thunder911

Hi,
New to Porsche. Coming from Benz for 15 years. Finally pulled the trigger on buying a 2009 997.2 I'm not rich, just want the 911 experience before getting tool old. Having some cold feet about the following car upon my personal inspection (I plan a PPI this week). Basically, I appreciate help as to whether to walk now or if it's worth to do the PPI. I have 6 days to decide. Any help ASAP is appreciated!

• 2009 997.2 c2 (bone stock except for sport design 19" rims)
• manual
• blk/blk
• no accident reported per carfax
• clear title per carfax
• 52k miles
• carfax maintenance records done at a dealership (oil changes and once a spark plug replace)
• car drove straight, pulled good and stopped good
• $42k firm

Sounds good so far. Now, what I have noticed. In no particular order. Is it normal wear and tear, worth repair, not worth buying, etc.

• 3 prior owners (first 2 drove 4000 miles yr and last owner drove 6000+ yr)
• the hard seat belt loop part on the latch attached to B piller (DRV and PASS) is cracked?
• all 4 brake caliper is chipping and decolored
• gps sys works but no map graphics is displayed
• no manual books
• windshield replaced with PGW brand (see some glue marks here and there)
• rear window rubber belt trim is sticky and degrading - someone said that's normal for 997s
• paint is has tiny pitting all over the top surfaces of the car (not the sides) - can only see up close but its there
• air filter plug is ripped
• front trunk plastic covers are cracking on the edges - guess i can replace those
• center console air bag light is cracked
• lots of scratches/chips here and there (I think owner drove as daily)

Thanks in advance!

caitov

If it were me, I'd keep looking for an example that was obviously well cared for. There's a lot of 997 owners that are very particular about keeping their cars well maintained. This doesn't seem like one of those.
(I'd also try to get a S if your budget allows.)

Ironman88

What is it about this car that makes you want to own it?

Price would clearly be an instrumental part of the decision. ??

thunder911

blk/blk
bone stock base
the wheels are nices
sorry, forgot to post the price, $42k which seems on the lower end?

thanks btw!

thunder911

thanks for responding. s not in the budget. yeah, i keep my Benz clean so I'm a little surprised about the wear and tear on this one, but the price seems on the low end $42k.

Ironman88

Other than the car having lower than average miles, it sounds like an uninspiring car (you certainly don't sound inspired by it.) If the PPI ended up revealing nothing seriously wrong with the car, I think the decision would come down to whether or not you would be happy with the the car after taking care of the miscellaneous stand-out issues that you've listed. (It sounds like you're particular about condition.) Living with the more prevalent cosmetic concerns over time (paint nicks / chips) might not offset the benefit of a comparatively low purchase price.

I also think it comes down to what your budget is for a 911. The common advice is to buy the most / best car you can afford (weighing in any refurbishment expenses and also any catch-up maintenance - which can be expensive, even if you do it yourself.)

I think the decision on this particular car requires some careful introspection...

Floyd540

Opinions here. There is nothing on an S that you need to have. All the stuff you mentioned can be fixed. Sounds like car was in a sand blast type situation Could be daily driver on freeway following dump trucks. Probably can buff out. Console air bag light- they all break, $23. Only curious items are the discolored brake calipers- on this car they are the new design 997.2 black anodized aluminum ones. could be faded from sun, need more info. the rear window rubber being sticky is the most curious. Maybe sunlight exposure? For the mileage, and being a 997.2 MT, this car is going to sell. With 1 or $2k of TLC, it will be back to good shape. It will run forever, no matter what the paint looks like now.
It is a your money and sounds like a solid car with cosmetic issues. There will be better ones out there and the price will be higher or much higher. Depends what you intend to do with it. The PPI will guide you about the possible expensive items. You get to decide how many thousands of dollars a scratch is worth. Best of luck, you will dearly love a 997.2!

thunder911

Appreciate your feedback! I've been eyeing a 911 for years and I'm only set on a manual 997.2 c2, as such, this decision is harder as well as I like the color combo/wheels/base model/manual setup. I'm a DIYer so I priced out the cosmetic stuff which is relatively priced vs. Benz parts. The rear window trim molding is mostly weathered due to it being parked outside says a friend of mine (w/ a Turbo). Most of the listed stuff I can either fix myself or live with. Cool.

The concern inside is the seat belt loop, which is cracked on both sides. I would have to buy the whole seat belts which is roughly $500 each. Of course, I would only replace if it's a safety concern. I will ask at PPI. Outside, I had pitting on my black Benz too, but from my experience it's almost impossible to get those out - meaning I would need a respray (if it bothers me that much). And lastly, (the most important) the mechanics, which the PPI will reveal. If it's been driven like $h*t I guess I HAVE to walk.

As to the price and the flaws mentioned above, if PPI is solid, is this a BUY at $42K? Thanks again if you can respond.

thunder911

Appreciate your comment.

Balr14

It seems like a lot for a base model in less than average condition for a 911.

andino

Fwiw, my seat belt loops are cracked slightly on my car but you can see there's metal underneath. I suspect it's just cosmetic but you can pick up a set of belts from someone selling theirs after swapping to color belts. Or spend the cash and do the color belts yourself if you're interested in that look. Either way, I think those are just another cosmetic bit to contend with in your list.

Hula

Not a pristine example but dealer servicing and the new plugs indicate the major 40k was done. I wouldn't say it was abused or neglected; just driven. With the low hood-line a 52k mile 911 will have some paint chips. Barring a PPF a 5k mile 911 will gather some paint chips. Only your eyes can judge the paint but everything else would be relatively easy to remedy. Some people prefer a base stripper. Everything you need, nothing you don't. If a driver is what you want, with maybe an occasional track day, this will fit the bill. You can rack some miles up anxiety-free. If this is intended as a special occasion car, I'd might wait for a cleaner example or expand your search to include 997.1s.

rileyracing1

I would and did hold off for a better example and it was worth the wait .... Sounds like it's price is aligned with it's overall condition ... Part of the fun is finding the right car with everything you wanted and more .... Any decent options are a bonus to the purchase ...Short shift , full leather , etc. It's a buyers market in the 997 category ..Wait and find the car that checks all of your boxes.

thunder911

Thanks for the comments, it's difficult when you are changing to brand not common to you esp. used. That said, been looking for about 6 months and these 997.2s are getting harder to find in the blk/blk, manaual, relatively lower mileage vehicles...unless you spend top dollar. I'll see what the PPI results are this week. Thanks.

Ironman88

May want to check out this one -
'09 C2
Black
Manual shift
48k miles
Asking price - $45,900

Looks very nice in the photos.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invent...ting=285055671