First Porsche

Hi to all, some personal data - I am about 24 hours away from delivery of my first Porsche. It is a huge event for me as I have wanted one for the almost 25 years since I was in high school. Trading in a 5 series (4th Bim) and agreeing to sell bike to appease wife. Car is P certified 2004 996 at dealer with 5k miles on clock. Warranty has 3 years left to run. From a financial standpoint, what is the general view on warranty extension and how much flex is there to purchase later. I am putting half down, financing rest over 4 years. Generally with other cars I like to match warranty to loan - not sure if this is enough with the Porsche though. Also, I prob. will tire of the car and sell / trade after about 3 - 3.5 years based on past experience. That seems to recommend nixing the warranty. Finally, dealer offers a wheels / tire policy - whats the concensus on it? It seems like a good idea, particulalry as my wife will drive it some and she is just not as careful with cars. Thanks in advance, loan check arrives today and I eagerly await (not sleeping well at all).

Nick, First, Congratulations and Merry XMAS, owning your first Porsche is monumental event, you will certainly enjoy. Once piece of advice, I used to trade cars every 2-3 years, I am going into my third year with my Cayenne and can not imagine trading it at this point. I bought a 2003 C4 Cab yesterday, It take delivery on Thursday. It has 9K miles and about 34 months of remaining warranty. I will add the extended to it, probably to 6 years and 100K. The 996 has some known issues with the rear main seal and some water pump leaks, but you should discover most of those during the first couple of years. I had my car inspected by a local mechanic who took wonderful care of my last 911, he says the car is sound, but sure enough there was a tiny seep where the engine meets the tranny, the inspection ports for the rear seal and the transmission were dry however. In his opinion, over 40 years of street and racing Porsches, he has yet to see a totally dry flat 6, he gave me a thumbs up and I did the deal. Good luck with yours Nick, they are unique cars that provide alot of enjoyment (and potentially speeding tickets). I would recommend that you buy a Valentine One radar detector and have mounted in the car, you just never know when you might need it. I am not sure what you meant by the dealer offering a wheel and tire package, depending on the cost it might be a good deal. I have bought winter wheels and tires from EBAY and Wheel Enhancement and I have always been happy with price and quality of the items I have received. It appears we are both going to have a Merry XMAS, although when I when I got up this morning there is already 10-12 inches of snow with more coming down. Not exactly the kind of weather one wants when getting ready to drive a car with 3-4 inch ground clearance. Although my Cayenne eats this stuff up. Happy Holidays Cay-Ute

Thanx for the thoughts. The dealer offers an insurance policy for wheels and tires to deal with kerb rash, pothole damage etc. I cannot quote price and conditions, but I think is is something like $350 for 3 years. Any takers on this?

It usually runs about 125 to fix a rim. it may happen once in three yrs, I'd pass. Which model, what options? Congrats, the best car you'll ever own! Chris

Hi Nick, Congratulations on the car. I just bought my first about two weeks ago and am totally loving it. Mine is a 99 so I went with an aftermarket warranty. Look real closely at the various options. Many of them don't cover seal failures (even so-called exclusionalry warranties). My dealer offered me the tire warranty as well, at about the same price. I didn't go for it myself but it seems like an okay deal (esp. when you consider the cost of rims). I've never had a problem with tires and rims before with so I figured to roll the dice. Post some pics of the car whe you get it! Happy Christmas, Tim

Standard 996, with few but good options for me - 18 " rims, silver metallic and not a whole lot else. I don't want to pick a fight, but I couldn't see the point of paying more for a car with interior trim options when this one looks like a 911 should - hard and focused. I also didn't think the Bose option was one I cared much about given the engine noise. Supple leather would have been nice though! I am very excited, I still have a book published in 1980 that I bought in high school entitled Porsche 911 by Chris Harvey. I have been re-reading parts of it and it has a couple of priceless packages - including one where the author opines that the then current 911 was surely the last of its line as its inherent limitations had been reached. I guess it keeps on getting re-developed!

Dont take it. When it does happen, it'll be the chance for upgrade to something better. Congrats on your 1st 911 Nick.

My dealer also tried to sell me the tire/wheel warranty and told me that it did not cover "cosmetic" damage such as curb rash and other scuffs to the rims, only structural damage that required the replacement of the entire wheel. I passed on it but I did opt for the 6 year / 100K extended official warranty when I got my car (2 weeks ago, 5K miles) as I welcome the piece of mind should I have the car that long and if I choose to sell it I think it makes the car worth slightly more.