Lester53

OK, I'm a newbie - I don't own and have never owned a Porsche. In fact, I hesitate to admit this, but in the past I've never even been that interested in a Porsche. I always considered myself an American muscle car fan.

Anyway, that fault seems to be behind me and I've got the bug...

I recently hit the big five-O and have an interest in getting a fun mobile. I started looking at Caymans, but more recently I seem to be drawn to the 911. Whatever I do, this will be an addition to my truck. It will see regular driving, but I don't drive very many miles per year (at least not until I have my Porsche).

Anyway, I've been doing a lot of trolling and have been spending a lot of time on various car sales sites, forums, etc.

After seeing a couple of listings, I was wondering about the following:

2002 911 TT with X50 package; 1 owner, low miles ~25,000

vs

2012 911 S4; same mileage; Has more of the bells & whistles, nav, etc. ~$7500 more money

What are the thoughts on the better deal? Any other suggestions to look for etc?

Thanks

champignon

As one who has recently gone through this process myself, my advice to you would be to spend a whole lot more time deciding what it is that you want to buy, before getting down into the nitty gritty of this particular car for sale vs. that particular car for sale.

If you continue down this road, the outcome is relatively predictable, you will end up buying something and it may not be what you actually want. An older car with really low mileage may not be as desirable as you might think, at first glance. For one thing, the mileage given might not be true, e.g. the odometer might have been rolled back, and if true, the car could have problems from not being run much plus likely will have a lot of expensive repair bills in its future for things that a more well-used car may already have had done to it.

Going to look at specific cars when you don't really know what you want, is a bit like going to look at litters of puppies.

Spend some time reading everything you can get your hands on about the various cars available in your price range. If any local examples crop up, go to look at them and hopefully get a chance to drive them. Take note of your feelings to everything you get a chance to look at in person, but don't buy at this point.

Once you can narrow things down to what it is that you really want, then start looking around within a certain distance from where you live, basically anywhere that you would be willing to travel to, in person, to go look at a promising car. Realize that most of the cars that are currently listed for sale and that have been listed for sale for more than a couple of weeks are probably either flawed in some way or overpriced; otherwise, they would have already sold. So pay more attention to the newly listed cars meeting your criteria, and be prepared to jump quickly on what looks like a good one, as new ones get listed every day or week. In order to spend your time efficiently, learn how to reject unsuitable cars quickly so as not to waste time on them. Reasons for rejecting cars should include poor maintenance histories and repair and maintenance histories of vehicles that can't be verified/proven by the seller. You may also want to avoid modified cars, which would be my recommendation.

Lester53

Sounds like good advice. I like the puppy analogy. It's hard to not bring one home. In fact, it's hard to not bring the whole dang litter home.

I'm someone that definitely does my homework. It can happen to anyone, but I'm also the type of person who normally doesn't make rash decisions when it comes to spending a significant chunk of money. In fact, that was the reason for my question. I have a budget and I'm trying to learn what gets you into the "most" car.

No way am I running out and buying either of the examples above. I'm just trying to learn and understand where others think the pointer lands with 2 different 911s. I'm certain someone will have a thought or consideration that I hadn't thought about and that could be important information as I move down this path.

Thanks.

Borderdog

I don't know what your full criteria is on your search or your price point for the vehicle but maybe I can help you on your journey. So,

transmission type (manual or PDK): will you daily drive it or track it

comfort: racing seats may sound cool and they add value but they are a giant pain for everyday use. GT cars have less sound deadening and while it may not bother you today it may in the future (I yell at my car to talk to people on the phone)

options: do you like bluetooth (ie handsfree phone, streaming music), axle lift systems (are they necessary where you live?), is it hot where you live and your hands get a little sweaty (alcantara won't be your friend)

These are just a few things to think about.

I've been fortunate to own many Porsche's and I can tell you that out of all of them - for daily use - you can't beat a carrera s pdk. If you like technology, take a look at a 2012 991 since that is the first year with streaming music capabilities and the upgraded PCM was pretty nice that year (not to mention its at peak depreciation at 5ish years). You can get a nice example for 65-80k. I recently traded my Cayman R for one and love it.

Or, if you enjoy a mid-engine but slightly smaller cabin, you can always look at a newer cayman s but it won't have the feel and sound of a 911.

Ultimately, it depends on your needs, desires and driving style. I hope you enjoy the journey and find the perfect Porsche for your lifestyle.

Lester53

All good questions.

My purchase will be a daily driver (minimum 50% of time). I'm in SoCal so the weather is always good. I don't drive a lot of miles - currently averaging well less than 10k/year. The car will not be tracked.

It may not be a popular answer, but I'm looking or an automatic. Again, I drive in SoCal so the manual isn't appealing to me. If it's the PERFECT car at an unbeatable price, I would consider manual, but otherwise I'm looking for an auto (tiptronic or PDK is of course influenced by the year).

I kind of like the bells and whistles of bluetooth and nav, but in all honestly, that shouldn't be a real factor. There are plenty of bluetooth speaker units for the sunvisor that support handsfree, I couldn't tell you the last time I streamed music in my truck, and I stopped paying for the map upgrades in my truck and only use my phone for nav. -- While I like do-dads, I think I just argued my way out of needing them.

I definitely want a comfortable set-up in terms of seats, etc. As mentioned, I won't be hitting the track.

I didn't think about the alcantara, but what you say makes sense. Tidbits like that are the type of info I'm looking for from you forum experts.

You mentioned axle lift system. That's not something I've thought about, but I have to admit, I've wondered if I would have problems with the transition from my street to my driveway which has a pretty good incline.

Karrera Coupe

This thing solves the driveway to street transition.
http://www.bridjit.com/
My 1987 911 Carrera scraped a bit and our driveway is not even at an incline. I have now had one of these for a few years and highly recommend it. That little scrape that my car suffered for just a few days before this thing arrived used to grate on me.

Lester53

Would you consider a 911 that has been sold at a dealer auction?

11/03/2014 PACIFIC SW REGION, 43,770 Auto Auction REPORTED AT AUTO AUCTION
11/03/2014 PACIFIC SW REGION, 43,770 Auto Auction REPORTED AT AUTO AUCTION AS DEALER VEHICLE

2 owner vehicle for sale; based on autocheck no accidents or anything reported.
~4000 miles since the auction in 11/2014.

Does this send up red flags? Is there anything specific to watch for?

champignon

Being sold at auction is probably irrelevant. There are all sorts of reasons why a car would be auctioned that have no bearing on the car itself. For example, the car could have been traded into a Hyundai dealer who didn't think he could sell it easily. Or it could have been traded in late in the year to a dealer in a cold climate who would not want to warehouse it for 6 months waiting for demand to pick up in the spring when he could logically sell it.

eddielasvegas

This is really kewl and who would have thunk such a thing existed. Thanks for posting.

I do not live in a high crime area or on a busy street, but I could see this thing walking away pretty easily.


Eddie