Finding my First 911: Are Local Mechanics w a Great Rep a Good Source?

Hi, my first post here. I'm going to be on the hunt for my first 911 in the next 12 months. I'm leaning pretty heavily toward the 996, since this best fits my budget. I doubt I'd ever buy off BaT, as the risk for a newbie like me seems too high. I'd rather take it slow and pay more and know I'm getting a good car. I'm in Los Angeles, so I'm surrounded by great independant P mechanics. My first preference is to buy from a private party, perhaps through an independent mechanic who knows the history of the vehicle and/or who has worked on it for a number of years. Are there any pitfalls in this approach? Either way, I would never purchase something like this without paying a good mechanic to go through it and give me the real skinny. I'm fairly deliberate in my actions, and I'm also just learning about these cars, so I would NEVER jump at one on CL or wherever. I don't mind paying more to know I'm getting a solid vehicle. In short, is going to a local shop with a long and excellent reputation a good place to begin? I assume they hear of cars up for sale, etc. Excuse the newbie nature of my post. I'm a quick learner and not afraid to talk (or listen) to what others have to say, but I confess to being in the early stages of the hunt. Thanks in advance for your comments. HD

Even if you are not mechanically oriented, you should educate yourself. There are lot�s of good information on the web what to look at. Search 996 buyers guide. Then when your done your homework your idea asking mechanics is a good idea. Then you have a better understanding what they say.

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Thanks for your reply. I come from a long line of home mechanics, and I come to Porsche via working in aircooled Beetles. My dream is to soneday own a G50 or 964, but there are too far out of reach for now. Thanks for your response. Hound Dog

The only shop I'd let touch my 996 in the LA area would be Callas Rennsport. Get them to do an invasive PPI BEFORE you buy it. Then you'll know you got a good one.

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Thanks. I checked them out and of course their history and experience is very impressive. Thanks for this. Although I live in the SFV, their shop is only about an hour away. This shop would be very high on my list if I had a car I wanted to purchase but wanted a thorough going-over. Thanks Again, 911HD

You can also check to see if any credible 3rd party consignment dealers are near you, or ones you might be interested in traveling to. Some of these places specialize in Porsches. I live in the Houston, TX area, but found this place by luck. They�re in the Orange County area. I flew out to CA, bought it, and had it trailerd back to TX. These guys have a good reputation, and won�t take any lemons to pawn off to unsuspecting buyers. You can also get a PPI done as well. The challenge you may find, many of these consignment places prefer to deal in the higher value ($$$$) cars, since their commission is based on sale price. But you could get lucky like I did, and pick up a mint condition 996. You never know. https://autokennel.com/ I agree that you should steer clear of BAT, certainly as a new buyer. There�s certain things you�ll want to know about these cars before you buy them. No point paying a premium for something that may have skeletons.

"best fits my budget" can have various meanings. Purchase price is just the "initiation fee" when it comes to 996 ownership. Budget at least another 10% and maybe that gets you to year 2. Drastically helps if you do your own work obviously, but these are 20 year old high performance machines that make you spend $ on them because they deliver some much pleasure. Best of luck. LA has to be the largest market for Porsches I'd guess, find a great one.

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Thanks. On a 996 purchase, if I do go that direction, I would have at least 20% of the purchase price on hand after the acquisition. I wouldn't buy a car like this and empty out my bank account. Thanks Again, Scott

Hi, hopefully you find a good one. In my opinion prices are going up. I haven�t had mine for a month and two people already came forward trying to buy it. Go to YouTube, you can learn a lot about the cars. The history, pinky Lai, why Porsche had to go this route etc. You are in Cali so imagine they charge an arm and a leg for labor. I can remember but I believe there is a ren cast or rennvision where the moderator and Jake from flat six innovations discussed the 996. You should also decide if you want a modified car or an unmolested example, finally some people want a garage queen and some people want a driver. It took me three weeks to decide on one, since you stated about a budget what I learned is that if you get a higher mileage example let�s say between 80 and 90,000 miles and a car that had at least 4 owners those cars are going to be more affordable, but probably there are going to be some information that is missing (service records). Check with your local shops because some of them actually sell cars. Wish you luck.

I had preventative maintenance done on my C2 Cabriolet with Tiptronic transmission last August. It had engine-out replacement of the AOS (with UAOS), IMSB, Chain pads and chains, and a few other items. That was $7800. My car is currently back in the shop getting a complete suspension refresh. That is going to be $7200. But I'm meticulous about preventative maintenance and most people won't encounter bills like that, especially if you are willing/capable of doing much of the work yourself. To put it in perspective, I've had the car for 11 years, so adding in fluid and filter changes, it has cost me about $1500/year to keep my car running and driving like new.

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I think you have a completely different perspective than lots of newer owners. $8000 is a drop in the bucket compared to what you spent 11 years ago. $8000 is a significant amount compared to someone who bought in the last 2 or 3 years. I keep reminding myself that my car was almost $100K, so what I'm spending is a drop in the bucket compared to it's new value, or a new 992. I'm in line for an elective rebuild at F6I. My options were, sell my car and buy a VERY used high mileage GT3 or 911 turbo, or have my M96 engine rebuilt as a 4.0. This way I'll have similar or better performance with an engine with 110 miles on it when it returns. Everything else is in great shape. I've replaced everything that's worn on my car, and almost done all the mods I'd like to do.. It's cost(and will cost) a bunch but next year I'll end up with the 911 Porsche should have made for less than a high mileage GT3/911TT,

Just remember that if you buy privately, you are buying the seller as much as you are buying the car.

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Thanks for your post. Yes, I would imagine that the labor charges in CA are as high, or higher, than anywhere else in the country. After all, the cost of the square footage alone would justify higher prices. It's crazy out here. Contrary to what you advise, I'd prefer to find a car from an original owner or at most one other. I'm much more interested in finding the best vehicle rather than saving a few thousand dollars. My search is also for a CA-only car, or maybe NV or AZ, since they have really dry climates, which reduces the risk of rust. Thanks for your post.

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Put that way, $1500 a year does not sound like a huge burden. And I don't plan on any track time, so a stock, unmodified car is my preference. Thanks.

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Excellent thought, with which I totally agree. And I happen to be able to read people very well. As I stated above, I'd prefer to purchase a car private party, from the original owner. I'm willing to wait and be patient for that to happen. Take Care, Scott

Check every so often Porsche North America, when I was looking for mine thru them I found a couple of lower mileage pristine that were sold at their dealerships. If I remember correctly one was a one owner and the other was 2 owner car. This cars in my opinion were overpriced but now that I understand what you want it makes sense. You are right on the money California, Texas, etc car. Mine was only in California and then Arizona.

Check the classifieds at Porsche Club of America. As of right now there are a few cars that may interest you. If you want to contact the sellers you need to join . I�m already in, anyway after you join call the general number so that they can expedite your access. Today I�m going to the third event in a moment. Most people are greAt, fun to talk to and I have found out they are extremely helpful. Also so far what I have seen is that members are passionate about their cars, records, maintenance etc. Good luck, IMO the cost of membership is more than worthwhile.

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These cars are not prone to rust. Salt on the roads during the winter can corrode undercarriage components and make them harder to work on, but many cars in those areas are not driven during the winter. You can widen your search,

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398, thanks for the info. I actually already joined PCA about six months ago, so thanks for the tip. I looked through the ads on the site and, yes, these strike me as the kind of people who I would enjoy meeting at an event and talking cars. Thanks for the tip. I'll keep an eye on their classifieds and see what I see. There are probably more Porsches per capita in CA than any other state, maybe anywhere in the world, so eventually the right car will present itself. Thanks Again, HD

First Flat six posted a budget 996 yesterday. It�s being sold by a very reputable Indy in the Bay Area. Maybe check it out. I think it ticks both budget and reputable source. https://firstflatsix.com/paid-featur...6-carrera-6sp/

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Thanks. I think it already sold. I didn't know about that site. It's perfect for my search. Appreciate it. Thanks!

Buy one with a blown motor then send it to FSI...You'll thank me later!

One option not mentioned is to go to PCA events, HPDEs, and cars & coffees where Porsche people (water-cooled, lol) hang out. Network. The best deals are not advertised, will come from a friend of a friend who’s a P-car fiend who wants to upgrade.

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Yes, for sure. In fact, if not for COVID, I would have begun attending Porsche events last summer. I have quite a busy year ahead of me in 2021, including a brand-new grandson to dote over, so I'll be somewhat limited this summer; but by next year I will be fully in the saddle. Thanks, Turkis.

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Since FSI does not list prices, let me take a guess. Their new basic stock replacement for the 996 is around $30K or more, correct? Just taking a wild stab. Thanks