Marv

I have a 2004 GT3—your potential predecessor—same engine. I bought it with 5,500 miles on it and now have 136,000+ miles on with no major work performed. I use it for street and some autocross and it still has the original clutch (that's about due for replacement). The only significant running cost (besides oil and tires) has been a new suspension a thousand miles ago.

Lastly, any car you find, make sure that the coolant pipes have either been welded or pinned. If not, expect to pay $3,000 to $5,000 to have it done (motor has to come out) and there will be additional (might as well while you're in there) expenses.

So, with proper care and upkeep, 100,000+ miles should be no issue. Another thing if you are looking to keep the car long term. Find a good car at a fair price and don't split hairs over the idea that you might have found a better deal for $5,000 less. Over the course of the next five to ten years the entry price will seem insignificant. GT3s will depreciate less than a Carrera or Carrera S.

RossP

Check all the normal car buying avenues (autotrader, ebay, cargurus, craigslist) but also keep an eye on the PCA classifieds. You could also post a WTB add in this subforum and let people come to you. Some of the best examples are the ones that arent formally listed for sale.

jcdeng

1k for peace of mind is very reasonable imo. If Doug finds a car that is clean (to him) then you can pretty much skip the PPI, which can cost anywhere from 350 all the way to 800 depending on if you want leak down. You can also skip the flight in to check out the car and close the deal, you can pretty much send doug the check and arrange transport. He might also negotiate better than you can with certain selling parties and net a better price at the end.

joejenie

I agree. I would pay Doug $1k to find me a special car for sure. He is great to work with and he knows the 997 market better than anyone I know.

flsupraguy

+1

haripin

The engine has to be removed to pin the coolant lines??

I was under the impression that pinning the lines on a 7.1 was pretty straightforward ...

haripin

Just curious, for all the people endorsing paying $1000 for the access to cars that might not be publicly available, have you personally used Doug? Or, is it just based on what you’ve heard about him?

I’m only asking because this — buying a gt3 (or a Porsche for that matter — is new to me. I’ve done a good amount of research on the car itself, and what is being publicly offered and for how much. I have a good sense of how markets work, in general, although I recognize that the 7.1 gt3 is niche and new to me.

I would happily pay an extra couple thousand (to a reasonable extent) if I knew I was getting a proper gt3 that was cared for and came from a passionate PO who cared for the car as much as I know I will.

grrrmonster

Ideally the motor comes out to do the coolant pipes. We replaced them all with improved pieces from BBi. And consider replacing the hoses at the same time, these 997.1 cars are 12-14 years old. (Hoses are $$$). Took advantage of opportunity and replaced water pump, and upgraded flywheel to lightweight 4.0 setup and new clutch.
Factor in the age of the car and replace things while the motor is out

Jrtaylor9

U r making this too complicated. It's a roughly 100k car. An extra 1k to see examples not already on the open market from one of the guys that specialize in them; it's cheap and you either get that or you don't. Sounds like you don't. So just do your own leg work with what's listed online. You won't know any difference anyway because you will get what you get. They are robust cars. You will most likely do fine on your own. You might do even better with some help from a guy that specializes in the car you are looking for. That's either worth an extra 1k to see a few more examples or it's not. It's a little over 1% of the value of the car you are going to buy. Cheap to me; might be insanely wasteful based on your opinion.

widers911

To your original question of a 07 gt3 with 30k miles...here's a comp, don't know the car and have no affiliation but seems like a solid deal
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...t&CMP=atempest

The Mick

Well said^ Based on this thread and the other you started on the 997 forum, a 997 GT3 isn't for you... cheap is seldom good, good is seldom cheap. These cars can consume $10k in the blink of an eye. Find an example you like and buy it. If it's a good one it'll be expensive up front. If it's a cheap one it'll be expensive to bring up to snuff. If you don't like the idea of this... move along

Bxstr

My car was sold through Switchcars, before I bought it from the seller. But having been to his place and knowing him personally, I can vouch for him. The reason that he is worth it as I mentioned, is that he has access to cars that aren't on the market and he knows where these cars are. The ones that are on the market anyone can find, but he has a database of cars and owners that he can access at anytime.

haripin

Being cheap and not being a sucker are two different things that you’re confusing as one in the same.

Thanks for your limited input!

joejenie

I bought my 997.2 3RS from Doug last year. He was up front with me, worked out a very fair deal and made the deal painless. Totally worth it. If I ever bought another 997, I would just call him and tell him to find it. $1k is chump change quite frankly on a $100k+ car. I would rather make sure that I'm not getting someone else's problem.

haripin

Thank you, joejenie. This is helpful