Changbang

Hi all, newbie from Boston here though I've been lurking around here for a while. Recently, I finally find myself ready to make the leap and fulfill my childhood dreams of owning a 911. After reading through many threads and considering the winter weather, I've decided to go for a 2008 997 Carrera 4S or 4 with the factory CPO warranty.

Once I started the search though, I found the local options rather limited and well, overpriced. Seems like all the cars near me are a good $5k above prices in other markets (NJ/NY, Chicago, etc).

My budget is around $65k (before taxes and fees), is that realistic in this market? Also, I was wondering if a PPI would still be necessary with a CPO car? Lastly, any suggestions for good shops in the Boston area would be greatly appreciated!

My apologies for the numerous questions. Thank you all for taking the time to read through this post, and for any help you can provide

yemenmocha

Maybe $1k to ship from another dealer to you. Or similar if you fly or drive to another state and then drive it home. I'd highly consider buying elsewhere if Boston prices are that much higher. People I know in SLC say the same thing and buy their cars in Arizona or CA. BTW, if you're willing to buy without seeing it, then it is a good idea to consider an AZ or CA car that probably hasn't seen winter months.

Kuhan

Buying a car out of state should be no problem. Based on my experience, I offer the following two bits of advice:

If you are financing, make sure your lender will allow you to buy a out-of-state car. One of my buddies got a stonking deal on the financing but discovered at the 11th hour that it would only apply in state!

I would go look at the car in person before you commit. I know many here have bought sight unseen but I saw a car that on paper and with photos looked perfect but once I saw it face to face, it was not as nice as I expected and I passed on it. It was a CPO car but CPO means mechanically sound - cosmetically it may not be so nice. It happened that this car was local so an independent PPI on a CPO is necessary for you to get a true picture of what you're buying.

Edgy01

You might want to rethink the year. There is a significant difference for the 997 Carrera 4 cars between the 08 and 09 models. The newer ones have a much more sophisticated 4WD system. Just good to know.

Changbang

Thank you all for the feedback. I have given CA cars some thought, since I have family in the area who can help with the purchase.

I'd love to own a 2009, but the cheapest I could find is a good $13k more expensive than an '08. Just way out of my budget

yemenmocha

I'm fairly sure there is a little dip in model year prices in the early Fall when 2011's hit the lots. The 2010's are pushed more aggressively off the lots, and there may be a little dip in used prices at that time.

alexb76

Which has its drawbacks, better AWD yes (maybe better in rain/snow), but it has lost the Porsche feel a bit, that's based on my test drive in Nurburgring.

Kuhan

There are still 2009 cars out on the lots which can be had for great deals. The cheapest I have seen is $67k for a launch white PDK coupe. That's pretty good for a new 911 with 4 year warranty! A C4 or C4S is going to be a lot more...

alexb76

Buying CPO is HARD, so finding an ideal CPO car locally is next to impossible! Prepare to spend a few weeks to months if you're picky on options/colour, etc... It took me about 3.5 months.

I am not sure about all the details in US, but people buy out of state all the time so it shouldn't be an issue. After you found an ideal car, negotiate the price and the details, put a deposit down for visual inspection. Fly out, check the car out and if all is well, drive back home! that's what I did, best way to buy a Porsche is to drive it 800 miles back home.

Edgy01

The best advice I think is to take your time. There are plenty of cars out there and the longer you take to decide the more cars enter your budget window!

Changbang

Thank you all for the feedback. I'll definitely take my time to find a car that I want at a reasonable price. I'm actually very flexible when it comes to colors, so hopefully the process will take weeks not months

lexart

Please contact Dave Maynard at European Locators.

He'll find you the right car, matching your exact specifications and likely better priced then you can find locally. Dave's service is well regarded in local p-car circles and he's a blast to work with . . .

Tsurara

Hey Changbang,

Good to see you on here. As another fellow Evo to Porsche guy, I can say you won't regret the experience. May I ask why you're set on the C4S? I had a C2S and it was just fine for me in Boston weather. You'd be set with a decent set of snow tires and the 65k budget would go a lot further for you.

Of course, it wouldn't help you in deep snow, but hopefully you wouldn't be driving in that to begin with.

If it matters, Prime Porsche in Westwood wasn't bad, but I ultimately ended up buying from Marc Faraj @ Town Porsche in Englewood, NJ. Had an excellent experience with them:

http://town-motorcar.porschedealer.com/

Feel free to PM me with any questions. Unfortunately I am halfway across the country for work now so I can't stop by to see the new ride.

RonCT

You are planning to drive this year round? If so I guess I understand the desire for AWD. If not, then C2 / C2S is just fine for the northeast (I'm in CT). I've only had RWD cars as my daily drivers and it's all about the tires, not the drive system. The right set of snows on my M3 or 330i gave me more capability than the SUVs around here with all season tires.

If you know what to look for I think CPO certification is enough and a PPI isn't necessary. One item I always get when getting a CPO car is a printout of the DME. That's where you will see if the engine was abused - missed shifts, etc. CPO means they go through the car with a fine-toothed comb and anything that isn't "perfect" is replaced.

Don't give up if you don't see what you want in the dealership network. If you find a privately owned car you like, it's easy enough to work with seller and the original selling dealership to run the car through CPO. You contract to buy car from seller, seller talks with dealer (assumed good relationship), dealer contrats with you to buy car, seller sells car to dealer, you buy. I think the CPO process ran about $2k including the work, new pads, etc. on the 05 Boxster I picked up just over a year ago.

My CPO 07 GT3 came from VA the way outlined above (private party to dealer to me w/ CPO) and my CPO 05 Boxster S came from TN. No issues with distance, just be prepared to go see the car and either drive it home (road trip!) or have it shipped. Factor that into the total cost - I did and the VA one was more of a long weekend vacation with my wife so I didn't mind so much.

Changbang

I'm going to be driving the car year-round. Since I work from home, I don't drive enough to justify keeping 2 cars.

A C2S is very tempting since it's cheaper and gives me a lot more options. But I'd hate to have to take the bus to get groceries in the winter