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...except that he lives in California, the car is in Florida, and although Carmax has a 7 day return policy, there are NO pre-purchase PPI's. He'd have to fly out, buy it, find a local shop to PPI it, then either return it or drive/ship it to California.
I know there have been a few nice cars scored from Carmax, but i've seen several that were really weak examples. Cosmetically poor, bad mods, bad bodywork, etc. Not impressed.
This is true. Still debating if I should do it, RT flights for this weekend are just under $1k, and closer to $500-600 if I fly next weekend. I'll probably call again tomorrow and see if I can convince them to ship it to my local Carmax store, I think that would be the best move right now.
That is true, but after looking at it some more, I'm not sure about the car. It looks like it was specced to be a gt car. It's the first time I've seen comfort seats on a GTS...
Are we talking about the same car? Dude, this has buckets!
Are we talking about the same car? Dude, this has buckets!
No That's the FL car with buckets, but Carmax has another GTS in California for $68k:
They posted another GTS, 15k miles, $68k but doesn't have Sports Chrono: https://www.carmax.com/car/17122094. I requested a transfer to my local carmax for this one since it will only cost me $149.
No That's the FL car with buckets, but Carmax has another GTS in California for $68k:
Still a decent price. 30% of the GTS models I see in the 997 gen don't have 18-ways. $2,700 gets you a set here.
I would try to find a car with sport suspension, at the minimum.
This car is a C2S with powerkit and wide bodywork, but nothing else. Sport seats and sport PASM are missing. If I were looking for a "real" GTS, I would skip over this one.
Still a decent price. 30% of the GTS models I see in the 997 gen don't have 18-ways. $2,700 gets you a set here.
I would try to find a car with sport suspension, at the minimum.
This car is a C2S with powerkit and wide bodywork, but nothing else. Sport seats and sport PASM are missing. If I were looking for a "real" GTS, I would skip over this one.
Thanks for the insight and I share your sentiment. While this is a GTS, it's not really a special car the way that it was spec'd, kind of disappointing to be honest.
997 GTS resale pricing always struck me as odd... As mentioned above, it was really more a bundling of options otherwise available on a C2S with a few unique trim offerings and a badge.
I like them, think they look fantastic, and would love to own one, but for me, a $70K Porsche budget would go for a 997.1 Turbo coupe or a sport-optioned 991.1 C2S over a 997.2 GTS... Or stretch just a bit more for a 991.2 base, all of which would smoke a 997.2 GTS in all objective measures.
I get that true Porsche GT cars hold their value extremely well (eg: GT3, RS, GT2, GT4) but the GTS has no real Porsche motorsports upgrades and isn't a GT car from my perspective, it's a styling and options bundle.
As someone posted earlier in this thread, you can't do a PPI on a Carmax car until you buy it. Of course they have the 7 day return period, but I would have to spend a few days in Florida to do this.
They posted another GTS, 15k miles, $68k but doesn't have Sports Chrono: https://www.carmax.com/car/17122094. I requested a transfer to my local carmax for this one since it will only cost me $149.
Apologies. Lost track of what car was being discussed!
997 GTS resale pricing always struck me as odd... As mentioned above, it was really more a bundling of options otherwise available on a C2S with a few unique trim offerings and a badge.
I like them, think they look fantastic, and would love to own one, but for me, a $70K Porsche budget would go for a 997.1 Turbo coupe or a sport-optioned 991.1 C2S over a 997.2 GTS... Or stretch just a bit more for a 991.2 base, all of which would smoke a 997.2 GTS in all objective measures.
I get that true Porsche GT cars hold their value extremely well (eg: GT3, RS, GT2, GT4) but the GTS has no real Porsche motorsports upgrades and isn't a GT car from my perspective, it's a styling and options bundle.
The GTS is special because it's the only rear wheel drive wide body 911 that's still a good daily. The others are the GT2 and GT3RS, which are obviously more track focused, lack rear seats, not to mention cost at least twice as much. The GTS comes with the power kit standard which is much more than a trim or bundle of options. While the power kit was also available on the C2S, I don't think I have ever come across one for sale. So while technically available, it's practically impossible to get on a c2s or c4s. To me, the GTS represents the ultimate daily driver 911 for those who want a naturally aspirated RWD car.
The dealer is on my commute, so I think I might drop by to drive it, if nothing else for a reference point of what a suspect 911 feels like.
Funny you mention this car. I test drove it about a month ago when I started seriously looking into buying a 997. I had already done a ton of research, but hadn't actually driven one yet and wanted to drive one to ensure it was something I still wanted to pursue. I had just missed a silver C2S at Stevinson Imports, and missed on a black '05 C2S at Sill-TerHar because of the snow storm. This was the only C2S in town that I could find with a manual and in my price range.
The interior looks rougher than in the pictures, and there was a big plume of smoke coming out of both exhaust pipes at startup. I'm aware that some smoke is not unusual from a 997 when cold, but it seemed like an abnormal amount. It also shook pretty bad at highway speeds. It could have just been an out of balance wheel, but it was pretty consistent throughout different speeds which tells me it could be a bushing, ball joint, or some other suspension or steering component going bad. The guy I spoke with confirmed it was bought at auction and he had no previous records on the car. I may be new to Porsche's, but not cars, and I can tell this car had been abused.
I wouldn't discourage you from checking it out. Especially if you're like me and just need it as a point of reference. The dealer was cool and let me test drive it with one of their mechanics with no pressure. With all of that said, I would stay clear of this one. The good news is that it confirmed that I still wanted to buy (a well cared for) 997 C2S.
I'll shoot you a PM. It sounds like we're after similar 997's in the same market (Denver), although I've already began to look out of state.
Funny you mention this car. I test drove it about a month ago when I started seriously looking into buying a 997. I had already done a ton of research, but hadn't actually driven one yet and wanted to drive one to ensure it was something I still wanted to pursue. I had just missed a silver C2S at Stevinson Imports, and missed on a black '05 C2S at Sill-TerHar because of the snow storm. This was the only C2S in town that I could find with a manual and in my price range.
The interior looks rougher than in the pictures, and there was a big plume of smoke coming out of both exhaust pipes at startup. I'm aware that some smoke is not unusual from a 997 when cold, but it seemed like an abnormal amount. It also shook pretty bad at highway speeds. It could have just been an out of balance wheel, but it was pretty consistent throughout different speeds which tells me it could be a bushing, ball joint, or some other suspension or steering component going bad. The guy I spoke with confirmed it was bought at auction and he had no previous records on the car. I may be new to Porsche's, but not cars, and I can tell this car had been abused.
I wouldn't discourage you from checking it out. Especially if you're like me and just need it as a point of reference. The dealer was cool and let me test drive it with one of their mechanics with no pressure. With all of that said, I would stay clear of this one. The good news is that it confirmed that I still wanted to buy (a well cared for) 997 C2S.
I'll shoot you a PM. It sounds like we're after similar 997's in the same market (Denver), although I've already began to look out of state.
Thanks for the interesting experience. It sounds like they didn't do anything beside a detail to it, and it remains in the same condition as described by that other thread. It's sold anyway.
And a 997.1 with 65k for the same price is a much more inferior car. Garbage interior plastics, inferior engine, lesser option availability - it adds up.
With careful searching and actually checking the car out, a 6sp 997.2 (non S) is about the best car you could get in the 30k range. At 40k + they're simply not worth it, considering that's what S cars have exchanged at (with supply rapidly diminishing).
The GTS is special because it's the only rear wheel drive wide body 911 that's still a good daily. The others are the GT2 and GT3RS, which are obviously more track focused, lack rear seats, not to mention cost at least twice as much. The GTS comes with the power kit standard which is much more than a trim or bundle of options. While the power kit was also available on the C2S, I don't think I have ever come across one for sale. So while technically available, it's practically impossible to get on a c2s or c4s. To me, the GTS represents the ultimate daily driver 911 for those who want a naturally aspirated RWD car.
And a 997.1 with 65k for the same price is a much more inferior car. Garbage interior plastics, inferior engine, lesser option availability - it adds up.
With careful searching and actually checking the car out, a 6sp 997.2 (non S) is about the best car you could get in the 30k range. At 40k + they're simply not worth it, considering that's what S cars have exchanged at (with supply rapidly diminishing).
I paid $45,500 for my C4 2 years ago with 31,000 miles, and the dealer sold it the following fall for $51,900 when I upgraded to a C2S. I just don't see base models (C2 or C4) with low mileage under $40,000, unless they have issues (granted, mine was manual). I would be all over one however if I could find one!
02-14-2019, 12:32 AM
That's the FL car with buckets, but Carmax has another GTS in California for $68k:
