Hello,

I’m a new member but long time lurker (like, a decade). I’ve long wanted a Porsche after selling them (primarily SC’s, 964’s, 993’s and 996’s) in the early 2000’s as a younger man. I’ve been casually looking for a couple of years but have been content with a few BMW’s as weekend cars.

I’ll make this long story short by getting to the point: I was offered a 2005 997.1 S coupe from a friend at a dealership that was recently taken in on trade. It’s a 57k mile car, clean title but with a front end accident and 4 previous owners.

The car is not perfect and not my ideal, but the price is fantastic at ~$30k. Here’s a breakdown of the pluses and minuses as I see them:

Plus:
-Great price on a 997 S, manual, silver on black
-Alcantara roof
-Sport chrono (did all S models come with this?)
-8/10ish interior
-drives really solid/tight
-upgraded/modern headunit that connects BLE to phone (would do this on any 997 I bought and it’s a high end unit)
-tires/wheels(lobster claws) in good to good+ shape
-lower miles and clean carfax (well, as in nothing crazy)
-water pump replaced at Porsche dealer last year

Bad:
-some idiot plasti dipped this car. I’m embarrassed to even type that. It has been removed but there is residue and it will need a detail (called my detailer and he’s certain he can take care of it)
-the accident on the front end wasn’t up to snuff and likely may need a new driver front fender
-needs front rotors/pads
-needs a service ($1500) per Porsche PPI
-no idea on IMS situation (clutch was recently done though)


i would Hole love some folks thoughts who are much more educated than I am on these cars and the market. Thanks!

 

I wouldn't touch unless the price was around $25K. It sounds to me with all of the owners and the accident there is uncertainty. In addition, YOu say you can tell it has had work says the whole thing is probably done in a shoddy low cost fashion underneath....Come to think of it, I think I would not consider it at all.

 

As long as the front end damage hasn't affected the frame you might have a gem. The higher mileage indicates it was driven, not stored. A plus. 30k entry fee. A big plus. Invest 10k (a negative) , do the IMS, get the fender/paint worked out, add a few cosmetic and performance mods. Ends up a positive. You end up with a righteous, reliable ride (with the modern entertainment) for about 40k that will make you so happy! The first time you stop for gas and some guy in the Mustang GT behind you tells you how beautiful your car is... priceless.

 

Sort of my line of thinking as well. It won’t be a daily and I’ve been spoiled by CPO or new cars for awhile. I like the thought of doing some work on a car myself. Thinking it will end up as a decent value if the body stuff checks out (have the car over night and taking to a friends body shop in the AM).

i put gas in it and literally the first person I saw said “dude! Nice car”. Then literally 30 secs later a group of young kids yells over “hey, nice Porsche!”. Haha, not making this up. This was my experience the first 60 seconds outside this car after leaving the dealership.

 

If you need to put money into it and it results in a $40k investment, find a 911 that has no stories that need explanation for $40k.

I would pass....I wouldn’t want my first Porsche to end up as a nightmare.

 

Exactly....

 

Assuming this is a weekend fun car, and your finances are not limited to a 30K Porsche, why compromise your dream? There are tons of 997s out there, keep searching the net, you'll find "the one". You don't want any nagging doubts, worries, etc. when you're carving up the back roads in your 911. Good luck...T

 

You could invest some money into it and have a really nice 911 that’s been well sorted. However, the accident via car fax will always stay with it. I would be worried about having more $ put in to it than it’s worth compared to another 997.1 with no issues that costs a little more initially.

 

A new fender and paint match will cost some cash. Plus the front radiators might be damaged. I would walk away from this or offer 25k

 

Appreciate the feedback from this group. All really good thoughts. Leaning towards passing after thinking through it over night.

I’ll still be taking it to my body shop friend this morning for a look over and I’ll update what he says just to close the loop on this thread.

Thanks for the thoughts and I’m anxious to join this community finally, whether with this car or another.

 

I would pass on it. Keep searching and save a little more to get what you want.

 

Definitely sounds like you should pass on this one.

There are numerous opportunities out there, I have been looking a while in the lower end of the 997 price range too. If you have been waiting for 10 years you can wait for a couple of weeks or months for the right one.

A few thoughts:

1. Any C2S 6 speed at 30k at the moment has something wrong with it, been badly modified, bad colour combination, accident or super high miles.
2. Lets say $1000 for brakes, you mention $1500 for service, no idea for fender issue (minimum 2k?) so around 5k total to be roughly conservative there.
3. IMS... lets assume if they did the clutch it is the larger bearing. But as it is an 05 car it would definitely need confirming.

So even with the above you are at 35k to buy a C2S with an accident on record.

I guess to put in perspective there is this: https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...modelCode1=911 a higher milage (88k) perfect example for 30k

 

Unknown IMS on a 2005, shody work on the repairs and clutch replaced at 50k miles would be a definite no go for me.

Clutch replacement at 50k and plastidip makes me think you had some ******* prior owners. Your buying the prior owners as much as the car.

Any prior owner that doesn’t have a record if the IMS was replaced during clutch replacement is an idiot or hiding something. It’s like the #1 thing that every <05 owner should know about and take care of to ensure long life of the car.

The accident doesn’t scare me away if you plan on keeping it for a long time and have full transparency. I bought a Land Rover with an accident on the car fax but was able to get the police report before buying to see if was only a fender bender. But It will have a large impact on your resale value.

Lasltly, at 30k it’s trading 10k below market. Adding 10k in repairs with an accident on the car fax will still leave you with a 35k car. You can find A low mile S for 42k all day long and if your budget is in the lower 30s, get a C2 base model.

 

The fender needs to come off to assess the damage and repair costs. The coolant and oil lines and PS lines all run back to front, as well as the front radiators need to be examined. A body shop can’t asess the damage by simply looking at the fender.

 

After having my friend look it over and then driving another C2S this morning, I’m a hard no on this one.

Im less tied to budget than it sounds, just thought this one was a much better deal than it turns out it is.

Thanks all!