NEW PERSON TO FORUM AND PORSCHE

Hi folks. I am new to your forum and Porsche. I have hit my midlife crisis at 70 yrs old and have wife's approval to buy a Porsche! I usually research the heck out of major purchases and this seemed to be the best place. I have pretty much decided on a 2002 996 Cabriolet for numerous reasons. Money available and reliability part of decision and of course the thrill of driving this beautiful car. I am struggling with the fact that this car is really not available within 500 miles and will have to buy sort of sight unseen somewhere else in the country. I understand the use of a PPI and realize that is no guarantee. I would pretty much have to negotiate price by phone before making a plane trip to pick up car. How do people do that? I don't mind travelling with a lot of cash as long as I am also armed. But these days that is hard to do. how do you convey money to seller and be able to drive away that day? I have successfully purchased 2 trucks on E-bay but they were Toyotas and i really was not worried about reliability etc. Pics told the story. I have located a car I like that has all the goodies including PSE. What is your opinion of that system? Thanks to anyone that replies. rbc123

I bought my C4S from a seller in California. In my case, each of us had an account at Wells Fargo. I arranged a PPI and the seller took the car to the mechanic for that. Ther PPI turned up a few issues, and they were repaired before I flew out to inspect the car. Once I saw it and I was satisfied, we went up to the local branch of Wells Fargo together and I simply transferred the money into his account. After that, I enjoyed a nice road trip and got to know the car.

not sure where you are but most pcar owners are pretty trusting and honest. I bought mine from a dealer but have in the past bought from a pcar individual. what I did was drove/fly to the car after ppi picked her up. the owner I bought from sent me the title and held onto the car so I could get plates and insurance to drive it home unless your state allows you to get temp tags etc. also keep in mind with banks all over the place the seller just set up a bank account so we had matching banks and we went to the bank together and I deposited the money from my account to his so he knew it was in his account and good as gold.

lol dennis just posted the same thing regarding the account. unfortunately I had the issue about not being able to get a temp tag to drive home so the seller was nice enough to send me the title so I could get plates before I paid for it. I guess possession is 9/10th of the law.

Tags can be an issue. You need to understand the laws of the seller's state as well as your own state. Typically, you'll have to pay sales tax in your state of residence when you register the car, but I've heard that some states require you to pay tax when you purchase the car. California had a law that allowed me to purchase the car and transfer the title to my name for $15 as long as I took the car out of state within 24-hours of the purchase.

As for transferring the money you can go to your bank - even in the city the car is in, and get a cashiers check. And your choice of a 2002 996 Cab is a good choice - see Avatar.

Where are you located? Many of us spend our spare time searching for cars we will not buy simply for the fun of it. Let us help you look!

How about using a vehicle broker??

Hey thanks for all the replies. I value them all. RPM's S2 - thanks for the offer. I live in fl. Keys. I would probably travel about 1500 miles for the right car. Cuda911 - how does a vehicle broker work? Randy

GL with your purchase. I would be resistant to leaving the keys for anything but a hurricane. As mentioned, there are lots of Rennlisters who might be able to do a vehicle once over, to help you know more about a possible purchase. PPIs aren't fool proof unless they are VERY thorough, and even then certain components could still fail.

You living in Florida probably have no need for a hard top but all Cabriolets come with one so ask about that. If it doesn't have one then knock $1500 from the price. My advice is for you to read this link. https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...96-thread.html Get your PPI to check that your model does exactly everything that it is supposed to do. Each model is different. Porsche parts are really expensive and it will cost you down the road to rectify anything that is missed on the PPI. Do not let the dealer or the person selling, do the PPI. Get an independent person to do it for you. When you see the one you like, show us the sales details so we can see the car. My advice would be for you to go for something that has not been highly altered/modded in any way. There is less chance that the car was molested by the wrong hands. Some of these young guys don't bother on how it runs as such. They are more interested on how LOUD IT SOUNDS and how BAD *** it looks. You need to be looking for a stock car as it left Stuttgart. I am 72 and got my first Porsche at your age as a birthday gift from my dear wife. Just my two pence worth. Good luck with your searching.

^ Bah. Sounds like OP has found the car he plans to buy, so this is veering dangerously off-topic...but any chance to argue with Hurdi must be exploited. If you want an aerokit car, why buy an "unmolested" car and then spend $10K on the aerokit? Buy a car that is finished the way you want it. $10K in aerokit will add very little to the sale price. If you want a modded car, get one that's been done right. A "stock car as it left Stuttgart" can be interpreted as "lovingly maintained" or "thousands of dollars in deferred maintenance." Like everything else in life, caveat emptor. > My advice would be for you to go for something that has not been highly altered/modded in any way. This from a guy who has $30 worth of Home Depot gutter guard screwed into his front bumper...

Yes I am not looking for a modded up 911. Stock is fine with me, leaving me with option to do what I want. Here is write up from ad for car i am interested in. i am planning to talk to seller tonight. Let me know what you think. Price $26,900 Mileage 61,256 Body Style Convertible Exterior Color Silver Interior Color Black Transmission Automatic Fuel Type Gasoline Doors Two Door Options Installed CD Player Cruise Control Heated Seats Leather Seats Power Mirrors Rear Window Defroster Side Curtain Airbags Tilt/Telescope Steering Wheel Seller Comments Spectacular Condition, Heavily Optioned, Meticulously cared for and Extremely Clean. Four New tires, Frt. and rear New Brakes and Rotors. Fresh Mobil One oil change. Newer battery. No accidents ,No damage , No dents or scratches, No rim rash, Well optioned in Classic Arctic Silver Metallic. Advance Technic pkg. (High pressure headlight washers, eleven speaker Bose audio system with remote CD changer, Projector beam Xenon headlights) AM/FM radio CD player. Heated seating pkg, Full power driver/ passenger memory seat pkg, 18" Light alloy wheel Pkg ( Updated to 2009 Carrera Classic IV wheels). Design Pkg. ( Stainless door sill plates. White instrument gauge cluster Aluminum handbrake and shifter trim. Porsche Stability Management System. Colored crest wheel caps, Crest in headrests, Flared rocker panels, Porsche lettered Mats, This car also has rare PSE (Porsche Sport Exhaust). M.S.R.P. $95,880.00 New for 02 is a smooth running 3.6 liter 320HP. engine. New five speed Tiptronic from the Turbo. Redesigned Turbo look front and rear bumpers fenders headlights and taillights. Bose audio system. Turbo instruments ,Cup holder and a Glove compartment.. Glass rear window with defrost on cabriolets. Looks runs and drives like new. This car is in Way Above average condition at a below average price. Must see.

Certainly there must be lots of 996's in Miami / Tampa / St Petersburg area that you could see in person and have PPI performed at a place of your choosing. Just my 2 cents.

There don't seem to be very many 2002 911 cabriolet automatics that are not black in Miami area. I use autotrader, cars.com,car guru and Ebay and rennlist The car that I mention above is in Washington, Michegan which looks to be a sublurb just north of Detroit. Any Rennlisters in that area? Randy

I have looked over p-cars for perspective buyers... hell, Im always ready for a test drive. Im sure other peeps in the forum will do this as well.... expand your search and ask the forum members if they can check out a car for you if its near by, they'll give their opinions.

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First question is do you want the tiptronic? There are a ton of 996 Cab Tip's out there, and they seem a bit harder to sell than some other variants. $27K for a 60K mile '02 Cab tip is a reasonable ask price if it really is a pristine car, but still top of market. You will find plenty at that price point. Does it have a full service history? Work done by a dealer or top-tier independent Porsche shop? I've seen this mentioned several times... not entirely correct. 996 Cabs did have a hardtop included in their msrp, but they could be ordered with 'hardtop delete' and a significant credit. A huge number of 996 cabs were ordered both by dealers and individuals with hard top delete. South Florida seems to be a hotbed for Porsche activity, I see tons of cars come up for sale in that area. It might take a few months, but you should easily be able to find the right car without going more than a few hours. You might also take a look at the Porsche Cars For Sale forum on the PelicanPorsche board.

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I have never used a broker, but I've seen plenty of people here recommend them. Here's one that advertises in my local PCA chapter magazine, that claims to have nationwide service: Executive Auto Broker Ph: [phone removed], ext. 703 [not an endorsement of this particular broker... other than their ads I know nothing about them]

I'm in Tampa and couldn't find any near me that fit what I was looking for...I ended up buying mine out of Phoenix and having it shipped in sight unseen after having a PPI done. That said, if you find one near me let me know and If I'm around I'll be happy to put eyes on it and tell you if it's worth moving forward with a PPI, or a drive up to look at it, etc. Most RL'ers will do this, we call it RennFax. GL with the search! DS

thanks for all your replies. At the moment seller has agreed to my offer, with a PPI this thurs at dealer, and if good, seller will also install new serpentine and water pump. Now I have o figure out how much to spend on a radar detector. I guess a popular but expensive is the V1. Any comments or advice? rbc

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do a search, you will find lots of advice on this subject. Sent from my iPad using Rennlist

here is ad for the car I seem intent on buying. I suspect if I spent a couple of months searching Miami area I could find another somewhat like it. But heck at my age who knows how much time I have left! So I have the fever for a Porsche and this seems to be it. What do you think about car? I suspect a few of you have had the Porsche fever. http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...358944764&mmt= [POR[911[]][]]&modelCode1=911&startYear=2002&makeCode1=POR&searchRadius=0&bodyStyleCod es=[CONVERT]

Looks like a nice, clean, well cared for car. Personally I like the full leather interior (dashboard etc), and given that you are buying a tip cab, I would think that might be a nice option for you. You might want to sit in a cars with and without the leather dash to compare before buying. Interesting wheels - I thought they were lobster forks at first but don't think I've ever seen that particular wheel style. I also think private seller can be a huge plus over most used car dealers (even though I have a dealer license myself!).

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Schnell first off I didn't spend $30 on gutter guard. I spent $5 so first, get your facts right. I used the exact duplicate material that Pelican parts sell at 200 Dollars, so stick that in your pipe and smoke it. I made an excellent job of the grills and I am laughing all the way to the bank. What makes you think for one moment that a 70year old man would want to spend thousands of dollars to mod up a car? I don't think so. Where did the po mention an aero kit? OR that he was going to spend further money on mods. A PSE is not highly modded in any way. It doesn't alter the look of the car and I doubt it very much if this elderly gent will be daft enough to track a valuable machine like the 996. Anyway before this gets into a pissing contest let me say that I agree with the rest of your posting. Ok I am off my soap box now. PS it certainly is a good looking vehicle. In immaculate condition. The only thing spoiling it for my likes is the Automatic part. I prefer the stick shift.

looks like a nice example... tips are usually cheaper since they dont sell quickly. The wheels are 997 wheel I think. Get it PPI'd and if it checks out pull the trigger and enjoy your 1st 911... life is short.

What a beautiful 996! I hope it works out. I did the same thing you are thinking of...had a PPI done at the dealership, and flew out of state and drove it 14 hours back home. I bought mine from a RL'er, great guy. Maybe people are sick of talking about it, so no one brought it up... the dreaded IMS. I don't want to get you paranoid but in the PPI, ask them to check the oil filter for metal bits. If there are bits in there, it could mean a lot of things, but one possibility is future engine kablooey, aka you have to buy a new engine. You can read the IMS threads and make your own determination. It's a small percentage, but when it happens, ouch. Good luck!

Got tix to Detroit Nov. 29th in order to pick up car and road trip it back to the keys. PPI OK, not sure how much value it really was other than no leaks and everything works. Seller has agreed to install new serpentine and water pump. Waiting to receive new Escort 8500 because I suspect I will be pushing on that right pedal once in awhile. I have also been reading manual and rennlist, trying to avoid scare stories about RMS,etc. I am excited and looking forward to a good road trip in a cool car! RBC

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A PPI that comes back clean always feels like a waste of money until you think about it.

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Congrats RBC, be sure to take some pics as you drive back home to the keys.

I did make trip to Detroit and purchased car. A really great car. Car ran perfect back to Fl. keys. When I would leave motel in AM would check for oil and never a drop from yesterdays run. I can't believe how fast people drive on the interstate and tailgating at 80 MPH maybe 2 car lengths behind each other. Incredibly stupid. Of course with the Porsche it was easy to get from one pack of cars to the next. Some of the backroads of S.Car. were pretty rough and felt I had to slow down below speed limit to keep from breaking car. Dealer supposedly set tire pressures to 38F and 44R, but when I got home and checked with what I think is a reliable dial gauge they were 44F and 50 R cold. WTF? 1st pic is freezing Georgia, 2nd is sunset 7 mile bridge Keys then home. All and all very happy with the car. RBC

Great car, and a wonderful trip to start your enjoyment of it! Congrats.

You made it home, nice. Good looking cab, enjoy your Porsche with the top down.

Wow; midlife crisis at 70. I am 55 and having my midlife crisis now...... Enjoy your 996; they are fun.

RBC, Beautiful car! Thanks for sharing the pics. I'm in the same boat (hitting my mid life crisis in my 40's) and looking for a similar 996. Would you be able to share what your final offer was? My biggest obstacle is trying to establish a realistic price as there tends to be a large differential in prices among similar equipped cars. Thanks Jeff

Very, very cool thing to do a fly out - drive home in a Porsche. Did it two years ago with my oldest son and we still talk about it. Great memory you'll never forget. Just curious, did you employ any of the "how to keep your Porsche safe overnight at a motel" strategies from that thread you posted a couple of weeks ago?

Did you make a decision on the 6ok milage car?

Did you make a decision on the 6ok milage car? I am new to the forum and am looking at the age car

Congrats on your new car, its looks beautiful. What a great start, driving it home, looks like you were lucky with the weather, glad you weren't driving this week. I looked for months for a clean, well priced 911 in the AZ area. Everything I looked at, in my price range was a tad too scruffy for me. I started on a nationwide search. I was stunned I couldn't find a suitable car locally, specially in a 'petrol head' state like AZ. In the end I bought a 2011 Cayman, out of state-site un-seen, very scary. And had it shipped out, still site un-seen. Turned out great, good car at a good price with the options I needed, but I had a several sleepless nights wondering if I'd done the right thing. BTW, my mid-life crisis started this year at 63! Machog

nice looking car... enjoy the mid life crisis.

Ciids Yes it was 60 k mile car. As far as motel safety, I just parked where car seemed to have most surround room. Same thing in mall lots etc. jeffm I will try to send a pm rbc

Beautiful car -- drive it as much as you can!

I love this entire post...best of luck, RBC! Enjoy your P-car and experience life at second gear redline often!! It's one of my favorite places to be!

Nice car! How cold was it in Detroit? Not saying the dealer didn't set the tire pressures incorrectly, but a tire set to 38 PSI @ 28F will be ~43 PSI @ 85F. Likewise 44 PSI @ 28F = 49 PSI @ 85F. This is why TPMS systems frequently go off when the temperature drops dramatically, and track guys are letting air out when there tires warm up. [P1/T1=P2/T2. T is absolute temperature (Rankine scale)]

The best advice I can offer is, take your time and don't fall in love. Approach every car as if you are going to prolly walk away. I see a lot of people fall in love and buy a train wreck. If you are not 100% happy with the deal-walk. If you are buying private, check out your seller. Google the phone number and see if it come up on craigslist with 10 other cars for sale in the last year. Find them on Facebook does he have his profile locked up tight? If so, who is he hiding from. Yahoo his name and number, back check his story. Is he broke? If so he may not have had the money to maintain the car and it may need many things. Like brakes, horn fix, airbag/seatbelt light issue, door locks.... (Ask me how I know what to look for, lived it) I got lucky and my car didn't need much. 3k and she was back in shape. But I found my "perfect" car wasn't so perfect and the guy was just not mechanically inclined to know. So think, trust but verify. Don't fall in love and take your time.