OvalPiston

Looking at purchasing either a 2-owner 2005 Turbo with 110k miles with no Porsche service records (just oil changes at non-Porsche dealers) and a one-owner 2005 California Turbo with 180k miles with full Porsche service records all done at a Porsche dealer. I don't know the status of the coolant pipes or Cardon shaft or the coils in either one.

Looking for advice from other owners! TIA

Dan87951

I would pass on the 180k mile one if you want any type of reliability. 180k is pretty high so the car is probably pretty worn out unless you have a full set of maintenance receipts showing all the wear items being replaced. The 05' Turbo with 110k miles is probably valued in the $14-$17k range depending on condition, options, and how it runs. The 180k mile one I would have a hard time paying anything over $10k for. Either way with those miles I can almost guarantee all the maintenance items have been done (coolant pipes, coils, and carbon shaft). The question is if they need to be replaced again. Good luck!

OvalPiston

Thanks Dan87951, Carfax shows the 180k one has had a visit to the Porsche dealer every 10k miles for looking over and any maintenance, and the oil changes have been every 4k miles, all done at a Porsche dealer. No idea on the 110k one b/c there is no service history on carfax except a few oil changes here and there.

Plus I don't see anywhere on the boards where the turbos give out after a period of time, and besides normal wear parts (brakes, rotors, wheel bearings, bushings), I'm not sure what else to look for?

Yes, 180k is a lot, but does the full service history only done at a Porsche dealer outweigh the lower mileage with no history?

Wisconsin Joe

Not really.

As has been noted, stuff that needs to be replaced every so often (Cardan shaft, water pump, coil packs) will probably be coming back due again on the older car.

The lack of history on the lower mileage car is an issue though. Those same things (along with the coolant pipes, air compressor and some other stuff) either have gone or are "due to go soon." Knowing what has & what hasn't been done is pretty important for negotiating a price.

And "Dealer Maintained" is nice, but a good indy can do the same job.

DWPC

I'd keep looking for much lower mileage w/documentation. Any vehicle with 100K+ miles is a crap shoot; more miles = worse odds. 10-12K miles per yr of age would be my absolute max. I wouldn't even look at one without a service history. The 955 cream puffs (like mine ) are out there, but getting scarce.

Dan87951

He probably has a budget to work with. There is a huge difference in price between the under 60k mile cars and the 100k miles cars. Price difference can be over $10-15k. I personally don't like to buy cars with over 100k miles on them whether there for my 80s collection or for daily driver duty. Once you get over that 100k limit the wear seems to go exponential and the car always seem to nickel and dime you. Again this is my personal experience. If you are reasonable with your expectations with a 100k+ mile car then I say go for it as long as it passes a very thorough PPI.

brooklynkid

I'd stay away from any Porsche without records! 180k is a lot , but if iyou can get it for 10k I'd get it. I bought a 05 turbo last year with 140k, it required some typical wear and tear work. If you need to put a few hundred or even a thousand into the vehicle that's understandable. If you are a 2 car guy and only put a few thousand miles a year on the cayenne like me . I wouldn't be scared of a high mileage vehicle for the right price

Shannon123

OvalPiston

I ended up getting the 180k! I spoke with the Porsche dealer where it was exclusively serviced, and they had pages and pages of regular maint service history. The 110k car had problems the dealer didn't tell me about until they knew I was serious, then they said they didn't want to sell me the car, then there was a gouge in the wheel and tire *after* they put it up for sale. It's not my daily driver, but I got it for $11k from a private owner, so now I can spend $5k to put the fixes in. Thanks for everyone's feedback!

williamr91

I bought a 04 ctt with 141k miles back in the winter. Two prior owners, pages and pages of recipes/dealer invoices, digital photos and recipes of new turbos, injectors, brakes (rotors, pads, sensors), cardon shaft, high flow cats,etc and two sets of wheels and new tires (winter and summer). Paid $10,500 and it's been great! It feels solid and looks much newer.

clubracer6

Wow both of you got pretty good deals! I picked up a one owner ctt s with 140k last year. No regrets!

OvalPiston

The 180k pulls like nobody's business. Going to the Porsche dealer to check the coils and plugs and an overall checkup.

brooklynkid

Great job on the Purchase! Congrats and best of luck