If your gonna buy an auto then just buy another normal car....i dont think you'll get the real porsche experience with an auto! either way if you buy it, for sure get a PPI

 

sounds good

 

You guys are great... very helpful advice & thoughts! I know 6MT would provide me a whole other Porsche experience, but I'm getting old and lazy now and freeway traffic in So Cal is quite horrendous so the Tip, I figure, is a good compromise. If stop and go weren't such a pain, I know I'd enjoy manual.

I would like to get a PPI done next week. Is it ok to have this performed at an indy vs. dealer? Also, is there reason to be alarmed... Porsche replaced the transmission at 11K in 2006 (current odo just under 47,800). Apparently it was making some sort of "noise" so it was replaced under warranty. My initial thought is "oh no," followed by "well at least it's relatively new."

At any rate, I'm going to have the PPI done. If it checks out fine, I think I'll pull the trigger. If not, I'll keep shopping. My thought is to buy this one, drive it to get the feel and move on to the next one in a year.

Thanks again for your help!

 

Indy or Dealer would not not be as big a deal as how reputable the Indy/Dealer is. Also what are they including in the PPI and at what cost. Then take the PPI with a grain of salt and ask plenty of questions. Take a friend along (read P car owner) that can look over the car and ask a few more questions. Do you have a carfax on the car yet to check previous history? The tranny would not bother me, but not keeping up on maintenance would. Records?

 

I took the 997 to an indie yesterday who apparently has good P-car experience, for a PPI. The computer hook-up was fine, most notable issues are it needs front brakes, rear tires are running low of tread, a couple of paint chips on front & the scrape under front faschia.

Kept the car in the garage overnight & went to start it right now... it doesn't . It makes a bit of cranking sound, then the dash board lights go on and a bit of clicking noise. Can't get ahold of my friend to ask about it, so reaching out to you guys. I'm hoping it's newbie error in how I'm trying to start it. I don't think it's the battery because the lights come on, etc.

Thanks!

 

It should be a weak battery compounded by a bad starter harness cable (known early 997 issue).

Re your PPI: did you check thoroughly for oil leaks, RMS in particular?

 

Roar - forget all the comments about 'you have to have a manual' - there is nothing wrong with a Tiptronic and the fact that 80% of all 911s in the US are sold with an automatic transmission is quite telling; it might actually improve your resales (maybe not the price, but the demand).

 

I'm like you Roar, I am getting older and lazier too. With a commute nearly two hours each way in stop and go traffic, I wore out on the 6mt pretty quick and bought a PDK. I kinow the purists here don't think much of auto, but when you drive about 50 feet between stops on the highway each day, it takes alot of stress out of my drive. Fortunatley it is not my daily driver though.

 

80% sold with automatics...where did you get that stat. No way.

To the OP..sounds like it needs a new battery.

If tip is for you then get it. Your reasoning sounds good.

 

A battery and a new starter cable (a known problem in early 997s).

 

Tip sucks but even if that's what you want 05 is not the best, price is not the best, condition is clearly not the best. Skip. I love 911's but also try some boxsters/caymans while at it.

 

My only comment is: I'm not sure what you mean by "starter Porsche". I've heard this term before, and I kind of get it, but I'm not sold on this concept.

Will you elaborate on what you mean by "starter Porsche"? What are your wants and constraints in this matter?

 

Well, I'm not sure anyone is marketing the idea, but for those who can afford a reasonably young used exotic as a second or third vehicle, it's pretty obvious isn't it? Pick a Porsche/Ferrari/Lambo/Aston with the new worn off so it's in the flat part of the depreciation curve. Make sure it isn't about to demand an expensive rebuild or something to stay resellable. Now you can buy it, drive it at the low cost of a year's depreciation in that fifth to tenth year flat spot.

Sell it after a year, tally up the good times and the lessons learned. If it was a positive experience on the whole, then use what you learned to pick a newer one that will be a keeper. If it kept trying to commit suicide on that winding road you thought would be a hoot, then pick a different exotic, say Aston/Lambo/Ferrari or Porsche this time, and try again. Or just go buy a Mercedes and be glad you had a year of fun and got away without losing any skin.

In the old days, I knew guys who did that sort of thing with a Triumph Spitfire or an MG to see if they wanted to mess around with autocrosses or hill climbs or rallies. Stuff that didn't suit a 62 Buick when the family size demanded the Buick for a daily driver.

The trick is picking a respectable example in that flat part of the depreciation curve. Given the PPI found no RMS or IMS problems, I'd say the OP has got one. With a little loving care, it may even sell after a year for as much as he pays for it.

Besides, the thing about a starter is you never know. It might win your heart and be a keeper itself.

Gary

 

Thanks. Any idea what I should budget for a new battery & starter harness cable if that's what it is? Also, is this a problem that might have been happening for awhile or is it dumb luck that it happened when I decided to keep the car in my garage instead of returning it until the deal takes place?

The tech said it looked clean & dry underneath, but I know that's no guarantee. A couple of images while the car was in the air...

 

A battery could be under $100. I hear the starter cable installed is about $700.