A nice find...A nice story
12-03-2011, 07:05 PM
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A nice find...A nice story
Of the many air cooled 911's I've owned in the past 10 years this is the first time I have highlighted on RL, the car and the acquisition process. In many ways I totally "broke the rules" of buying these types of cars. However in the end my intuition, knowledge of the market and experience buying these types of cars sight unseen, resulted in the purchase of a very special Porsche.
I was already driving a nice example of a 993; an Arena Red coupe with sport seats, 60k miles, RS ride height and BBS LM wheels. Satisfied with the car although not my first or second choice of exterior or interior (grey) colors.
I received a request from a fellow RLer to do a rennfax on a 993TT in the Boston area, 200 miles from where I live but 30 miles from my hometown. I happily agreed to do it. After the rennfax (which resulted in the RLer not buying the car) I curiously wanted to review the ad for the TT. The seller had only advertised it in his regional publication, bypassing for whatever reason the national PCA magazine, Panorama. While looking at this ad online, I noticed another 993 for sale as well (there were only 4-5 ads in total) and it caught my attention. The seller of this 1997 black coupe had also only listed it regionally and I never would have seen it had it not been for the Rennfax. In fact I had never even been on this region's website before. The ad listed a price, no mileage and only a few details about the car. What caught my attention however was the way the seller described the NB car as being "the small version 993." I had never seen a NB advertised that way so I decided to contact the seller to get more information. By this time I was back in NJ.
It turns out it was a one owner, ultra low mileage "driver" that was in near perfect condition (no paint, virtually no interior wear) completely stock with an awesome suspension upgrade and two additional sets of wheels. The seller was active in his local PCA chapter, participating annually in several DE's and Autocross events (and claiming many 1st's) but not having driven the Porsche much beyond those activities. For the past 10 years or so it had been serviced by the go to shop west of Boston, EPE.
After my initial contact with the seller I had a family member from the Boston area go inspect and drive the car. He called immediately after seeing the car, telling me the car was "basically perfect' and drove "like a 993 should." Once I consulted with Jerry at EPE who knew the car well, I passed on a PPI, thinking I could close on the sale quicker. One call later to the seller with an offer, a counter offer and a "let's meet in the middle" with no PPI required, I had my "new" 993. The negotiations took less than 5 minutes. In addition, the seller was not big on saving records and could not provide me with even one service record beyond the original books and maintenance manual. I know what ya'll are thinking, that perhaps I was crazy, however Gerry at EPE assured me he had all of his records for the past 10 years if I needed to see anything. Fortunately the carfax showed the annual inspection/emissions records for the past 12 years and the mileage was very consistent each year. It was the first time I ever purchased a Porsche with no PPI and/or not seeing the car in person. In the end there were no negative surprises. I expect to keep the car stock, with the addition of wide ovals, HID's, stage III exhaust and depending on ride quality, the usual RL recommended bits, next spring.
Here are the details of the 993 and what came with the car:
1997 Black/black coupe; 16,500 miles (now 17,xxx miles)
CD Player/Limited Slip/Full Power Driver's Seat
17" Cup 2's/Rim Caps w/crest/HI-FI Sound Pkg
Bilstein HD's/Eibach/Evo Uprights; lowered to just below ROW height
17" Fiske FM5's with Hoosiers
17" Classic II's in 8.5" fronts (offset 50) and 9" rears (offset 55); as pictured.
(The seller had sourced the fronts separately, preferring the 8.5" over the 7" that are usually associated with 17" width wheels.)
Original suspension; removed at 8k miles
Extra brake pads, bulbs, belts, fuses, etc.
One last note, especially for newbies considering their first Porsche purchase. Don't let my story sway you into thinking a PPI and seeing/driving the car is not important. It is, however there are times when one has to break or at least bend the rules and take a calculated risk. This was one of those times, in my opinion. Obligatory pictures below; apologies for the sun's glare.
I was already driving a nice example of a 993; an Arena Red coupe with sport seats, 60k miles, RS ride height and BBS LM wheels. Satisfied with the car although not my first or second choice of exterior or interior (grey) colors.
I received a request from a fellow RLer to do a rennfax on a 993TT in the Boston area, 200 miles from where I live but 30 miles from my hometown. I happily agreed to do it. After the rennfax (which resulted in the RLer not buying the car) I curiously wanted to review the ad for the TT. The seller had only advertised it in his regional publication, bypassing for whatever reason the national PCA magazine, Panorama. While looking at this ad online, I noticed another 993 for sale as well (there were only 4-5 ads in total) and it caught my attention. The seller of this 1997 black coupe had also only listed it regionally and I never would have seen it had it not been for the Rennfax. In fact I had never even been on this region's website before. The ad listed a price, no mileage and only a few details about the car. What caught my attention however was the way the seller described the NB car as being "the small version 993." I had never seen a NB advertised that way so I decided to contact the seller to get more information. By this time I was back in NJ.
It turns out it was a one owner, ultra low mileage "driver" that was in near perfect condition (no paint, virtually no interior wear) completely stock with an awesome suspension upgrade and two additional sets of wheels. The seller was active in his local PCA chapter, participating annually in several DE's and Autocross events (and claiming many 1st's) but not having driven the Porsche much beyond those activities. For the past 10 years or so it had been serviced by the go to shop west of Boston, EPE.
After my initial contact with the seller I had a family member from the Boston area go inspect and drive the car. He called immediately after seeing the car, telling me the car was "basically perfect' and drove "like a 993 should." Once I consulted with Jerry at EPE who knew the car well, I passed on a PPI, thinking I could close on the sale quicker. One call later to the seller with an offer, a counter offer and a "let's meet in the middle" with no PPI required, I had my "new" 993. The negotiations took less than 5 minutes. In addition, the seller was not big on saving records and could not provide me with even one service record beyond the original books and maintenance manual. I know what ya'll are thinking, that perhaps I was crazy, however Gerry at EPE assured me he had all of his records for the past 10 years if I needed to see anything. Fortunately the carfax showed the annual inspection/emissions records for the past 12 years and the mileage was very consistent each year. It was the first time I ever purchased a Porsche with no PPI and/or not seeing the car in person. In the end there were no negative surprises. I expect to keep the car stock, with the addition of wide ovals, HID's, stage III exhaust and depending on ride quality, the usual RL recommended bits, next spring.
Here are the details of the 993 and what came with the car:
1997 Black/black coupe; 16,500 miles (now 17,xxx miles)
CD Player/Limited Slip/Full Power Driver's Seat
17" Cup 2's/Rim Caps w/crest/HI-FI Sound Pkg
Bilstein HD's/Eibach/Evo Uprights; lowered to just below ROW height
17" Fiske FM5's with Hoosiers
17" Classic II's in 8.5" fronts (offset 50) and 9" rears (offset 55); as pictured.
(The seller had sourced the fronts separately, preferring the 8.5" over the 7" that are usually associated with 17" width wheels.)
Original suspension; removed at 8k miles
Extra brake pads, bulbs, belts, fuses, etc.
One last note, especially for newbies considering their first Porsche purchase. Don't let my story sway you into thinking a PPI and seeing/driving the car is not important. It is, however there are times when one has to break or at least bend the rules and take a calculated risk. This was one of those times, in my opinion. Obligatory pictures below; apologies for the sun's glare.
Last edited by deadhead1960; 12-03-2011 at 11:22 PM.
12-03-2011, 08:11 PM
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That car doesn't look familiar at all. I'd have seen and known it if it was autocrossed, especially if it was autocrossed on Hoosiers.
Deadhead, I'm curious whose car this was if you don;t mind me asking.
BTW, the TT... I still think was a buy and a half.
Deadhead, I'm curious whose car this was if you don;t mind me asking.
BTW, the TT... I still think was a buy and a half.
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12-03-2011, 11:25 PM
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Do the words "Belmont," "George" and "MD" ring a bell. It's funny, I don't know my license plate # but I remembered his...GMDMD (initials + doctor).
12-03-2011, 11:59 PM
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Oh, jeeez. Haven't seen George in a couple of years and completely forgot about his car. Yep, used to autocross with him for years. Didn't know 993 had no miles on it 
George is a _great_ guy. I'm sure the car will be excellent.
George is a _great_ guy. I'm sure the car will be excellent.
12-04-2011, 01:05 AM
#14
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Jay,
Interesting story and great result. It is a beauty. You never know when and where a beauty surfaces. It is great that you were able to pull the trigger very quickly. Clearly your knowledge, and resources helped to minimize the risks.
And your words of wisdom to get a PPI (even though you did not) are important to all when buying one of these machines.
Mark
Interesting story and great result. It is a beauty. You never know when and where a beauty surfaces. It is great that you were able to pull the trigger very quickly. Clearly your knowledge, and resources helped to minimize the risks.
And your words of wisdom to get a PPI (even though you did not) are important to all when buying one of these machines.
Mark
12-05-2011, 04:20 AM
#15
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Boston area, 200 miles from where I live but 30 miles from my hometown. I happily agreed to do it. After the rennfax (which resulted in the RLer not buying the car) I curiously wanted to review the ad for the TT. The seller had only advertised it in his regional publication, bypassing for whatever reason the national PCA magazine, Panorama.
What about the TT ? Could you pm me the AD link please ? thanks
