I've seen a few used '05 997 at dealers advertised as "launch" cars, what does that mean? And should I be weary of it? I'm hoping that they aren't refering to the vehicles they use for their PDE (Porsche Driving Experience) Ride & Drives; those would be tracked and abused.

 

Probably demo cars...

 

I have no legitimate idea - but it sounds as though they were there when the specific 911 model was unveiled at dealerships? This would make it a very early production 911 - one of the very first built worldwide. I was invited via email, however I was on a plane over greenland about the time they were holding the launch party back home
remember however this is just an assumption

any links to details on these cars you mention? I doubt they're PDE vehicles if they're in toronto....

 

I have an 05 launch car, 997S. It's a model that Porsche uses to introduce the new model and each dealer gets at least one. They pick options they think will highlight the car, in this case, adaptive seats, pccb's, nav, Bose, etc. My dealer got in a launch car and you could see it, sit in it but not drive it. It was sold right away. Then they unexpectedly got in a 2nd launch car and I picked mine up with the wrappers on it- no one had driven it. We're trying to figure out what options the 997tt launch car will have because I may want to get it if it's optioned the way I want it. I'm sure some dealers used theirs as demos but that can happen on any car they have on their lot. If you like the car and it doesn't appear abused, I'd get it. The service dept can check the cars computer to see how may times it has hit the rev limiter. Good luck.

 

I bought a PDE car and it was great. There were a few items but the dealer always took care of any issues. What it did was get me into a 2002 C2 at a very good price and with a new car and extended warrenty. I have moved on to my GT3 and the old C2 is in good hands and running well.

 

If proper break in of a new car is important to you, look elsewhere.

The Launch cars were redlined right off the boat ramp.

 

No link. Just came out of a discussion with the local dealer in their quest to find me a used 997. He mentioned the words "launch cars" as a possible solutions asthose might be the first ones to come back on trade. I looked up a few cars in the US at cars.com and emailed 2 dealers who said they where indeed launch cars. The dealers said that they where simply the first allocation production vehicles they got. I just wanted to check that they're being honest about what those cars really are.

 

I have a launch car, bought it on launch day with no prior use, i.e. it hadn't been abused. The 997S "launch" cars, as noted above, were configured the same with a MSRP of 99,300, most if not all were black. Options included full leather, adaptive sport seats, PCCB, Bose, Nav, seat heaters, automatic mirror.

I have had no issues with mine - its a fantastic and reliable car! I wouldn't be afraid at all to buy a launch car just because its a launch car. My guess is that most of them were not used as demos but were sold off right away as supplies were tight and there was a lot of demand. However, try to find out as much as you can about its history, as with any car.

 

launch cars are not necessarily demo cars. some are in great shape. launch refers to the configuration.

for example, the launch 06C4S was black with sand beige interior....full leather, nav, sat, cd changer, tpms, etc.....

m.

 

so basically, it's a car with lots of nice options.

 

yup. and at least around LA, it's easy to get good deals on em....because they get so many of the same car

 

I bought a launch car from a guy in Chicago. It had 2k miles and was pristine. Car was not a demo or PDE car. He got it with under 20 miles. Today it's still tight as a drum.

 

I have a launch car. Loaded bl/bl w/PCCBs. What's not to like?

Rocking car.

 

This could not be further from the truth. All modern Porsche automobiles are speed limited to 20 mph until the vehicle handover is done as part of the PDI.

As stated, launch cars are the early production cars. In order for the factory to produce the largest number of cars in a short period of time, all are spec'd exactly the same. They take what they believe to be the options that will be most popular or most intrinsic to the personality of the car and run with it. The 997 launch cars were fantastic. Full leather, pccb's chrono. Most likely a good deal if you can find one.

 

I too have a launch car. Zero issues. Love the car, never any problems. I bought mine from a buddy who bought it new. It's loaded with options that I like, and I got a sweet deal. Don't be afraid of launch cars. They are your friend. :-)