MM991

Hello P lovers! At this moment I'm BMW fan and owner, but my dream car always was Porsche and finally that moment when I can afford it come So, looking for the first Porsche to buy for about 40-45.000$. I started with looking at 996TT because it perfetly fits to my budged and for me this car's performance figures really impress. But after many discussions with Porsche owners I finally decided to look at real 911 - 997. It's much more beautiful for me and I think more practical for daily use, compare to TT.

Now I found one beautiful 2005 997 Carrera S for good price, but this car mileage for this moment is ~70 000 miles. Owner say that it was well maintented and have all service at the time (now I'm waiting for service details). The car looks very clean outside and inside. My question is - is that mileage is high for this model or not? I'm planing to have this car for next 3-4 years and run another 40 000 miles. Do I need major expensive services, engine rebuild or smth. during this time? I'm not planing run on track days or hard street race, just normal sreet use and fast driving at motorways.

Another question is - what do you think about PCCB option in daily car? I understant that for normal street driving I don't need ceramic brakes to avoid overheating, but that I like about PCCB - weight. The question is does the car with PCCB really feels much dynamic because of less rotanting mass or it's not so sensible as I imagine?

I live in small country in Europe, we don't have Porsche dealer and there ar no 997's for sale, so I don't have possibility to test drive and decide

Many thanks for advice!

crw

For you budget you can find a car with less milage afior the same $.

A few months ago, I saw several 05 S models with < 30,000 miles for @ $50K.

jnx

PCCB is highly over rated, unless you must have yellow calipers. If the car was properly maintained and not abused the mileage should not be an issue.

Gj325

The milage is not too high. Many Pcars on the road with 100k+ but as any model the more miles the more repairs to expect on avg. You can actually find some 07, 08 with 10-15 k , miles just out of your budget. With that said you get a warranty. You make have close to a 50 k budget but what is your plan if something major fails in 2 years.

I would increase budget if possible and worry about the repairs later down the line if ever.2008 model with extended dealer warranty no repair worries.

Or keep looking you will find a lower milage 05/06 for the budget you have. Dealers will ship so locate the nearest dealer in your area bet they will be glad to help in your search.

Good Luck

Izzone

In my opinion if you can get a cars with PCCB do it....

They are lifetime street brakes and produce no dust. This is only if you can get them on a pre-owned car that has already taken depreciation

tpenta

You can do a lot better on both price and miles! 05 S cars with 20-30k miles should run you about 45k.

Also, don't expect to get Warranty Direct to give you a warranty with 70k miles on it. If they do, it will be worth A LOT of money.

Keep looking. There are many great deals out there!

-T

KeninBlaine

Just be aware that if you ever damage a rotor (they are brittle), a new one will cost over $5000 just for the part. Big price to avoid dust.

tejoe

Dear MM991:

Respectfully to other forum members here in the USA, I don't think we can give you decent pricing or service advice on a car to be purchased / driven / maintained in Europe or imported into your Country. I think that if I were you I would first locate a service facility that I would use for problems I could not take care of myself and get their advice. ANY Porsche (or BMW) with 75,000 miles, eiher now or after you have driven it for a couple of years, is going to need some major service just as routine maintenance.

PCCB? sorry but no way; you won't even find them on most of the racing Porsches

Macster

Probably not that far from a dealer though it may be in a neighboring country.

If you can't visit a nearby dealer, there's another way: You can fly into Frankfurt Germany and at Avis rent a Porsche. Avis offers various models for rent. To rent requires valid driver's licence, two major credit cards. Rent a Carrera for a day, 200km. No need to blast it down the autobahn and stay away from the "ring". I believe rental agreement prohibits any track visits.

Spend some time driving the car like you'll use it at home. You can rent other cars too. Depending upon how much time you have and how much money you want to spend, spend a few days renting a model a day. Cover the same roads to get a real good feel for the differences between the cars.

Heck I own two Porsches and I still think about taking a week's vacation and renting a Porsche at Avis and doing a bit of driving about Germany in a rental Porsche.

Sincerely,

Macster.

MusicCity_997

For street driving the standard Carrera S brakes are more than up for the task... period.

LlBr

Assuming no track use, good pricing and reasonable mileage: get the one with more HP. IMHO it's the only performance feature of a Porsche that you can fully exercise and enjoy on the public roads.

russo

I think you need to evaluate where you live in Europe. The price that you posted is in U.S dollars or Euro's? You also need to look at your personal finances to determine how much of your cash in hand you can comfortably pay out if something does go wrong. Example, you are looking at a car with PCCB's; thus, to replace just one rotor you are looking at 5k. Break pad replacements will also cost you 1-1.5k.
Tejoe makes a valid point in regards to locating a maintenance facility. Again, not knowing if you are importing from the U.S. or buying in Europe and where in Europe you are.

Edgy01

You have offered up many good questions and welcome to the Rennlist!

First off, I would suggest looking toward an 06 model if you can afford it. There are some issues with the 05 model year that it is best to avoid. Typical new car model issues. As the latest offering is a MY10, the differences in prices between an 05 and 06 will soon blur.

PCCBs are outstanding in a street car, and for your use in Europe, will serve you well with less impact by corrosion.

Avoiding a turbo is wise. Although a 996 turbo can be tempting for the power, keep in mind that maintenance on that car will be TWICE that of a 997. The 997 performance figures are quite impressive and will demonstrate that daily on the autobahn and autostrada.

Again, I heartily endorse the PCCBs. The majority of PCCB detractors don't have them and are sensitive to the price factor. Since you're inquiring into a used automobile, the investment in PCCBs was made by the original owner. You can reap the benefits of longer service life and little to no brake maintenance expenses.

Best of luck in your search. Take your time. There are many fine examples out there. Just make sure it has good traceability--good documentation of service and use.

brendo

there are lots of 997's in your price range in the US and importing from the US to europe is not too much of a hassle.

regarding mileage, the best porsches are those that have been driven and maintained properly. you don't need a car that sat around since 2005.

i would be concerned about PCCB replacement costs if you're on a budget. many love them but you won't notice much difference with stopping performance. i think you're spot on with the reduced rotating mass though.

as a reference, i know matt at munich evo, here in seattle, have moved a number of US cars to europe, especially while the Euro/ Dollar exchange rate was very favorable (http://munichevo.com/)

good luck!

roberga

do not let the PCCB scare you away from a car. I had 60,000 miles on my 996GT3 >50% track with P-50 greens and the rotors were great. I have them on my 997 GT3 (P-50) and I have not been disappointed. Super Cup has been running PCCB for 2 years and they have been spectacular. If you do not track the rotors will last the life of the car.