Porsche 997 seat bolsters - Page 1 - 911/Carrera GT - PistonHeads UK

Hi, I've just joined PH after having sat on the sidelines for too long. I've started "the hunt" for my first Porsche and I'm looking at 996 Gen 2 and 997 Gen 1s. Anything up to £30k (well £25k ideally). I've seen a couple of 997s in the south east and the couple that I've seen have had very worn drivers seat bolsters and generally tired interiors. Is this to be expected for this age of Porsche or have I just been unfortunate and should keep searching for a car that's in better nick? I understand that exteriors can be repainted etc but are there any interior parts that, if damaged/knackered, I should steer clear of or can most parts be fixed (ideally not for an exorbitant amount)? Thanks.

The drivers seat bolster always seems to show signs of wear at very low mileage as I can testify with my car. Try getting in and out a few times and you will see what I mean, it's difficult to get in and out without putting a little stress on the bolster. I'm not sure if this can be restreched or not but will be watching this thread with interest to see if any upholstery experts can advise. If you are buying something with leather seats and not alcantara they always look stretched after about 25,000 what ever the make of car. As for the rest of the intearia a good valet and and new set of matts usually sorts that out. Good luck on your quest and patience is always a virtue a few more weeks and there should be more cars available as things pick up in the spring.

Porsche leather doesn't take well to bring compressed when getting in to the car, this causes the creases. I developed the technique of putting my hand on the back of the sill and placing all my weight on the sill allowing me to "jump" the bolster and avoid my weight compressing the bolster. You can replace the leather, but it isn't cheap. However if the rest of the car looks good, use it as a bargaining point. Good luck with it.

Cheers NBTBRV8 and LukeS, I'd be looking at leather interior rather than alcantara. Very interesting that you say that after only 25k the leather starts to look worn. My wife has a Merc C class estate with about 40k miles and this shows little signs of wear. It's a light interior so I'd be interested to know whether this is just the difference between black interiors and light interiors?

I agree with previous post in that you develop your own way of trying to avoid touching the bolster when trying to get in or out. I have developed the "flop in" and heave out using the sill Good to hear the Merc seats are wearing well I have found that often the seat pad is stretched and a little baggy, maybe that's my OCD coming out. Good luck with your hunt and we will of course expect to see the obligatory photos.