Dutchie in NC

just trying to figure out on what basis you say that... sure passing is easy, but if car is right, if engine/service is done right, and if deal is good, then I am not sure it makes sense to pass if you cant get a CPO (as long as I can get 3rd party and get a good deal)

ClintonM3

Have you seen the carfax report? Is the accidental damage reported and flagged on carfax? If there is a redflag, I'd walk. It will be much harder to sell this car down the road. My rule of thumb, always buy cars with no stories. How many miles per year do you plan on giving the new car?

Macster

My 03 Turbo sustained damage to 3 body panels: front bumper cover; front trunk lid; passenger side fender; and required (arctic silver paint) paint blending on adjacent panels and still retained its CPO coverage.

I had the car repaired at a Porsche Approved Collision Center. The repair cost came to over$25K.

I might mention though at that time the program wasn't quite implemented but I contacted the dealer and insisted that it direct me to a shop that could handle the body/paint work while the dealer and its service department took care of the mechanicals: lights, cooling system, A/C; so the car would retain its CPO warranty.

Unless the car in question suffered some big damage -- fell off the truck? -- or was subjected to a sub-par repair, I do not see why it can't be CPO'd.

But maybe there's something I don't know? Thus I would in this car's case want to know what happened and ideally I'd like to see pics of the damage and a repair invoice which details the damage repairs (the invoice/document can be pages long, too) so I could ascertain the extent of the damage.

As for the car being bought at an auction, Porsche runs lease return cars through Porsche only auctions all the time. Dealers from around the country can participate (via IIRC a private/secure Porsche web site) and bid on these cars, so this would not necessarily be any cause for concern.

Sincerely,

Macster.

Alan Smithee

There is a difference between retaining existing CPO coverage, and qualifying for it in the first place.

Regarding the post prior, even if CarFax is currently clean, it doesn't mean this repair won't show up at a later date. Even if expertly repaired, when negotiating, the potential buyer needs to assume the incident will show up on CarFax at some point.

simsgw

In a quick check, I find that in my area (which is a pretty high priced area), we can get a 2007 for about $50k. I found this one for example for $52k: 2007, 31,000 miles, Sun/Moonroof, Heated Mirrors, Power Mirror(s), Rain Sensing Wipers, Power Seats, Pass-Through Rear Seat, Rear Bench Seat, Keyless Entry, Premium Sound System.

On the other hand, other examples rise as high as $85k (which was probably a Turbo, so not relevant) with prices in the sixties and seventies being quite usual. And that option list on my find originally had been inflated seriously by a dozen items I removed for clarity. Items that distinguish any Porsche from most Fiat Unos and are otherwise meaningless and obviously just inserted by a text paste. The lack of concern for accuracy or outright intent to deceive is clear from the assertion of a "pass-through rear seat" which would create interesting sound effects, and the "rear bench seat" which might have been true of that first prototype Porsche built in the fifties, but I'm not even sure about that.

Basically, when we read the material carefully, I found a very basic Porsche at a non-Porsche dealer for ten percent more than you found a nicely optioned example at a dealer. Not that a 'basic' Porsche isn't a hell of a lot of car, but my point is you seem to have a good price there. With a little care about the quality of repair to those body panels, you'll be getting a bargain because the price is being hurt by factors about which you care nothing.

If he would add a couple of years of service contract from a reputable source, I'd be quite happy with that deal. That is, assuming I liked the car as it stood, which we're taking for granted by your interest. I might not even insist on the service contract. That's just my bargaining instinct cutting in.

Just my thoughts,

Gary

PasPar2

+1

I think folks on this forum make too much of paint work. Quality documented work isnt something to shy away from. If its a story told by a dealer with no documentation to prove anything, Id walk. I have been shopping myself and have learned to trust nothing that a seller tells you. I want to see before/after pictures. Oh, and remember that a clean carfax/autocheck means very little...

Mumbles

Low ball em and buy it..........as it sounds like it turns your crank.

But if you decide not too. Do not dispare , others will come.

street rod

If the history looks good and you get the real story on the damage and its the right car for you, then I would throw an offer of $45k at him siting all the issues. Or perhaps see if they will include an aftermarket warrantee in the deal.

Dutchie in NC

Thanks all... Good input and feedback. More due diligence to be done, but appreciate all your insights

gota911

Dutchie,

Nice to see you back on the forum again!

My advice.... skip the 997.1 models and jump to the 997.2. You won't be sorry.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a used car from your local dealer, CPO or not...... but that's just me.

equ

Pass.

Nothing wrong with paintwork if you know what happened and the price reflects it. The problem with this car is that it's supposedly shipping damage, yet dealer doesn't cpo it. I don't think there is a hard & fast cpo rule. If it's just like a scratch along 3 panels and they are resprayed, why shouldn't they cpo it? It sounds like they don't really know what happened.

ClintonM3

go here. It explains cpo eligibility requirements
http://www.porsche.com/usa/pre-owned-vehicles/approved/

it says all scheduled service must be performed by Porsche dealer. Maybe this car was serviced by Joe the mechanic?
It also says the car must have a clean carfax.

Dutchie in NC

Tim,

Long time no talk... Where are you these days? I have been without a p-car far too long... Need to get back in. Do like the 997.2, but don't want to spend that much money.

Neotorque

There is a ton of bad information in this thread, which is sort of surprising to me, since I'm new to Porsche and I know this stuff. It is not the dealer's choice to certify a car. There is a 111 point checklist from Porsche, and if the car scores 110/111, it is not eligible. End of story. There is no reason to think the dealer is hiding something because the car is not CPO. If there has been any scheduled service performed at a non-Porsche dealer, it's ineligible. if there's anything negative on the Carfax, it's ineligible. This car had damage to three panels, now repaired. It is ineligible.

I'm sure your dealer will still be happy to sell you an extended warranty that is comparable to the CPO, maybe better.

As far as the damage affecting resale, again, these are mass-produced cars. There are plenty of nicely maintained 996s that are selling for about the price of a new Honda Civic. The same is going to be true of 997s in a few years. Minor damage and resprays will have no appreciable effect on the resale price of the car by the time you're done with it; certainly not enough to cause you to walk from a deal you're otherwise happy with.

Again, I haven't researched prices on this model, so I can't tell you whether this is a fair price. I'd certainly take advantage of all this to get the best price you can from the dealer but, if you like the car, and an independent PPI blesses it, I sure wouldn't let the lack of a CPO or some (apparently) minor damage deter you from getting it.

onetrickpony

Not sure about Porsche, but you won't believe what I found out about a CPO'd BMW a few years back. I took this car to an independent body shop for a scrape on the rear bumper, and the foreman looked the car over and said that was the least of my problems.