Hi listmates, new to the forum, I found a 2006 Black on Black 911 Carrera S convertible with 3800 miles. Test driving tomorrow. Anything I should be on the look out for, anything I should be worried about. Devil's advocates are welcomed. Thanks.

 

Hmm, let's see...10 y.o. car with 3800 miles...what could possibly go wrong

I wouldn't touch it with a 10 ft pole unless I had access to all the service and maintenance records! I would walk unless the oil had been changed at least twice/yr, and the cooling system drained and flushed periodically as well.

Then I would get the most brutally-thorough PPI there is. I would be looking at all the seals for leaks...engine, transmission, A/C system. And anything with rubber such as belts, hoses, brake cylinders and of course tires. I would pay attention to the condition of the hydraulics operating the top too. I would expect to need to replace much of it unless it was done recently. Likewise the battery. I would also probably want to drain and flush the fuel system due to condensation accumulation (it could have several gallons of water in the tank), as well as flush and bleed the brakes even if the cylnders and lines are ok. I would also want to look very carefully for any signs of damage to wiring caused by rodents during long periods of storage.

Additionally, with only 3800 miles, pretty much anything which might have been factory defective will almost certainly not have revealed istelf and been replaced.

Basically what you're getting is a new car with no warranty that has sat undriven for the bulk of 10 years.

This is just my personal opinion, but the only way I would consider that low mileage at that age worth the potential trouble and expense would be if the car was an appreciating classic which I did not intend to drive often.

 

Garage Queen ?
or is it Garage Princess at this level of idleness ?

Did this car go 103,800 miles forward, then 97,000 miles backward ?

Would be nice !

What ? cmon. I dont buy that would be important.

Definitely.

 

How many owners has the car had?
Are you dealing with an individual or a dealership?
If an individual, you should be able to get the records mentioned above.
A thorough PPI is a must.
Don't let the seller convince you that 10 year old tires with 3800 miles are as good as new.
I would consider they need replacing immediately and would factor that into the purchase price of the car.
Good luck
Let us know how it turns out

 

Uhhh, easy now. My first question would be, did he inadvertently miss an extra "0"? 'Cause that would be funny.

 

To all, thank you thank you thank, for the good, the bad and the ugly. Definitely 3,800 miles. 2 prior owners. Maserati Dealership. Please forgive my ignorance but what is a PPI?

 

Did you spend any time searching for information? This has been discussed roughly 8 million times.

Its unreal that the first thing people think to do is post a new thread instead of just doing a search.

 

To all especially quadcammer
My apologies in advance. I only found out about rennlist yesterday. Still learning how to navigate this sight. I did not know the issue I raised in my thread had been discussed 8 million times. Thank you quadcammer, in your own way you have provided me with useful information.

 

not only rennlist, but google. There are tons of information sources that are free.

But you at least took that well, so welcome and good luck.

 

PPI: prepurchase inspection. These cars aren't cheap to maintain. May only cost you 40K for the car, but its 100K car upkeep. Rear tires every 10k, year oil changes, brakes, water pump, AOS, starting problems and moving all make it more than your normal honda, plus there is no warranty should something catastrophic occur.

Inspection should make sure nothing is wrong with it. Research IMS failure and bore scoring as well as PPI to see what you should be reviewing. With a car not driven I would want to know what maintenance it has had done and what has been replaced due to underuse. If manual get a over rev (DME) report. PPI should be extensive and costs $300-500 but its good piece of mind.

 

Don't get emotional about the low miles.
Buy it like a 10 year old car it is.
It will need tire. Check the date stamped on the sidewall.
3ooo miles. There should be no marks, anywhere.
3 posts? You better learn how to post pictures.
Cold and snowy hear. Need some pretty car pictures.
All my cars a filthy salt, sand caked... grey.

 

And speaking of tires, it seems that a 10 year old car with 3800 miles will need to have those replaced (due to age not use) and possibly the TPMS (if equipped) as well. i guess that would/should get picked up by the PPI though. As others have said do some research on this and other sites before jumping in. If they car is gone before you get decide, then it wasn't meant to be. Don't feel like you are in a rush to make a decision - upkeep and maintenance costs can/will be high so you want to be sure you are getting the right car. Given your initial question I am assuming you will be paying others to do the work, so factor the costs into your budget. There are plenty of threads about maintenance costs as well as DIY advice.

 

i'd be curious what the dealership is charging for the car. Are they charging a massive premium because of the low miles? With used cars, there's low miles and there's undriven. In this case, since it's at a dealership you have no idea how it was maintained and driven. It's possible that the car was driven 30 miles a month for 10 years and religiously maintained. It's also possible that the car was driven by a guy for two months then parked in a garage for 10 years and never touched. You won't know unless you do some detective work.

1. Assuming the car was a local trade-in. get the VIN and call around to the porsche dealers in your area. Pretty high probability that one of them sold/serviced the car. See what records they have. Porsche doesn't have a shared network between all their dealers so if one dealer doesn't have the records call another one.

2. Get a PPI done by a reputable indie or porsche shop in your area. Don't ask the maserati dealer for a recommendation, find one yourself. The dealer should have no problem letting you get the car inspected.

3. If you find you still want the car, insist that they cover the cost of replacing all the fluids as well as replace all the tires unless there's proof that this was done recently.

4. See if the dealer will throw in an aftermarket warranty. If not, call around and see if you can get one yourself. (I have no idea given the age of the car)

Don't be too discouraged by what you read here. The key is to not get emotionally attached to the car and educate yourself as much as possible before making the decision. It could be a gem or it could be a pile of headache. Best of luck and keep us posted!

Oh, and welcome to the forum!

 

OK, drinking my coffee and decided to look this car up. pretty sure I found the one you're talking about. If you look at the carfax report it was sold by a Porsche dealer in NH:

Porsche Audi Stratham
Stratham, NH 603-418-0288

Call their service department and see if they can share any info about the car. The car has records on carfax for state inspections/emissions every year. The only service listed was done by a shop called:

Danny's Automotive
Henniker, NH
603-428-3204

You may be able to call them and see what kind of servicing they've done to the car.

The potentially odd part is the history of the car since October of last year. There's an entry for Failed/Passed emissions. It looks like it was then promptly traded in at a mercedes dealer who then sold it at auction. (which is probably how the maserati dealer got it) The odd part is the ordering of the dates between October to now. I'm no expert, but perhaps you could contact a dealer you trust and have them explain all the entries from October on.

FWIW, the price seems reasonable.

 

dupe/delete