speed with mileage in the high 30s (maybe even low 40s). Ideally I would like to spend 38-40k. Does this seem like a reasonable budget for this year/mileage (I am in SoCal)?

I looked at one today, it had 38,000 miles and I got him down to 38k (from 41) over the phone which he seemed fairly firm at (maybe he would have done 37k). But after driving 2 hours to see the car it turns out despite his assurances of "absolutely no paint work" the front bumper had been horribly repainted (long hairs in the paint, TONS of fish eyes - I could do better work with a spray can) and the right fender and trunk had been reasonably repainted (some fish eyes, etc.). I though 38k was probably too high considering I'd have to put an additinal ~2k getting everything repainted professionally and at that point I would still have a car with a repainted front end so I walked away from the deal.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I haven't been in the market for very long so I have yet to get a good feel for pricing. I do have access to Manheim - does anyone have an idea how the Manheim prices should correlate to private party values?

Thanks!

Edited May 15, 2011 by w cole

[AP 997S]

As a 2005 997S owner I certainly wouldn't let mine go in $38-$40K range right now.

I'm sure you'll find one but I suspect it'll need some TLC & $$$ before you'll be happy.

I suspect the good-to-great deal range might be more like mid to high $40K's from a PP and high $40K's to low $50's from stealers (sorry I meant dealers).

IMHO it's all about condition, condition, condition & history, history, history.

Good luck on your search.

[w cole]

As a 2005 997S owner I certainly wouldn't let mine go in $38-$40K range right now.

I'm sure you'll find one but I suspect it'll need some TLC & $$$ before you'll be happy.

I suspect the good-to-great deal range might be more like mid to high $40K's from a PP and high $40K's to low $50's from stealers (sorry I meant dealers).

IMHO it's all about condition, condition, condition & history, history, history.

Good luck on your search.

Thanks for the info. Yeah, I doubt I could get an "S" in my price range. I don't know how much more the 2005's were when new but I know for 2010 its around $12,000 more for an "S." Does "Carrera 2" denote the "S" model? I just meant a base model Carrera 2WD.

I can definitely increase my budget if need be. I'd rather get a fair deal on a great car than a great deal on a fair car. I just don't want to overpay, I see some sellers asking $7k or so over kelly blue book and then I read about forum members getting crazy good deals so I'm not sure what to think.

Edited May 15, 2011 by w cole

[AP 997S]

I don't think the Carrera 2 nomenclature is used anymore to describe the current 911 (997) build(s). It's usually Carrera, Carrera S (2 wheel rear) and of course Carrera 4 & 4S (all-wheel). And don't forget you have Turbo, Turbo S, GTS, GT2, GT3, etc. They are all 911 variants.

No matter where or who you buy from try to get your local Porsche dealer service mgr to query the Porsche service database on the car. Get 'chummy' w/ them and they give you some good info; no personal data on ownership but whether the car has seen dealer service and what was done. Of course use CARFAX as well.

I'd try to buy from a Porsche 'nut' (like most of us here) who tend to take really good care of their cars. At least I do. My 2005 (6+ years old) has just over 21K miles and IMHO it's just as good, not better, then new. If the history of the car is 'cloudy' or unknown make sure you have some factory warranty or CPO warranty left just in case.

Lastly . . . . be patient & prudent.

[phillipj]

My advice would be to step up and get an 06+. The 05's have engine issues and should be avoided. If you must have an 05 make sure it''s a CPO car. Believe me...You don't want to go through the dreaded "engine replacement" on one of these cars "out of pocket".

If you have a CPO warranty and the engine goes it will cost you nothing.

I will never have another P car without a Porsche warranty..

Good luck. There are lots of cars out there. Be patient and you will find what you want...

:cheers:

Edited May 16, 2011 by phillipj

[w cole]

My advice would be to step up and get an 06+. The 05's have engine issues and should be avoided. If you must have an 05 make sure it''s a CPO car. Believe me...You don't want to go through the dreaded "engine replacement" on one of these cars "out of pocket".

If you have a CPO warranty and the engine goes it will cost you nothing.

I will never have another P car without a Porsche warranty..

Good luck. There are lots of cars out there. Be patient and you will find what you want...

:cheers:

Thanks for the advice Phil. I was originally looking at 996's but after reading about the issues they have I thought an 05 997 would be a better buy. I guess I'll have to go one notch higher and start looking at 06's. I read that some of the 05's have the larger IMS bearing - does this mean they would be just as reliable as an 06? How can one tell if an 05 has one of these engines?

Edited May 17, 2011 by w cole

[Loren]

My advice would be to step up and get an 06+. The 05's have engine issues and should be avoided. If you must have an 05 make sure it''s a CPO car. Believe me...You don't want to go through the dreaded "engine replacement" on one of these cars "out of pocket".

If you have a CPO warranty and the engine goes it will cost you nothing.

I will never have another P car without a Porsche warranty..

Good luck. There are lots of cars out there. Be patient and you will find what you want...

:cheers:

Thanks for the advice Phil. I was originally looking at 996's but after reading about the issues they have I thought an 05 997 would be a better buy. I guess I'll have to go one notch higher and start looking at 06's. I read that some of the 05's have the larger IMS bearing - does this mean they would be just as reliable as an 06? How can one tell if an 05 has one of these engines?

The engines did not get the update until mid 06 model year.

Sorry, but Porsche did not publish a change-over VIN or build date (to our knowledge).

[phillipj]

Loren is right. Not til 06 did Porsche upgrade the IMS.. Even with an 06 I suggest getting a car with a warranty. Just good insurance..

Good luck!

[AP 997S]

I think I have to defend all 2005 997 owners (lol).

I tend to agree that the rear main seal and intermediate shaft issues might have been 'more' problematic then subsequent builds but nevertheless the percentage of failures have never been quantified. If the numbers were significant I suspect we would have seen huge out cry from owners (world wide) and a 'recall' from Porsche. I've had my 2005 997S for close to 5 yrs and have over 22K miles on it. It has seen a number of DE & AX events plus some spirited driving. I regularly check for oil leakage from the seal area and to date it's dry as a bone. Of course an IMS failure is sudden & catastrophic so there is no way to determine when & if it may happen.

I just felt my 'baby' was being maligned and it was my duty to defend her.

I do agree w/ the recommendation regarding factory warranty or CPO when purchasing a used Porsche.

[phillipj]

AP 997s,

I meant no disrespect to your car :rolleyes: ..

I have other friends with 05's that have had no issues as well. But Porsche has "good willed" new engines many times on "out of warranty" 05's. So they know there is a problem. I was just trying to tell the prospective buyer to look at the 06+ because of the updated IMS. Just one less thing to worry about. I have had a 996 blow up. Wasn't real happy about that...:cursing:

My your Carrera run forever!

:cheers:

[AP 997S]

Sound advice would be to buy the latest model year your pocket book can handle.

In most cases newer models are almost always more reliable, have better performance and more creature comforts.

That being said I'm not 'offended' over comments of my 2005 997S.

:soapbox: :cheers: :soapbox: :cheers:

[phillipj]

:clapping: :clapping: :clapping:

[jca3]

My advice would be to step up and get an 06+. The 05's have engine issues and should be avoided. If you must have an 05 make sure it''s a CPO car. Believe me...You don't want to go through the dreaded "engine replacement" on one of these cars "out of pocket".

If you have a CPO warranty and the engine goes it will cost you nothing.

I will never have another P car without a Porsche warranty..

Good luck. There are lots of cars out there. Be patient and you will find what you want...

:cheers:

Thanks for the advice Phil. I was originally looking at 996's but after reading about the issues they have I thought an 05 997 would be a better buy. I guess I'll have to go one notch higher and start looking at 06's. I read that some of the 05's have the larger IMS bearing - does this mean they would be just as reliable as an 06? How can one tell if an 05 has one of these engines?

The engines did not get the update until mid 06 model year.

Sorry, but Porsche did not publish a change-over VIN or build date (to our knowledge).

I don't think that's 100% accurate. I opened up my 2005 C2S to do the LN Engineering upgrade only to find that it already had the upgraded IMS from the factory. I think the changeover occurred at some point for MY 2005 cars -- I don't know precisely when. I didn't buy the car new, (I'm the second owner) but it was delivered in May 2005. Safe to say that not ALL 2005 cars should be tossed under the bus.

[phillipj]

JCA3,

Glad to her you have the upgrade already. Would be nice if Porsche would have designated which 05's they did the upgrade to...

:cheers:

[doggy]

I have a 2005 C2 with over 124,000 miles on it. Aside from an oil separator and an A/C compressor replacement and routine maintenance, the car has been great and trouble free. I bought the car new in Jan 2005 and obviously drive it a fair amount. The car has been great, good gas mileage, strong engine, interior and exterior look great. I change the oil every 3-4 thousand miles, and have no plans to stop driving it. Due to the mileage, I would never bother trying to sell it, but I would buy another one in a heartbeat and without a second thought.

Member - Doggy

[halsyknox]

I have a 2005 C2 with over 124,000 miles on it. Aside from an oil separator and an A/C compressor replacement and routine maintenance, the car has been great and trouble free. I bought the car new in Jan 2005 and obviously drive it a fair amount. The car has been great, good gas mileage, strong engine, interior and exterior look great. I change the oil every 3-4 thousand miles, and have no plans to stop driving it. Due to the mileage, I would never bother trying to sell it, but I would buy another one in a heartbeat and without a second thought.

Member - Doggy

:cheers: I bet there are a lot more stories out there just like yours.

[phillipj]

I have a 2005 C2 with over 124,000 miles on it. Aside from an oil separator and an A/C compressor replacement and routine maintenance, the car has been great and trouble free. I bought the car new in Jan 2005 and obviously drive it a fair amount. The car has been great, good gas mileage, strong engine, interior and exterior look great. I change the oil every 3-4 thousand miles, and have no plans to stop driving it. Due to the mileage, I would never bother trying to sell it, but I would buy another one in a heartbeat and without a second thought.

Member - Doggy

Awesome... I love that story!

[lebow71]

I am currently considering purchasing a 2005 997S. It has 60,000 miles on the clock with the engine replaced 12,000 miles ago with new factory motor installed by local dealer. Dealer would not say why engine was replaced but Porsche covered 1/2 the cost even though the car was out of warranty so I am assuming it was the IMS...

My question is - Are the replacement engines from Porsche updated with the new bearing?

Car seems like a good deal at $39,000 as it is in good shape with lots of options. I have had a pre purchase inspection and nothing come up other than the engine mounts should be replaced (not sure why that wasn't done with the new motor) and the battery is not the correct size.

Appreciate everyones thoughts.

David

[phillipj]

Yes the replacement motor would have the updated IMS bearing. Depending on your budget you may want to look at the 06's as well. There are a lot of 997's out there. Don't fall for the first pretty face you see. If you have the time you should be able to find a car with the right color combinations and options that you want.

Good luck!

[lebow71]

I agree, and have been looking for a while. My thinking is that the overall conditionof the car is pretty clean and the fact the new engine only has 12,000 mls on it seems like an advantage. It seems like the prices have not come down much over the past year and may have even gone up a bit. I am looking on the autotrader & cars websites. Any other suggestions for sourcing a car?

[phillipj]

I sent you a PM..