Can I get some feedback on this car? I'm flying to Florida tomorrow to buy it maybe.

I've owned 911's before but never one this new. I've seen the carfax and spoken to the original dealer's service manager about the vehicle and he seems think it was well cared for. The price is right and I like the options. The small stuff like worn seat leather and peeling radio buttons I can deal with. Any thoughts? The local Porsche dealer (Braman) told me to **** off with regard to a pre-sale inspection so I'm on my own. I know my way around older 911's and have competent wrenching skills so I don't think I'm going to blindly walk into a lemon. Advice oh sage ones please! http://www.floridaeurocars.com/detai...4-3137143.html

I didn't see a price listed so it's kind of hard to give an opinion without it. But in all honesty you're posting this question a little late in the game. I would not buy that car without a PPI no matter what anyone says about it. The question you should be asking is if anyone knows a good indie down there who could look at it. The car's inside looks a little rough, and the exterior pics are just pics; you can't really tell until you see it in person. If you are serious about it, and it seems you are, get on the horn and find someone who will PPI it tomorrow.

If the seller says "**** off" in regards to a PPI, I walk.

It was not the seller it was the huge Porsche dealer in Palm Beach. The car is $21,500.00

Sorry - anyone know a good Indy shop in Palm Beach or West Palm? Thanks!

There are way too many 996s around for a dealer to say that to you. I would walk and find a dealer that is willing to accomodate a buyer. This is a buyer's market.

no PPI = no deal for me. I personally would not get on a plane to look at a $20K car. There must be plenty in your area that are in better condition than that. And in a better color too I would imagine.

Pass on that one. I don't like it at all for that price.

PPI or bust!!!

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36D or walk away!

I think you guys aren't reading his email correctly. It sounds like he approached the local Porsche Dealership and they declined to do a Pre Purchase Inspection. It doesn't seem like the selling dealership is saying no.

TamiyaGuy - you are correct . The SELLER is Florida Eurocars. The DEALER who I asked to do a PPI is Braman who says "we don't do pre-purchase inspections". Like I said before I have checked the carfax and spoken to the service manager at The Automaster who originally SOLD the car. We went through the service records and he thinks it has a good history with regard to service and repairs. As I said before I know my way around a variety of vehicles and have experience with 911's from my first 2.2 911E through a few late model air cooled 911's - so I'm not a babe in the woods with regard to looking a car over. I need some really good thoughts on what to look for if I'm going in alone (i've already read the guide to purchasing a 996 and the sticky's on this and other forums).

flying there to look is OK if you have the time and money, but like others say, there are plenty of these in this price range, if you wait one will pop up near home.. My only thoughts on the car is that the front clip looks like a totally differant color..It might not be, but it sure looks odd,, oh and the side skirts too... That said I paid $22.5k for one 6 months ago with 100k miles and a carfax with 2 accidents and 4 owners before me... no ppi, no insurance against breaking, original motor and the guy ALSO had some nice land just south east of Galviston TX he is offering to me. I love my car, and it is running like a champ, looks great, drives great and I am learning... worst case,.. you step out, make a mistake, step back, maybe loose $2-3k and try again, best case is you get something you like and it works for you GL!! E's $0.02

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I did indeed misread, find a good indy

with an attitude like that (told you to **** off on an inspection) I would tell the dealer to go screw themselves. That's complete BS. They want you to hand them a $20k+ check, but don't want to allow you to thoroughly mechanically evaluate the car? Complete BS! First, don't only walk away from it, tell them to go screw themselves, then walk away from it. Secondly, at 80k miles, I would anticipate considerable maintenance expense as it heads towards 100k miles. Not to offend passionate Porsche 996 owners (I'm one of them) but I expect reliability to be lower past 80k miles then I would of a Honda. If I paid $21k for a 996 with 80k miles, I would budget $10k to keep it reaching 100k fully healthy/repaired/maintained. With my Accord, I would budget $3-4k. I'm not trying to provoke fellow owners, as I love and am passionate about driving my 996, but its my sense of what I expect as my cars reach such mileages. I'm less skilled with the wrench, and my assessment is based on paying someone with greater skills to keep my cars running smoothly.

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Solihul, To me that car looks good enough to peak my interest. You have already done my next step, which was to track down the former service guy. Next I would go down and see it. Touch it. Sit in it. Look in the engine compartment, trunk etc. Try all the buttons. If everything works, then start the car up. Listen to it. Drive it with the windows down and the radio off. It will tell you everything you need to know. Get the PPI done. If anything strikes you as wrong, then walk away. Otherwise...Drive it home like it was stolen!!! Medtech

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+1 (but be safe while driving the stolen vehicle)

Try Bob Varella at Foreign Affairs in Pompano Beach, FL for a PPI.

I would turn on the radio and listen to the preset radio stations. You may find out which generation the previous owner came from. This may help you in your decision.

Is it that Porsche does not have an official PPI ? Some years ago when I was buying a 993, the local dealer said they didn't have a formal PPI, but they had one or two other service/inspections they could do that would be essentially the same. I think I had to add, at specific cost, a leak down test. They just didn't want to take on the specific liability of telling you a car was ok or not before purchase. But...in effect, they could do some standard service/inspections and tell you if they saw anything. An indy might be cheaper, though.

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Solihull, Braman have a very bad name here in FL. I would get one of the local specialists to do a PPI. Someone mentioned Foreign Affairs, there is also Roger at Orbit Racing [phone removed] and Bob/Pat at Autohaus in Stuart (30m North) [phone removed]. Bob & Pat have been very helpful to me in the past. I am sure they will travel down to do a PPI for you. Roger is normally too busy to travel, so you might have to take the car to him. Otherwise try a post in the Rennlist regional forums (Rennlist Region Florida - Drivers Club International). There are a lot of us South Floridians who post there so you should get some good local assistance.

Whatever you do get the car inspected by someone who knows what they are looking at. I know it's a pain but very much worth the effort. The price seems fair. If you have an extra 5-10K just laying around, then I guess you could pull the trigger and take your chances. I'm not in love with the color but that's just personal preference.

We all tend to think we have a handle on most cars. Porsche is definitely an exception. Do yourself a BIG favor and have a Indy available to inspect the car when you arrive. These cars are temperamental and have idiosyncrasies that can be hidden. I have read of Dealerships removing bulbs in the instrument clusters to 'hide' problems. They all have their tricks. $21K is somewhat on the 'cheap' side and you usually get what you pay for. Make sure to check if the car was auctioned off. Was the car subjected to snow all of it's life? That will give you a really good idea of how it was treated. I know that there will be others� on this forum who will bash me for the �auction� thoughts, but this is only my opinion � based on past problems with auction cars. PPI for the win! A really good PPI provider will also be able to tell you if the car had any major body repair. He'll put it on a rack and thoroughly inspect the undercarriage.

I shoulda kept the link to the Bimmerfest forum where someone bought a BMW from a trusted, well-known forum participant but did not do a PPI. He ended up with a car that was not as described, had four bad wheels, bad suspension, amateurish stereo installation, rust... and all that for only 6K. Imagine if he had paid 21K! Seriously, a PPI is cheap insurance. Pictures can omit a lot of details. Photoshop can be used to "shine up" the paint, etc. It could be well maintained but has had the **** driven out of it and it's now all worn out. Who knows? I also agree that with time and continued dilligence, unless you live in North Dakota, a car closer to you is bound to show up that won't be such a hassle. Ask me sometime about my eBay Jaguar that I flew down to Palm Beach to pick up. Best of luck. I bought my first 911 after a PPI and then my second and third (both low mileage cars) without one, so I don't always walk the walk that I preach, but I (like the OP) can typically tell a lot about a car when I see it in person and drive it. Then again, I've had a good PPI on a used car that turned out to be a POS, so you never really know anyway, huh? And I've bought cars with a clean PPI that proceeded to have all manner of problems, none of which could have been foreseen by a PPI. Michael

It looks like the front bumper has been resprayed. It looks darker than the hood and fenders. You might want to look into that.

I don't think you can necessarily say that the front has been repainted based on those photos. That color has a tendency to reflect light differently at angles and appear to look like a different shade. A better indication is to do a visual inspection and look for rock chips, overspray or paint drips. It should have rock chips, it should not have paint drips. The hood should have the options sticker on it. Alternatively, you can have the thickness of the paint tested which would be the most accurate way.

Why don't you just stop in Charlotte, NC and take my car with you. It needs someone to drive it around and I will personally take you to my Dealer/Mechanic who will gladly tell you it's the nicest 2003 996 he has ever worked on.

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IMO a PPI is still necessary - even for cars that appear perfect from "normal" inspection. There are some things you should turn over to the "experts." Especially if you intend to keep this car for a while and drive it around. -td

PPI. No substitute. Unless you are a qualified mechanic.

FYI, It was listed on ebay with a bin of $23.888. Seller passed on an offer of $23.000. Perhaps the OP did fly out and is driving it home today. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsc...mZ220279657578

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While agree that metallic colors tend to reflect differently, it's quite obvious in these photos that the front bumper is a shade darker than the hood and fender. Additionally, at almost 80k miles, the front CAN'T look that good.

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totally....with those miles and no chips??? how in the world?