baileybonds

Hi everyone,

So I've now looked at a number of used 05 997 S coupes, and I've finally come across an 05 tip launch car at the right price with 8k miles. The original in-service date on this car is 9/04, so I have a full 2 years left on the original warranty. This car is being sold thru a non-Porsche dealer, so I can't get a CPO.

QUESTION: How important is the Porsche CPO? Would u guys pass on a used car just to wait for one that's CPO'd? I do like the peace of mind you get with another 2 years of warranty, but am I overvaluing the CPO? I mean, how many problems do these cars have once out of warranty?

Any advice and opinions are appreciated!

JohnnyBahamas

That's a bad *** car. If you've found one at your price, then I'd take it... before I did though I negotiate with the sellers to let a Porsche dealership read the computer. The print out should show every event that has happened to the car.

Does it have PCCB's?

baileybonds

It does have the PCCB's. Original MSRP was 101,690. I have negotiated down to 70k + shipping. The local porsche dealer did a very basic PPI which went OK, and they are also going to run a print out showing if its ever been over-revved, etc. Feels like a great deal, but I'm still nervous about the lack of CPO...

gota911

See if the seller and his local Porsche dealership would do a "sell through" for the agreed upon price, + a little "incentive" for the dealer. Dealer buys the car from seller, then CPOs it, and you buy it for $70K + CPO cost + $ for dealer troubles + shipping. It might be worth a couple of phone calls. The worst that can happen is they say NO.

SilverSteel

The bottom-line: is this the car you want? Sometimes Porsche CPO's cars so they can move them faster off the lot. Mine is CPO and I'm glad it is, but if I found one that wasn't, I would have bought it. When I was buying, the CPO I bought was about the same price as non-CPO's at other dealers so I knew I had done a good job of negotiating (I negotiated on the non-cpo's, too before making a decision). Don't get hung up on this, but consider it a valuable option on the car. If this is a daily driver, it's probably worth a higher premium than it would be to me as this is a second car for me. My thoughts...

mdrums

Stupid question, I hope not but I am newer to all this....what is CPO? Also I have heard about so called "launch cars". What is a launch car and why do people seem to want a launch car?

thanks, Mike

dstrimbu

Mike:

CPO is Certified Pre-Owned.

The launch cars for each model line are configured with a good set of options, and enough are built to cover all of the Porsche North American resellers... for example, the launch C4S Coupe was Black / Sand Beige, and I think the launch C4S Cab was Arctic / Black... they are only "special" if you want that car with that options list...

-don

MJones

New Vehicle Warranty Coverage (From original in-service date)
4yrs./50,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Porsche Approved Limited Warranty Coverage (After expiration of the new vehicle warranty)
Up to 2 yrs./50,000 miles/80,000 kilometers, whichever comes first.

In total thats 6yr/100,000mi

Alan Smithee

My opinion:

Buy from a private party, preferably the original owner with all history and paperwork.

If you must, buy from a Porsche dealer. However, it could be a lemon buy-back even with a clean title. CPO may be worth something to some people, but to me it's more important to learn the complete history of the car first hand.

I would never buy a car off a used car lot. These are the bottom of the barrel; bought at auctions from dealers that can't or won't sell them on their own lots for some reason, usually accident damage.

dstrimbu

I agree with Alan, for sure - but you'll definitely want a PIWIS check on any car at an authorized dealer... you want to be sure that a missed-shift overrev didn't take the engine into the damage zone...

Now THAT's an expensive fix! Also, check Carfax, although it doesn't tell you much anymore.

Good luck!

-don

Vegas4

Sounds like a great price for an S with PCCB's and low mileage. I've been shopping too and haven't seen anything below 80 for an S. Waiting til Fall/Winter to see what comes up.

SilverSteel

Good idea. I bought mine in the dead of winter and froze my nuts off doing the walk-around to check for damage during transport. Unfortunately, I found some--fixed at no cost to me. I got a good deal and strongly suggest you wait until it cools off if you've got the patience.

Vegas4

I don't have the patience, but I set my mind on a price and want to stick to it.
Also, is it me or do used Tips sell for less than MT's? Don't Tips cost more when new than MT's? It could be my imagination, but I've found Tips more in my price range much more readily than MT's.

multi21

I just bought a GT3 from a private party and had the PPI done at a Porsche dealer. I don't know about the 997S, but on the GT3 there is what is called an "Area 2" or "Stage 2" that checks for over revs. This is very important to have checked as it may affect the warrenty if it is found to be an operator error.

I agree with some of the other guys that have stated that they would never buy from a used car dealer. You never know what your getting. Don't focus on the great price as much as being vigilant about what may be wrong with the car. You usually get what you pay for and there is a reason it's priced at that level.

I thought about the CPO as well as I would like the piece of mind, but the cars on Porsche dealer lots were over priced in my opinion. The buy through could work, but you have to have a real good relationship with the dealer and it sounds like your from out of the area if the car needs to be transported.

Lastly, look into after market extended warranty companies. I've just started to look into them myself and depending on what my research finds, may go that route. It's not as good as CPO, but it will let me sleep better at night.

SilverSteel

TIPS. I've got some goooooood information for you. According to a Dallas Porsche sales manager, the Tips are harder to sell; ten to one sales ratio. You can get better pricing on a tip than a standard in the USED MARKET. New, they'll cost you more as it's an expensive option.