Thanks everyone for your responses. I have been eyeing a 993 for a few months now and have no problem waiting for the right one. My Dad has had several of them and is also helping me find the right car with the right options. I will def have a reputable independent do the PPI, but just wanted to know peoples reactions to Victory - from what I am reading, its very hit or miss so I will most likely talk to them just to get my own feeling and keep looking!

 

Post on the 993 and WTB boards what you are looking for. Can't do any better than having a Rennlister PM you with their available car.

 

I find it very strange that a guy who claims to be selling Porsches for 30+ yrs. and is a self described expert doesn't know the proper spelling of "Adventurine" (it's Aventurine). He's spelled it wrong on every Av Green car I've seen him list. It's little things like that that make me suspect of the bigger things. Either he doesn't know any better (and he should) or he doesn't care enough to make it right.

 

In addition to all of the above:

I physically went into their show room and spent a few hours crawling in and around cars. Looking for evidence of repaint etc etc. I found a lot of things that I would steer clear of. I am sure in the group they have some nice cars, but I would definitely not buy one without setting your OWN eyes on the car first. For example, I chose several 993s to scrutinize in advance of going there. Several of them weren't even there. A majority of the ones I did scrutinize had detectable-by-the-human-eye respray. Also saw seats that needed repair, things askew, nothing like the images you see online. Good for them if they clean them up - but what are they hiding in the process.

 

I was drinking water when I read this and laughed so hard I almost choked!

 

If you look for a specific car, make sure it is still physically in his inventory. However, he always has cars that are even better ...

My summary: Typical used car dealer with some cheap Mexican detailers that know how to repaint seats (if you ever wondered why they all look so great on the pics). I do not say that he does not have nice cars, but you need to find them and need to do your homework (e.g. get a paint meter)

 

My Victory story is a little entertaining:
When I was searching, got my panorama magazine in the mail.
Ideal car I was searching for was in the classifieds and only ~15 miles away, at my price (asking mid $30's in 2008).
Called the next day - owner had just sold it to Victory. $31K.
So I talked to the guy who just sold it. Car needed brakes and valve cover was leaking. No big deal I guess.
Called Victory same day. Asking $38K. "Car is perfect. Needs nothing."
I passed.
That said, I personally still might not rule them out entirely if they've got what I want. Just know I'd have to be extra careful.

 

I sold my old 993 to Robert back in 2005 or 2006. I had it listed on Ebay. He bought the car based off pictures and my description. No problems with him at all. Transaction was very smooth.

 

Absolutely agree! (Sorry for my English language, I am Austrian!)

I bought a 993 from Mr. Neal, Victorymotorcars, last year and he did not tell me on purpose that the gearbox was already fixed in the past and that an additive gearbox oil was filled in order to reduce the noise (furthermore, one could see with the naked eye that the screws of the gearbox were already opend in the past - which must have been known by Victorymotorcars as the car had been serviced by the company for many years).

In the end the gearbox had to undergo a thorough overhaul which caused an invoice of almost USD 7k.

Victorymotorcars must have been aware of the damage of the gearbox, however, sold the car without mentioning this problem - a lawyer uses the term "willful deception" for this.

Mr. Neal refused to reimbursement of any costs ("no warranty").

Buy anywhere - but not at Victorymotorcars! It cannot get worse!

Regards from Austria,
Bernhard

 

Bernhard, Welcome to Rennlist. I am sorry about your experience with them-I sometimes wonder how they stay in business. And your English is wonderful!

 

I know Victory, lived in Texas for 10 years, and the bottom line is this: they are no different than anybody else. They sell abused examples and pampered examples and its a gamble if you dont do ALL of your homework. I ended up buying my 95 993 from Park Place in Dallas, but despite staking their reputation on the sale, I never trusted anybody and I did a forensic search on all of the receipts.

Victory has some nice cars, but its luck. They will sell ANY Porsche they can make a profit on, so its up to you to be an informed consumer. Be careful so you dont get burned.

 

His cars paint finish look over-the-top glossy. He makes an excellent presentation minus the V in the carpets. I understand why people get sucked in so to say when looking at his website. Obviously, I ran after doing research, but he does sell cars. I'm not sure how...

 

He repaints the seats to make the the car look better than it is. Just look at the pictures how good the interior always looks. When I looked for my 993, the surprise came when I looked at the engine and under the car ... He might have detailers know that take car of this.