FiatCoupe

This forum has been excellent answering all my newbie questions so far. Many thanks to those who've taken the time to help me.

I've been looking for a 997.1 C2S or C4S for 5 months now. I have reasonably specific requirements so it's difficult to find any that are suitable. I particularly want a manual and a full black leather interior. Not many cars seem to have full leather interiors and most are either grey or tan.

Being my first Porsche I want a CPO car from a dealer.

I've found one that isn't local. It's a 2007 C4S in black with full black interior. It is reasonably well optioned with sat nav, electric seats, dimming mirrors, illuminated door sill guards, BOSE, CD changer, multi function steering wheel, aluminium hand brake and gear lever. From the photographs it looks very clean inside and out. It ticks most of my boxes, the only things I would ideally desire would be adaptive seats and PSE.

It's done 41,000 miles and the lowest price they will sell it for is 57k. I've got the CPO report off them and asked for a DME report. The DME report was excellent, just 69 events in range 1. The CPO warrenty will expire in April 2013.

I have a concern regarding resale value. If I put 15k - 20k miles on the car over the next two years will the then ~60,000 miles kill the resale value? I might end up keeping it for longer but the most likely scenario would be to trade it in for a 997.2. Do buyers also prefer the manual sports seats rather than the electric comfort seats?

I have a budget of $70k. I've been thinking of hanging on and waiting for a newer car with say 1/2 the mileage but then my initial outlay will be higher. My head hurts!

jhbrennan

It looks like you found the right car. I wouldn't worry about resale value. Buy it, drive it and who knows what resale will be in a couple of years. I've had both electric and manual sport seats. Currently have manual and since I'm the only driver I set the position and forget about it so the electrics are just extra weight and money in my opinion.

CPO is worth a lot - you should have new tires, etc. Good luck.

blk on blk

it is a depreciating asset. if you are worried that driving it is going to impact the level of depreciatoin of a mid 50k car then you probably are not thinking about this the right way, or should be looking at a less expensive car. bottom line is no matter what year, mileage, etc it is going to depriciate at a fairly rapid rate. even the F cars do. Buy it, drive it, and stop gripping over what amounts to something that you cannot control. Would you honestly be willing to forgo the pleasure of driving the car because it might depreciate 5k vs 10 or 12k? Either way it is going to decline in value. If you like the car buy it. And DRIVE it. worry about what it is worth when you are done. no matter what it is going to be less. Possibly a lot less.

docfink

I couldn't agree more with jhbrennan above. These cars aren't investment pieces. The price seems right and has most of the options you want. Drive it and enjoy it, keep it as long as you want, then move on. You might find yourself keeping it longer than you think.

Many people here believe it makes sense to buy the latest model you're able to comfortably swing. I think it makes sense to get the 997.1 S over a similarly priced 997.2 base Carrera, especially if you get the options you want on the 997.1. The hit you'll take will be less in the future.

Sounds like a great car. Post pics if you make the deal!

No HTwo O

You can easily have the PSE added at the dealership for a few grand. or go after market for about 1/2 that.

Don't think of it as "depreciation", think in terms of "consumption". You are consuming a portion of the car's original value. In return, the car is giving you a benefit, which you should expect to pay for, and are happy and privileged to do so.

henrysko

^ Very well put!

csorrows

I've never bought a car for resale value, and never will. To me, they're meant to be enjoyed and driven, not analyzed for future value.

I think that cars like this are like art, music, wine, movies, paintings, etc...you know what you like when you see it. Both Porsches I've bought, I knew it was the right car for me when I saw it, and when I drove it. If this one is "the one" then go for it. Don't worry about whether it's going to bring a few extra thousand dollars at resale years from now because of "x" or "y." Drive it, and enjoy it today, and live for the moment.

Good luck!

FiatCoupe

I do intend on driving it as much as possible. I've been waiting many years to be able to afford one so I don't intend on hiding it away in the garage. I get a lot of enjoyment from driving/cars. It's my only vice. I've spent more than this Porsche is worth on maintaining/tuning the Fiat Coupe I left in storage in Canada.

I think it's just a touch of nerves. It's all very well scanning the adverts for months dreaming about buying this car or that car. However when it comes to the crunch of dropping 60k into a car I want to make sure I'm not making a mistake.

I understand the car will depreciate in value, way more than anything I've owned before. What I was considering was spending more on buying a newer one where the mileage won't hurt it so much. However the downside of that will be that the newer one will be depreciating at a higher rate.

This car seems to hit the sweet spot for me on age, features and price. The only concern is the mileage is higher than I would have liked.

Izzone

I think $57k is too much

Manual sport seat is all you need, adaptive are nice....I had them before but nota deal breaker to me

Why are you looking at C4S and not a C2S. the C4S lacks some of the feel of a C2S; how do I know I owned a C4S

I have full leather interior on my GT3 and would give it to you for a non full leather.....it is a pain in the butt to keep clean when you slide off track into dirt

w00tPORSCHE

I LOVE THIS THOUGHT PROCESS. To the OP, 20K miles per yr will kill resale but you should have baot loads of fun which is well worth the hit you take on resale. WHen friends ask me how much has mileage, I tell them that it's always about smiles per gallon and not miles..

Jastx

Sounds like a nicely optioned car - it has just about everything. I have standard sport seats in my car but if I did it again I would hold out for the adaptives. Standard sports feel good and I'm the only driver but the adaptive's electronic adjustment for everything including seat cushion rake lets you tweak things a little as you drive if you want. With standard you can't, except for seat back rake. It's not a big issue but given the choice I'd prefer the adaptives.

I usually try to buy my preowned cars with 20k miles or less so to me 41k miles is a little high. However when shopping used, you have to balance the miles with the condition, the options, CPO and the deal. CPO is transferrable so that's a plus but you'll probably have the car beyond its expiration so it won't help you on resale. An aftermarket warranty that the Porsche dealers use can cover the car for 3 or more years but costs more to buy with higher miles on the car.

No matter what, higher cost vehicles loose more absolute dollars in depreciation than lower cost vehicles -- just another "benefit" of ownership.

Good luck with your decision!

cbzzoom

There is no cliff in resale value. The depreciation from putting 20k miles on a car that starts with 40k is the same as putting 20k miles on a car that starts with 10k.

ELUSIVE

Forget the full leather.
It's a complete waste of money in my opinion. This is a Porsche 911, not a Cadillac.
The fuller leather is harder to clear, wears and loses it's elasticity faster, and eventually looks a lot worse.
Just my $0.02.

I also think 41k miles is a lot for a 2007. If you plan on selling the car in 2 years with 60K+ miles on it, you could severely limit the people that will be interested in it.

Yes, I agree to buy something and drive it, but if you get your **** handed to you on the value of it in 2 years then that sucks too.

aaks38

I bought a 07 4s similar as yours but with the adaptive seats and PSE for 58k with 38k mileage. I found that most sellers will not budge much on price and contrary to what others post, it is in the ballpark price range. A lot of used 911s are moving these days, oddly enough. I didnt get a CPO car but its def worth it.

Also dont buy a car like this worrying deprecation as a concern.as the reality is that these cars once sold for over 100k, ironically, youve bought a used car where most of the depreciation has worked its way out. It eases after 3 years...

I have put on 4k miles in the last 5 months of ownership and enjoy driving a car like this , not parking it in a garage while paying tons of money on insurance, tax etc etc

JW911

If you are going to trade it in for a 997.2 in a couple of years, you will take a serious hit on not only depreciation but also the fact that you will get a very low wholesale (really auction price) for the car. If you have a 70K budget, if I were you I would buy a 15-20K mile 2009 model. You should be able to get one pretty close to that 70K max. Maybe a little more. Then keep it for 4-5 years instead of trying to move up in only a couple of years. I second the motion that you look for a C2S. The 4 serves minimal purpose in the snow belt, and zero purpose in Houston. That will save you a few grand and get you quite a few more cars to look at.