cmonlinebid

I am looking at buying my first Porsche.

Dealer is telling me that the car has had some paint work but no evidence of collision or body damage. He described it as having "panels painted." He also mentioned that the car has some "tire noise" indicating that it needs alignment. Lastly, the speedometer cluster has been replaced by a Porsche dealer.

Are these deal breakers issues or should I continue to negotiate the purchase?

Any input would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

Chris.

rgrimm

Some tires get noiser as the tread wears down or as they age. It may need alignment; it may need new tires (check the manufacturing dates on the sidewalls--in my book they should be replacred if they're over six years old).

"Cluster" I assume means a newer car (you should tell the group what year and model). Ask what it means about the accuracy of the shown mileage.

And panels...look carefully for how well it matches. What panels? It might mean it just had some rock chips or perhaps worse. Again, not too much to go on.

ron mcatee

What year, model, etc.

cmonlinebid

Hi, sorry for the incomplete information (new at this). The Porsche I'm looking at is a 2003 911 Targa with 42,900 miles.

Okay, I'll check the manufacture date on the tires and find out what panels have been painted.

The car is not TMU. The mileage is okay despite the work on the speedometer, according to the dealer and the car fax.

Thank you.

ron mcatee

IMHO, I think at least the dealer should put on new tires and do a 4 wheel alignment. I also question why a 6 year old car would have that many panels repaired/repainted and then a dealer try to sell a car that doesn't drive very well. I would be very cautious. You need an expereinced Porsche person looking at it to get a better "feel" of what's wrong with the car

993Maineiac

This doesn't meet the "smell test." It smells fishy. If you are serious about this car I would get an independent prepurchase inspection (PPI). You will have to pay for that and the local PCA chapter might have a suggested list. This sounds like it may have been involved in some mishap.

DLennox

No matter what anyone says, if an odometer is replaced, the mileage is no longer accurate if the original was not working. If the cluster was replaced for some other reason, and the original odometer reading was certified, then the mileage might be trusted. Any tampering or replacement of an odometer brings into question the accuracy and reliability of the reading.

cmonlinebid

Thanks all of you for the input. Much appreciated. I'm going to arrange a PPI and see what comes back. Thanks again. Your Porsches look great in the photos.

Daniel Dudley

Don't start your Porsche experience with a dodgy car.

Ask me how I know... at any rate, buying a Porsche is a lot like getting married. The real trick of it is selection. These guys are obviously willing to flog off anything on you.

Walk away. There are a lot of really nice cars out there right now, and at great prices.

George from MD

"Walk away. There are a lot of really nice cars out there right now, and at great prices."

Excellent advice- take your time and ALWAYS have a PPI done by someone you can trust who knows Porsches. Questionable odometer reading alignment issues and repainted body panels smells very, very wrong.

SAM DACOSTA

There is no reason to walk away right now. Have an independent shop perform the PPI and then make a decision. Also, the PPI results might be leverage to get the car at a better price.

Secondly, there are allot of Porsche's for sale on the open market right now. It seems the recession has hit the Porsche owners a little more severely than others. Maybe because many a Porsche owner has other vehicles and chooses to sell for economic reasons.

I have been looking seriously for a 911 since January 2009 and just bought one 2 months ago. I passed on many good cars (dealers, privately owned) and was patient and landed a good one for the budget.

Chaos

Run, look here a while first