ores

Hi,
New to the forum and to Porsche in general. Looking at an 08 C4S black manual with 48K miles and asking price is 49K. The car is not CPOd but sold by an authorized dealer and has an extensive service history (2 owners). I was told by the dealership that the car cannot be CPOd due to year/miles.... unsure if this is correct. Would love some feedback on the deal. Also, is this considered a high mileage car for a 911? If driven 5k a year, what would it be worth roughly in 3 -4 years?

Many thanks!

DC911S

A bit high in price, at that age and miles it will or may need need tires, water pump, belt, plugs, filters and possibly brakes. You need to see the DME report as well. Get that first. Its too old to be CPO, and you can get a indy warranty...but its going to be expensive. If a not being CPO scares you, pay more and get a 997.2 thats CPO.

ores

Thanks for the reply! They just changed the pads and rotors on all 4 wheels. What would be a considered a good price on this car?

WV997S

I think these cars are too new to be worrying about what they will be worth down the road. I think they are wonderful cars and follow the 911 heritage beautifully and I believe the will hold value nicely. I do not think it should be a significant part of the decision process as they are still experiencing depreciation at a steep rate. Most cars are past 50% of purchase price.

I have owned mine for 6/months now and most of those six are winter months and she was up. Drove home (8miles) from the office last night to pick her up and drive back the exact same 8 miles to pick up dinner.

Buy it to drive it and if she goes up the car ts a big win.

Petza914

Need an options list (full leather, sport chrono, PSE, etc) and DME report to give you a price range. Without any of that I say mid-40s.

Macster

Forget where I picked this up but Porsche considers 6K to 9K miles per year about average usage.

Thus I classify anything less than 6K miles/year as "low miles". Over 9K miles/year "high miles".

For price all I can offer is visit some used car pricing sites: www.kbb.com; www.nada.com; and plug in the car's numbers and see what values for trade-in/wholesale, private and retail sale come up.

I can just about guarantee the dealer has no more in the car than wholesale/trade in (or even a bit less, some claim to go by the "back of the book" when it comes to setting a car's trade in value).

The out of pocket cost for the brake work is minimal as is the cost of the hardware/supplies.

If you are that interested, visit the car and listen to the engine from cold, then after a while have the seller take you on a test ride of around 15 miles in length. The route should give the driver a chance to demo the car as you intend to use it.

After the test ride then switch seats and take drive the car over the same route the same way.

You must experience the car in its natural setting, with the engine running and the car on the road.

After this give the car a thorough used car check out. Assume nothing works until you confirm it does work.

If you still like the car and believe you can buy it for a reasonable sum arrange for a PPI. Among other things this gets the car on a lift so a careful inspection can be made for any leak sign.

As for the reasonable sum... I'd start at they car's wholesale/trade in value and how much over this you end up paying depends upon how willing the dealer it to let the car go vs. how badly you want the car.

Don't be put off by the reaction you'll get. Price is not fact only an opinion and you are entitled to your's.

There is for every buyer a buying technique but you can help your chances by first being sure the car is in good condition, as best you can tell from the road test.

Then you make your offer. Be sure the offer is run by the sales manager/general manager. Salesmen will say "no" right away as the offer is low enough it pretty much means no commission.

But the SM/GM doesn't work on commission and he has the entire inventory cars to worry about, not only those on the lot but those to come on the lot after the current stock is gone.

You have to make it clear you have other cars on your short list and you are going to buy a car today when you find the right car at the right price. If not the car you are looking at then car A or B or C at dealer X or private seller Y or Z.

The idea is you must impress upon the SM/GM that if he sees you walk off the lot without buying a car he's lost you to another seller. That you won't be back tomorrow with a better offer.

Can't help you with the car's future value. The depreciation curve could continue on its current path/curve or possibly flatten out, or maybe steepen, even drop should say the car be involved in an accident.

My approach to buying a car is to picture me throwing a wad of money in the air. When (if) I then go to sell the car the wind blows some money back in my direction. But how much is anybody's guess until the car changes hands.

Nip are

I'm in the same boat shopping for 997 C4S cab. Assuming that car has decent options and is a "good" car that's about market asking price. You should be able to buy it for $45-47k depending on your negotiating skills and their willingness to sell. But, here's the thing. If you go one year newer you get the 992.2 version which is a big upgrade. The price will jump about $5k but it's worth it. They fixed a lot of issues with the .2 too many to list here but do your research and you'll see. Even though you pay more your TCO will most likely be less. Possibly a lot less.

ores

What's a DME report?

Petza914

It's an engine computer report that shows how many total hours are on the engine and whether it has been subjected to any overrevs (shifts at or past the recliner). It breaks overrevs into 6 categories and time stamps them so you can see how long ago they happened so you know whether to be concerned or not. If you do a search you'll find lots of info on these and how they're interpreted.

ores

I asked and they claim the do not have it. this is Porsche of Beverly Hills mind you....Would you just wake away without this report?

Petza914

They may not have it, but if they're a Porsche dealer, they can certainly pull it by hooking the car up to their PIWIS system. I see two possibilities here - 1) they're lazy and don't want to go to the trouble, assuming someone else will come by the car who knows very little about them other than it's a 911 in a color combo they like, 2) the DME report shows something they don't want to publicize like range 4, 5, & 6 overrevs.

If it were me, I'd find a different dealer who wants to sell YOU a car, not one that just wants to sell A car. Call in and instead of talking to your salesperson, ask for the Service Manager. Tell him you want a DME report on one of the cars they have listed for sale and see what he says. If you want to continue, I would also have a different dealer do the PPI or an independent p-car mechanic in the area that others here recommend.

rickdogg82

They will likely not pass it out to tire kickers. If you were serious about the car and ready to buy it, they might pull it for you. But by that time you would have already scheduled a PPI and viewed it as part of that process.

ores

Please take a look and tell me if 48K is fair considering options and work done to car by dealer... thanks!
=

Nip are

Having the full brake service and front tires is nice. If it was me, I'd check to see if 1. the clutch is ok and 2. have the spark plugs/coils been replaced. Those two things could cost and extra $4-5k.


The best approach, I've leaned in my search process, is to have a PPI done prior to price negotiation. That will give you a better idea of potential upcoming expenses. Dealers know the drill and will usually deliver the car to the shop of your choice. You can work with the PPI shop over the phone and they will handle the rest for you. Cost is usually $150-$300 depending on what you want done. Takes a lot of mystery and anxiety out of the process.

ores

Thank you so much for the useful info.... Would you recommend an indy shop or another dealership for the PPI?