Hello all,

Long time "almost" buyer about ready to pull the trigger...

I love the 997.1 year cars, and have long sought after a midnight blue/sand beige manual. During a recent search I found a few which fit the bill. I decided to take the next steps on a 2007 997.1 Carrera with 61,746 miles.

Here are some pictures of the car.



















I am located out of state so without looking at the car I went ahead and scheduled a PPI through German Specialties in Oldsmar FL. Leo did what sounded like a good job and I got a favorable report, barring a few items. Here is the complete rundown..





Along with my notes..



Bottom line the car ran strong through all the gears, and was described as "solid" and "looks good" by Leo at German Specialties. The major list of bads...

• Missed 60k service, currently at 61k miles
• Clutch chatter in 1st and Rev
• Seepage at rear main seal. NOTE: this was described as just wettness, no dripping, and not a major problem
• 2 overrevs (range 1 and 2, no big deal)
• Needs rotors, needs tires
• Major scratch on hood...

The 60k service is relatively routine, I am not too concerned with that. The clutch chatter is not a deal breaker, I was told there was no slip. The rear main seal is not leaking so it still has life. I would do that when I do the clutch as they are right next door. Good on the overrevs, fine on the rotors, tires are a fixed cost. The big no-no for me right now is the scratch...





Somebody clearly keyed this car and that is a disappointing reality to have to live with every day. If I were to purchase this car that would be an immediate fix. I have absolutely no clue the cost or capability of repairing this. It is deep enough to catch a fingernail on (I am told) so not just surface level. The midnight blue metallic I believe will be a tough or even impossible color to match. Am I correct in this thinking? If the scratch cannot be fixed perfectly I am not interested in the car and will have to keep searching.

I would love to gather more opinions on both the scratch and the results of the rest of the PPI. I have reached out to two paint guys for estimates but no results yet. Is it possible to match this color? What do you think, spot correction or respray of the whole hood? Any input greatly appreciated! Thank you all.

 

Based on the condition of this 997, you should be able to purchase this car for around $28K - $33K but you will obviously have to address the missed routine maintenance. Getting this car up to current standards will cost you a lot of money. Between the 60k mile service, new tires, rotors and pads, clutch and flywheel you could be looking at something in the ballpark of $4k - $6K.

I would walk away from this one unless the dealership is willing to meet you halfway.

 

Franky, thanks for your input. I am certainly glad I posted this here! I am most curios about the cost and possibility of the paint repair. The maintenance seems relatively routine and any capable Porsche shop should be able to do a good job, but the paint? What is the likely hood of a good job being done with the midnight blue metallic?

Again, appreciate your opinion. Thanks for chiming in.

 

Scratch looks pretty deep - probably needs a repaint of the hood instead of touch-up. A good paint shop will be able to match. I had always heard that darker color repaints are easier to match than lighter color. Probably looking at $500+

 

Any paint and body shop or collision center can repair that. They would do the entire hood for around $800 - $1400 depending on the shop. Matching the paint is not that big of an issue like it was back in the days. Most paint shops do a good job at looking up the paint code and matching up the paint.

 

Now here is a twist..











I was NOT expecting this to buff out but I just received these shots from the dealer. I am impressed, the scratch seems imperceptible? Will this all coming to light - how does this change your opinion of the car?

EDIT: A side note. I contacted CPR out in Fallbrook, CA about the paint work. http://cprclassic.com/contact.html Mike was incredibly helpful and took me through the details of how the repair would work. He recommended shooting the hood as a whole, though he had done a local repair on a similar problem'd white 930. He informed me of advances in the paint and how close they were able to match these days. They can continue to respray the hood until the difference between panels is non-existant, but more often than not with all the prep they do only one spray would be needed. This answered my question about whether a scratch of this nature was repairable. In short, yes. ^^ is seems I won't need to go that route though..

 

Deleted. Moot point after you new shots. Prob cost them $50. Haha. Looks great. Still have the 60k service, rotors and tires to deal with.

 

I think the 60k service is plugs and fluid flush and oil change. Air filter and pollen filter, both are easy to do. Plugs and brake fluid flush is not. If you want to keep it a while get all the things done if not then do the minimal things

 

That scratch looked like just in the clear coat.......easiest way to tell is wet it and if it disappears then it can be sanded and buffed out, no biggie.........if it doesnt disappear then its into/ thru the paint. Now you know all the minor ones are very easy to correct.

 

Thanks for the info! That is what I've been told as well. Apparently this service has been done by the dealership but, not being a Porsche dealer, they are not able to reset the code. I would like to have this initial service done by the Porsche dealer. I was quoted $650-$1500 which I figure would be fair game for negotiating against the price. Anything else in the PPI you think I should reiterate? It is worth noting that I have been happy with the dealer thus far. He drove the car 1h round trip to get the PPI done at my choice of location (I paid for the PPI), and went the extra mile to bring someone out to look at the paint. All on hist quoted "day off" - so far so good in my book!

Smart!

 

iiAtlas - I have always wanted a dark blue Targa with sand biege. Was in the market for years...964s, 993s (not 996 ;-) ) but very hard to find and then I would dilly dally (or not have the funds). So after I suppose about 25 years pulled the trigger last year.

One thing I wish I had known (and would wait for) is to have a bicolor interior. Having a black dash eliminates a ton of glare. Mine is all sand beige and it is distracting from a glare stand point. Just something to consider that I never did.

 

David, THANK YOU for the input. This is something I've considered heavily. I've even managed to find one sand beige / black headliner. Alas, the full sand beige is a childhood dream. I love the way it opens up the interior, feels like a whole world just for you. I may regret the decision but this is a dream I will have to see through Congratulations on the Targa, I absolutely love them and wouldn't hesitate to consider one!

I have good feelings about this 997. What about you all?

 

iiAtlas - if the full sand beige is your dream I completely understand and respect that. Hopefully I haven't planted any seeds of disappointment! My M5 is black and "tan" (caramel) which gave me something to compare it to.

You are going to be very happy I think. Midnight blue is a great color; it almost has a purplish cast to it in certain light. Mine is also a 2007 and I absolutely love it - still get excited every chance I get to drive her.

As an aside, if you want to see the options on your soon to be car, replace the VIN on this site (it will pull up a print window, just cancel that).

https://admin.porschedealer.com/repo...AB29938S730383

Good luck with the purchase!

 

I can picture the dealer changing the oil and not being able to reset the Service indicator. This requires a PIWIS which most non Porsche dealers and maintenance shops won't have it. If you like the car and feel it's within your price range then buy it. below are some of the maintenance items you may want to consider getting done at some point in your ownership;

Spark Plugs
Engine Mounts
Rotors and Pads
Coolant Flush (I noticed in the picture the current coolant is low)
Brake Flush
Steering Fluid
Clutch and Flywheel kit
Wiper Blades
New Tires
Wheel Alignment
Starter and Starter Cable replacement
Cabin filter
Air filter
Serpentine belt replacement
Radiator cleaning

Did I miss anything?
Keep in mind, the better the price, the more money you will spend on maintenance. These cars are wonderful put they are not meant for people with little money. Now if you have a mechanical background then they can be really easy to work on.

 

The sand beige dash really is a distraction. Make sure you test drive on a bright day to see if it's OK for you. I had that interior when I lived in Denver and the sand beige reflection was too much. Otherwise looks like a great car - love the exterior!