Sporty

First off do not exclude all 2005's because later builds (late feb/March 05) will have the revised bearing-same as 2006 and forward and you can miss out on an opportunity. For example, my car is a Base 2005with revised bearing , one owner with less than 20k miles and in perfect condition, and although low mileage, driven regularily. It is MT and plenty fast and fun - there is a different feeling/sound between the two motors you may like the sound and high reving characteristics of the base better. I am in central/north NJ and if I were selling would ask in the mid 30's.
Point is, be careful of the info people spew out-it could cause you to miss out on an opportunity.

pinski

Carmax actually may not be a terrible idea for a place to purchase a P-car that's exhausted its manufacturer's warranty as they offer a bumper-to-bumper warranty on any car they sell for up to six years and 150,000 miles.

Doug DeMuro sums it up pretty well on Jalopnik.com:

Why Your Next Unreliable Luxury Car Should Come From Carmax

porterror

I'd love to try to use carmax, but they literally have 4 911's within a 500 mile radius of me. Most have transfer fees of $850 a car to east coast.

porterror

Any idea what the extended carmax warranty costs on a used 997? Having issues getting a quote from them online. Also it's about 50/50 on good vs. bad reviews on warranty claim experience

Blu311

That article was a good read, thanks! It opened a can of worms for me and I did some research.

I called my local CAR Max yesterday and inquired about a 997 in a neighboring state, a 2005 base 997 MT with 47k miles. I asked about the prices of the extended warranties, they only sell ‘bumper to bumper’ ‘exclusionary’ warranties, and here is the info I got on the 997:

Cheapest: 6 years and up to 60k total vehicle miles with $300 deductible $1,995 ($2,695 with $50 ded)

Most Expensive: 6 years and up to 125k total vehicle miles with $50 deductible $4,695 ($3,695 with $300 ded)

He quoted me everything in between because they offer 80k mi and 100k mi and $50, $100, and $300 deductible options, I forget the specifics but you can get a good idea from what’s above.

Their warranties have a few negative reviews online but overall seem pretty good and better than most. From what I researched, CARMAX has a policy on how much they can markup an extended warranty. Most dealers can sell a warranty that has a cost of $2k and mark it up to $6-8k if they want, they make a big profit and have room to negotiate. CARMAX usually will have less of a markup but also less room to negotiate.

BTW, the car I inquired about was already pending when I called… the salesman told me they expect all cars to sell within 14 days due to their ‘competitive pricing’. I went back to their site this morning to look at another 997 that caught my eye and it’s no longer there… looks like they are moving cars.

porterror

Awesome! Thanks for this research. I'm going to seriously look into a purchase at carmax. My only issue is the no-haggle price. Basically eliminating my favorite step of the car purchase!

blackland

I am looking at a new 2014 CS Cab, just wondering if anybody purchased one lately and what, if any, discount off MSRP you were able to get?

gota911

Ask this question on the 991 Forum, you'll probably get some answers.

malexgcab

There's a 2008 c4 for $42k at town motors Porsche in nj.

porterror

Automatic = deal breaker for me i think. Unless PDK ;-)

Thedips

I will say that if budget allows do a 06+ but also knowing that ims is a issue and you may need to check clutch anyways don't overlook a 05 997.1... I bought mine testing for oil purity and had my ppi inspect for any warnings. Ended up doing a new clutch and flywheel anyways and while they were down there replaced the IMS bearing since it's very easily accessible. 06+ you can't even access it without removing the engine... (Way more expensive to just do)

S car did not seem worth it to me.

utkinpol

Do PPI. Typically it is $300, you can tell seller to pay it to mechanic/dealer with promise to subtract from selling price if you decide to buy that car.
As of miles on a 2005-2007 car, i say be realistic and avoid cars that were not driven at all as it means no one worked on the car at all and it may require a lot of things replaced. Also avoid cars that were beaten to death and driven all year round in salt and snow sludge.
But, it all depends. My car got 64k miles now, it is on a high side but mechanically it is like new as i replace stuff proactively not to get mechanical failure if i go to a track. Regular DD car would never get brakes flushed 2 times a season, oil changed 4 times a season, etc. it is all relative.
Realistically, if you can afford it, buy a CPO 997.2 car from private party so if anything happens you will get it repaired on warranty. Non-S car will be cheaper obviously and i think you will like it all the same. Avoid center-lock wheels.

porterror

Thanks! In including 2005, but how do I know if it has the easy replaceable IMS?

Also, carmax looks over priced if you can't negotiate on the price. Most used car prices are very negotiable on the 911 so far (3-5k at least). Also, most will offer a comparable aftermarket warranty like carmax, but don't think it's as good or lengthy.

Philster

They move inventory... and one week they'll have 6-8 nearby, and before you know it, they're down to 2. When I looked, they had 11 and half were S.

These aren't Camrys... so the small inventory will go up/down sporadically. No wonder.... I looked in the winter! Spring has sprung, and that sells sports cars!

utkinpol

During PPI you should get engine number printed, it will be on last page with other numbers like vin and gearbox model, etc. in the recent settlement for a lawsuit there were lists of those numbers covered for a repair after ims failure. I personlly do not like those transitional 2005 cars as they have more than just ims thing, 2006 cars had other internal updates that make life bit simpler to deal with - electronics were updated, etc. but, from other side, it is 2014 now, so, 2006 vs 2005 is not such a big diff anymore.
I would still advice to get cheapest 997.2 car you can find if you are new to these cars. I do not care much at this point, if I will need a new motor i will get one. But for a new buyer, be realistic, most cars will be problem free like most of them are but crap may happen, with 997.2 it is less probable, and that is why those cars still cost so much more, if you will look at 2009 base cars and 2006 base cars. Only practical difference there is motor, chassis is same.