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Sometimes these cars are purchased and go into homes with several sports cars, therefore get used and serviced very little. It's the nature of the game.
lots of ppl moving them in and out of LLCs into
dealer fleets etc, ive seen many 4-6 owner GT3s only actually have 2-3 owners
Anyone here selling a .1 GT3 with sub 40k miles? Eyeing the one on BaT but would prefer to buy from a private seller who has some history with the car. There are a couple on Autotrader that fit the budget but have 7-9 owners which is a turn off
Originally Posted by Dirtygrid
yeah I agree with you I don’t mind too much but I’m thinking when I go to sell it it’ll be a negative
over the past 6 or 7 yrs since I started following the GT car space, I would say almost 100% of Porsche owners that come from the non-motorsport division type cars, will worry about # of owners (no one cars what dealerships say about this topic btw), and as many on here will attest, the ownership of these GT cars span several different categories, - collectors who never drive them but also rarely ever sell them, - investors who have plenty of cars to drive hence spreading & keeping miles low & will sell when they get the itch & prices have risen (how many times have we seen prices rise since the 2007 launch of 997.1 GT3??),... and then finally - there are the "Drivers" (like myself). Over the past 16 yrs since 997.1 GT3, there has been a LOT of opportunity to change hands. That is not an issue for these cars,... BUT as many have also said, PPI, personal inspection, test drive (although that now seems to be almost impossible) are your key factors to worry about (not # of owners).
I bought mine back in summer 2018, and it had 10k miles and 5 previous owners, several of which were dealers who put less than 20 miles on the car during their time of flipping the car. I found it online FS late one night, it had zero details about the car (only that it was blue), I called at 7:15am & waited on the phone with some random person who decided to pick up the call,... when the sales guy finally arrived & gave me the details about the car (+ he was willing to walk across the street to their warehouse & take LOTS cell phone pics for me), I immediately put a $5k deposit on it, then spent the next 4 hrs online looking for any history, then hooked up my car-hauler & drove 12+ hrs to see it, test drive it, put it on lift, do my own PPI, and bought it (all within 30 hrs of seeing it online). The car was immaculate. Essentially brand new. While I was sitting at the sales desk (after I had given them the bank check, & waiting on their bean counters), Doug T from switchcars called. I sat there & listened to his conversation which amounted to Doug wanting to buy it sight unseen. I got lucky & beat our main man to the draw, but only by a few hours. .... point being, at that point I could care less that it had 5 previous owners.
Buy the seller, inspect the car, drive it if possible, and move quickly.
over the past 6 or 7 yrs since I started following the GT car space, I would say almost 100% of Porsche owners that come from the non-motorsport division type cars, will worry about # of owners (no one cars what dealerships say about this topic btw), and as many on here will attest, the ownership of these GT cars span several different categories, - collectors who never drive them but also rarely ever sell them, - investors who have plenty of cars to drive hence spreading & keeping miles low & will sell when they get the itch & prices have risen (how many times have we seen prices rise since the 2007 launch of 997.1 GT3??),... and then finally - there are the "Drivers" (like myself). Over the past 16 yrs since 997.1 GT3, there has been a LOT of opportunity to change hands. That is not an issue for these cars,... BUT as many have also said, PPI, personal inspection, test drive (although that now seems to be almost impossible) are your key factors to worry about (not # of owners).
I bought mine back in summer 2018, and it had 10k miles and 5 previous owners, several of which were dealers who put less than 20 miles on the car during their time of flipping the car. I found it online FS late one night, it had zero details about the car (only that it was blue), I called at 7:15am & waited on the phone with some random person who decided to pick up the call,... when the sales guy finally arrived & gave me the details about the car (+ he was willing to walk across the street to their warehouse & take LOTS cell phone pics for me), I immediately put a $5k deposit on it, then spent the next 4 hrs online looking for any history, then hooked up my car-hauler & drove 12+ hrs to see it, test drive it, put it on lift, do my own PPI, and bought it (all within 30 hrs of seeing it online). The car was immaculate. Essentially brand new. While I was sitting at the sales desk (after I had given them the bank check, & waiting on their bean counters), Doug T from switchcars called. I sat there & listened to his conversation which amounted to Doug wanting to buy it sight unseen. I got lucky & beat our main man to the draw, but only by a few hours. .... point being, at that point I could care less that it had 5 previous owners.
Buy the seller, inspect the car, drive it if possible, and move quickly.
This is the way its done. 👍🏻 Neat story. Thanks for sharing.
over the past 6 or 7 yrs since I started following the GT car space, I would say almost 100% of Porsche owners that come from the non-motorsport division type cars, will worry about # of owners (no one cars what dealerships say about this topic btw), and as many on here will attest, the ownership of these GT cars span several different categories, - collectors who never drive them but also rarely ever sell them, - investors who have plenty of cars to drive hence spreading & keeping miles low & will sell when they get the itch & prices have risen (how many times have we seen prices rise since the 2007 launch of 997.1 GT3??),... and then finally - there are the "Drivers" (like myself). Over the past 16 yrs since 997.1 GT3, there has been a LOT of opportunity to change hands. That is not an issue for these cars,... BUT as many have also said, PPI, personal inspection, test drive (although that now seems to be almost impossible) are your key factors to worry about (not # of owners).
I bought mine back in summer 2018, and it had 10k miles and 5 previous owners, several of which were dealers who put less than 20 miles on the car during their time of flipping the car. I found it online FS late one night, it had zero details about the car (only that it was blue), I called at 7:15am & waited on the phone with some random person who decided to pick up the call,... when the sales guy finally arrived & gave me the details about the car (+ he was willing to walk across the street to their warehouse & take LOTS cell phone pics for me), I immediately put a $5k deposit on it, then spent the next 4 hrs online looking for any history, then hooked up my car-hauler & drove 12+ hrs to see it, test drive it, put it on lift, do my own PPI, and bought it (all within 30 hrs of seeing it online). The car was immaculate. Essentially brand new. While I was sitting at the sales desk (after I had given them the bank check, & waiting on their bean counters), Doug T from switchcars called. I sat there & listened to his conversation which amounted to Doug wanting to buy it sight unseen. I got lucky & beat our main man to the draw, but only by a few hours. .... point being, at that point I could care less that it had 5 previous owners.
Buy the seller, inspect the car, drive it if possible, and move quickly.
Steve - agree completely. I understand that many buyers out there want the low ownership cars, which then perpetuates the desire for us to think we need to buy low owner cars and thus the circle continues so I understand why Dirtygrid is wanting a low owner car, for an easier sale down the line. However, I really think conditions and service records/history are the most important indicators when buying a car. Also, how many owners is too many, 1 prior, 2 prior, 3 prior? I think for some reason when people see 5,6,7 owners, they start getting concerned. My family purchased a one owner car many years ago and the car was in rough condition, with lots of dealer touchup/airbrushing, so it was not immediately apparent the issues until detailing began. Granted, the car was fine for many years of service, but not what you'd expect when we talk about a one owner car. Many of the locals in our car community will buy a new car and sell a car every year or two. So on a 10 year old car, that could easily equate to 5 owners. I think most of us, if given the opportunity (financially) would buy and sell a car every couple of years which would then equate to that car having more owners. But when it comes to buying, it gives us pause.
Now, I will say that there are people that flip in and out of cars every year and never do maintenance or skimp on maintenance knowing it won't be their problem in a year. I think that's my main concern with a high owner car, people trying to enjoy it for a year while hoping to dodge maintenance, even something as basic as an oil change. Well, if everyone is doing that who owns that car, the car may go years without an oil change. But that gets remedied if you see proper service records which is something I look for when buying.
My 997 GT3 in particular had lots of owners. First owner kept it a while (5 years, I believe). Then second owner was a private individual who had a dealer license and doesn't even appear on the CarFax. Third owner sold it for a .2RS. Fourth owner sold it for a .2RS. Fifth owner sold it for a 991.1 GT3 and wanted the 7.1 back. Sixth owner sold it to me after I planted the seed in his mind that I wanted it. I have service records dating back to the fourth owner (2013/2014) and have less detailed service information going back to new. I've also been fortunate enough to be able to contact/email every single owner of my car. That sort of lineage is even better to me than having a three or four owner car without the contact of previous owners.
over the past 6 or 7 yrs since I started following the GT car space, I would say almost 100% of Porsche owners that come from the non-motorsport division type cars, will worry about # of owners (no one cars what dealerships say about this topic btw), and as many on here will attest, the ownership of these GT cars span several different categories, - collectors who never drive them but also rarely ever sell them, - investors who have plenty of cars to drive hence spreading & keeping miles low & will sell when they get the itch & prices have risen (how many times have we seen prices rise since the 2007 launch of 997.1 GT3??),... and then finally - there are the "Drivers" (like myself). Over the past 16 yrs since 997.1 GT3, there has been a LOT of opportunity to change hands. That is not an issue for these cars,... BUT as many have also said, PPI, personal inspection, test drive (although that now seems to be almost impossible) are your key factors to worry about (not # of owners).
I bought mine back in summer 2018, and it had 10k miles and 5 previous owners, several of which were dealers who put less than 20 miles on the car during their time of flipping the car. I found it online FS late one night, it had zero details about the car (only that it was blue), I called at 7:15am & waited on the phone with some random person who decided to pick up the call,... when the sales guy finally arrived & gave me the details about the car (+ he was willing to walk across the street to their warehouse & take LOTS cell phone pics for me), I immediately put a $5k deposit on it, then spent the next 4 hrs online looking for any history, then hooked up my car-hauler & drove 12+ hrs to see it, test drive it, put it on lift, do my own PPI, and bought it (all within 30 hrs of seeing it online). The car was immaculate. Essentially brand new. While I was sitting at the sales desk (after I had given them the bank check, & waiting on their bean counters), Doug T from switchcars called. I sat there & listened to his conversation which amounted to Doug wanting to buy it sight unseen. I got lucky & beat our main man to the draw, but only by a few hours. .... point being, at that point I could care less that it had 5 previous owners.
Buy the seller, inspect the car, drive it if possible, and move quickly.
thanks for the write up, makes a lot of sense. I guess my issue is that I don’t really trust the mainstream dealerships to have the full history/details of the cars they’re selling, and you never really know who the owners were and how they treated the car. Would much rather buy from a private party in that sense.
do you have any recommendations for where to find these cars (other than this forum)? Been looking at the mainstream sites like Autotrader etc and a couple niche dealers like switchcars. Any other places to search? Supply seems very low but I guess that’s to be expected with these GT cars
thanks for the write up, makes a lot of sense. I guess my issue is that I don’t really trust the mainstream dealerships to have the full history/details of the cars they’re selling, and you never really know who the owners were and how they treated the car. Would much rather buy from a private party in that sense.
do you have any recommendations for where to find these cars (other than this forum)? Been looking at the mainstream sites like Autotrader etc and a couple niche dealers like switchcars. Any other places to search? Supply seems very low but I guess that’s to be expected with these GT cars
Contact Switchcars, Merit Partners, and Nathan Merz at Columbia Valley Luxury cars. I'd feel pretty confident buying sight unseen from any of those sources. Just be clear on what you're looking for, how particular you are or aren't, while at the same time remembering they're used cars and will have some level of unknowns/imperfections, even from the best sellers and best cars.
Contact Switchcars, Merit Partners, and Nathan Merz at Columbia Valley Luxury cars. I'd feel pretty confident buying sight unseen from any of those sources. Just be clear on what you're looking for, how particular you are or aren't, while at the same time remembering they're used cars and will have some level of unknowns/imperfections, even from the best sellers and best cars.
In 5 years imo it will be impossible to find any 997s that haven’t been refreshed and looking for a premium. Time is ticking on the days you'll be able to find someone’s ‘drivers car’ regardless of number of owners.
Anyone with 1/2 car brain can use this forum to remove most of the risk of a well loved GT3. All the wear parts are actually quite inexpensive in relation to total car value, which means eventually everyone will have new LSD, new gears, new bolsters…
The big difference with this car and all the rest before it really is the Nikasil
I say if people don’t plan to keep the car…buy any 997 gt3, don’t put a dime into it (maybe change the oil) and get it out of your system, then sell it while you still can, someone else will eventually make it new again and then your stuck dreaming
If I were giving advice to anyone that didn’t already plan to make this car a lifer, don’t bother and buy a MT 991.2, way less thinking
picture courtesy of our friend @Scott Dunavant who has just finished a massive restoration of his 964 Turbo....
That RS has been in their service bay for months I'm pretty sure. Front end is covered in bugs and the last time I stopped by a couple of weeks ago the rear bumper was off.
thanks for the write up, makes a lot of sense. I guess my issue is that I don’t really trust the mainstream dealerships to have the full history/details of the cars they’re selling, and you never really know who the owners were and how they treated the car. Would much rather buy from a private party in that sense.
do you have any recommendations for where to find these cars (other than this forum)? Been looking at the mainstream sites like Autotrader etc and a couple niche dealers like switchcars. Any other places to search? Supply seems very low but I guess that’s to be expected with these GT cars
Originally Posted by Bxstr
Contact Switchcars, Merit Partners, and Nathan Merz at Columbia Valley Luxury cars. I'd feel pretty confident buying sight unseen from any of those sources. Just be clear on what you're looking for, how particular you are or aren't, while at the same time remembering they're used cars and will have some level of unknowns/imperfections, even from the best sellers and best cars.
Solid advice from Bxstr. Those resources know where the cars are, and are, imo, totally worth a grand or two in finders fee (if that's what they even charge these days)...
I would also say that there are several folks on this thread (you'll know who they are when you go back 6 months & read the thousands of posts here, Lol),... who have WAY better eyes than I do, when it comes to picking apart FS ads online (I've built plenty of these cars over my lifespan, and can do my own evaluation in-person,... but making decisions solely based on pictures & descriptions is a skill,... so reach out them!!). Plus they have also done a LOT of VIN history capturing over the years, and thus if you find a car you're interested in, private message them here on RL. They will help you out. I say PM them because (w/ such limited supply) there is always the chance that a lurker (who is ALSO looking for the same car) will see your public post and jump on the car.
Gotta move fast, and ya gotta use the resources at your disposal. This GT crowd here on RL are top notch,... but there are also a lot of viewers watching (who do not post). Just watch the VIEW counters for this thread!!!!
Gotta move fast, and ya gotta use the resources at your disposal. This GT crowd here on RL are top notch,... but there are also a lot of viewers watching (who do not post). Just watch the VIEW counters for this thread!!!!
Good luck!!!
lol do any of you guys remember that video game in college bars where you compared one photo to another… this thread loved that game
I was having the same problem as many when searching for my 997.1. I didn't have the trained eye like some others on here who are awesome at spotting every detial in a for sale ad. I casually searched for 3-4 months and knew I wasn't an expert. I finally called Doug at switchcars and gave him the specs I was looking for and my budget. He put a deal together on a car that wasn't even for sale and who's owner was looking to move to a 991.1 with PDK for the track. The finder's fee and whatever amount of money he made on each side of the deal (he found the 991 for the seller) was well worth it to me. And I couldn't have been more pleased with how everything worked out. Doug arranged all the wire transfers, paperwork and even shipping the car to me halfway across the country.
I knew I was over my head and didn't want to regret my purchase if I tried to do it all on my own.
04-29-2023, 11:16 AM
