Presto

If you don’t like the chips, paint it. There is more to life than worrying about resale value of cars. cars are meant to be driven. Drive it, enjoy it.dont worry over it. Next time probably consider a clear bra after painting if you don’t like looking at stone chips.

Metaphysician

I just acquired a 2011 997.2TT and it has a few chips on the front bumper cover (all original paint). I was seriously considering doing PPF, but know that PPF will accentuate those chips and look worse. As of now, I plan to just enjoy the car as-is and use touch-up paint along the way. When I get annoyed with too many rock chips or something that doesn't touch-up well, then I'll get it repainted and PPF to preserve. I'd say respray if it makes you happy. I wouldn't be as concerned with resale as long as it was clearly documented as being cosmetic only (before/after pics, receipts, etc).

mujeriega

I would only respray if I was going to have the area finely detailed / polished and then PPF'd... and even then, if you drive it, it could get rock chips again.

I think you're better off fixing the chips inexpensively if the rock chips really bother you. I'm in the same boat in Phoenix and accept that:
1) Rock chips happen
2) Rock chips can be fixed pretty inexpensively and look better than leaving it with chips

I do this once or twice a year and it stays looking good enough to where it doesn't bother me.

T4S

If you want to spray - video document the process to disprove there was any funny business. These uptight buyers are playing people. Oh, they want to dock you money for a front panel of paintwork-- but are still interested?? PA-lease.

Video will also be date stamped. Hard to argue one day (on say) June/19/19 its rough and then on 6/21/19 you pick it up and its fixed [video results].

golftime

This^^^ Respray it and document it. Buyer's today are more than OK with quality bumper/hood resprays as long as the CARFAX is clean and they know it didn't involve body repairs from an impact.

Steph1

I say go ahead, get it sprayed, and then once the paint is cured, go get it covered by a 3M type protective film.

I am debating this myself.... either get it sanded down and correctly touched up, or I'll wait till automn, get it sprayed and let the paint cure in storage over the winter before getting it covered in protective film when spring comes.

Unfortunately, option one means that the hood would never be perfect since it would show under the film. So I am leaning on respray.

ogun228

A case of too much "Chasing Classic Cars"...997's are a looooong way from becoming classics;
maybe someday when most cars are electric and soulless. For now, respray if it makes you
feel good, don't for the same reason. Preserving patina of a 10 year old car for future appreciation
sounds a bit quixotic, to say the least. Drive with a big grin!

TommyV44

I just had my hood resprayed and it was $500.00 and it came out great! The reason I did it was not the pits and chips....I can live with those as I look at it as character and they don't bother me a bit. My clear coat was peeling by the Porsche badge and that's why I did the respray.

Very subjective topic!

Tom

ManoTexas

Re-spray and FULL clear bra. Enjoy the car. Re-sell value to purists is not worth considering. My kids can worry about it. I have half bra and sigh. Chips. Did Dr Colorchip and some chips gone! Some turned out ok so over all half impressed. But don’t care about re-sell and was just trying to eliminate them driving me crazy. Worked for that purpose.
Bottom line if you’re looking for short term ownership do what you think best. If keeping long term do what you want from walking up to car visually every time. Amazing the views from both sides lol. I happen to be on the poor income side and not trying to do anything with my car but drive it. And leave to my boys to fight over.

GSXR750

Thanks guys for all your input.
Gas Drive Repeat as needed

it was starting to drive me nuts as I can’t unsee the chips.
But I did buy it to drive.

Thanks again
mike

sandwedge

The consideration of resale value gets wacky because a lot of buyers get wacky about ANY body work and demand wacky discounts for body work that not even Porsche dealers care about. I just went through this with selling a car with a replaced and repainted factory new rear bumper with no other damage except to some exhaust parts. You will not believe to what extent potential buyers will exploit something like this. Absurd demands for discounts to a car with no history. And forget about before and after documentation. I actually had a before picture taken of my damaged rear bumper which included my license plate. One guy asked: " How do I know that's all the damage? You could have put your license plate on somebody else's car and the body shop owner could be a friend of yours".

It really gets crazy with any kind of body work on these cars. That's why I would personally leave stone chips alone and let any prospective future buyer see for him/her self and go from there. I agree 100% with the idea of just driving and enjoying what we have and fix what needs to be fixed without resale consideration but I would not get into respraying anything for cosmetic reasons since it opens up a can of worms that can lead to needless discussions about the value of the car that's way out of line.

jamesinger

this is just my opinion 100% but I don't see these cars as special in the sense that, say a 997 GT3RS would be properly special. Coming from growing up around a family owned body shop that did dealer work, if a shop is legit, a high end respray should help the resale value of a car opposed to a chipped up sand blasted front end to me. At the same time, I totally bought an EVO that had a minty interior and was perfect mechanically but the owner was "trying to preserve the paint" on the car, lol. I had the car resprayed the first week I had it and after owning the car for a few years, still sold it for more than I got it for. It was a lancer with a body kit not a pagani.

in addition, if a (future theoretical) buyer was a weirdo about this, I would tell him to go buy one of the other massive amount of 997s for sale out there since it is a mass produced car. It isn't a civic but these cars are not super rare on a level that one would need that level of scrutiny for. I am all for doing one's due diligence but there is definitely a line that I won't cross for a perspective buyer. If someone wants to get weird over the car with me, I am assuming it is because they cannot afford it, and they should just move on. For example, my friend who has a GT3 parks his car anywhere. TBH, I know I cannot afford a GT3 at this point in my life because I cannot imagine parking it in public and being able to think of anything else at the same time. With my C2S, I pull up, find "good" parking, and don't commonly stress on it. If it were to get damaged, I would just fix it properly. Therefore, I feel like I can "afford" the car if that makes any sense.

If the paint is in great condition and it is clear that there was a respray with no damage to the panels...then I cannot see how this would be a negative. I don't put up with any BS when I buy or sell cars. If someone even kind of treated me how @sandwedge is saying above, I would straight refuse to talk to them again or sell them the car. I would rather park the car in my garage forever, or give the car away to a random person on the street than deal with jerks on that level, which once again, to me, represent people who cannot (maybe just psychologically) afford the car. That kind of scrutiny is way out of line as sandwedge says...dude, it is just a car, and not even kind of rare or even expensive in the broader world of cars...relax.

when someone buys my car, I am pretty sure it will have a new aerokit front bumper and a full frontal respray. If they don't like it, they can get a different car, DGAF. I will never sell a car because I have to, so I can choose a buyer just as much as a buyer can choose my car. Last, every specialty car I have ever sold has been a really similar experience with the actual buyer. Person sees my car, they fall in love, they do whatever PPI and etc. they want, they buy the car without any BS, and they are stoked on it.

Last last, IDK about you guys but I think the Porsche paint is kinda crap anyhow, so it is no big loss to fix it, or improve it for sure.