Love the color / photo. Reminds me of air cooled 911s in that picture for some reason.

 

Thanks again to everyone for their opinion. I decided to pull the trigger and the car is on it's way from TX to MD now. Many of you suggested "spend a little more", and boy did I think about it. But budget's are budget's for a reason. Having a 911 has always been a dream for me, and I will consider this my gateway drug. In a few years, who knows, maybe I'll trade up for a 4S or beyond.

I'll keep this thread updated as I go through the process, consider this a CarMax experiment y'all can watch from the safety of your own computers... Car will take about 2-3 weeks to get here, look for more then.

 

Cool, hope it works out. Love mine...and look forward to seeing you and Katie's Cars and Coffee or the local PCA events.

J

 

Congrats, Sam. I'm sad to see a 911 leave the Lone Star State, but it sounds like it is going to a good home. Best of luck with the car!
T

 

Here's my advice, whatever you do make sure you test drive the whole range. I was close to pulling the trigger on a 997 Turbo just last month and then I test drove it for the first time.

Heavy, no sound, lacking character were my first impressions. 5 minutes into the test drive I couldn't wait to get back into my Carrera S....fits like a glove.

The warranty is a smart move for any vehicle you purchase. As for Porsche reliability it's top rated, JD Power has rated the Porsche 911 as the most well built and reliable sports car on the road (entire 997 series).

 

Too late.. I would suggest you to request DME report to carmax before spending $750.

I hope the car is in great shape and you get your dream 911!

Keep us posted.

 

Great thing about carmax: you get to test it out for 5 days, and can get a PPI in that period and then decide whether to keep it. Also, their warranties are reasonable. Buy one for the maximum years, as they are pro-rata refundable if you decide to sell the car. Good luck.

 

+911

best of luck and keep us posted! congrats!

 

Congrats and enjoy! Don't worry about future problems, just relax, have fun with the car, and fix anything that arises (within reason of course). Cheers.

 

I was sold on the Carmax proposition, until I went through the process. This is the world of $150 oil changes and $3,000+ clutches - you want to buy a car that was loved. I'm sure exceptions occasionally exist, and this could very well be one of them, but as a general statement, I don't see many true car enthusiasts ditching their beloved 911's at the local Carmax. I looked at several and generally was disappointed when I saw them in person.

I would encourage you to read my post in the 997 TT forum from January relating my recent Carmax experience. Almost got stiffed on about $6K of repairs (at least), but thankfully avoided as I managed to finagle my way into getting a PPI, against their insistence and policies. Read the Carmax warranty closely -- tons of expensive and common occurrence issues aren't covered. In my case, after I walked (and got my transfer fee refunded), some poor sucker bought the car and a world of hurt. Bottom line: after that experience, I likely wouldn't buy any car there, but certainly won't buy a Porsche there. Carmax = No PPI = No deal. See below...

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-turb...at-carmax.html

 

I remember your thread, you saved me time and $$$. I was in the market for a 997TT at that time and I was about to buy flight tickets when I found your warning about that car.
https://rennlist.com/forums/997-turb...l#post12023125

I see you ended with a GR.. terrific color! Congratulations

 

I spent the $750 to ship mine from Arizona. A very important piece of advice. Ask them about paint condition, dents, dings, windshield condition any other areas of wear. If they are lazy, as they were with mine, they will look from their office window and say it's all good. When the car arrives, it won't be "perfect" as they state. Now if you take the car, Carmax stands behind every description, if it is not as they stated, they have to make it right. Making it right could be PDR for some small dings, a whole paint correction if needed, a new windshield, etc. Carmax stands behind their word, pretty cool in this day and age.

 

In two go-arounds with Carmax, that was my experience, too.

In looking at a 2007 911 TT back in Nov-14, despite being told the car was "perfect", even after repeated, detailed questioning, the cosmetic issues were considerable: numerous rock chips, several long/noticeable scratches, road rash on two wheels, an interior that looked like it had 100k miles, though the vehicle had only 21k miles, poor touch-up paint and visible (to my semi-skilled eye) respray on the front bumper. It would've cost $1000's to address all items, and I just got the feeling that this car hadn't been well cared for. For the money, it didn't make sense. I walked and demanded my transfer fee back. They resisted but eventually gave in.

In my next encounter in Jan-15, again a 997 TT, the car arrived from the other Carmax site, but it was curiously unavailable for a week. I called several times and it was "in the bay for diagnostics". Really, for 4-5 days? Strange, but anyways. Finally, they said it had a window malfunction and would need to go to the dealership for repair. Having dealt with the local Porsche dealership many times before, I took the opportunity to ask them to do a PPI on the car while it was there. Carmax had previously refused my repeated requests for a PPI and DME report, stating that their policy wouldn't allow the car to be taken off premises for inspection (but I could my own there - right!), but this window issue gave me a "window" of opportunity (sorry, pun intended). So the dealership noted: (1) terrible over-rev report - this thing had been a track all-star, with more than a few money-shifts; (2) clutch was failing; (3) some other mechanical issues. Carmax ultimately got the car back and I reviewed the PPI results with them. Their mechanics allegedly reviewed the car and disputed all findings, refusing to repair them. When they did that, I walked -- but not without getting my transfer fee refunded! I asked him what they were going to do with the car. He said they would put it on the lot and that someone else would come along who would love to buy it. I challenged him as to whether, in the face of compelling evidence of material issues with the car, their approach was really consistent with the company's stated promise of selling quality cars that they would stand behind. He basically had no intelligent response.

Back to the OP, mine was just two incidents with Carmax, and I sincerely hope your car exceeds your expectations. Plenty of people buy cars at Carmax, and I'm sure many are happy with their purchase. Porsche's are great cars, and I hope you have a positive experience. But please, protect yourself: get a PPI in the 5-day return window, make sure the warranty will cover major issues (e.g. IMSB), and be prepared to assert your rights if you get resistance from Carmax.

 

http://m.carmax.com/vehicle/11858833?id=11858833&sc_cid=A1SD05072015

How about this one OP?

 

I wanted to update you all as promised.

I bought the car and took it home on Saturday. Overall, it is in great shape. I don't want to misrepresent anything, it isn't perfect. There are some minor imperfections in the paint, and some expected wear in the interior, wear on the handbreak, etc. But for 8 years old, I would say "above average" in the looks department. I am actually impressed the controls are as clean as they are, usually in pictures of cars this age the buttons are all worn down and the lettering has come off - they look brand new in mine. I ended up buying the 100k/60mo maxcare warranty to cover the car as well, again thank you Doug Demuro.

I have a PPI (well, post-purchase inspection, this is carmax...) scheduled tomorrow mornnig at AutoSport Systems in Arlington (thanks @secondshot for the recommendation). Fingers crossed for a clean bill of health, otherwise back to carmax it goes!

If I make it through to the other end and keep the car, I'll post a picture of my new toy.