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Hello All, new member, long admirer, first time poster. After years of drooling over 911s and Boxsters, I finally found one that meets most of my criteria- 1) manual 2) sand beige interior, but misses out on 3) sport wheel 4) chrono, and 5 ) an S model. It's 2007 Guards Red, has the right wheels, and is within driving distance ( no time to ship/fly/travel ). This one appeared on FB marketplace and has only...get this 8395 miles. Listed at $23K. Guy says his uncle bought it from FL for his aunt, they were multiple Porsche owners, but its been in storage here in Michigan a few years, so that makes me a bit concerned, thus my post:
What should I look out for?
- Could there be gremlins of worn seals, fuel lines, from improper storage? Any special 987 stuff to check?
- Any suggestions of a Porsche PPI mechanic/PCA in the Freeland/Midland MI area?
And if I buy it-
How much of a PITA is it to add the sport steering wheel and chrono?
Nice looking car! I just picked up an ‘06 S with low miles also in Guards red! I suspect the chrono would be a PITA, but the steering wheel is pretty straightforward. I’ve done it twice now and the only problem you will have is that the horn will not work! The fix for that is a trip to the dealer to program the car to think it has a multi function wheel. Sounds weird but it works!
Statements like this always put up a red flag for me: "Guy says his uncle bought it from FL for his aunt, they were multiple Porsche owners, but its been in storage here in Michigan a few years, so that makes me a bit concerned...."
Is the title in the "guy's name"?
Did his "uncle" buy it new or used? When? Records?
When folks put another party between them and you I find it is a way to deflect defects...
Could all be legit, but I'd proceed with caution.
I'd do a nationwide search and consider all options. Personally I'm never swayed by location or distance from me.
I would have a PPI done to check the IMS and if the car was in cold climates I would also check for bore scoring. I would also review records to make sure the plugs were done on schedule along with oil and brake fluid changes. Being a low mileage example, if you decide to buy it I would suggest changing the IMS bearing soon as it’s likely dried out and more prone to failure. Change it and enjoy.
Without meticulous records, a good PPI and changing out the IMS, I'd be VERY leery of a car with such low miles. It's bad enough when one of these cars has not really been driven, but when the miles are THAT low, it makes me nervous, let me tell you my 987.1 story.
I purchased last year a 2007 Cayman S with 32K miles on it, although for the previous year before I bought it, it really had not been driven. I had at least recent records, and I also had a PPI done at an indy shop in California that only worked on Porsches.
Anyhow, drove it home to WA state from CA and all was good. Then, about 2 weeks later, the clutch began to slip. Had to replace that (ouch). About a month after that, the coolant expansion tank leaked and had to replace that. Of course, the coolant leaked on the coil packs, so those had to be replaced, along with the plugs. Then, I began getting codes of piston misfires that pointed to the catalytic converter. That had to be replaced. Finally, the water pump failed, so that had to be replaced.
Over the course of 9 months I owned the car, I spent a total of $9k in repairs, not including basic maintenance--and that was WITH a PPI that gave the car a clean bill of health. I firmly believe now that the reason my car had so many issues is that it really had not been driven and just sat around for a good year before I purchased it. Not good at all for these cars to sit around. In fact, I'd be much more likely to purchase a car with a decent number of miles but that has been driven with great maintenance records.
For a car as old as the one you are looking at with so few miles, I'd likely say "no" to a purchase, but that's just me, especially without really good records. But even then, this car has not really been driven and seals will dry out and leak and other parts will fail.
If it is on the interwebz it has to be true! 07 IMS cannot be replaced without cracking open the motor i believe, unless the motor is different than the one that came in my 07 Cayman S. Bore scoring is more of an issue with the S I've read. The base motor doesn't have that issue I've read. I may be wrong, I may be right. What does Jake Raby say? Who cares about plugs, oil, and brake fluid and records on a car with 8k miles? The brake fluid is old and will be flushed, the oil will be changed, and maybe a Blackstone. Will the ceramic or tips of the plugs deteriorate from sitting in a garage? Will they seize to the motor? maybe.
Rob didn't say how the car drove. This is bench racing at its finest! How did it drive on the original tires? Are they the original tires? They should be. Check the dates. The rears should be about half worn. Sport steering wheel - drive it and decide if you must have it. Chrono - I have it on the current car, my brother has it on his 997.2 S and neither of us see much value in it other than its cool looking. Is this like the Chevelle SS that got 2,000 miles in 30 years 1/4 mile at a time?
Why was I not impressed with the pictures? Because they show a nice car, but show nothing about what the Rob should be concerned about. What does the underside look like? With 8K miles on it there should still be stickers on control arms and axles. How clean are the inside of the wheels? How red are the calipers? Mine are like a fine burgundy wine. The PO worked hard to make them that color. What does the driver's seat bolster (the area that would indicate wear) look like?
Also, that tree in the background... I am confident the car has more life in it than that tree has.
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