WombatCombat

Hello Everyone,

I have been looking for a Porsche for a while and came across what I think is a good deal for a 2006 Porsche Carrera S. It is going for $25,000 and has 75,000 miles on it. I am new to Porsche and really don't know what to look out for when buying this particular model. It has a grey exterior and a red interior with full leather and the Chrono package. Other than that I dont know much about the vehicle but is there things I should look out for with this specific model of Porsche. Thank you

mbatarga

That price is rather low for a 997. Does the car have accident history? This might be a scam.

TerrestrialFlyte

Tiptronic? I think even for a Tip, that’s pretty low. But I’m far from a market expert (or any other type of expert for that matter). Probably need to give more info on the car, options, etc and take a hard look at ownership history, any maintenance history, possible accidents. Proceed with caution.

WombatCombat

Yes the car is Trip and I've seen it in person actually and doesn't seem to have anything wrong with it. No accidents from what the owner has told me but I did request the vin number a little while ago so I can check the carafe on the vehicle. I don't know if I should check for bore scoring or the IMS bearings with this typical model. Is there mechanical issues I should look out for with this model?

TerrestrialFlyte

06 almost certainly has the larger, non-serviceable IMS bearing. Somewhere there is a thread with engine numbers that you can check against the car you’re looking at to get a good idea of where that car falls, but likely the larger bearing. Checking for bore scoring is HIGHLY recommended. I’m a new 911 owner so I don’t have much experience. I have been reading this forums for a few years prior to my purchase tho. Check this thread out for sure: https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...ers-guide.html and hopefully more experienced members will chime in and give you some more insight.

southbay

Salvaged, flood, bore scored, recent Range 6, stolen, or about to be lol.

Google the VIN, get a PPI with DME report and check for bore scoring, CEL/codes, paint meter panels, look for rust, sooty exhaust tips on one side, smoke from exhaust, tapping sound from motor, etc.

sandwedge

If a 2006 it definitely has the larger non serviceable IMS bearing. Later built 2005 997's got that bearing along with all the rest of 997's through 2008. No way to check the condition of that IMS although some suggest that if it's held up to 75,000 miles, chances are it's a good one that will hang in there. Have no idea how much credence to lend to that theory but I've heard it more than once.

Whatever the case, failure rate is low at around 5% based on the polls I've seen including the Rennlist poll on the subject. Costly when it happens though and in your case it would just about equal the $25K you would have paid for the car.. The price seems low. Could be because of the TIP transmission which is not favored by many combined with the red interior which also falls in the not favored category. Or the car has a negative history of some kind. As others have said, proceed with caution and besides Carfax and maint. records from the previous owner, have it checked out thoroughly by a shop that's never seen the car or spoken to the current owner.

WombatCombat

I will definitely look further into the car. I know the guy said it has a clean title and he is the second owner but of course need to check to see if these facts are true. I will definitely proceed with caution, when driving the vehicle I didn't feel anything wrong with the car nor did I hear any knocking of the engine (I really dont know what to look for when driving a Porsche) but from buying other cars in the past it seemed like a smooth ride to me. Does having a TIP transmission and having a red interior bad? Is having a red interior in this year but the value down or up? I personally like the red look and that's what caught my eye at first. For those wondering the price wasn't set at $25,000. The price was originally $30,000 and I have talked him down to $25,000 stating I need to get the bore scoring checked out, I need to put new rings, brakes, rotors, tires, and other various things I could come up with just to lower the price. I will definitely get the car checked out by a professional (most likely Porsche dealership here) and see what they can tell me.

frybear

that does seem very low but you might be getting lucky. I'm currently looking at 2005 C2S w/52k on the odo for $42500.

Petza914

That's $10-$15k low in today's market even for a tip with 75k miles.

wndsnd

I would be suspicious, get more information on the car history

John

TerrestrialFlyte

I’ve had red interior on two others cars and love them, but in those cars it was red seats and door cards and black dash, carpet, etc. Not dash, rugs, shift boot, e-brake boot, etc. So in a 997, it’d have to be a two-tone red and black. Tip, is just a preference. I think once the PDK came out it just drove a stake through the heart of a Tip. So it’s all relative. In a sports car, for me, I want a 3rd pedal. But a benefit is it lowers the cost of admission if you’re willing to accept the tip. Have it checked and if it checks out and it’s what you want, go for it. But do your due diligence, because at $25K, that’s firmly in the “too good to be true” category, especially in the current market.

sandwedge

Good idea. There's only so much you can learn from a test drive so don't try to save money on having the car checked out by anything less than a highly reputable shop. As has been said so many times, a discounted Porsche (deeply discounted in this case) may be the most expensive car you ever bought unless you do some serious due diligence. Carfax gets a let of mention when checking out a possible purchase of a used car. Unfortunately, they miss a lot of collision history which a good PPI will pick up.

If a Porsche dealership is willing to do it that's where I would go as long as it's not the dealership the current owner has used for service and repairs. I say that since he could have developed a relationship/friendship with the folks there and a PPI by them may not be 100% objective.

As for the red interior, not common but some really like it so if you're thinking resale and the rest of the car turns out to be clean without any kind of nasty history, with some luck and patience it may not be much of a negative. Just not one of the most preferred interiors and a non-starter for many buyers.

Petza914

Red interior is cool - Tip is less desirable and one reason the price is lower than current market value, but if you're a 5/10ths driver or sit in traffic a lot, that's a really low cost of entry into a 997.

WombatCombat

Thank you so much for all your insights on how to go about this. I will be doing my due diligence on the vehicle and if I do end up buying it I will definitely post a picture of it because I really do love the car but yes I do have to do my research because it could be the best price but it could cost me an arm and a leg if there is something wrong with it. I will take it to a difference Porsche dealership because that is a good point. I would love to get a manual but I just dont know how to drive manual and a Tip I heard isn't terrible but yes its gone now because of the PDK. Thank you again and if some major issues come up when the car gets inspected ill be sure to let you all know and if not and everything is great then ill also let you all know because from what I hear right now is that its super low for what the market is going for so who knows I might just be getting a one in a life time deal.