chris182T

Hi,
I'm a newbie, I want to purchase a 911 and would appreciate your help. I have 3 questions. Has anyone dealt with victorymotorcars Houston TX. I have been looking at their postings on ebay and their website. They seem to offer great cars?
I have my eye on a 1988 Carrara Cab they are listing. Are there any real issues with this model or should I look at a 993. I prefer the air cooled 911's I just can't find the emotion for the 996 but that's me!
I want to use it as my daily drive.
Thank you before hand,
Chris

wheatdog

First, check the search engine on this site and Pelican Parts under "Victory Motors". Your will find many dissatisfied custormers . Before you buy, DO THE PPI !!! It has even been stated some local Porsche shops in Houston are handing out bogus pre-purchase inspection results on Victory Motors cars. Do your homework! A good 911 is a thing of joy. One that needs extensive repairs right after purchase will drain your wallet and ruin what should be a great automotive experience.

Wheatdog

ruckmjr

What he said.

Cajun

I second the above...

Keep looking.

theiceman

I am not going to say anything good or bad .. simply look here ...

http://forums.roadfly.com/forums/por...num=103&page=2

Miguel

Twincastle, the 1988 Carrera you mention is it a 964 ( model year 1989)?

Trader220

Victory buys Porsche stamped service books, manuals and manual folders to hold the manuals off of eBay to put in their cars. I offered to sell them a stack of service records from a 911 I sold years ago so they could put them in another car. Get the picture? I am not saying you cant buy a car there just go in with Eyes Wide Open.

Super_Dave_D

All I have to say is that I wish I read all of the forums first - would have been an easy decision. I learned a hard lesson.

Super_Dave_D

In addition - I would never buy from someone on Ebay that hides who the bidders are. Theres a reason for this and its not to "keep other sellers from contacting them to steal a possible customer" NEVER!!!! Sellers also love you to contact them offline and make a deal outside Ebay - that way, you have no ability to file a complaint to Ebay OR leave bad feedback. I learned a lot from my experience.

Trader220

He buys cars on Ebay under one name and sells them under another... whats he affraid of?

andrew911

For cars, I would think of ebay as an advertising medium and that's all. If you see a car that's interesting, I'd schedule a time to look at it and do a PPI- I would not pay anywhere near the true market value of a car on ebay without seeing it in person, driving it and doing a PPI first. That said, if I were a dealer I would definitely use ebay expecting people to contact me to see the car in person after the auction ends if no reserve met, or even during the auction with the right to buy it in a "normal" transaction outside ebay. This is in fact what several dealers have told me they use ebay for. This is not ripping off ebay, as they get something like $80 just to list the car. It's good for ebay (better for them if someone buys the car through them), and good for the seller, who gets worldwide advertising with pictures for $80 even if the car doesn't sell through ebay, but to someone who contacts them to see the car in person.

A side comment on all of this, I very much prefer to buy older cars directly from the owners- that's how I purchased the 3 911's I've had and my beetle (I only buy used cars through dealers for my daily drivers where they are only a few years old & have a full warranty)

If you know someone in the porsche club, I'd look through porsche panorama (the nationwide PCA magazine), the local PCA magazine, hemmings motor news, cars.com, autotrader.com, and local advertising. Should find plenty of examples on these sources- there is a good chance you'll know when seeing the car and driving it if it's good or not before even getting a PPI done. I've looked at cars before and not even bothered to drive them, because I knew they were not what I wanted or were mis-represented. The odds of a dealer (Victory or other) mis-representing a car is just as high as a private owner...maybe higher. (I've had no experience with Victory, but have experienced many other dealers that either don't know about the car and make stuff up, are generally uninformed, or outright liers.) There are good dealers, but typically they are also the ones that charge a premium for the cars- I'd rather pay a premium to a private owner for an even cleaner, lower mileage documented example, but I'm one of those who find pleasure in the hunt. If you don't have the time to look I'd pay the extra for a clean car from a "premium" dealer, but be careful of the shabby ones.

MarkSchu

I live 2 miles from Victory Motors and have visited several times. Some cars are good, some are dogs...the problem is that the owner won't distinquish them for you...it is definitely a "buyer beware, you are on your own" type of place. If you are interested, get a PPI from a reputable shop like Pro Technik. Talk to Sam Shalala the owner, who has knows the rap with victory. He will steer you away from the dogs.

rentadate

ok, so the prices they are offering aren't really that great. I bet you if you looked in your local paper, and found a 911 that you deemed good enough, go get a PPI. I'm not one for buying cars off the internet. I guess I'm old school on this. But the local paper is where you will find the best deal.

Hell, I found my 911 for $2500 with ALL paperwork, and a fresh engine & tranny rebuild! I got lucky, but also, deals are out there. Be patient. It shouldn't be any different than buying any other car. Make sure you get the PPI. I've always gotten a leakdown test on every car I bought. Also, be sure the understanding is when buying a "new to you" car you are going to have to go through the pains to get the car working the way you want it to. But that is a cost that goes into most every used car you buy.

Cajun

BTW Twincastle,

I don't know where you are located, but the cars that are on Victory's website are RARELY the same cars that he actually has on the showroom floor. If you are really going to take a look at what he has, make a phone call and verify that the car you are interested in is actually there before you waste your time going down there.

Shark

I live close as well.....wouldn't wish dealing with them on my worst enemy.

Hell, I'd even advise my Mother-in-Law to steer clear