Buying Advice For Newbie

I know buying advice threads are more common than RMS leaks on 996s. So please excuse me if I am asking some questions that have been previously addressed. I did look around though and did not find any answers. So here goes. I currently live in Canada but will soon be moving to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Once in Dubai, I am thinking of buying a pre-owned 01 or 02 996 C2 or C4 Cab. This will be my first Porsche, my first sports car and my first expensive car. Just getting into the kind of money one needs to buy and keep these things. As a newbie to Porsche, I obviously have a lot of questions. But before I get to the questions, first a little about how I intend to use the Porsche. I will be using it as my daily drive with a daily commute of 16-24 km (10-15 miles) each way on city streets, and a few long trips once in a while. While I may indulge in some spirited driving (as spirited as public roads will allow), I don't intend to push it to the limit. Or take it to the track. My questions are divided into two categories: general questions where everyone can pitch in, and Dubai-specific questions where I would really appreciate the inputs of Porschephiles from Dubai or the Gulf region. (I know there are at least two Dubaiites on the list.) General Questions: 1. I read on a particular thread that the RMS leak problem surfaced after a day at the track. The same person wrote that after it was repaired, it happened, once again, after a day at the track. Does this mean that the RMS leak is less likely to happen in cars that are not driven at the limit? Or is it equally likely to happen regardless of how hard the car is driven? 2. I believe a 996 needs new tyres every 12,000-18,000 miles (20,000-30,000 km). Again, is this for cars taken to the track regularly or for daily use Porsches? 3. Since it is harder to abuse automatic transmissions (no dumped clutch burnout starts, harder to over-rev etc.), is a Tiptronic less likely to have been abused/driven hard? Of course, I would prefer a manual but would be willing to compromise if it means I am more likely to end up with a car with fewer maintenance headaches. Dubai-specific Questions: 1. Other than authorised Porsche dealers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, are there any other reputable used car dealers that it would be safe to buy a 996 from? 4x4 Motors, Tony Edwards Motors, Quartermile? 2. How long is the Porsche warranty in Dubai? 4 years/80,000km or less? 3. Does the Porsche dealer offer a warranty on all pre-owned Porsches? Is it as comprehensive as a new car warranty? Are there any deductibles/limitations? Can it be extended? For how much? 4. Are the warranties provided by other used car dealers or bought from Warranty Plus or Gulf Warranty comprehensive? I know that Warranty Plus offers a 2-year/50,000km warranty for AED 8,650 but it limits each individual claim to AED 5,000 if the car is more than 3 years or 60,000 km. Do all non-Porsche extended warranties come with similar limitations? 5. I read on a thread that if I am buying the car from an authorised dealer, I should get the PPI done by an independent Porsche mechanic? Are there any good independent mechanics in Dubai who specialise in Porsches? How much would they charge for a PPI? 6. Will the authorised dealer do a PPI if I am buying the car directly from the seller or from a different used car dealer? How much do they charge? 7. What is the general price range for a lightly-optioned but well-maintained 01 or 02 996 C2 or C4 Cab with around 50,000 km? I apologise for the long post. But this is my first Porsche we are talking about after all. Thanks. Ranesh

Ranesh - Get a Porsche, you won't regret it. I am not from Dubai but I was just there in December visiting relatives for about a week, so I'll do my best but as you have mentioned there are folks here from there who are probably the last word on this issue. Any here goes: 1. I own an '01 and I love it. However, empirical evidence from the board suggests that given a choice, you should go for '02 or newer. Best advice always is get the latest p-car your wallet can afford. 2. P-cars tend to get hot quickly in warm weather. My relatives lived in Sharjah and the travel from there to Dubai was as bad as travelling into downtown Chicago at 6 pm on a Friday night. If you are going to be doing a lot of stop and go in conditions like that, plus the much hotter temperatures, you should really, really consider installing a 2nd radiator to the car. 3. Anecdotal evidence suggests that track usage is not a valid predictor for joining the RMS club. It seems to be more of the old adage that "sh*t happens". 4. You will be lucky to get 12,000 miles out of your rear tires. Sad thing is, your fronts might look like they can do another 10,000 miles when that happens. If I were you, I would get the best summer tire that isn't likely to go out of production anytime soon and put those on. That way, come time to replace your rears, you won't have to throw away your fronts. 5. Tiptronic versus manual boils down to a personal thing. Buying from a private party that instills confidence that they take care of their cars is probably best. Keep in mind that p-cars don't take abuses to clutch and over-revs lightly. Also, when you get a pre-purchase inspection (PPI) done, the on-board computer can tell how many times the previous owner hit the red-line, which may be a good indicator. Of course, check for RMS leak at that time to. Investing in an extended warranty is a good idea though I haven't a clue as to what companies offer these warranties in the gulf region. 6. Unless buying from a private party, my suggestion is to stick with the official p-car center, preferably in Dubai, if that's where you are living. You will get better treatment during service time. Start building a relationship right from the start even if it costs a few extra Dhirams. It will come back to help you later. 7. P-cars in US are 4-year/50K miles. Haven't a clue about the gulf though. 8. If you buy from an official p-car center, there is such a thing as buying a pre-owned porsche and that will carry with it 2 years of bumper to bumper warranty. I would go for that without a doubt. Lastly, I don't know whether you need a C4 in Dubai. It's hot as hell most of the time anyway. Get some good summer tires and a C2 cab will stick to the road like glue. Will cost you less in maintenance down the road too. And I would be careful with an ''02+ with 50K kilometers (or ~30K miles). That's a lot of mileage for a p-car, IMO. Hope that answers most of your questions. Feel free to PM me for any others and I'll try my best to answer them. Good luck on your move to Dubai (I so loved it and was so floored to see how progressive Dubai was, nothing like one would imagine mid-east to be, that I'm also thinking of doing a stint over there after b-school if possible) and best of luck on your search for the ultimate p-car!

I will add my .02 cents on # 2 and 3. 2: The rear tires wear out quickly. If you are an aggresive driver, than they will wear even faster. I agree with Chicago, its just something you need to live with. Some tires wear a little better than others but thats all you can really do. 3: From what I understand, that's not really the case with the transmission. You local auto mechanic is going to be able to change the clutch, on a manual, without sending you to the poor house. That is not the case with the trip. From what I understand, the trip really needs to be done by Porsche, as its essentially a sealed unit, thus costing more.