I'm looking for my first porsche and am a little intimidated about buying the right one, even with a PPI. There's not a lot of options out here in Kansas and the prospect of buying one sight unseen and paying for multiple PPIs until I find the right one cross country seems stupid and expensive.

I found a porsche locator by the name of Dave Maynard from Massachusetts who is a PCA member and chapter president. He charges 6.5% of the purchase price for his services which seems worth it considering the consequences of buying the wrong porsche.

What do you guys out there think about using a porsche locator to find my first porsche? I'm looking for a 964 C2 coupe which from what I can tell is hard to find. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.
-steve

 

coupes in general are hard to find. And then they are split between C4s and C2s, and there are just not a lot of 964 coupes on the market at this moment. I know. I look at them regularly and prices are creeping up. It does take some time to find a car particularly if you start getting picky about color.

I am not sure what this guy's service is exactly. No matter what he wont, and cannot buy a car for you. The best he can do is buy a car he thinks you should have or want.

What you need to do is find someone you trust, and then have realistic expectations. Are you going to have foolproof problem free car? Almost certainly not, no matter who you use or what PPIs you get done. Are you going to be able to get a pretty good car? Yes.

I guess the best thing is to start with what you want and what you don't want. What you can live with and what you cannot live with and fit the closest car into your budget because the perfect car doesn't exist.

There will be, however, probably one that you pass on but keep coming back too for one reason or another. It's speaking to you, and probably the car you should buy. Buy the car that speaks to you and not some car some expert tells you, you should or shouldn't buy.

This by no means means skipping the apporpriate steps, like having someone with experience and knowledge looking the car over, looking at the basics: car fax, history, and records.

It is a little un-nerving buying a car sight unseen, I know, I have done so. I even had someone on the other end that I trusted. It's turned out fine in the end, but there were times thinking OMG what have I done.

Lastly, the more knowledge you have about P-cars the better off you are going to be. Knowing all there little quirks, knowing what is a major repair. Something that sounds terrible might not be as bad as it sounds. Know what expect, and try your best to avoid surprises.

 

I think that would be well worth it to help you find a good car. These cars are 20 years or so old now, and maintenance is an issue. They are not cheap to maintain, so a pro that can help you locate a problem-free car is well worth the investment, in my opinion.

 

As Makmov states, first decide what exactly you are looking for and post it here and then educate yourself on these cars. If you're looking for a C2 Coupe, then have a look at the RSAs as well. Rennlist is a good source for all that. There are the usual sources to locate these cars:

https://rennlist.com/ads/
http://www.cars.com/
http://www.autotrader.com/
https://www.pca.org/Login/tabid/110/...2fTheMart.aspx there used to be a limited membership option if you're shopping for a car
and then there are the not-so-obvious ones

and then there are dealers like:

http://www.willhoitenterprises.com/inventory.htm
http://www.rpmsportscars.com/
that have a really good reputation (do the search)

Personally, I wouldn't let anybody shop for a car for me because they will likely not guaranty the car. Don't be afraid to have a fellow Rennlister check out a car for you in another State. PPI by a good independent shop (easily obtainable by the local Porsche Club Chapter or Rennlist) is a must.

I bought my RSA sight unseen - great experience
I bought my 3.6 turbo on-site - a nightmare that took 9 months to sort out

 

You've got a wonderful resouce right here with Rennlist. Post what you're looking for and see what the forum members know of out on the market. Many times, you'll find that someone here either has one for sale or knows of a friend with one for sale, etc, etc. Before I go pay a stranger (even one with a good resume), I'm going to search high and low for quite a while. I spent over 3 months looking for a car before I bought the '91 C4 I have now, and I found it in the most peculiar way.

 

+1 on using Rennlist as your primary resource to find the right car, followed by the other resources mentioned. A couple of years ago when I was selling my 993 I received a call from Dave, looking to purchase one for a client. I was not overly impressed with the due diligence. Not saying he's a bad/good guy nor questioning his knowledge. I think if you want to pay someone to do the leg work, then there might some value in it for you. For most people on this board, the "chase" is half the fun.

Two other suggestions. Cross post this on the 993 forum. I think it's the most heavily visited board and many 993 owners know of 964s in their respective cities. The wider the net the better. Lastly, don't discount craigslist. A bit more to pick through but throughout the year there are often great deals. Good luck.

 

I have bought 3 Porsches from out of state and had good experiences. I suggest you save the $1300 fee and find one yourself. Check all of the sites daily and when you find a car you like (model, color, options etc meet your requirements) find a Rennlister in that area to take a look at the car. Also run a carfax. If you get positive feedback make a deal with the seller pending a clean PPI and give him a deposit to hold the car (make a simple contract if you want to protect your deposit). Find a local Porsche shop (one that the seller does not use) and schedule the PPI. Fly (or drive) out the day of the PPI so you can look over and drive the car before the PPI starts. If it passes you pay for the car in person and get the title. Leave the car at the shop and have them address any minor issues found. Send a transport company to pick it up and deliver it to your door.

 

+1.

I, too, found mine in a very peculiar way. I was looking... but not where I found it and I was at the right place at the right time. It was like it was meant to be - but very odd though.

 

Dave Maynard helped me find/purchase my car. Although I would be quick to tell you that I think I really "found" the car myself on Craigslist (NJ) and then had him interact with the seller, help coordinate/interpret the PPI and then pick it up (trailer). I think he had an easy transaction with me since I did a lot of my own searching, and in retrospect maybe should have asked to pay a reduced fee, but whatever. I think he may have proposed a couple of candidates, but nothing I considered seriously. For me at the time, his services were worth it, and I found him great to deal with and trustworthy. He had also come recommended by a friend whose family has a shop servicing Porsches and Ferraris. I had been searching on my own locally for about 6 months, did not have a lot of free time, and sadly knew a lot less about Porsches and 964s than I do now, and 5 years later I still know a lot less than most people on Rennlist!

The value he provided me (some or all of which you may or may not be able to substitute through Rennlist) was knowledge of the cars, the market, and being able to identify a reputable shop nationwide to do the PPI and then help me evaluate it. The main thing was being able to open up my search nationally because previously I had wondered how I would buy a car I wasn't willing to go travel to in advance. (Didn't know about Rennlist or similar good places!)

So I guess knowing what I know now, I would say, could be useful if you are OK with paying the fee and unwilling or unable to do the searching/learning/contacting on your own. Yes, a lot of the fun for me was the search online itself, so not sure I would "need" his services to buy now. He seemed like a great guy though, with somewhat of a dream job to most of us. I talked with him a lot - still have never met him in person even though he's local to me, and bought my car based on digital pics that I later discovered were a couple years old from seller (!).

I assume you have it, but you can also check out his website www.europeanlocators.com

You can PM me if you like. Good luck!

 

Forgot to add that Rennlist has a Member to Member Classified Section as well.

 

consider adding pelican to the list

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-cars-sale/