no911Dave

I'm looking for opinions on buying a 993 without having seen it in person. Suppose I'm shopping by internet and find one that sounds good, get a couple of PPI's, maybe a walkaround video. Would I be crazy (easy guys!) to purchase one with just that much information? What else would you do when confronted with long distance searching/buying? Thanks a lot, MAYBE by this time next year I'll be able to share some of my experiences instead of just asking questions.

Rick in Portland

Dave,

You are investing too much money in a car without looking at it. I would get the PPI and all, buy a one way ticket, but be prepared to buy another ticket home if you don't like the car after looking at it.

When I bought my previous TT, I had it checked out and then sent $1,000 for a deposit. We flew into San Francisco, looked and drove the car, then drove it home.

Be sure to look at the car before you ever buy one.

Rick

Chris in Detroit

I bought mine sight unseen * BUT * as a Certified Pre-Owned from a Porsche dealer and after getting multiple photos, writing on the sale contract iun great detail the expected condition of the car - absolutely no paint blemishes or defects anywhere etc. etc. You can't be too detailed in this respect.

In retrospect, although it caused no problems in my case, I would definitely have had at least one other PPI done at an independent dealership.

However, I would never do this from an individual - and as Rick said, I would be be very prepared to just walk away from it.

Garey Cooper

My thought is that you are spending enough money and that buying a car carries such a high emotional content that you are better off looking at the car personally. No matter how well done there just aren't any photo's that represent the entire presence of some things. I'd budget the $'s to see it in person if I could.

John D II

I did the same as Chris 3 times and never had a problem. However, I was buying 4,000 mile cars in all three instances and it was understood that if the car was not absolutely perfect, it would go back, no questions asked. Worst problem I had was a slight scratch on a rear wheel. One phone call and a new wheel was sent, no questions asked and I agreed to keep the car. I also bought from reputable dealerships, not individuals. That said, not sure I would do it again. I think I may have been lucky having read some of the stories recently posted. Also, at the time, I was buying cars that were only 1 or 2 years old. If you are looking at 993's, now the number of years and the chance for incidents are increasing, so damage is more likely than when the cars were newer.

John

SeanD

As someone who just purchased a 95 993 with 55K miles on the clock, I would STRONGLY recommend going to see the car in person. I worked the numbers with the dealer on the phone AFTER they emailed me photos and had it sent to an independent for PPI. THEN I drove 3 hours to go see the car, THEN I went to the independent's shop and had him go over the car with me, THEN I made them fix the stuff that was found, THEN I drove home in my BMW, THEN I verified that everything was fixed, THEN I had them send it up on a flatbed at no cost to me.

Even after all that I found a local independent and had them re-check everything and the still found a few items and the oil had not been changed out only new oil added to the old! The battery still may be getting drained by something (not sure yet).

So, even if you were to do everything I did over the phone, you see that you HAVE to take care of everything... IN PERSON!

roger sf

I believe that "it depends". It depends on:

1) How many miles the car has
2) Who does the PPI and what the PPI turns up
3) Whether you can talk to the prior service shop(s) and see all records
4) If the car has had more than one owner
5) Who was the prior owner
6) What the return policy is

I recently bought a '96 993TT from the other side of the country sight unseen. I was comfortable doing this because the answers for me were:

1) 6200 miles
2) Well respected independent shop that had no affiliation with the car's owner. I interviewed the shop's owner and determined that he was both an expert on turbos and very detailed in his inspections. The inspection came back very clean. I was relieved to hear that were several minor issues to attend to, indicating that the PPI was completed in detail.
3)Spoke with prior shop. Car had only been in for service twice. One oil change and one seat repair.
4) Car was a one owner car
5) Owner was a well to do collector who was making room for a 996TT (oops)
6) Car could be returned within 30 days (at my shipping cost) for a full refund if it wasn't as advertised by the owner.

I've been thrilled with the car. For me, #2 is the most important and I might have still purchased the car if one of the other considerations was not as indicated, but this would have triggered a trip to go see it.

One other positive to my experience was getting to see it for the first time as it was unloaded from the transport. It was very cool.

NickA

When I bought my 993TT last year, I spent several days on the phone with the owner prior to FedEx'ing a $5k deposit. However, I never intended to buy the car sight unseen -- the plane ticket is a cheap insurance policy, in my opinion. Fortunately for me, the car was as-advertised, and I got a chance to talk extensively with the original selling/servicing dealership, which gave me additional comfort. The highest of the highline dealers used to offer to ship a car to you with a money-back guarantee (less shipping costs both ways) if it wasn't exactly as advertised...this may not be true anymore, and it certainly doesn't happen in private sales. As we say around the office, trust, but verify. Happy hunting!

- Nick
ncamos@bellatlantic.net
My 993TT for sale web page

Sam N

Roger,

Love the pic! Its like a UFO (Unbelievably Fast Object) descending from the sky. Any Diablos onboard for the ride? A friend took delivery of a Viper this way and a beautiful Titanium Diablo was sitting directly below. Good thing the cars were all dry underneath.

Sam

Jim 97 C4S

Dave,
I made the mistake of purchasing a 97 C4S sight unseen from Ray Joseph of RPM Sports Cars in Houston Texas. The car was not as advertised in that it had minor body damage and considerable paintwork. Steve Mikula, the service manager, at Don McGill Porsche, did the pre-purchase inspection. Mr. Mikula later stated that they don't look at the paint or body for damage. I relied on Ray Joseph word that the car was in 'like new' condition, he turned out to be a liar. I relied on Steve Mikula to give the car a serious look, he turned out inept.

I would suggest you let your own eyes gaze upon a car before you purchase it. Also a mechanic and a paint/body expert.

Good luck,

Jim

Ran

roger sf,

That is a really sweet picture. I love the shine on the side. Great catch. I hope you wont mind if I send it to a friend or two.

How do you like your new suspension now that you have driven it a bit?

Best of luck.

roger sf

In response:

I used Gold Rush Motorsports to ship the car and the experience was great. There were no other cars on board, but there about 8 motorcycles. I don't know anything about bikes but I think they were some rare type. The guys in my mechanics shop were more interested in those than the TT. Indians?

As for suspension, I love it. I went with the Euro M030 and it is killer. The car handles flatter with less understeer. I love the more aggresive look and the ride quality feels no different. Steep driveways are more of a problem, but that is a small tradeoff.

Apologies for the size of the image above. I couldn't figure out how to make it smaller.

no911Dave

Thanks a lot for all of the helpful responses everyone! You must wonder what I'm doing thinking about a 993 if the cost of a few airline tickets is a consideration in my evaluation process. All I can say is, you must know what it's like when you've been bitten by the bug! Thanks again.

Dave