Hey everybody, first off I want to start by saying I love this forum! Everyone is so knowledgeable and helpful, this really is a great community! So Thanks ahead of time for all your help with this post.

I'm currently in a market for my first Porsche and I'm about 80-90% sure I'm going to buy a 997 rather than a 996 unless I happen to come by some deal that just screams bargain. And that is mainly because I like to minor change in looks and the more stable engine.

So my first question is this, does anyone think the 997 prices will decrease dramatically once the new 2010 arrive? Obviously the value will decrease year by year but what I'm interested in more specifically is will the new PDK technology have much of an affect at all?

Second question, I'm looking more at the 2005 911 than the other later years mainly because of price difference. Any known major problems with that year?

Third question, and I know I read this on a thread already but I accidentally closed it and I couldn't remember which one it was so forgive me for being so annoying but I know the c4s is wider than the c4 so does that also apply to the c2? Meaning aside from the AWD/2WD difference is the c2s wider than the c2?

Last question, bear with me, I apologize for it being so long: I'm located in Colorado and maybe it's the season maybe it's not but I cannot find the kind of variety/color/price as I see in some states such as CA. But what I want to know is has anyone ever bought a car off of ebay? The prices are CHEAP! but I've never bought a car off ebay before so I'm assuming the transportation fee would make up the difference in the low price? But then should I also worry about any defects in the car? In general has anyone ever bought a car out of state and have them deliver it? If so please tell me the procedure, the cost, and what was your overall experience.

Thanks again for reading this long thread and for replying! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

 

Hi and Welcome. You will love the 997, do whatever it takes to get into the latest version. Nobody has a crystal ball, though everyone will give an opinion on what prices (the economy, price of gold, etc.) are going to do. Right now is perhaps a time in history that has never happened before and may never happen again. Brand new Porsches on the lot for $20k off sticker?!? For all of my adult life I can only remember that list price was the only price and on harder to get models, it was list plus. Once the eoconomy gathers steam and people start buying things again, I'd expect prices to edge up, not down on good used 997s.

C4 and C4S are both wider, C2 and C2S are narrow. Me, I don't care one way or another - but I want RWD.

eBay is a gamble, depends on what car and who owns it. Me, I won't buy from an uknown. I would buy a car listed by say a Porsche dealer on eBay. There are plenty of "bad" cars out there and you don't want to spend $60k and up and own one of them. Individual owned can be good or bad, "John Doe's Cheap Used Cars" might be questionable. I've bought 2 used Porsches through Porsche dealerships in order to get the CPO inspection and extended warranty. One was an individual sale and the dealer he bought from ran it through for the $299 documentation cost (they charge on all cars) and the $1800 or so it cost for the CPO process and warranty. Whatever you do, get a DME readout and look at the Range 1-6 over-revs. If there are some 1-3, that's pretty much OK and just means the previous owner actually drove the car hard and bumped off the redline. If 4 and up, that means missed shift and could be trouble.

I've used out-of-state transport. Spend the extra and get covered. Instead of say $500 it might cost $800, but well worth it to protect the car. Please, go see the car first no matter what. Best plan, fly one way to see it if it's far, drive it home if it checks out (or fly home if it's a dog).

Good luck!
Ron

 

I agree with what Ron said.

To help understand model designations, those with a "4" are all wheel drive and thus have wider rear ends. The "S" describes other upgrades such as bigger motor, brakes (red color), PASM, etc.

I have found that the 997's depreciate pretty quickly in first 2 or 3 years and then slow down, but keep dropping of course. I doubt that they will make a major shift just because of the 2010 models. I think the 05 models are good. I am also looking for another Porsche, a C2S cab, and am looking at 05-08 cars optioned the way I want them. If you get an 05, I would check to see if they have the newer PCM, which is identifiable by the SOS button on top of panel, as well as the SIM card tray under the phone pad numbers. Many of the 05 models have the updated PCM, which allows you to play MP3.

Good luck in your search. I enjoy that part.

 

I bought a car off of ebay auction but i did alot of homework.

1. I talked to owner many times to get full history

2. I talked to the Porsche dealership where he had work done to verify the condition of car and to see what kind of probs he had

3. I had him take it to high end autobody shop to look for body and paint work

4. I called his work to verify he was for real

Only then did I buy the car.

although it seems like prices are firming up with the so called jobless recovery, there are deals out there...50% depreciation on a 3 year old in great shape isnt unreasonable.

If I lived in CO I would get a 4WD car for sure...I live in WA and went C4S...also, love the look of widebodys.

Also, getting a CPO from dealer is obviously an advantage but you will pay for this...my warranty ends in 9 months and I'm thinking of getting an aftermkt warranty....but 911's in general are reliable cars.

I would get an 06' rather than 05' due to IMS issues....covered transport usually costs 1000-1500...I just paid 1100.00.

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...-question.html

Bottomline, you cannot rely on Carfax report and have to go way beyond it to get a quality car...dont buy from secondary lots as they get all the leftovers that dealers dont want(ie-CPO cars)...most have a history to them I found out.

 

Where in Colorado are you?

 

You are not on line as I post this, but see
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsc...fCarsQ5fTrucks

for a good looking low mileage car with records - and what ebay bidders are willing to bid. Can only guess that the reserve is somewhere North of 50K.

 

Great post !!!

 

i bought my 05 C2S sight unseen. But I looked at a lot of pictures. talked with the seller many times and i had a porsche dealer do a PPI (about $300). I had interstate lines transport it from CA to MN (covered) for under $1500. The car was even better than I imagined when it arrived and no issues since. It came down to trust. I suppose it always does. Even with a local Porsche dealer.

The dealer and the owner just seemed to be good people. They answered any question I asked and made every effort to make sure that i understood the exact condition of the car. I stopped pursuing a couple other cars just because i didn't like dealing with the seller.

 

I bought my car locally. I paid a little more for that than had I had one trucked in, but to me it was worth it. I initially hired a broker to find me a car but it started to feel like shopping around for the best price and factoring in shipping and all of the unknowns just didn't make it worth the few thousand dollars I might have saved. I met the owner of my car at the local Porsche dealer where he bought it and it's been serviced since new. They tried to verbally vouch for the guy but when I insisted on an official PPI and DME Report they did it for half price as well as putting in writing that as of that that report there was nothing discovered that would jeopardize the warranty. They didn't make anything off of the sale other than a good impression. (Thanks Sam & Mani of Livermore). I guess to me it was worth meeting the owner and sitting down at his kitchen table for a cup of coffee and finding out what kind of guy he was. He had a meticulously clean house and garage and was just as particular about the car. That gave me a confident feeling, and that was why I bought locally despite the premium.

 

Like I said earlier, this is an awesome forum. Thanks for all the input everybody. I guess it's like monojohn said, it all comes down to trust and basic common sense. If something doesn't seem right then something probably isn't right.


A little off topic but one thing I've come to realize is that when you've decided to buy a Porsche, deep inside you know this one is different!!! I LOVE THAT FEELING! For the money there are definitely a lot of choices out there but it's not always about the speed but rather the engineering behind it all! (CAN YOU TELL THIS IS MY FIRST PORSCHE?!)

Meanwhile I just have to be patient and wait for the right one.

P.S. @ PT Doc - I'm in Aurora, Co. Which part of denver are you in?

 

If only all the dealerships were that friendly. Sometimes that good impression goes a long way

 

Clean looking c4 but being a private seller kinda worries me.I LOVE THAT AERO KIT NONETHELESS

 

Littleton, SW Denver metro, near Chatfield state park.

Nice to see another new CO member on the 6.

 

Man! I always find great conversations on topics I am interested in. Thanks for starting this thread.
Guys, know as you respond with complete answers and your 2cents, you save others like me from posting the same question. I too am looking for the same ride in SoCal in a few months and all the insight is very helpful.

I am looking for a daily driver to replace my leased Cayenne. (up in November)

Q) Whould you consider a GT3 a daily driver?

 

To the OP, notice that you live in Colorado. If this is going to be your DD, you might want to consider the C4/C4S for the AWD. Just a thought.

Also, in terms of your fear of buying from a Private Party. I bought my car from a Private Party and outside of buying from a Porsche dealer offering CPO, I think Private Party is much better than buying from an independant lot. Mostly because most Porsche owners take great care of their cars, make sure the service is done regulary, and keep the cars detailed and garaged. I've been to independant lots (as well as dealer lots) and have seen used cars sitting in the far corner for who knows how long getting pounded on by the elements. Also, when people test drive those cars, I'm pretty sure the sales person won't care how the car is treated but I know most private party sellers won't let potential buyers abuse their cars during test drives.