Hey friends

Was looking seriously into this 2009 Targa 4s. The car does not come with any warrantee and any purchase would be subject to a ppi.

What is the general consensus on buying a 10-year old low km car?

Car has 28,000km which means it was driven an average of 2800km per year. Basically sat around. The previous owner purchased the car as a cpo car but never drove it apparently which is proven out by the low kms.

I am concerned that when I start driving it many of the components that were never used or stressed will start to fall apart. Specially anything rubber (door seats, bushings, hoses, belts that were served normally, gaskets, other components).

Seals, leaks, rubber and hoses at 10 years are my legitimate a concern as well. This is a super clean car, I have the money to buy but I am not keen on paying endlessly for small fixes here and there as I don't have the time to shuttle any car back and forth to a dealer.

How do the older cars hold up against my concerns ? I know they are reliable, but this is a question of just sitting around.

I plan to daily drive this in the snow, rain and sun.



http://m.autotrader.ca/a/5_37984017

 

Targa owner here. Same year. I love my Targa. I can open the roof almost anytime and the open air feel is fabulous.
This looks like a very nice unmolested/modded car. 3 peddles are pretty rare in this model, hence the price tag.
Nice seats, painted backs to match exterior. Sport Chrono, nice.
Colour combo is very nice too. Canadian car, good.
As for seals and rubber. I have had no issues. You should be able to tell if the car has been sitting outside or inside most of the time.
If sitting out, there may be more exposure wear. If sitting inside, no problems.
I would be a bit worried that it hasn't been driven hardly at all. These cars need to be driven.
Do a PPI, Pfaff are a larger company so not likely scheisters..
At that price, ask them to do a tranny service, oil change, check brakes and replace if needed, alignment, and you should be good to go.
See if you can get a set of snowies thrown in. It think they are at least 10k high on the price. These don't move quickly, so you should have some time.
This is pushing Turbo pricing.

 

Beautiful car and very nice spec. Certainly rare and well appointed. I cannot comment on the Canadian market specifically, but the car looks to be at a premium. But it is a sweet example and not common.

 

Appreciate the comments, well written. Thank you for addressing my points.

 

Can you all assit in speculating what the resale would be on this car in 2-3 years ?

Assume less than 55,000km.

 

This is 997.1 Turbo price on the Canadian market, but below 997.2 turbo. It's $12k more than I paid for my 2009 C2S 1.5 years ago (48,000km).

So, is it high? Maybe a bit, but it is a Targa 4S with low miles. But, if you're wanting a 4S Targa 6-speed... it's probably only a few 000 $ high and it may be difficult finding another. I say pull the trigger.

 

Sorry, my crystal ball is in the shop.
If I could have predicted that air cooled cars would be worth 5x previous prices, I would have bought a dozen.
I would hope the 997.1 and 997.2 would hold value as some see them as the last true 911.

 

Fair and reasonable.

I am "ok" to spend a bit more for a decent car but I am terrified that the moment I start driving this particular one it will fall apart because it has been a garage queen and sat for all these years.

 

Some experienced perspective. I bought an '01 996 Turbo five years ago with 26k miles on it with a history of regular servicing and driving (based on mileage changes over time from Carfax and service records). I've added another 1,200 miles over the last five years so yes, a garage queen, and the car has been rock solid. I still change the oil and brake fluid regularly, changed the battery a few years ago for an AGM type and keep it on a tender. If the weather is nice and roads are clean (no salt, debris) I'll take it out once or twice a month so it gets driven regularly and rarely sits for more than 8 weeks - usually in the dead of winter when it's too cold (summer tires only) and/or roads are salt covered. From where I sit, low mileage is fine as long as it's used regularly.

 

 

This is very helpful.

Unfortunately for me from the time I started this thread last night this car has been sold !

 

 

Don't stretch your budget to buy one. Buy one you're relatively comfortable with so that if you have sudden repair items you can handle those, too. My first 911 was a 996.2 @ 50,000 miles. Paid $33k CAD. COULD have pushed to ~$45k at the time, but during the first season of ownership I spent $7 on clutch, LN IMS, RMS, iPad mini dash retro fit, side markers, radar detector... you get the idea.

If funding ISN'T an issue, then buy the one you WANT. Your unicorn.