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I was shopping for my first Porsche, and I wanted a 997 for about a year, got cold feet on a 2012 997 Gts about a month ago, great price but it was on the other coast and I wasn't comfortable to do everything remotely...but a few days later it happens that I find a 2012 991.1 CS, PDK with all the features I wanted (sport seats, sport exhaust, sport design front bumper, ducktail and even in the color I prefer Carrara white...).
Well, long story short I have the car on hold and Monday I will finally go to check it out and if there are no surprises on the car the plan is to take it home.
Now a couple questions for the more experts, what should I check, are there any particular areas to pay attention to? I am planning a PPI but I want to get everything covered so that I will not have surprises in the future.
As mentioned this is my first Porsche and not being familiar with the car any advice is greatly appreciated.
Congrats on your first pending Porsche. Great job correctly spelling Carrara White.
Your car sounds like a very rare build. One note, make sure, if not already done, place a deposit on that car so it's not sold out from under you. FYI.
In general maintenance records and up-to-date maintenance (especially all fluids [coolant, brake, oil, trans]) would be key here on a 2012.5. Keep in your mind, and in your pocket, a couple $K to 'zero out' the maintenance schedule once it's yours. A couple missing maintenance items should not stop the process, just be prepared to have them done under your ownership and finances.
Potential weak spots would be any COV (Cross-over valves) and water pump.
I bought a similar 2012 991.1S a few months ago with 18k miles. The 8yr./80k maintenance was done to CPO it. I also negotiated PDK clutch oil change and brake flush into the purchase.
I've had my 2012.5 C2S for almost a year, and absolutely love it. A couple of things have popped up over that year.
Both my tail lights fell out. It's a known issue. Give both tail light assemblies a little tug to make sure they are still secure. There's a plastic mounting tab that is known to break, and that lets the whole assembly fall out. Mine fell out on a track day sponsored by the dealer. The salesman that sold me the car was there, and he made sure I was taken care of.
Check to see that the gas struts that keep the front hood and rear engine cover up actually do their job. My rear ones don't keep the cover up anymore, and my front ones are iffy if it's cold outside.
Check to see if the interior door panels are delaminating, especially on the top curve where it meets the glass. They tend to become delaminated and start lifting up.
Absolutely none of these things have kept me from enjoying the car more than any car I've ever owned. Puts a huge smile on my face every time I look at it and drive it. It never gets old!
Looking forward to seeing your car. Post some photos!
Last edited by Wolpertinger; 12-18-2020 at 10:04 AM.
My advice? Don't dare test drive it unless you are fully prepared to take it home.
I remember thinking I could just "go to check it out" and be able to walk away from my first Porsche. Roughly 100ft out of the parking lot I realized that there was no way I was going home without it.
Welcome to the family.
If it's being sold by a Porsche dealer, ask for the service records. Also ask for a Carfax report.
And, good luck. Searching for the first Porsche 911 is lots of fun and when you finally find her, very exciting!
Enjoy.
I bought a similar 2012 991.1S a few months ago with 18k miles. The 8yr./80k maintenance was done to CPO it. I also negotiated PDK clutch oil change and brake flush into the purchase.
My advice? Don't dare test drive it unless you are fully prepared to take it home.
I remember thinking I could just "go to check it out" and be able to walk away from my first Porsche. Roughly 100ft out of the parking lot I realized that there was no way I was going home without it.
Welcome to the family.
100% this. As I've written elsewhere, I began my Porsche journey looking for a dealer with an allocation for a Cayman S. I knew this would take a while to get the allocation, wait for the build and shipment, etc. Fully prepared to not get my car til Spring '21. Drove a Cayman at the dealer back to back with a Carrera T, after the sales guy pointed out my build sheet for the Cayman was basically right in CPO 911 territory. The T was really a bit out of my budget though, but after a bit of negotiating we got to a price that was only about $2k more than the Cayman build and I bought the T 2 days later. No regrets.
I'm sure I would have loved the Cayman just as much (especially as it would have been truly *my* spec), but there's something just a little bigger behind the thought "I own a ****ing 911". Still can't believe it.
Best of luck OP! (and we demand pictures if it works out )
This is so funny. Yes it's the same car. I saw it and asked to get it transfered to San Diego when it was in Sacramento , unfortunately even if I reserved I guess you beat me by just a few minutes.
Funny story it landed at the same store I was trying to get her to. .. Can I ask why didn't you pull the trigger, I have a PPI already scheduled on Tuesday at Black Forest.