rocklegend

Hello,

Im interested in a high mileage (100k plus) 2009 911 pdk with sport Chrono plus. This would be my second car. The dealer has it listed in the low 30s. Might be able to get it below 30k. Pending all everything checks out service related, should I do it?

Balr14

If you are a DIYer or have access to a good independent garage that can perform any needed maintenance and repairs, it would probably be fine. I have to rely on a local Porsche dealer. Their service department is excellent, but their rates are very high. I reluctantly passed on a very nice 997.2 turbo with 106k miles because of the potential likely costs.

JohnC4S

I didn't realize my 997.2 C4S PDK with 113K miles can worth that much, LOL. The car is generally reliable for the last 11 years considering I used to drive it all year long in Buffalo weather. This year, 3000 miles ago, I had the high pressure fuel pump replaced at the dealer and brake line reworked. I wouldn't hesitate to keep this car pass 200K miles. It is still a pleasure to drive and quit reliable.

John

Wayne Smith

My 2010 C4S PDK has 136K miles on it and is virtually original. I have replaced the motor mounts, front strut upper mounts (an AWD thing), the front diff seals, the front computer (weird thing with the flashers), and done standard maintenance.

I drove over 500 care free spirited miles last week without a thought about the mileage. I thought to myself as I approached the car before those miles ... I haven't checked anything on the car in preparation. Then I thought ... So what?

I've never owned as reliable and cheap to drive car in my over 50 years of driving. I wouldn't be at all concerned about the mileage. IMHO Porsche went above and beyond when they designed the 997.2 series.

Ironman88

As others have said based on their own experience, the 997.2 can be a very reliable sports car. On the other hand, it can be very expensive to fix when something goes haywire.

A 2009 model car is 12 years old. There's no telling who may have done work on it - qualified or not. In my experience, repairs and maintenance done by novices or careless technicians is the root cause of issues downstream.

I would never consider any Porsche without being able to review a documented repair and maintenance history.

BucketList

There are some pro's to getting a high mileage car. It seems like most of the really expensive repairs happen at a much lower mile count. Things like PDK's and the few scored bores we have heard of (although that's not really an issue on the .2). If the car has made it this far, it's probably a solid car. That said, if the maintenance wasn't done, then the car could be in for some pricy fixes. I would want to see what maintenance was done, particulary the lubricants for the drive line.

sandwedge

Good point. My PDK failure on the -09 C4S happened at just above 40,000 miles. Compare that to Wayne Smith's post in this thread with 136,000 miles on his 2010 C4S with the original PDK.

63mercedes

Get a PPI, and go from there. The price will definitely get you into a great car. Just make sure it's one worth buying. I would even go as far to say get the most thorough PPI you can, especially at that specific price point. Every extra dollar you spend now on a PPI will save your butt in the future.

The age of the cars is important because rubber and plastic don't last forever, but a modern engine will go 200K plus with good care, good maintenance and free from abuse. It's all the extra systems I worry about. Mine's an 09 also and now were replacing all the black plastic trim outside, a cracked rear reflector (which is big money) and splinters with age. You can repair and negotiate anything but the drivetrain has to be there in good condition. Let us know if it works out.

alexb76

The car is relatively reliable, APART from PDK which cannot be repaired and it's a $20K job. Checkout if any warranty could cover it, then maybe add that as insurance cost, like maybe ask dealer to throw in a warranty and get it for $30K. Otherwise, I'd look for a manual.

The_Driveway

If you're serious after all that's been said. Test drive the car to see if the shifts are still buttery smooth.

ADias

Germans do not care about miles... they drive their Porsches. They seem to do just fine.

sandwedge

Obviously no disagreement about getting a good PPI. The question is how much can be discovered on the PDK inspection. Failures are very rare but I don't think there's much that can be inspected other than verifying that it's been serviced on schedule, not leaking fluid and is operating as it should.

Prairiedawg

You're going to have to self insure on that one. A 997 with over 100k on it will cost a fortune for a warranty from a reliable company, if offered. I think I remember about $9k for one from fidelity that a member listed here with 55k miles on it. Buy the car and start saving for a PDK.

63mercedes

Everyone has some really good points, I personally could only afford a manual. I figured the extra money up front on the used market was cheaper in the long run than risking a PDK eat it down the road. I hear there's a guy named Michael Jourdan with a very good deal on Fidelity warranties. Calling him would be a good idea.

Sandwedge, is there any way to get a PDK health reading so to say from the onboard diagnostics? I wonder if it logs operating temperatures or anything. It really is a shame they made them non-serviceable. That's a big component to keep a car on the road, transmissions aren't throw away parts where I come from. If someone figures out a great rebuild procedure and does core exchanges they would fill a nice market gap.

PV997

First off, the car is not relatively reliable APART from the PDK. These unsupported claims really get old, please provide a single shred of evidence that the PDK is less reliable than the car in general. Yes, it can be expensive if it fails but that doesn't mean it's unreliable.

Parts of the PDK certainly can be repaired and/or replaced. The valve body, temp sensor, pressure sensors, and axle seals are all available from Porsche. The valve body solenoids can be bought individually from ZF. The problem is that shops are afraid of the PDK so unless you find someone who's done it before you'll probably have to do the work yourself. Since they don't break that often, not many shops have experience. It's a Catch-22. The dealer is only allowed by Mother Porsche to do limited repairs and even then they often don't have the experience to properly t-shoot it.

There currently aren't replacement clutches or distance sensors available (for now) so if those go you'll probably need a new PDK. However a junkyard PDK is in the $7-8k range and is a cheaper option than a factory replacement. A PIWIS 2 clone ($400 from China) can read and log all the PDK sensors in real time to provide t-shooting data if you want to t-shoot problems yourself. (I've got one, it's great.)

Not to make light of it as a PDK failure can be a big deal. However, it's not the automatic $20k bill if a $50 part fails that is often portrayed. If you are smart, and willing to do the work and research you can save yourself ridiculous amounts of money. If you take it to the dealer and hand over your credit card, you'll probably get screwed.