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Buying a 997 with accident history?

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Old 10-04-2010, 03:04 PM
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signature65
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Default Buying a 997 with accident history?

So I know conventional wisdom says run run run from a car that has an accident show up on a carfax report. However......what's the general consensus of buying one that had lets say a bumper replaced or something. No frame damage and no real pannel damage, good paint matching and looks great.

As I look for my 997 I am finding more and more with accidents showing up on carfax's. I'm looking for an 05 and these cars are 5 years old now. They have been around the block a few times.

And if you were to find a gem that was a great car inside and out what kind of discount could you expect with an accident on the cars history?

Thanks guys....I'm being patient as this has been a long dream of mine ever since the 997 came out.
Old 10-04-2010, 03:15 PM
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Edgy01
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If you absolutely cannot find an unaffected car then just go into it smartly. Many body shops cut corners, either with the reassembly of pieces, or in the refinishing of body parts. Never for a moment think that you will not suffer from any sort of shortcoming. Even the best shops are just not that familiar with these cars nice they would a Toyota, so they will miss things that may lead to a persistent rattle, or rust of an area later.
Old 10-04-2010, 03:15 PM
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VGM911
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If you bought it, you'd have to explain the accident to the next guy when you're trying to sell it as your car.

Some sellers want to avoid that, and some don't care so much. Your choice.

Good luck, and don't forget - the search is fun, too.
Old 10-04-2010, 03:47 PM
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Mine has been hit front and back (separate incidents) this year. And I was stationary both times!! How anyone avoids a collision nowadays I don't know. So many jackasses on the road.

It wouldn't bother me if it was a replacement bumper. Engine out is a different matter.
Old 10-04-2010, 09:35 PM
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cpbmd
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Too many idiots driving and talking on their cell phones. I am very nervous in my P-car at stop lights. I am always looking in the rear view mirror. I try to leave room in front of me at the lights in case I need to escape. I got rear-ended at a light last year in my volvo. Damn pizza delivery kid talking on the phone while making a delivery. He did not have insurance so my insurance had to cover it.
Old 10-04-2010, 09:58 PM
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Some good reputable body shops would provide detailed pictures of the entire repair process.
That would include all OEM only parts from a dealer and best paint manufactures like PPG, Spies Hecker or DuPont.
It wouldn't scary my off if I knew details. Especially if it was just cosmetics. Just factor this in price.
Also car fax is NOT ultimate accident reporter.

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MY05 C2S Midnight Blue. Fabspeed exh, intake. Kinesis 110s, roof transport sys.
Old 10-04-2010, 10:26 PM
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Macster
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Originally Posted by signature65
So I know conventional wisdom says run run run from a car that has an accident show up on a carfax report. However......what's the general consensus of buying one that had lets say a bumper replaced or something. No frame damage and no real pannel damage, good paint matching and looks great.

As I look for my 997 I am finding more and more with accidents showing up on carfax's. I'm looking for an 05 and these cars are 5 years old now. They have been around the block a few times.

And if you were to find a gem that was a great car inside and out what kind of discount could you expect with an accident on the cars history?

Thanks guys....I'm being patient as this has been a long dream of mine ever since the 997 came out.
My 02 Boxster hit from rear and shoved into car in front of mine. My car got both ends banged up. No metal. Just bumper covers and one headlight assembly and one taillight assembly.

Body shop was real knowledgeable about Porsche repairs. No problems.

If you want take car to a Porsche dealer and have front bumper cover removed and have the mechanicals checked to ensure all brackets/hoses/wiring/etc correct. Porsche techs tell me that many a body shop screws up this area. (I had this Boxster in the shop not too long ago for a non-functioning radiator (low speed resister bad -- OEM part over 7 years old) and while there I asked tech to clean out radiator ducting and the tech found nothing amiss so the shop did a good job. And he would have told me cause i used him before to inspect another car I had repaired at another body shop and he was not shy about pointing out problems that I noted on a list and I took this list and the car back to the other body shop and had it and the dealer that recommended the shop to me address all of the problems to my - and my several professional inspectors' satisfaction.)

At same time have alignment checked and if alignment out or too much adjustment used to bring car into alignment then walk away. Damage more extensive that just bumper cover.

Otherwise, if car checks out and you like it and like the price buy it. Don't worry about the next buyer. After you've owned the car and put some miles on it the real concern will be condition of the car. As cars age and miles accumulate cars completely free of any body/paint work get scarcer and a virgin body/paint does not mean the car's not with out problems.

Sincerely,

Macster.
Old 10-04-2010, 10:39 PM
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signature65
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I'm pretty knowlegable and know what and where to look for for accident damage. I know my perfect car is out there just have to find her.

And Kisik you right. My 4Runner showed a clean car fax and about 2 years later I had cracking bondo on the rear hatch from a previous accident and a cheapo body shop.
Old 10-05-2010, 01:28 PM
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Betternotbigger
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Originally Posted by cpbmd
Too many idiots driving and talking on their cell phones. I am very nervous in my P-car at stop lights. I am always looking in the rear view mirror. I try to leave room in front of me at the lights in case I need to escape. I got rear-ended at a light last year in my volvo. Damn pizza delivery kid talking on the phone while making a delivery. He did not have insurance so my insurance had to cover it.
Exactly what happened to me. Now I'm very conscious of the risk.
Old 10-05-2010, 01:48 PM
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JW911
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For what it's worth, my car has had the rear bumper repainted more than once, and the front bumper replaced and repainted. Both look perfect. All three happened at about 2mph while my car was stationary. I have records from the body shop of the details of the work performed, and no metal work or metal painting was ever done. I wouldn't be afraid of a car with that kind of minor work, and I hope a prospective buyer is not afraid of my car when the time comes to sell.

It really is impossible to drive your car without getting some minor damage. I can't remember the last car I owned that didn't have to have a repair on either the front or rear bumper. The sad truth of driving and parking in congested areas.
Old 10-05-2010, 02:14 PM
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mclaudio
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I bought a 996 with an accident record. As long as you can verify/inspect the repair quality, I found that it is actually a benefit to daily drive such a car in that I don't have to be obsessively **** about being careful of where I park and where I drive the car. For daily drivers, having the peace of mind is a good thing.
Old 11-30-2010, 10:35 AM
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mcurtisal
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Unfortunately, because repairs are so expensive on the Porsche, almost any minor accident will result in an entry on Carfax. . My current 997 was hit in the rear about 3mph and it cracked the tail light and required the bumper cover to be replaced. Now it has an accident repair showing up on carfax. Only good news is I got a traffic cam ticket before I had the car repaired so the future buyer can see how minor the damage really was. I bought a 996 that had a decent amount of bodywork but was done professionally and I still came out ahead $5,000 on the resale. So, depending on the quality of the repair work, I would say don't rule the car out due to Carfax.
Old 11-30-2010, 01:05 PM
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accident damaged cars make better race cars

If your reason for looking at accident damaged cars is PRICE based, well, then realize when you sell, you will likely get less back. If its "your dream", did your dream allow for repaired cars or pristine garage queens?

x2 about the search being the most fun.
Old 12-01-2010, 09:51 AM
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ashbad66
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Track accidents do not require accident report because of being on private property. Reports will show clean. Inspect cars carefully.
Old 12-01-2010, 01:28 PM
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signature65
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Funny to see this thread revived.......

I ended up finding a real nice non accident 2005 997 C2 that I love! I did have my car PPI'd at Pacific Porsche and they noted nothing bad. I would NOT buy a car with accident history without a good PPI. That being said as long as the PPI came back good on a car with accident history it would not keep me from buying it.

And Yes I still find myself browsing all the car sites lookng at cars for sales because the "Search" is so much fun!



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