StormRune

I've bought all three of my 911s at a dealer with CPO. I've gotten between 8% to 10% off asking price each time in addition to getting a something "thrown in" each time as the final deal clincher (nav updates previously, factory spacer set this last time). I'm sure other hard-core bargainers could do a little better, but after a bit I have to decide how much any more haggling will do for me. This time I did walk away from three cars I called dealers about, but that was both a combination of price and the car not being 100% what I wanted. Eventually I was glad I waited for the right car, options, AND an acceptable price.

So don't let the listed price on the Porsche site scare you off too much. Also remember that CPO does have its advantages since these cars aren't cheap to repair and you will be getting a car that has all of the pending service items taken care of (mine came with new tires, rotors, pads, and spoiler lip). Those things are worth some significant money. I feel better knowing I have 37 months more warranty to go.

I checked the Porsche North America site pretty much every morning looking for just the right price and options. I did have to keep adjusting my concept of reality based upon what I was seeing though. For example, I originally wanted a 2015 or newer (hah!), but with all of the options I wanted and my price point only 2014s appeared to be realistic. Ultimately, for me the right car/options was more important than the year. I haven't bought a new car in years because of the immediately huge price drop. After 2 to 3 years to rate of price drop decreases, so I'm happy there... I get a reasonably new car with reasonably new tech without the bleeding-edge premium.

The right car finally showed up, although I did have to drive all of the way up to Salt Lake City to get it this time (but the drive back was great!). As stated earlier, I did consider compromising three times, but I'm so glad I waited for all of the stars to align. By the way, you are somewhat right about the options not holding as much value as you'd like, but they do still have value. The buyer of my prior car wouldn't have bought it or paid nearly as much for it if it hadn't had a lot of options. I wouldn't have bought my current car without most of the options it came with and I was willing to pay a premium for them. Mind you the dollar value wasn't nearly what those options cost new, but they can make a car more desirable and can help it sell faster and with some degree of a premium. By buying a used/CPO car, a lot of the cost depreciation of the options is already factored in. There are also certain options that if missing, can make it a lot harder to sell a car... like no Sport Chrono on a PDK. Although it can be added, a lot of folk just don't want the hassle.

If you haven't previously had a 911 you are in for a treat. And if you can swing it I'd recommend a 991, unless crazy high power is your thing and only a Turbo will do. Then you'll have to roll back to a early or higher mileage 997. First thing you should do is go by a dealer and test drive each of the models you are considering. Be sure to pay attention to not only the driving experience but the tech in the everyday parts of the car... Bluetooth phone, Bluetooth audio streaming, audio connections, auto-dimming mirrors, keyless tech, etc. Sit in the car before/after the drive and experiment with those. If those are important to you, a 991 becomes more important. Even though the performance of the car is a top priority for me, the tech level of the equipment isn't far behind (one of the reasons Premium+ was on my "must" list). For you, the level of tech may be much less important. To each his own.

Good luck on your search!

bogdan_p

I hope you find the 911 that makes you happy!

The 3.4 991 with a manual is the most amusing and rewarding cars to drive, especially if you keep it above 5k rpm

Like it's been previously mentioned, look around a lot, drive even more, get the one that makes you happy.

Good luck on your search, that part can be fun as well!

Dewinator

I disagree... if you watch STG's hot for sale thread, you'll see that highly optioned examples do not sell for as much of a premium as you'd think. The seller is eating a lot of they money she spent on options on the used market to the buyer's advantage.

I don't necessarily mean a lot of the personalization options like leather vent surrounds or colored dials, but if you spend the extra time to find one with some nice performance options like SPASM, PSE and SC, you may end up paying almost nothing for them.

jimmontague

Hi All,
I am also a newbie who has learned so much from your posts. I also am nervous about making a mistake but I want to buy my dream car as I am 65 and retiring from teaching in the next year or so. I have a budget of approximately $50,000 and would like to buy a 2012 Carrera in an automatic with very few options but I would like a "low" mileage car in silver, white, or grey with a black or neutral interior. I will drive less than 5,000 miles per year. I would like AWD but can't afford. I live in Charlotte, N.C. So weather not a problem.
Our local Porsche dealer is very expensive and I wouldn't mind a private sale with an inspection. Is this all doable? Recommendations? How much is a 36 month extended warrantee? I can be very patient. My hope is to keep this car forever and than give it to my son. Thanks for all you input! Jim

tomc_mets

Hi Jim…Those are very common colors in modern Porsches, so that will help in your search. Opinions on the utility of extended warranties are all over the place on RL, so I can't comment on that.

I recommend Cars.com, AutoTrader and the Porsche site to find target cars and to start getting an idea of asking prices and age/trim levels that are close to your budget.

If this is going to be a forever/dream car, I would make a list of must have options, and then do not compromise your vision. As you said, you can be patient, so there is no reason to rush into a decision. That being said, I would test drive some different models, C2, C4, C2S, etc. to get an idea of what floats your boat. There all great cars! Given your budget of 50K, I would also think about different generation 911s - 991.1, 997.2, and 997.2. Even the 996 generation are outrageously good deals.

Make sure to consider maintenance in your budget. Even the old ones could still cost a pretty penny to maintain, especially if something major happens, unless you have a good bit of mechanical know-how and skills.

Most of all, enjoy the hunt! It's not as much fun as driving a 911, but then again few things are!

T

wsjchoi

That's an awesome deal!
Paid 73.5 for a 2012.5 C2S with 20k miles April of this year, CPO with everything on it, burmester, S/C, PSE, etc.

been rock solid since day one, when I was looking, base CPOs were under 63k, I'm sure you can find non-CPO cars for under 60 easily!