Cambam78

2004 Porsche 911 TURBO.


Here’s the story. I let my 17 year old neighbor borrow this car to take to prom last week end. After dropping off his date he ran in to a fence post. He thought the road went straight, but it was a "T". He locked the brakes, slid on some gravel, but still ended up in a farmers fence. Fun for me right!?!? The good news is that he was not going very fast when he hit the fence.

The damage is pretty self explanatory by the pictures. The radiator for the turbo is toast, as well as the front bumper cover and other obvious stuff. Mechanically she still looks fine. Starts and drives. No visible signs of steering damage. It is mostly cosmetic. The insurance is NOT totaling this car. It will still have a clear and clean title. $2500. in tires are new as of November. (less than 4K miles) It is automatic with the Tiptronic trans.

A little more history.
I bought this 911 from a dear friend of mine who has used it as his daily driver sense early 2005 when he bought it from the dealer in Scottsdale AZ. I believe it had one owner before that, but had very few miles when he bought it. It cost him just under $140K. It has been maintained and loved, and driven. No problems with anything as far as I know. Just a dream to own. Interior is in good to great condition. It has the rose wood trim package, and there are some cracks in the wood on the driver door and steering wheel.

So...Sell it as is, or get her fixed?!?!

Cambam78

Having trouble posting pictures. HELP?!?

dubyaTT

Do you know someone you can trust to repair it?

TexasRider

If you like the car and it is in otherwise good or better condition why wouldnt you just have the cosmetic damage fixed ?

I dont really look at wrecked cars but the ones I have seen dont seem to bring large sale prices .

If the insurance was totaling the car it might be a harder decision depending on how much they paid and other factors. But from here I think you fix the car.

My 0.02 cents.

whiteturbo

Is that 2,500 or 25,000 for the repairs?

Cambam78

The insurance has estimated the repairs at about $17000.00. I don't think it would be near that much for someone who knew what they were doing.
I would love to share a picture, but I can't figure out how. I just posted it on an Ebay auction. I guess I will see what happens there. If I could get 15K for the car how it sits, and get the insurance co. to write me a check for 17K, I would be on my way to another 996TT

Cambam78

Here is the link to some pictures. Am I crazy to think I can get 15-20K for a smashed TT?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2004-...#ht_588wt_1165

dubyaTT

Get as far away from that car as fast as humanly possible and toss the neighbor kid a WICKED beating.

RRRUUUUUUN!!!!!!

TexasRider

First off is what did the body shop and Porsche repair give you as an estimate the repairs ?

Then what did a salvage buyer give you as a price for the car ?

Then you could make some decisions.

I am not sure you can get any reasonable bids for a wrecked Porsche on ebay. But who knows. I wouldnt bid on any wrecks on ebay - ebay is risky enough to buy an expensive car , much less one you dont know, and then add to it damages that you dont know either. But who knows.

Heck for that matter I wouldnt even bid on a normal and running Porsche on ebay without going there and seeing the car, having it inspected, etc BEFORE I bid anything on one I was interested in. But that is just me.

Turbodan

I don't think you can get a cheque from insurance and sell the car without fixing it. So if that is the case fix the car and then decide if you want to keep it or not

Kevin

I guess the question to ask is > what is the insurance co stating the value of the car at? The car has 161,000? Tiptronic.. Damage like this can push the frame rail over to the centerline of the car. The fender is pulled away from the jamb near the rocker panel. If the car went four wheeling off the road the front tub is most likely dented and the underside of the car needs to be looked at.
I can't believe that the insurance co isn't writing it off. The front diff could have taken a hit. I'd tell the insurance adjuster that any gremlins that you hear will require an inspection from the Porsche dealer.

Macster

You seem surprised the car is not being totaled?

No reason to total the car for what reads like cosmetic damage. (Shortly after I bought my used 03 for $57K I hit a mule deer and $25K later the car was just fine.)

Get the car fixed if you can find a good place in your area to do the work. You may have to take the car to Salt Lake City.

Do not let the insurance company try to submarine the fixing. Porsche rules regarding repairing these cars properly is no used/salvaged parts. Only new parts bought from PCNA through an authorized dealer. All mechanical work should be done by a qualified mechanic at a Porsche dealer. The car should be roadworthiness inspected afterwards and given a clean bill of health.

Once the car is fixed you can continue to enjoy the car for as long as you want.

To mitigate the loss of value from the accident take lots of pics to show the extent of the damage. Take pics of the repairs. Even if you have to buy a 2nd camera and leave it with the repair shop owner to use to document the process.

Have the car repaired properly.

Enjoy the car.

Do not ever again loan the car to anyone.

NoGaBiker

Man, I bet some pants were shat in that night. Glad I'm not that kid. My BF back in highschool borrowed my other BF's new Z28 and stuck it through the plate glass front of the local small-town newspaper office our senior year. Then had the presence of mind to flee the scene! That went down real well, yeah. Anyway, doing that to Mr. Frobish next door's Porsche Turbo... how do you top that on your teen-driving resume?

Oh, and as for the "at least he wasn't going very fast" comment: maybe not when he actually hit the fence! But have you absolutely forgotten what it would be like to be let loose, unguarded, in a Porsche Turbo when you were 17? I bet a DME dump would show a different story. (not that I'm suggesting that -- nothing to be gained. Let the poor kid be miserable on his own. You were the person who decided to set your hamster in the tiger's cage; can't blame the tiger. )

2K7TTMIA

It's def. sad to see a decent Turbo like that. Do you have a reputable repair shop in your area that can repair this properly? The car needs to go on a lift and taken apart and as Kevin mentioned, checked for frame and front diff damage. The $17K estimate can easily be surpassed. If no hidden damage, then the repair shop and ins. Co. Rep need to communicate as to repairs to get this car whole again.

IMO, the Turbo's value has diminished at least $15-20K. Worth maybe $20-22K repaired. If you get an offer of $10-12K as it sits and get a check from ins. Co. For $17K ( or whatever), the poor kid( or parents) needs to come up with the difference you see fit.

Though you let him take it to the prom, you didn't expect it to be returned with damage, unless you explicitly told him not to worry about "scratching it up".
Keep us posted

Macster

Not that bad. The hood gaps look ok so I suspect no tub damage.

My arctic silver 03 hit a mule deer and the bumper cover, passenger radiator, AC condenser, headlight, front trunk lid, passenger fender, tire, and a scuffed wheel was ruined during refinishing and all were replaced. $25K.

No issues in over 90K miles of driving the car after.

But if you do not want to fix it, give Oklahoma Foreign a call and I bet it will buy the car from you. Someone there will tell you what they need (lots of pics from various angles) and how the money will be paid, the car picked up, etc.