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Soon to be buying my first Porsche - pricing advice
Hi guys, I'm sure you get a lot of noob threads like this. I will finally be buying a 911, which I have wanted for years but always end up buying muscle cars. I've decided on a 991.1 with PDK. I drove a base 2014 with no options and there was just something about it. It's been years since I've driven a 911 and forgot it just has "it". I know a 991.2 will be a lot faster but anything less than the Turbo feels slow to me since I'm used to my Hellcat Redeye anyway, and the whole reason I'm buying a 911 is for the visceral experience which the engine is a HUGE part of.
Anyways, on to pricing on a couple models I looked at. California market. Both are at dealers and I will be trading in my car. Both are agate grey. Both have standard black interiors.
The first one is a '14 base Carrera coupe PDK. 13k miles, one owner. No options that I can see. Car is in great shape although the dealer drilled the front bumper for a plate which drives me crazy. I haven't had a close look at it underneath but based on where it was owned and the miles I'm not worried about it. Price is $80k. This is Carmax so they're a "one price" store. The only reason I'm considering this one is the low miles and the fact that it's a one owner California car.
The second one is a '14 C4S coupe, also a PDK. This car is pretty well optioned. It has the premium package, 14 way memory seats, sunroof, Bose, "ornamental Porsche crest", dynamic light system, PASM, sport chrono, SportDesign steering wheel, and the 20" SportTechno wheels with the factory option where they paint the recessed accents black (looks amazing). This car has about 36k miles. The asking price is $90k. It's also a CPO car and I usually trade my cars in every 2 years so I will be under warranty the whole time.
Now you may be saying I'm crazy for even considering the base model over the C4S but here's why I feel like one may be either severely underpriced, or one severely overpriced. And I was hoping you guys could tell me if that's true. I'm in the business but have no idea about the Porsche market. And yes the market is crazy right now, but I don't think I'll take much of a bathe if it corrects because I think the 991 will hold it's value relatively well.
Here's the caveat with the second one....the ownership history. The car has 3 owners. It was leased by the original owner in Colorado and serviced at the dealer (5 services in 2 years/10k miles). The second owner bought it at that dealership in Colorado and owned it for about a year and another 10k miles. Then the third owner bought it at that same dealership and moved out here to CA somewhere between 20k and 31k miles. So this car spent a lot of time in Colorado and judging by the chewed up front splitter and destroyed clear bra (that's what it's for), it was in some rough conditions. I took a quick look at the exhaust, what I could see of the suspension through the wheel wells, wheels, brakes etc. and it looked great. But I did ask the dealer if they could send me pictures of the underbody. They will also be removing the clear bra and replacing the front splitter.
Which one is the better buy?
I'll attach a picture of the second one. The first one is pretty plain jane and I would have to do some exterior mods (mainly wheels and some lowering springs)
Well I ended up going a different direction, even though I swore up and down I wanted the NA engine. I was offered a deal I couldn't refuse on both the car and my trade in and picked up this 2018 racing yellow base Carrera with PASM, sports exhaust, RS Spyder design wheels (they look amazing on yellow), heated/cooled memory seats, Bose (doesn't sound that great), and that's it. No sport chrono and not an S. But the deal was incredible, the car is immaculate and yes a 1 owner local car, and after taking it on some backroads I can safely say every single highly modified BMW and Mustang I've ever had pales in comparison. And I definitely don't miss the power of my Redeye because this thing launches great on the street. It sounds pretty decent too, but I'll be getting some kind of exhaust, maybe Sharkwerks. I will say that I paid less than the gray C4S I posted and got more for my trade than any other dealer including Carmax and Vroom offered (in fact, more than I paid for it brand new)
Here's a couple low quality pictures. You can see my old Redeye in the background. Don't miss it ONE BIT. Yes I removed the front plate already. Will try to clean up the holes and maybe get some bumper plugs.
Now you may be saying I'm crazy for even considering the base model over the C4S
You’re crazy. Normally I’d be an advocate for the base model being enough for most people, but it has to come with a reasonable price difference. For an 11% difference between the two you’d be nuts not to take the 4S, assuming like condition. As to the ownership history, not sure why people get hung up on 1 owner cars? I’m sure a lot of multiple owner cars have had the sins of the first owner corrected by the subsequent. Best of luck in your search, and FYI, that Carrera at Carmax seems closer in spec to the 4S than you realized.
I agree with the above poster. I think getting an 4S (which people say is going to retain the value longer) in addition it it being all wheel drive is going to be way better of an option. You mention its a CPO which is a huge pro. To have that same 2 year warranty on the base your closing the pricing gap between the two even more. Nice piece of mind for your first Porsche. No need to mod it either as you mentioned. I also love the 4S rear lights. Buying the 2nd one as a CPO also give you piece of mind knowing its passed the Porsche specific inspection.
I have the same sport wheels on my car and love them.
Good luck!
I had the same "worries" when I found my car in August 2020. It is/was a GQ 2012 991.1 S Cab with 13.6K miles. I am the FOURTH owner which sounds questionable (to me)...until you know the "rest of the story". Purchased in Coral Gables new. 1st owner 17 months/odo 1,468 miles. Traded back to dealer, 2nd owner (friend of 1st) purchases car CPO, 12 months/odo 9,856miles, traded to P Fort Myers. 3rd owner purchases CPO, 5.5 years and trades car with 13.6K...............I purchase 8/20. It has spent its entire life within a 125 mile radius here in South Florida. After understanding the complete car history I have no problem being the fourth owner and I'm sure that the 5th owner won't have an issue when they know the history. FWIW. Good luck!
... I know a 991.2 will be a lot faster but anything less than the Turbo feels slow to me since I'm used to my Hellcat Redeye anyway, and the whole reason I'm buying a 911 is for the visceral experience which the engine is a HUGE part of...Which one is the better buy?..I'll attach a picture of the second one...
Looks like there's a nice looking 991.2 TTS parked next to the second one. A Turbo S with a tune and a few bolt on parts is extra visceral! Worth a look? And you'll be shocked at just how slow your Hellcat Redeye really was....
I had the same "worries" when I found my car in August 2020. It is/was a GQ 2012 991.1 S Cab with 13.6K miles. I am the FOURTH owner which sounds questionable (to me)...until you know the "rest of the story". Purchased in Coral Gables new. 1st owner 17 months/odo 1,468 miles. Traded back to dealer, 2nd owner (friend of 1st) purchases car CPO, 12 months/odo 9,856miles, traded to P Fort Myers. 3rd owner purchases CPO, 5.5 years and trades car with 13.6K...............I purchase 8/20. It has spent its entire life within a 125 mile radius here in South Florida. After understanding the complete car history I have no problem being the fourth owner and I'm sure that the 5th owner won't have an issue when they know the history. FWIW. Good luck!
I think ownership is part of the equation, but after joining the forum / Facebook groups and seeing how fast people generally upgrade out of the 1-2 year old cars sometimes getting into cars for a few months before upgrading. It's not as big of a deal to me. I can't believe how quick people buy and sell these cars...but, it would be nice to have the cash flow not to care.
Given the information provided, I would choose the 4S like others have said.
I am not against a 1 owner CA car, my first 991 was exactly that, but the 4S is a CPO example, looks great and comes with the bigger engine.
Obviously I agree with the Vicseral experience Vs all out power, but the nice bump of the S motor is still worth spending just $10K more. 911 4S is rear biased till the rear wheels slip/spin up, which means although its an "AWD" car, it still feels like a RWD with RWD bias.
They do hold their value better as well, and when you are buying a car at historical high retail prices this factor must be considered (its like buying TSLA stock at its historical high of $12xx+ last week - you better be in it for longer haul or understand the risk holding it short term)
My 2 cents, Good luck and either way you have lots of smiles coming your way
I think ownership is part of the equation, but after joining the forum / Facebook groups and seeing how fast people generally upgrade out of the 1-2 year old cars sometimes getting into cars for a few months before upgrading. It's not as big of a deal to me. I can't believe how quick people buy and sell these cars...but, it would be nice to have the cash flow not to care.
In these times, I wonder if a buyer could pick up a 991 to enjoy for a year and then sell a year later for little or no depreciation loss. If ever there was a time to buy a lightly used sports car and be able to sell it a year later for the same price, this must be it.
In these times, I wonder if a buyer could pick up a 991 to enjoy for a year and then sell a year later for little or no depreciation loss. If ever there was a time to buy a lightly used sports car and be able to sell it a year later for the same price, this must be it.
Well, possibly, but I think we missed the best time to buy (prob 1.5-2 years ago) but it does seem like its holding given the fact that allocations and new vehicles are being sold so high.
Thanks guys. I am going to start to talk more about a deal with the dealer on the C4S then. I started to ask about a new base model 992 and they have none and are looking at a 9 month-1 year build out time if you order. This is at a large dealer, too. I thought the supply crisis was hitting my dealer bad but these guys are way worse off, which is another reason I think the 991 will hold it's value well. We are looking at beyond 2023 until it gets back to "normal". As for the Turbo next to it, I think it was $210k or something like that. Way over my budget. I need to stay at or under $115k
In these times, I wonder if a buyer could pick up a 991 to enjoy for a year and then sell a year later for little or no depreciation loss. If ever there was a time to buy a lightly used sports car and be able to sell it a year later for the same price, this must be it.
i just took this exact bet , took delivery of a 2015 c4 cab yesterday . stoked!!!!
11-10-2021, 03:48 AM
Soon to be buying my first Porsche - pricing advice
