alexb76

I have a 2007 C4S that has served me very well over the last 4yrs of ownership. I am at 25K miles, and the car has been solid as can be. Only thing I had to do was to change oil and do brake jobs.

Just recently found some RMS leaks, and I am going to dealer tomorrow to get it inspected, and most likely replace the seals... and *maybe* if clutch is needed to do the clutch as well. This would be probably last under warranty work as CPO expires in August.

My question is... what to do next?

1. Keep the car, buy an extended warranty
2. Keep the car, don't worry about extended warranty and drive it until it dies?
3. Trade-in for a 997.2
4. Trade-in for a GT3 [cost prohibitive]

I lightly track the car during DE events 4-5 times a year... I am finding that in order to be more serious, gotto either mod the car a bit (alignment, suspension), or should start investing to get a GT3.

I am definitely not on-board 991, and neither see the value of the price difference... 997.2 could be an option, specially offering the better electronics and comfort features, but again, the price to value provided not that great. GT3 is definitely the step-up, but the cost would make me get into debt, but at the same time there is more bang for the buck in the upgrade and GT3 holds value best amongst all 911s.

What are some thought here folks? I am not tired of the car, nor super worried about maintenance. I like to understand what's the best way to keep driving a 911 for another 5yrs while not breaking the bank and keeping more of the sinking investment, while enjoying the driving dynamics of a true 911? ie. is it better to trade up now, or in 3yrs?

PS. If I do the clutch, and also a new set of brakes, I'd be investing close to $2K in the car...

Palumbo

This may not be the best answer for you, but after this, I'm going back to an air cooled car and I'm going to build it the way I want it. Will probably cost less to do than getting another one of these fancier water cooled iterations. And if the market continues to behave like it has, owning it won't cost anything in the long run.

USMC_DS1

I'm contempating a similar conundrum as my CPO will expire next year on my '08 C2S with 59K+ miles.
1. Keep the car, buy an extended warranty... if you're not a DIYer this approach may allow you to break even financially with a policy that covers another 25K miles... I would expect that the WP and/or coils might need replacement by the 50k mile mark. Plus nice safety blanket for catastrophic failures.
2. Keep the car, don't worry about extended warranty and drive it until it dies? if you DIY extensively then a powertrain only warranty might be prudent for catastrophic coverage... other than covering the potential of engine/tranny failure I'd have to say that maintaining these cars has been inexpensive for DIYer's especially if you can tackle a few of the typical failure items such as coils($240) and WP($250).
3. Trade-in for a 997.2 may as well go with the GT3 if you're going to pay for the trade-in financial penalty
4. Trade-in for a GT3 [cost prohibitive] if it's drive-able as a DD on your local roads then why not... but I suspect you'll be dealing with similar warranty quandaries especially if you get a 997.1 GT3

Other factors to consider... What have you experienced to date re the pay out of your car's current warranty? Has your car needed extensive warranty work? Do you feel that you've received enough financial ROI on your current warranty or was it more of a mental safety blanket? My car has had two TPMS sensors replaced under warranty/CPO after 5 yrs and 59K miles. That's a lot of warranty cash upfront for two sensors($500 for the pair at the p-dealer or $100 if I used a set of 3rd party sensors and tire installer). Of course, I've done a few preventative maintenance measures(DIY projects) such as replacement of my WP, plugs/coils, s-belt, etc.

Ynot

Take it in first and get inspected and all your warranty work done. Then option 2, drive it until the wheels fall off. I don't feel it needs extended warranty, IMS is the biggest problem and I haven't seen too many 2007 failing. 25K miles, you should not need a new clutch or brakes. GT3 is nice but at the end of the day, your 911 still spend most of it's time on the road. Do you need the heavy clutch, rougher ride, no back seats, etc.

Rocco07

A warranty is essentially a bet. If you bet the car WILL break and cost more to fix than the cost of the warranty, then you get the warranty. If you bet it won't break or, if it does, it won't cost as much as the warranty, then don't get it. Dealers and 3rd party companies are making the bet it won't break or cost more to fix than the cost of the waranty. I always make their bet and NOT get one. It's statistically backed or the warranties would cost much, much more.
I use their logic against them.
However, it is also an insurance pool. But the odds are still in your favor it won't require more than break-even warranty work during the warranty period. Place your bets!
B.

2005997carrera2

Can't you get your car re certified by your dealership after the cpo expires? That's what I was planning to do.

SuperPenguin

Start modding!

With the cost difference of a GT3 you could have your car much better sorted - even a GT3 takes mods to be competitive

alexb76

Well, yes, but GT3 engine cannot be replicated by mods.

alexb76

I don't believe that option is available to us. If you have heard otherwise, please let me know.

alexb76

Thanks, all good advice.

In response of whether or not CPO has paid off... well, I've done two TPMS, and this RMS seal replacement (if happens), will pay for itself. Problem is , the major issues don't usually occur during the first 4-5yrs, but happen post those dates... so while CPO was great covering for stuff that could go wrong during that time, post CPO might be more important.

I am now debating... IF I could trade the car, pay $20K, and get a 997.2 CPO, does that make sense? An aftermarket warranty would be $3Kish with some deductible, and you still have an older car.

Let's say my trade-in value is 40K (just guessing), and I can get 997.2 for $60K... in 5yrs, what would my 997.1 40K be worth vs. 997.2 60K? My guess is .1 would be 25K, .2 would be 30K, then add 5K extra maintenance for .1 (just a guess), then we have 20K cost of ownership for 997.1 plus 3K warranty... vs. 30K for 997.2, right? Difference would be $7K.

Mumbles

Such a wide variety of choices alexb. Trading up to a newer model Porsche would be a great option, or check out the new Corvette !...... both ways your going to get insulted for trade value

Chris from Cali

I'm in the same boat next April. I'm planning on biting the bullet and just living with it. If the engine goes ****-up, I'll dust-cover the car until I can afford to drop a GT3 drivetrain into it...

utkinpol

I decided to drive my car. I am disappointed in what 991 car came to be, 997.2 GTS is still pretty expensive, so, current car runs fine and I see no real reasons to upgrade it.

1analguy

TPC...

Ben Z

Mine's an '05, had about the same mileage when my CPO expired. I had a clutch and LN IMSB retrofit done, plus got a 6 year B2B extended warranty. I'm 2 years into it and already (just) broke even on the cost. I'm not much of a DIYer. I just had the windows filmed and did rear brakes. My plan at the moment is to keep the car another 3 years, sell it privately with 1 year left on the warranty (it is transferable on a private sale). At that time perhaps I will look for a good deal on a used 991 base with manual trans (if I can find one! Every car I saw at the dealer is an automatic ). I looked at a 997.2 but it's really almost the same car but would cost me at least $25K to move.