Onami

I am very serious about buying my first Porsche and have been focussing on the 993TT based on performace, looks, good resale should I need the money some day in the future, and collectibility. I am quite picky about my cars and have been focussing on strong number 2 cars (low miles showing minimal wear). The car will be used for pleasure driving only, taking the kids and wife for an ice cream on a Sunday or going for an hour drive by myself to clear out the cob webs once a week or so. Ideally, I have been looking to spend about $65K +/-, but have been approached with a car that I would consider to be a number 3 car (nice driver) that just turned 40K miles for $55K. No paint or body work, some chips on the front, some wheel rash and showing normal wear in the interior. So the question is...should I stick to my original plan and find a 30K mile car in better shape or take the savings and invest it in the 40K mile car to bring it back to better condition??? One fear I have is that it seems that any TT over 45K miles seems to take quite a while to sell, whereas the low mile cars appear to sell very quickly. I'd appreciate any comments that you might have, especially from those who may have faced a similar decision recently. Thanks

Bill P.

Well, this is obvious, but that is why you can purchase a nice example for 55k. The seller wants to move the car quickly. I would imagine that there would be quite a bit of interest here on Rennlist for such a car with only 40k miles that checks out. Also, from what I've seen, a low milage car with minimal wear might be hard to find for 65k. While on one side it may take a bit longer to sell the 40,000 mile car it would also take longer to find the 65k car. 55k for a clean car is a pretty low entry price and lots of bang for your $$.

Regards,

Bill

PierreTT

Mark,
I had the same reflection 5 months ago. I choosed to go for a mint/low mileage instead of a cheaper one with obviously stuff to fix soon after the purchase...
I was looking here in Canada first when I found my car here,from a fellow Rennlister. I know some cars that were for sale here and did alot of research...
PM me with some infos on these cars if you want, I may have made an investigation on the cars part of your short list...
Cheers
Pierre

ca993twin

Mark,

I think a lot of the answer is in your future use of the car.... if you will put few miles on it, then the lower mileage car may be a wiser investment. But I gotta tell you, 40k miles on a 10 year-old-car IS low mileage... in my book, anyway. A front respray on a 10-year-old car is just routine maintenance... no big deal. In the final analysis... get the car that makes your socks roll up and down. Good luck.

Onami

Thanks guys! I received much better pics of the car today and it is in very nice shape for the age and mileage...not a perfect show car, but certainly nothing to be ashamed of at all. Some chips on the bumper and headlight surround and the passenger side mirror. Two wheels have some curb damage and the rear seat has some scratches from a pen or something in a pocket. Front seats are nice, but showing some "patina", carpets look good, no rust and it is my favorite color. I will do about 3,000 miles per year on the car, so it will likely still be "low miles" 5 years from now compared to many. Part of me likes that it is more of a driver than a show car, as I think I am more likely to drive it if it already has some wear showing. If it gets a clean PPI and carfax, I don't think I can go wrong for $55K. This is my first P-car, so it may be the right car for a novice. A few more questions...

What should I ask for in the PPI and what does this typically cost? Does anyone have access to a Carfax that they could run for me? (if not, no worries as I think they only cost $25 or so, but I've never run one before). Is there a 40,000 mile service on these cars? If not, what is the closest service interval to that mileage? Does anyone manufacture and sell replacement seat covers for the standard leather seats? Thanks for all of your help so far

ca993twin

Zedder,

I can't answer too many of your questions, but let me start with what I know:

service intervals: factory service intervals are every 15,000 miles. The bigger ones are the 30k and 60k services... your next is a minor 45,000 service... this is basically an oil change and inspection. If you ask folks on this board, most will say they change oil every 5000 miles or every year. These cars take about 11 quarts of Mobil One synthetic and two oil filters... expect to pay around $200 for a simple oil change. DO NOT USE the MAHLE oil filters. Ask me how I know.

Seat covers: my car has 105k miles on the original interior, and it still looks great. I wouldn't mess with covers when with a bit of care, the German leather seems to hold up so well.

How about sharing a picture with us?

Onami

Thanks CA...here is one pic. Basically an unmodified car with few options.

Turbodan

For $55k and in your colour, and by your description it sounds like the perfect car for you, go for it and get it delivered before the snow hits! Keep us posted.
I paid for a ppi in seatle $500 for a shop that works on these cars all the time. Leakdown and compression are the most important but entire inspection is necessary.
things to look for here are some of the things I checked for :damage to suspension under car, heater control works, oil leaks
if you do a search here you can find a complete checklist for a ppi. also a good idea is to be there for the ppi, also another member suggested trying to find someone in the area to attend the ppi with you who knows these cars, offer to buy lunch or beers.
Turbodan
good luck and let me know when you get it

Onami

Thanks for all of your help guys, but this TT won't be coming home with me. I ran a Carfax on it this morning and it appears to have had at least 4 owners rather than the two claimed. It's been in MA, IL, CA, TX and MI! I still think it's a decent car for the money, but I don't like the questionable ownership history. The search continues!

TT Surgeon

Good luck with the search, a PPI is probably more important than a carfax, but I don't blame you for backing out. I have a similar deal on a friends, but there are several ppi issues that may never be resolved($$$), very disheartening. I'm still kinda looking but I might just get a 997TT and be done with it.

ca993twin

I personally wouldn't worry too much about a 10-year-old car with 4 owners (as long as there were good records), but the fact that this wasn't disclosed WOULD make me worry. You are a pretty serious collecyor and certainly know what you're doing when it comes to buying cars. Good luck on your search!

Onami

Thanks guys. Yes, my problem is the non-disclosure issue - but I don't think the current owner even checked into this when she bought the car. This is my first Porsche and I have wanted one since graduating from college, so I am being very cautious. I've owned maybe 50 collector cars over the years, but always Muscle Cars and Corvettes, so this experience is very different for me. I am honestly torn about what to do as I usually drive me cars very little due to the value (a car like the one in my avatar is currently worth between $150K and $200K when restored) and they are a sort of rainy day fund for me rather than disposable income. I would buy a 997S if I could handle the depreciation, but I bought an 2002 Z06 new and lost $20K CDN after two years and only drove 4,800 KM! I swore I would never do that again until I was rich and famous

911/Q45

If you buy new you get exactly what you want. Then if you keep it over 10 years and drive it a lot depreciation is no big deal, amortized over that many years and miles. You also know the car intimately, both what's been done to it and how to drive it.

lthatch

Guys, I myself am getting close to buying a 96tt with 50k miles. Price is $52k. No body or paint work, PSS9s, RUF secondary oil cooler with upgraded lines, 2 sets of wheels, roll bar, rebuilt transmission, new clutch/flywheel, , and well documented maintainence and repair records for at least the past 3 years/15k miles. The car has seen some track time, but appears to be responsibly owned and maintained. It could use the nose repainted. The shop that did the recent transmission rebuild also did a major tune up and reportsed no leaks, other identified mechanical problems, and a leak down of 3.5-4.0 across the board. I plan on driving the car daily (12k/year) and live in New Mexico, the land of dust and gravel, so I am not necessarily looking for a low mileage garage queen. What are your opinions? I am scheduled for a ppi with Sporthaus in Reno in 3 days, and don't want to start committing resources towards a car that isn't a good idea to begin with.

Bill P.

I agree with Steve. Another way to look at the multiple owners and various states is that they must have been enthusiasts to make the trip to obtain the car. A good sigh as they probably checked it out as well and many of the miles are just to get it home!