2005 - 2008 used 911s

I'm on the market for my next Porsche and one I am considering is a used 911 with low miles. There are a few examples out there in my price range with acceptably-low miles, however some of those are 2005 models. Year to year, are there any big "watch-outs" for the 2005 911s? Similarly, for 2006, 2007, 2008? I try to follow the philosophy "you shouldn't get the first year of anything" and loosely follow that (busted that philosophy once with my iPhone). Problem is most of the cars I'm finding in my price range are 2005s. Any input/help is appreciated. Thanks, steve

I hear ya on avoiding anything the first year but I'm taking my chances. The 997.2 has some serious advantages so my 2009 is on the way. Can't wait for a 2010. I haven't heard of any serious problems with the 2005 - 2008 years.

Nothing widespread has surfaced w/ respect to the 2005 997s. There have been some isolated RMS "umbrella" issues regarding oil leaks. A low mileage car that still has a few months of warranty should not be a problem. In this financial climate an 06 may be priced within your target range but w/ a full year of warranty remaining.

Stoddard in OH has a nice Black on Black for a good price listed on cars.com 2005 911 Carrera with 9,300 miles Black / Black standard leather Sport Exhaust, Bi-Xenon Headlamp Package Bose Premium Sound Package. Porsche Approved Certified Pre-Owned $49,995 asking price. I'd be trading in my 2008 BMW 335xi sedan, loaded to the gills spare the nav. Hmmmmm What do you guys think of this car listed by Stoddard?

Stoddard has been w/ Porsche for decades. They are well known for 356 restorations. Not sure when PSE was available for 2005. It's possible it was added as Tequipment, but it would have to be done by the dealer to qualify for CPO. I'm sure the car is legit or they wouldn't CPO. CPO adds to the cost because of the warranty included.

Was it added late in the model year?

I went to Stoddard's website to look at the car. It also has PASM which was not standard on the Carrera. No sport chrono on the car. The factory sport exhaust w/o SC has its own on/off switch on the lower center console w/ the exhaust tip icon. The quad exhaust tips look factory. Overall the car looks nice, but photos are always limiting. The interior looks like it could have been cleaned up a little more prior to the photos, and the steering wheel (which is the standard not sport) looked a little more used and shiny than I would have expected for the miles. The car looks like it might be a good deal, but you need to see it in person and drive it. Good luck!

Yeah, definitely would need to go see it. Two things that hold me back from pulling the trigger are the year, and the color. It would be nice if something like that existed on an '07 in non-black. I don't know, I really like black but after my last black car I told myself "never again"...

I have an 05 S and Love it! Great price,you should take it!

I also have a 05 C2 997. The price is very good with a CPO, which will cover your warranty issues for 10 years. The only problem I have with low mileage cars is that they have not been properly broken in, and may have more problems than a car with reasonable miles. I purchased my 05 in 07, and it had 2500 miles. It now has 24,000... and is running much better. The 3.6 engine for 05 also had quite a bit of a hole in the RPM band at about 3000-3200. I modified the chip, added Supersprint headers, EVO airbox and the problem went away. Still managed 29-32 MPG on a trip, and more than enough power for Autocross. My 05 was valued at $58-59K last year, and has dropped considerable to the price you referenced. With the CPO, that is a very good value. Just check the car out well, and check the interior wear. With 9000 miles, there should be little wear anywhere. John

I was in the market for a lightly used 997S and have just purchased mine. I actually started looking in Oct. 2008, and have watched the prices dropped sharply and steadly. Given the price drop, you really should consider going for an "S" model instead - you just get so much more. However, starting at the end of Feb, the resale inventory appears to have burned off considerably and prices may have bottomed a bit. Looked like those who really needed to sell, have sold already. My neighbor is an owner of a high-end used car dealership, and he goes to the auctions on a regular basis. He has noted that market shift on the 997's. As for looking for the right year, the differences between them are Negligible. Folks will cite problems with intermediate shafts for 05’s, but you’d be more likely to get an RMS leak – which is really not an issue at all either. My advice is to do a Pre Purchase Inspection and get a CPO’ed car if possible. For an 05/06, I would find one that has been driven, but driven well. I’ve seen some that’s below 10k miles, but were clearly not taken cared of properly. On the other hand, I’ve also encountered some above 30k miles, but were fresh and solid. I have been told that Porsches are engineered to be driven. If taken cared of properly, a well driven example is tons better than one that has just been sitting collecting dusts. 997’s are really stout, and I would shop based on options, color, and price – don’t worry about miles unless if it’s well above 30K. One last note – avoid those that came off leases. good luck!

Very good analysis and advice on the subject. Thank you.

My friend who is thinking of trading in his 996 C4S for a 997 spoke to his local service advisor. And he was told, avoid 2005s, 2006 on you are good to go. I know the dealer, and the service advisor. I would not buy a 2005 after hearing this. I do not know any more details.

I don't understand, 997 are not like cheeze. They don't start to mold if not used. Why wouldn't one want the lowest mileage possible when shopping for a used 997?

No, they're not cheese, and don't get moldy unless they've been in a flood, but many low-mileage cars these days can be lease returns where the owner (well, renter, really) does not take care of the car very well because they have no stake in its long-term condition. And, things like brake lines, belts, brake fluid, and many other components continue to age regardless of whether or not the car is driven. GT3s actually can have an RMS-weeping problem if they're not driven enough . On the other hand, many low mileage cars can be just fine. You can only tell with a good, competent inspection. brad

This is all great information. Thanks for all the replies!

I just purchased a 2005 C2, PASM, Sports Chrono, and Power Seats with 34k in miles. I had full PPI (pre-purchase inspection) done before I purchased at Stevens Creek Porsche in Santa Clara. They did full diagnostic and checked all the over-revs. My advisor, said car is in excellent condition and nothing to worry about on it. I've had it a month and it's incredible and from all the forums I've read regarding 05 vs 06 I always see one person out of the bunch that say stay away from 05. Not sure why, but I looked at two 2005's and both Porsche dealerships said they didn't have any issues with 2005's. All I know is it's hard to find 2005, so I figure people are keeping them. I've been looking for about a year and my only requirement was manual/coupe, but got lucky on the features and wouldn't give up my PASM and Sports Chrono Packages. One thing I do know, is if a 2005 comes up it's usually gone in less than a week. I just saw a 2005 C2S get sold in less than 48 hours about a week ago. I went with a 2005 for financial reasons, if you're lucky enough to find a 2005, they usually go between 45-50k, and 06's are 50-60k with usually less options. I've been really happy with mine, but purchased a top of the line extended warranty that added 6 years from this year and 60k, which brings it to 2015 or 94k from the Stevens Creek Porsche here in Norcal. Essentially it's bumper-to-bumper through a company called Fidelity which the finance manager tells me is the Audi warranty. According to him if your under 35k in milage it's significantly cheaper for the warranty, which translates to 3k less. So I still have comfort if the 2005 does have a major issue, which if you're worried about the 05 this will give you some comfort and still cheaper than a 2006 with my warranty. I have read, don't consider buying a 997 without a warranty due to all the electronics, I had a BMW 545i before this and they said the same thing and did buy the warranty. So my recommendation is if you find a 2005, get the PPI from your local Porsche dealer and it check outs, just add the warranty and you should be fine.

I do not have any comments on the car but I just bought an 09 C4s from Stoddard and they are great people. I live in CT and the purchase part of the transaction was as smooth as silk and the car is amazing. Sorry no information on the car but the dealer is top notch.

You got a very good deal on a very nice car epaulbb, congratulations. Sounds like you also did your homework and were patient. Not everybody does or is! I know of nothing inherently wrong w/ the 2005 997s. I think there was a thread somewhere/someplace about a 2005 launch 997 that a dealer put in service (i.e. warranty clock running) w/o telling the guy who finally bought it. This morphs into "stay away from 2005 launch cars". That's the internet. Post some pictures when you get a chance.

Added some pictures to my garage, but here they are in the thread. I actually got an INCREDIBLE deal on my car and I'm very happy I waited for the right one. Just got back from driving and I'm having a BLAST driving it. View attachment 9775 View attachment 9776 View attachment 9777

I just purchsed an 05 997 with 30k miles, CPO, sport chrono, pasm, 19in wheels from napleton porsche for 36k with trade in. I had been looking and watching for a long time I finally found the one I want. The only downside is it was off lease. PPI was great. Only issue now is I would like to add nav/iphone connectivity and thiniking of mounting a dension gateway 500.