Any advice to Porsche 997 virgin looking to buy first car.

Porkaholic said:

After looking for 3 or 4 months I bought a 3 year old 997 Carrera 2S for 39K ( Sept) when I started looking prices were well into the forties but dropping steadily. My decision was made on price, spec, the p/x deal and condition. I had a limit of 40 k and didn't want to wait any longer for prices to drop, they will still probably continue to drop a bit I guess but only time or a crystal ball will tell by how much and at what rate.
My car came from an independant well respected ( non porsche specialist) dealer and was 2k short of it's scheduled 36,000 mile service. It had full OPC service history and 4 newish tyres. I managed to get the warranty signed over to me which had appprox 9 months left. I was keen to keep the service book stamped with OPC so had it serviced with them. During service they changed the plug coils under warranty so I was pleased to have the benefit of that and it came out of that big service relatively unscathed. I am delighted with the car no problems apart from trying to keep speed legal.
I know 911s are tough but it sounds like the private seller hasn't loved his car too much if the alloys are damaged and the car needs a valet plus theres a big service looming which could gobble up more money plus tyres, could find yourself near the other two cars moneywise by the time you have finished.
The more expensive OPC car is a no brainer for sheer peace of mind on a major investment as it will have been thoroughly checked over and its in their interest to look after you for future servicing etc. The independant's car sounds interesting and fair price. If the car has good OPC service history and the indie has good reputation and is a bit of a specialist then you could do worse than buying from them. If there isn't much to choose between these two cars I would go back to OPC and try get them to drop the price or give you a warranty or free service later.
When I was lookin the OPC's could n't get anywhere near the 40k budget I had so it shows how hard they are trying now. Half the fun is looking anyway buy the best you can! Good luck.

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David M said:

Assuming they all tick the boxes on spec.

The OPC car will have had to pass their full bumper to bumper warranty inpsection so all service items (brakes, tyres etc) will have been sorted as will the paintwork. Also will have the correct stamps in the service book.

I believe you will also get a minimum 12 month warranty (even longer if there is an existing warranty on the car).

When you price up the work required on the private sale and the peace of mind on the OPC prepared car with warranty then there is probably not much price difference.

Personally I would try and negotiate with the OPC and see if you can get a better deal to make the decision easy - tell them they are one of three and need to improve the deal. Maybe get them to extend the warranty for a further 12 months if they can't do anything on the price.

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