With both kids, now 2 and 4, out of rear facing car seats and daily begging to "take the race car" just about everywhere we went, it didn't take much internal debate before I decided to sell my 2000 996 Cab and 07 BMW 550 and consolidate to a new 911 as my daily driver. Originally, I planned on waiting for the 991 release and picking up a base coupe. Of course it didn't take long before I headed into the local dealership to "research" my upcoming purchase to plan my deposit/order. Fast forward 5 minutes and I was test driving a PDK coupe, followed shortly after by formal negotiations on a manual Black Edition coupe. How ANY dealer lets someone leave the showroom that is willing to sign a contract is beyond me, but they were looking to head home for the night (6pm on a Saturday, close was at 5) and I left a little frustrated that it was back in my BMW.

I would decide later that night to do a little more research before just buying something that I originally planned for about 12-months later which led me to pass on the Black Edition 6-speed coupe and seek out a PDK coupe. Enter stage 2 of mass confusion- why not a CPO'd Turbo? The next few weeks I researched like crazy and found a handful of 997 PDK coupes and manual '07 Turbo's, finally heading out a few weeks back to go drive (and I thought, buy) a Cobalt '07 Turbo at a remotely-local dealer. Tested the car in a small town and, while I LOVED the unreal amount of sheer speed the car had at any moment, I just didn't LOVE the car. For me, I couldn't keep it in the right area of the power band regularly on in-town drives and it really just didn't feel as great as I expected. I still made an offer, but really lowballed them. Hindsight 20-20, I'm VERY happy they didn't get to my number. It was also classic seeing the sales guy, sales manager, and dealership manager standing together in the parking lot with dumbfounded looks as I drove off- I'm certain they thought the car was sold. It took about 20 minutes of the 90-mile drive home before the epiphany came- the only car that I had driven over the last month that really made me excited every minute behind the wheel was the PDK that originally whetted my appetite for an immediate purchase. I hit the car locater on Porsche.com immediately after getting home, knowing exactly what I (thought I) wanted.

Found a newly listed '09 PDK coupe in Atlanta with a lot of the options that I wanted and in one of the two colors that I wanted- Aqua. I spoke with the dealer that afternoon and made an informal offer, they countered that night about 5 minutes before closing by phone- not what I wanted, but really close. Told me they'd check in the morning to see what I wanted to do. What's with these guys not closing a deal EOD??? I slept on it, woke up certain I was going to buy, and started planning the next couple of days out on how I'd rearrange the schedule to get down there for pick-up. Then, I put my kids in the "race car" and went off to school. Looking back, it was almost silly that morning- perfect weather, sun shining early, TONS of looks from morning commuters at the kids in the back, smiling and waving. I took the opportunity at a stop light to tell the kids that daddy was buying a new Porsche that morning and that this was probably their last ride in the convertible. Immediate tears. LOTS of tears. I was a little surprised, but they'd get over it. I dropped them off then sped off heading home. I kept thinking about them being so sad and how nice of a day it was. Man, I was really going to miss those times. That's when it hit me... It wasn't just the 911 that was so much fun to drive every day, it was the open top 80% of the year with it. I had a hard top to put on for a 'coupe-like' experience when needed, but it was so d@mn good to be able to drive around with the top down in such a great car. Settled it right then and there- I couldn't give up having a cab. Texted the wife (at a stoplight) and told her I wasn't buying the Aqua coupe I left the house intent on bringing home. She's mildly used to my borderline OCD lunacy when it comes to cars, but I thought she was going to hit the roof. Slightly frustrated, but still supportive- like always, told me to get what I want.

Took me another week or so of scouring every possible outlet you can think of for cars. Spoke with at least 20 dealers, visited the car locater on Porsche.com in Guinness-book fashion daily, monitored Cars.com and Autotrader.com hourly. All but gave up on an immediate purchase because I couldn't find an '09 or '10 CPO'd cab spec'd how I wanted within reason of what I thought was a fair price. I resigned to a long-term search that could last the summer or longer. Then, randomly on a Tuesday morning a few weeks later, a listing actually hit the Porsche.com car finder that met my requirements. Went to the dealer's site and called the wife after seeing the first picture- it was literally the EXACT combo I would have ordered myself. After a lot of gyrations to inspect a car 1500 miles away and quite a bit of favors called in, the official papers were signed yesterday and title was put into my name today. Having the car shipped home enclosed carrier. Without further ado, the first forum pics of my new 2009 Meteor over Black/Terracotta C2 PDK Cab...


Car is very well equipped, certified almost through 2015 with 14k on the clock currently. 1 previous owner, PCA member that traded for a GTS (or so I was told). Babied the car and it shows. Clear bra, no scratches, pit, or touch-ups. 19" Sport Design wheels, Nav, Bluetooth, Heated and Ventilated seats, Dimming mirrors, cornering headlights, comfort seats, universal audio, factory carbon fiber package, full leather, etc. No Sat radio was the ONLY downfall and I can live without it if I can't add with Nav TV. I was actually looking for a non SC car because I want to add the software without having the dash wart. No offense to those that love it but, for me, just doesn't do it. I've already ordered the software and switches, have an appt with my local dealer to install the day the car arrives. Car comes with black mats and the all-weather mats with the tire tread pattern- both things I had intended on buying already. Immediate plans for the car are V1 hardwire, SmartTop, BumperPlugs to cover those front plate holes, Black-chrome AWE quad tips, Sharkwerks bypass tubes. All but the exhaust will be on the car within 2-hours of being in my driveway. Many more pics will follow. So now the wait for my transport to arrive begins. I feel like a kid again in anticipation.

Thanks for reading my excessive tale. Looking forward to being back in the Porschephile mode everyday. Truly appreciate all of the great posters and info on this board- it's a major help.

 

Same here! We walked out of two dealerships and never even heard back from the sales guys! My husband has the same OCD lunacy but I lucked out this time. He was looking at trading his BMW and Avalanche for an upgrade to an Escalade. The guys wouldn't deal and we found the Porsche two days later. Talk about a switch in plans!

Fabulous find you made! I'm partial to the meteor gray as well.

 

That was a great story. I love hearing about people who really discover what they REALLY want in a car, and then go search for it, even if it means holding out. While my own search was not as specific re: options, I really wanted the right car for the price I wanted to pay. A whole month of sleepless nights really is worth it in the end when you find what you were looking for. Did you essentially buy the car without seeing it in person?

Congrats! Beautiful color combo. And I'm sure you can't wait for the car to arrive. Those 3 days for the transport to arrive were soooo painfully slow! Post some of your own pics when it arrives!

 

Congrats..

I think I'm crazy like you. I searched for months and when a dealer near me got in the perfect car..I drove by it every day a few times.trying to tell myself I need this car.
finally 3 weeks later I gave in and bought it..haha.

 

Glad you found what you were looking for, Meteor Grey is really something that needs to be seen in person to be appreciated as one of the best colors (not that the pics are bad). Enjoy!

 

Nice read. Sometimes it pays to have that OCD component...and not just to get your ideal ride. May you and your family have a great time in it this summer!

 

Great story! My buying and research experience would probably drive an average person nuts as well.

 

I suffer from same mania. I spent the better part of 9 months getting "tone" on a Panamera 4S.

Then, I harkened back to my sophmoric passion for the "Arnie Becker" (from LA Law), coupled with my recent southern relocation and voila within a month of obsession, I end up with a Cab Black Edition.

Sometimes the fun is in the torture leading up to the purchase.

Enjoy.