ARC Driver

Howdy,

I'm going to be purchasing a 993, contingent on inspection, from TopGear Imports and having it inspected by http://demanmotorsport.com/ who specializes in maintaining and tuning air-cooled Porsches. Since I'm having a hard time finding a time during the week to fly out to test drive the car, and because DeMan Motorsport knows air-cooled 911s better than me, I'm thinking about forgoing seeing it in person before I purchase.

Does not seeing the car first hand make this a risky purchase? Are there any additional steps I should be taking to protect myself? Should I be flying out to see it at all costs or can I skip that step?

Quadcammer

100% fly out.

Mike Murphy

AOW162435

Gbos1

DO NOT BUY A 993 SIGHT UNSEEN BY YOUR 2 EYES!!

Jay777

If you can't do any of the above, why not schedule a Facetime session and have the seller go through every nook and cranny with you. Won't help with the driving part, but better almost as good as a personal walk-around..

sp1965

I agree with Jay777. I recently purchased a 993 C4 from a member of this forum. I'm in CA and the car was in NH. I had a PPI done, plus a FaceTime evaluation of the car with the owner. No surprises when I received the car.

ARC Driver

Thanks for the Rennfax suggestion. How do I go about doing this?

msw

+1

gavonder

I think every person, car & deal is different. I purchased mine without seeing it. I had a PPI done, & had multiple conversations with the seller, plus many photos & videos. In the end, I was satisfied enough to take the chance.
For me, it worked out fine. Sure there where a couple minor things missed, but I think even seeing it isn't going to guarantee seeing everything.
Having said that about my transaction, I think you've answered your question by asking in the first place. You have doubts - go see it.

Mark in Baltimore

Best to put your eyes on it since some Rennlisters may not be as detail-oriented as you.

jeanhules

I bought my car sight unseen from Ilko (RL member) and also had Deman handle the PPI. Everything went smoothly and I can't complain about the process. I asked a lot of questions and made sure the PPI was thorough and covered some extra areas I was concerned about. Make sure to do your due diligence and you trust the seller. Rick at Deman is a good guy and knows his stuff.

fsa

Their current inventory states 108-Porsche's for sale, 24 of which are 993's. Going there, eyeballing, and driving this car- and considering all their other choices-certainly up close, as well as a good, independent ppi, may give you pause and thoughts. Maybe another grabs you better? As everyone reminds here, it's buying the seller, to best minimize surprises, and big current and future expenses. There's lots of these cars for sale, everywhere, all in your favor.

ARC Driver

My only concerns are mechanical, which Deman should be able to determine that better than me. I'm not worried about chips and scratches because I'm going to have the car vinyl wrapped, My main reason for flying out would be to confirm that they have the actual car in their possession, as there are so many scams going on right now.

I'm thinking that I can have Deman call me with the VIN number when the car gets dropped off and that should be proof enough that it's the correct car.

pp000830

Go look at it. Better yet have a local Rennlist member test drive it as this will illuminate any major engine, driveline or suspension issues, the most expensive stuff to correct.