When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
this was reserved before i could get to it but came back on the Carmax site a couple of days back. So was able reserve and am having it shipped to where i am in NC. Hopefully there were not any issues with the car that put it back on the market but i will do a PPI once it gets here.
I was the one that originally reserved it. It was local, no need to ship. Drove it and checked it out fairly closely... Not bad for a carmax car. Front bumper has been re-sprayed by Carmax, and they didn't really want to disclose that until I pushed for complete info on exactly what they had done to the car after taking ownership. That left a mis-match of protective film on some parts of the front of the car and not others. Something for example that a Porsche dealer would never do... Remove it all, or replace the parts you removed, but don't leave it have filmed and half bare. A couple of other glitches (frunk/engine release button was broken, dirty inside and out as every carmax car I've ever looked at has been, needing extensive paint correction)
Biggest issue for me is that (IMHO) the wheels are junk, as well as incorrect diameter (20") and incorrect rear offset. Not an inexpensive fix... The car has a factory carbon fiber interior package, but also has some aftermarket stick-on carbon fiber (mirrors and intakes) which looked tacky and some of it was damaged. I was concerned it might be difficult to get off without damaging the paint.
If was a coupe instead of cab, I might have considered it a bit more, but the cab was a big compromise for me in the first place, and with the front end so-so quality respray, wheel replacement cost, and no opportunity to further PPI the car without actually purchasing the car first, I passed.
I did determine the wheels are Vossen CV3, a brand I associate a bit more with "baller looks" than quality, strong, lightweight wheels. They are 20" wheels, 8" in front, 11" in rear, but the rear offsets are way off for the car and stick out too far. No bueno in my opinion, and putting 20" wheels on a 997 Turbo is also something I would never do.
This picture doesn't show it clearly, but the rears stick out at least 1/2" too far and would hit the fenders if you ever put on lowered sport suspension (and even possibly if the rears went into full compression?)
I figured at least $5K to get the wheels addressed... $3.5K or so for a used set of OEM wheels (double that for a set of new OEM turbo wheels from Suncoast) and another ~$1,500 for tires. Minus whatever you could sell the Vossens with new tires (but incorrect diameter) for.
I should also say that I'm not panning the car... I am *exceptionally* picky when looking at used Porsches, and I'm pointing out everything I found that was wrong without talking much about what I liked. If your looking for a cab, and don't mind the wheels (or factor replacement into the pricing), it is really a nice build and in pretty decent condition.
Special leather, PCCB's, Diff lock, carbon interior, sport chrono.... As I said, if it was a coupe (or if I prefered a cab) I might have overlooked the wheels (or factored in replacement cost for a nice set of factory or quality aftermarket 19" wheels and tires) and grabbed it.
I originally thought the car was perhaps $5K - $10K below typical Porsche dealer retail, but ~$5K+ for wheels/tires and ~$1.5K+ for paint correction, fixing the protective film, dealing with the aftermarket carbon fiber, and the unknown/hassle factor of no PPI before purchase moved it into an average deal in my calculus rather than a good deal.
@pfbz Thank you for the detailed info on the car! This is exactly the kind of stuff i hopes to learn by posting here.
I am looking for a cab so that’s a plus. I agree with you on the wheels but was willing to live with it in the short term. But what you said about the rear wheels sticking out does worry me. I looked up some other 997 pics with the vossen wheels and it didn’t appear to stick out . Can something be done to fix this short of changing the wheels?
also how did the car drive? Did the clutch release point seem ok to you? Thanks in advance!
@pfbz Thank you for the detailed info on the car! This is exactly the kind of stuff i hopes to learn by posting here.
I am looking for a cab so that’s a plus. I agree with you on the wheels but was willing to live with it in the short term. But what you said about the rear wheels sticking out does worry me. I looked up some other 997 pics with the vossen wheels and it didn’t appear to stick out . Can something be done to fix this short of changing the wheels?
also how did the car drive? Did the clutch release point seem ok to you? Thanks in advance!
If the wheels are not out far enough, spacers can be added. But this is the opposite problem, and no easy solution for them sticking out too far...I suppose you could try to get the PPI to say the wheels are incorrect, and then push Carmax to replace the wheels with correct offset wheels, but my guess is you wont get Carmax to put $5K-$8K of wheels on the car. Unless maybe you could get a Porsche dealer to say they were unsafe, which might put Carmax in a bit of a bind.
Car drove nicely, though it was a relatively short, traffic filled test drive. Good boost, clutch felt fine, though a typical mushy/unpredictable/fairly high release point typical of all 996/997 Turbos with the hydraulic assisted clutch, but no worse than most others I've driven. Be aware the accumulator and slave cylinder fail semi-often on these cars and it is not an inexpensive or easy repair, and clutches are pricey. You might want to verify if the carmax warranty would cover a clutch slave. I know it will NOT cover the clutch itself.
As for other Vossen wheels, the Turbo is a widebody and do have alot of offset, but my guess is that they just picked something that was close as there was not perfect offset and it is too much offset. if looking at pictures of narrow body 997's, looking at how Vossen's fit in the rear is irrelevant.
Everything else I checked on the car seemed operational, except the frunk release as noted. The button itself was broken, and though it's a 25 cent piece of plastic, I believe you have to replace the entire release button console to fix it. Carmax would probably do that without too much hassle, and you can open the frunk if you need to inspect by sticking a key or something into the hole to trip the microswitch the broken plastic piece presses against.
FWIW, nobody is actually selling their used OEM wheels at $3500. It's not too hard to pick up a set in great shape for $1500 or so, and sometimes even with tires for under $2k.
The wheels on that Carmax cabrio are definitely hideous, poorly matched to the car and would have to be swapped right away, though.
Actually why Porsche put those Corvette wheels on this model, escapes me. Those wheels will be next to the telephone dial types as the ugliest wheels that have come out of Stugarts design studios. This car with a nice set of HRE’s or Victor wheels which are designed for the 997, would look spectacular!
Car just got to Charlotte and I was able to see it. But CarMax had to complete state inspection and fix the frunk switch before I can drive it. Will likely have the chance this weekend. I will likely buy and then take to Porsche for PPI right after.
Car just got to Charlotte and I was able to see it. But CarMax had to complete state inspection and fix the frunk switch before I can drive it. Will likely have the chance this weekend. I will likely buy and then take to Porsche for PPI right after.
Good idea. I bought my TTS from Carmax and then went to my local P-dealer for a PPI. The dealer found over $10K worth of work that Carmax paid for. The work was done under their 30-day 100% guarantee at no cost. All Carmax did was flatbed the car back to the dealer at their expense and authorize the repairs. Carmax typically does not work on Porsche's because their service techs aren't familiar with them. It was a painless experience and they stood by their warranty claims.
Also, make sure you purchase their extended warranty. It's the best in the industry at half the price.
Good news: Finally drove the car and it was glorious. It’s my first time driving one so I don’t really have good reference point but it felt awesome.
Bad news: There is an issue with the title so they need to get one reissued. So that will take atleast another week.
Silver lining: will get my $700 transfer fee refunded. Which will go towards the extended warranty. $2200 for 5 yrs and 75k miles. And it’s trabaferable. Will be nice to have it covered till it’s 16 years old!
Good news: Finally drove the car and it was glorious. It’s my first time driving one so I don’t really have good reference point but it felt awesome.
Bad news: There is an issue with the title so they need to get one reissued. So that will take atleast another week.
Silver lining: will get my $700 transfer fee refunded. Which will go towards the extended warranty. $2200 for 5 yrs and 75k miles. And it’s trabaferable. Will be nice to have it covered till it’s 16 years old!
good to hear that they are taking care of you on everything. I’m in the process of possibly buying my first Porsche. A Macan GTS from Carmax and really curious about their warranty versus all the others like Fidelity that everyone talks about from Porsche etc.
looks like you you guys are a fan of the Carmax one.
i too too will be taking the car after purchase for a PPI to make sure nothing has been done.
The Carmax warranty is second to none. Today I picked-up my 11 CTT at my local dealer who installed a new differential, transfer case and aligned all four wheels. Except for my $200.00 deductible everthing was covered under my Carmax extended MaxCare warranty. If I didn't have the warranty it would have cost me $5,300 at dealer prices.
Several months ago I also had a drivers side coil pack go bad. MaxCare authorized my dealer to replace the entire side (plugs and coil packs) and I paid for the other side plus deductible. My TTS also had approximately $10K of work covered by MaxCare shortly after I purchased it. No hassles, no issues, no problems for any rrepair.
Not affilaited but I am an advocate and believe in their service and products. JMO-
How many miles do you have? Replacement of differential and transfer case already? While the warranty is nice, I'm curious why these things and going already.
12-21-2018, 11:59 PM
