Wait til you start working on them. These cars are an absolute joy to work on. So well designed and very service friendly. Everything I've done can be accomplished by even the beginner mechanic with enough time and patience.

There is much to like about your Orlando car. I wouldn't give up on it either. If you love the car I completely understand the need to "cross the bridge". It overwhelmed me also.
Maybe try using some of the info here to drive the $ down on it. Dealers are not my favorite place to buy from however. They always seem to get paid...

Craigslist was my go to. Gotta be "Johnny on the spot" though. They go in a matter of hours not days. The word is out on the 997's in general. Thanks Matt Farah.

 

Yeah - if you take the motor out . . . which is really not that hard if you have the tools and space and medium wrench IQ. And there is no better source for DIY maint than Rennlist!

But I agree with you on all other non motor removal maint items.

 

My C4S came from the Collection as well via Carmax. It was well maintained and runs great. I've been working on the paint to remove light scratches and swirls but no mechanical issues. I called them and was able to speak to service manager and he verbally gave me the service history on my 911. So buying from them directly should be fine

 

I have a very similar car - 08 911 base Midnight Blue Metallic with tan interior. I do not find the glare at all a problem - honestly I don't even notice. I've had a few cars with black interior (M3) and a few with light interior (M3, 3rd Gen RX-7, BMW 135i) and I much prefer the lighter interior. It does really make the interior feel larger than it is.

On maintenance and tires. Oil changes and pads on the 911 are super-easy. I don't even need to put the car up on jack stands for the oil change - just back it up to the edge of the driveway which falls away enough for easy access to the drain plug and oil filter. Brake pads are intimidating but almost as easy as an oil change. Honestly, the hardest part was convincing myself I had the correct parts ordered. The parts list from my indy didn't quite exactly match what I saw on Pelican Parts and Suncoast but once I had them in-hand and started the work it was clear I had everything correct.

Go to Tire Rack for tires - you can pick up excellent tires for way less than $1500 and if you're lucky you might find some on closeout for really a great price. I was all set to buy 4 Potenza S-04 for ~$650 when I saw closeout Hankook tires for ~$450(!). I track my car and run rally's with it ~5 times/year but I don't have the talent to perceive the difference in capability and for such an enormous difference in price I was willing to try out the less expensive tires.

One annoying thing about tires and TPMS. Unless the TPMS sensors have been replaced the battery is likely on its last legs. I ordered 3rd party sensors (I forget the brand) and had them installed when I replaced the tires. They were *much* cheaper than Porsche OEM and work almost as well - I do notice that they read a bit low and so go off when the tire has lost just a little bit of air.

Good luck - they are great cars to drive. . . and to just look at!

 

Space is at a premium here in NY! I feel lucky enough just having a private garage wish I could hoist motors!

Good to hear! I will be giving them a call. This car isn't sold directly through them but a dealer in Orlando. The car looks to have been serviced it's whole life there so that is a plus.

That is awesome! I just love the tan, it sets off the car in an amazing way, and makes for a truly lux experiance.

Here's an update on the Orlando car..I called about a PPI and they said no problem..but..they would want a signed bill of sale and agreed upon price before they hand the car over. This is weird..right? The Tampa 997 just wanted a 100% refundable deposit. I feel the PPI gave me a lot of critical negotiating points and shed light on issues which I would have never otherwise seen. It seems naive and impossible to agree on a price before the PPI had been completed. Don't you all think so? How do you suppose I counter this? What should my next steps be? I would like Zotz motorsports to do the inspection and the dealer is fine with that. Would you be uncomfortable commiting to the purchase at a price before the PRE-PURCHASE inspection were completed?

 

So they want you to buy the car before the PPI - nonsense. Find another car/another dealer.

 

I think the dealer is a bit misguided here. BS sales tactics taking place. Even the 100% refundable deposit is lame. Not sure what the point would be if its 100% refundable...

I'll say it again, dealers are the worst place to buy a used car. Time to play hardball with the Orlando car if you really are in love with it. Offer to buy the car but only after the PPI is complete and the final purchase price will be negotiated afterwards. If they don't agree to that I would walk.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

I should attempt to qualify the "dealers are the worst place to buy" statement.

My fundamental problem is the car was sold to them by a private party 99.9% of time at trade in value or worse. Most will do little to the car aside from a quick wash and spray tire dressing all over everything in an attempt to perfume the pig. Add $5-$10K to the price which is more margin than they get on new cars.

Buying from a private party removes the unnecessary step in the channel. You'll learn much more about the car from the person who's driven/serviced it. I'd rather attempt to read the honesty of a private party than a dealer any day.

Father in Law retired as a high ranking exec with Nissan North America. I've learned much through him about the dealer world.

 

[QUOTEWould you be uncomfortable commiting to the purchase at a price before the PRE-PURCHASE inspection were completed?[/QUOTE]

Tell them that you agree to the purchase at a price prior to PPI if they agree to fix and pay for any item(s) that surfaces during the PPI. See how they respond to that?

Keep in mind they should have performed any safety related items already or any items that must be done in order for the car to pass DOT inspection in your state.

 

I agree, not the best, but slim pickings in my preferred (required) spec. I would not hesitate to go private sale but am dealing with the hand I've been dealt currently! As it appears now, only two 997's on the market fit the bill.

I will try something of the sort come Monday, not sure how they will take it but I will walk if they hardball. It is a weird policy to stick to, especially with a purchase of this nature.

Thanks for all the advice folks, if any midnight blue / sand beige 997 coupes come your way please keep me in mind. I do think one of the two cars I've found could be the one, but am open to continuing the hunt.

 

Given a choice, I avoid buying from a dealer at all costs. The cards are stacked against you from the moment you drive onto the lot. I like to meet the PO, Nice House? Orderly garage? This says a lot about the quality of car the car has received. A dealer sells cars day after day. They have the game down and have zero incentive to expose any negative details besides a branded title.

 

I agree with your estimate. Big variance of cost depends on how much blending to neighboring panels is needed. For example, if the scratch is near the bumper, then they will have to paint part of the bumper so the paint repair blends in.

 

The Tampa 997 (the one from the start of this thread) is hard at $30,990. No service records included beyond what they did to the car. I can call PA dealers (as suggested above) in an attempt to get records but the 3rd owner is what worries me. Thoughts? Thoughts at $30,990?

 

I have a Midnight Blue Metallic / Sand Beige car and haven't noticed any issues with dash glare. Does yours have the full leather interior? Mine has that and I'm wondering if maybe it changes the amount of glare reflected.

Either way it's a great color combo. I love pretty much any color Porsche, but it's nice to have one that's a little out of the ordinary in a sea of black and silver 911's.

 

Mine doesn't have full leather (in fact it doesn't have a single option other than the exterior and interior colors, if those are even considered options!).

That may be the difference being I guess my plastic dash. The glare is pretty bad; bad enough that I am contemplating over time swapping out the dash and trim to make a bicolor interior...though I think will be very expensive to do so. If weather gets nice enough to take her out I will snap a photo.

Agree on the color combo being great...was the only combo I ever wanted. I just saw in another thread that there were only 74 Targa4 (not 4S's) sold in 2008 and 60 in 2009. Not sure about 2007 but I assume that a pretty rare combination.