patently

Hi all,

I'm in the market for my first Porsche and so a total beginner in the brand. I started out thinking I'd get a decent 993 coupe but a test drive of a good model taught me to move along. Another test drive in a 981 Cayman S told me the bigger cabin of the 911 is for me. I daily drive a 2000 M5 and have been spoiled by its torque, so after the test drives I understood I should focus on the 911 turbo.

After driving a 996TT MT (seems like a great car), my wife and I agreed that I should pursue the 997. Since I hope to buy near the flat part of the depreciation curve I'm currently focusing on the 997.1.

Are there secret gotchas I should be aware of during this search? Before buying I plan to get a PPI - I'm talking about expensive repairs I should be aware of before pulling out the checkbook to buy. Or maybe there's some basic defect I don't know of that makes the 997.1 impractical.

Thanks in advance for your help. I really appreciate this site!

Skwerl

Coolant pipes popping off spontaneously is the main one. No good way to PPI for it except for catching general coolant leaks. 2009s seem to be much less afflicted by it.

2nd gear is easy to round out from indelicate shifting and can lead to it popping out when you let off the gas abruptly in gear.

Camshaft sleeve can spin out of position and it requires a $7000 engine teardown to fix and seems to strike completely at random. Not common, but one that can keep you anxious if you're inclined...

Differential can be toast if mismatched tire sizes are used.

Otherwise not many big or common issues besides normal car stuff.

turbofever

Buy a fidelity warranty and drive care free

A moderate repair will be the same cost

I paid around $3600 for 6 years of coverage

DaveCarrera4

And then there is the hydraulic wing actuation mechanism...

Steve 96C4S

Just get a PPI from a reputable PORSCHE place, spend some money and get a nice example, post pics here, and love the bloody he** out of it for many years.

Then get some upgraded wheels one day .

KILLER CAR, MAN! You're doing the right thing.

What color do you like best? Try to get one in the color you LOVE BEST. That's what I did. I almost bought a color I didn't like as much since the price was right but at the last minute I canceled the deal and held out for my favorite color. SO glad I waited.

theplings

I'd have to second buying a Fidelity warranty, I was in the same boat as you having bought a turbo 6 months ago.

Just recently one of the 3 radiators was leaking in my car, at an Indy shop it was 1100-1400 to fix depending on OE or aftermarket radiator used(aftermarket is better and cheaper than OE)

There are 2 more radiators that will almost certainly fail before the warranty period is up and I will almost be at break even on cost of warranty.

So while the cars have a reputation as being stout, I am learning quickly that they are complicated machines and 10 years old. I don't think I could own one without a warranty.

Steve 96C4S

AGREED! OMG, if you buy this car, and you can get a Fidelity Warranty, don't leave home without it sir. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quadcammer

The answer is to DIY. I replaced a side radiator for under $300 and the center for under $400. Jobs were both tedious but easy.

If you have to rely on a mechanic, I agree that a warranty might not be a bad idea.

Bud Taylor

So Fidelity is a good warranty company folks have used ? Are there any other companies folks have had good luck with in relation to not denying claims ? There seem to be several using that name is this the right company ? http://www.fidelitywarrantyservices.com/

theplings

That's the company I used- after researching forums it seemed to be a very popular one people used and had good luck with. Of course there are some bad experiences out there you will read about but that is to be expected with all warranty companies to some degree.

So far I am 1/1 with coverage getting radiator replaced and the shop that got the approval said it was no problem at all working with them.

You can shop around and buy them from any dealer who sells their warranties, I went with the Platinum level, exclusionary policy which only lists what is NOT covered rather than what is covered.

The best price I got was from Mike Jourdan at Mossy Motors: mjourdan@mossymotors.com

Email him for details, he sells them $100 over cost, can't really beat that kind of deal.

saabin

^ I'm 2/2 with them as well, they covered my instrument cluster (Porsche price is damn near the cost of the warranty since they had to replace the entire unit..) and I mentioned that sometimes my drivers window doesn't lower when the door handle is first pulled from the inside... they replaced the latch mechanism..

I also have the Platinum policy which is the one I would recommend.

estrellajon

If you don't wrench then definitely warranty but they don't cover maintenance.

I've done major maintenance including plugs/coils, wpump/tstat, drive belt, fuel filter, coolant flush and all fluids for $800 by wrenching myself. Stage 2.5 clutch was $1800 with new flywheel bolts

TT Surgeon

Highly recommend learning to do your own wrenching, it's fun, rewarding and saves tons of $$. If you're looking at paying someone for every little thing then any porsche will get expensive quickly and kill the fun. Big stuff is one thing but basic maintenance and repairs are very straightforward. I couldn't imagine paying a mechanic for every little thing on my 930, I would've gone broke, kinda forces you to diy.

saabin

^ agree with this... diy is relaxing for me.. I was intimidated at first about wrenching on this car but it's actually not bad and makes you appreciate the engineering that went into building it..

..and it gave me an excuse to buy a lift for the garage..

Catorce

Here's a gotcha:

If you buy this car, you will want to drive it all the time even above the other cars you own. That's how awesome of a ride it is. Oh, and one may not be enough.

Can't say enough good things about this car.