// Used Porsche 911 Buyer's Guide

How to buy and where:

The internet has forever changed the world of car shopping, and I for one, think for the better.  It allows you to easily search the whole country for what you are looking for and by making a few phone calls, narrow your focus to a few cars.  That being said, it has also opened us all up to buying cars from people we have never met and thus possibly not getting what we thought we had paid for.   My first  rule of thumb is ALWAYS HAVE AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO SPECIALIZES IN PORSCHES PERFORM A PRE-PURCHASE INSPECTION INCLUDING LEAK-DOWN AND COMPRESSION TESTS!  Often an independent shop can do a better job than a dealer as often the techs at the dealers are better trained on the newer models that they see all the time. 

Sometimes these PPIs are not possible – if that is the case, you may have a few options before you run away.  If you are dealing with a specialty shop, check their reputation out:  ask for some references, check their buzz on Rennlist and on Pelican Parts, check with their local PCA chapter and see if they are involved and what kind of feel you can get, see if they have Ebay feedback.

If buying from an individual, some of the same may apply – you can see if the local PCA knows them and speak to the shop that has worked on the car (beware – they have been paying the bills).  However, a private party that will not allow a PPI always makes me nervous.  Similarly, a large dealership who will not permit a PPI is not a place I would buy a car from.

My Second rule of thumb:  RECORDS, RECORDS, RECORDS.  The more records you can get the better, and a car with a complete service history is worth more than one with no records at all.  Porsches are not as expensive to maintain as most people think, however replacing big systems is very expensive.  If a car has had a history of regular maintenance, it should serve you well for a long period of time.  Second to the complete history is finding a car where a specialty shop has recently gone through the car completely and brought everything up to date & spec.  This combined with a good PPI and leak-down and compression tests can give you good peace of mind.

 

Private Party Sales:

This can often be a terrific way to find your next Porsche.  The dream is to find the original owner/enthusiast who has taken immaculate care of the car and has all the records from day one.  These cars are often a bit pricey, but they can be worth it.  The downside is that if someone does have a bad car and knows it, they may or may not want to tell you about it.  Unless you are a very good reader of people, I would go back to rule of thumb #1 and get a PPI.  Also, I have found that second and third owners often do not know the history of their cars.  I have had people swear up and down to me (and I think they believed it) that a car had never been in an accident nor hit where it was so very clear that it was not so.  One person when I showed them on a paint gauge where their car was painted was clearly shocked and offered to pay my airfare back home.

 

Small Specialty Shops:

It would be foolish for me to try to speak objectively on this topic as Midwest Performance Cars, Inc. fits into this category.  Here I feel the experience is as good and as honest as the people running the shop.  Check out their references, buzz in the Porsche community both through the clubs and on-line.  Done right, this can be a great resource for the Porsche buyer.  Often a specialty shop will be very knowledgeable about the marquee and can give you good advice as to what might serve you the best for what you plan to do with the car and for your budget.  Also they should have different examples for you to try; a 915 transmission vs. a G50 for example.  If the shop is also a repair shop, you can speak to the mechanics as well as to start to build a relationship with a shop that can service your car….I have found that by the time a client trusts me enough to purchase the car here, they want only us to wrench on it. This is further enhanced  by the fact that we go through the cars with an experienced and knowledgeable fine-toothed comb prior to sale and address everything we can find.  By the time you buy the car, a specialty shop should already be intimately familiar with it. Finally, a small specialty shop has a reputation to maintain and is motivated to keep you happy as a customer for life and for a good source of referrals. The Porsche community is amazingly small even on a national level.

 

Big Retailers:

A big retailer can be a great place to finds a good deal but you have to be careful.  Sometimes a Chevy dealer might take in a 911 on trade, try to sell it for a while and then be willing to let it go at a great price as it ages on their inventory.  The rub is….how much does a Chevy dealer know about Porsches?  Often you will know more than they do.  One final word of caution, some big stores are known for polishing them up, putting band-aids on the wounds and pushing them out the door.  There are deals to be found here, but be cautious, knowledgeable, and remember the rules of thumb .

The next issues will have problem areas to watch for as well as model by model commentary.

 

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