Long time lurker and have lusted after a 911 since I was a kid. Today I purchased a Lapis Blue 997.1 6 speed with relatively low miles. Taking delivery in a few days, but thought I would introduce myself. I have zero experience with any porsches, but have come up through no less than 8 BMW's of varying levels of performance.

I hope to do nearly 100% of the maintenance on this 911. My skillsets are certainly limited, but as a shade tree mechanic, I can program a little, have performed a couple of transmission swaps, intake manifold work, basic maintenance. More importantly, I've learned all these skills from forums. This forum seems to provide a great deal of knowledge.

Can't wait to drive, learn, work on and appreciate my 911!

 

So here's some pictures of my 'new to me' 997.1. Looked everywhere for it, but limited myself to;

• meager undisclosed budget for basically salvage titled vehicles only...j/k but really pretty low budget
• 2006 or newer - consensus seems to be that these are a good option when it comes to a sturdier IMS Bearing
• preference for southern hemisphere (warmer climate) 997.1 to mitigate bore score potentialities.
• color options - white, then blue, then red
• 6 speed only
• local only (socal)
• clean title
• private party only
• relatively few owners
• maintenance history

believe it or not these conditions (particularly the price) kept me out of striking distance for a 911 for over a year. Cut to early 2023. I've been trying to sell my BMW M3 in Alpine White for months and had it on FB Marketplace. Wasn't in a rush to sell per se, but I was asking top dollar given I had owned it for 8 years and did a manual swap conversion myself. Long story short, buyer found me and I was able to sell it and profit significantly (like double).

Money in hand, I basically dropped my budget requirements and started looking again. About three weeks ago, 2 Porsches met my requirements. One was a 2007 911 6 speed in arctic silver with black wheels and about 128K miles (multiple owners) for an astonishing under 30K price. It was from a dealership in Fullerton called The Auto Republic. When I inquired about it, they really gave me the hard sell to the point that they even convinced me to hit the road the same day and drive the 80 miles or so up to Orange County. Anyway, this ended up being a complete waste of time because when I arrived at the dealership no more than 5 minutes of inspecting the 911 I'm told 'We're sorry, but we actually have to honor another buyer who was just approved for financing'. I told them I don't need financing, I'm in the showroom, please sell me the car (didn't say please). They said no, I got furious, and stormed out.

It took all afternoon for me to calm down after this interaction. It was so aggravating to be pressured to buy something, and then be told you can't buy it after making the long drive. The Auto Republic's showroom really soured me to the idea that I should even get a 911 and definitely from even buying it at a dealership. But at least in my experience, this seems to be what the market is like. I know prices have come down a little, but I would argue demand has not.

All that said, as I mentioned earlier, there were two Porsches I was after. And, the second Porsche (see pictures) was truly my Porsche. Unfortunately, at the time it cost more and it was in Albuquerque, NM and it was at a dealership. I won't rant here, but coming from BMW's and really lots of experience buying used cars private party, I freaking hate dealers! Usually, they buy cars from auction, there's never any maintenance history, one key only, missing parts, etc. The salesperson at Auto Republic where the first 997 was had pushed almost 2K in dealer fees like PPF on the mirrors and door handles, lo jack, etc. I even considered Cars and Bids and BAT, but definitely prefer the person to person interaction.

Anyway, I called the dealership, they had it, they were super cool and answered all my questions. I was texting and calling the sales person at Integrity Automotive at least for a day or two before I decided to put down a deposit and commit to flying out to ABQ from San Diego and buying it. The great thing is the 997 I ended up with is a one owner car who traded in the car at Integrity Automotive along with a few other Porsches. Their fees were also way more reasonable and I opted to handle the registration in CA myself (just passed smog last week). They even put brand new tires on it and did an oil change. And when I did arrive at their dealership to inspect the 997, I actually found a few minor issues and they worked with me to bring the price down a little more.

The most enjoyable part of the experience though had to be the 13 hour drive back to SD. I left the dealership at 5pm and was in Willcox, AZ by 11pm. You have to understand, I had never driven a Porsche before and to be thrust into driving one for several hours is an experience I just can't put into words. That drive was bonkers. I took a southerly route to avoid snowy weather but still encountered some heavy rain almost the entire first leg, but who cares? I was finally driving my 911. I opted to stay in the Super 8 in Willcox and let's just say I hardly slept that night. That morning in Willcox, I grabbed breakfast at Country Pride at the T/A Travel Center (biscuits and gravy). Then drove the remaining 7 or 8 hours home and arrived weary at 4pm. Quite memorable since I've never done anything like this before and yes, the 911 drove superbly at least in a straight line and using cruise control.

So, the 997 is not without its flaws though, but I'm very much looking forward to resolving them. For example, this 997 came with the original sticker which showed about 4K worth of Carbon Fiber that shows up on the vents and the center console. The vents are fine, but the center console is awful and delaminating and cracking everywhere. Also, the paint isn't perfect but the body is. There is not a ding or dent anywhere!! Plus, there was wear on the left driver bolster. I've actually already posted the repair in another thread. The clear coat also had a ton of scratches, but having spent the past week doing some polishing, paint correction and sealing I'm very pleased with the results. The passenger window button wasn't working, but turns out after removing the door panel, it appears someone forgot to plug in the power to the switch. The rear tail makes a loud noise when deploying (though I've been told it's kind of normal). And, it's missing the tire sealant can. Only discovered this when I got home, but can only imagine what my experience driving back from ABQ could have been if I did get a flat tire...

This!! 997 is I guess what you would call, 'poverty spec'. It's the base 3.6, no navigation, basic steering wheel. Very analog. Other than the CF center console, it's also completely stock including the ride height. The lobster claw wheels were on the car from day one, per the original sticker.

The lessons/take away for me? Be willing to see what providence brings, take calculated risks, stretch yourself a little more to get what you really want, enjoy the experience, keep striving.

I have no plans to modify anything at the moment, but we'll see. Oh one final thing, if by some miracle the original owner in ABQ comes across this thread, please reach out! I'm in shock and awe that you would keep a 911 (or any car really) for over 16 years!! I know its aspirational, but hey getting this ride is only part one of my goals, keeping it and being the caretaker of it is the next goal. I seriously doubt I'll have it for 16 years, but who knows...


completely stock ride height

PPF but only about 1/3 of the way up the front.

Stone Guards and Carrera sign worn