nicholascanada

First time Porsche buyer. Will likely keep awhile and wouldn’t be selling for several years. Don’t have any details but Carfax simply lists $1k USD ($1400 Cdn) collision on 997.2 S model. CPO vehicle at dealership. Walk away or is $1k collision not a deal breaker?

Balr14

I can't imagine what would only cost $1k. Maybe a busted a side mirror.

Pbrad

When I bought my car there was a carfax for "damage report". Was a bent tire rim when the driver hit a pot hole.
The previous owner had the entire rim replaced, $1200. He reported it to his insurance company and thus it was placed on carfax.
'Would find out what it was and go from there.

Enjoy the Hunt!

nicholascanada

Thanks! Assume something this small dollar wise couldn’t be major enough to cause concern?

sandwedge

Most likely a bumper replacement or repair. I say this since I went through this not long ago and learned a thing or two. One thing I learned is that the only body work that still qualifies a Porsche for CPO certification is the front or rear bumper. Repair or replacement, no difference as long as there's no additional damage once the bumper is removed. Reason being is that the bumpers are considered "bolt on items" and are not part of the structure of the car. For that same reason, bumper repairs or replacements also don't decrease the value of the car. At least not by the book. This is not my opinion but what I was told by a certified auto appraiser.

You'll still have buyers out there who'll use a perfectly repaired or replaced bumper as a reason to beat you up on the price. Never mind that especially a front bumper will almost certainly look a lot better than the pre collision one after the repair/replacement..

Goes without saying that all this assumes that the work done is first rate to undetectable standards.

TJ993

Could not agree more.
FYI > Who said it would only cost $1000. ?
That could be an assumption by somebody Un-qualified to make such a statement.
Police Reporting Centre. Are they actually qualified to make said assessment?
I AM Not suggesting its a hidden biggie.
I suggest you get to the bottom of it.

Find Police Report?
Who did the work?
What work was actually done? Where is the estimate and repair invoice/s?
It could be a bent wheel but I want to know because one day you may wish to sell and you will be facing the same question.
Ask me in pm how I know.
TJ993

roman944

those collisions can mean anything

maybe they were just repainting a cracked bumper or really anything, but $1k is so low, it might have been a respray of something

get PPI done you'll be fine, no reason to run away, especially if the car has options/colors you want

Bruce In Philly

A good PPI place may find where the repair was.... lotsa tricks in the eyes of someone good.

My 2009 had a bad carfax.... "hit a wild animal" . I know a deer can do big damage, or not.... so the PPI speed shop said something like "if this was in an accident, we see no evidence of it". Now 100K+ miles later, neither do I. I bang my cars up because I use them... fenders bumpers... i don't care. But that is just me.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

groovzilla

Unfortunately Carfax is not very accurate in many cases and/or mis-information especially regarding # of owners.
My current 997C4S only had 3 owners prior to my purchase but because 2 of the owners moved out of state/got loan on car after move/bank took ownership of title, the Carfax added 2 more owners and shows total of 5.
I've seen this issue on other Porsche's as well.

nicholascanada

CarFax lists it as $1k USD or $1400 Cdn.

linderpat

Just get your own ppi, and if it checks out, buy it. Small damage items are meaningless. And, if you are buying it with an eye for future resale value, invest in something else instead, like the market, and certainly not a mass produced sports car. They are meant to be driven and enjoyed, then moved on or kept, whatever suits your fancy. Obviously there are some exceptions (think 1974 RSR), but for a water cooled 911, resale value is not a driver for me. If the damage were truly that low, I'd think what others have suggested, a resprayed bumper cover (which I'll eventually do with mine to get rid of road rash) or a bent wheel. And without intending disrespect, I would not do a deep dive investigation into police reports and so forth. Just not worth it to me for a car like this. The ppi, if done by a qualified shop, will tell you what you need to know. No use going Columbo on it.

ilovemaui

Carfax is a crap shoot. Many accidents are never reported to insurance and don't show up on Carfax, while others that are minimal show up as big deals. I had a car that was hit that did very little damage to my car but the car that hit me was a total piece of crap. It ended up being totaled and my car had an estimate of $1500. The Carfax listed it as a major accident.

nicholascanada

Car is at Porsche dealership, recent CPO. Still get an outside person to do a PPI then?

rickdogg82

This is likely a bumper cover re-spray or replacement. Maybe a headlight? Any damage to metal would cost more than $1000 to fix I would think.

holgum

If it's a CPO and car checks out I would ignore the Carfax.
You can always just lease it if you really only want to keep it a few years.

If you're already worried about resale value, maybe you're buying the wrong car?