ggoodlife

Hi all -

I am not a regular poster, but am looking for some thoughts on a 997 I am looking at.

Can anyone see anything wrong with this 911?

See here -
http://www.brianharrisporsche.com/us...94bfd020a3.htm

or

here - http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...67340529&Log=0

I am a bit early in my car search / getting the bug for something new. The plan had been if I were to succumb to the bug buying this summer (either a nice used C2S, GTS, or in an entire different direction an E63) but found this one close to me. Went and checked it out today and it seems great. So I might speed up my time frame.

My only real concerns are that it does have an aftermarket exhaust (FVD Brombacher....not sure if that is a good one or not) and the salesman said that it had been chipped. I am going to go take another look tomorrow and may pull the trigger. Or may not and do the smart thing and wait / keep my car which I like longer (BMW 335 coupe).

Anyhow I thought that potentially the experts on here my point out either some super easy good or bad things on the car and point me in a direction.

Thanks for the help.

sandwedge

Have you asked if they will CPO the car?

ggoodlife

I did. The salesman was not sure if they would or not because of the aftermarket exhaust & supposed chip. He said he would check and would let me know.

I was sorta thinking it might not be necessary as it has only 12k miles. But I guess if they were not willing to do it, that could indicate a problem

tbrom

The selling price is set at a level that would normally be a CPO car. It always makes you wonder what they were thinking when they took the car in as in; where is the original exhaust system and chip? Where did they get the car - did they get it at an auction? Has the on board computer recorded a bunch of over revs? These are the kinds of questions to ask them! If it were me and they couldn't or wouldn't CPO the car at dealer prices I'd have to think about some other cars out there and there are some good ones out there that are CPO cars - although this does appear to be a nice one and a good color combo, IMHO. Still a CPO is big considering the cost of repairs if something breaks.

Hope that helps and good luck - oh get a PPI too cause there may be something wrong if they won't CPO the car!

ggoodlife

Thanks for the advice. All seem like good questions to ask.

sandwedge

I've bought two 997's with exhaust mods. One was eligible for CPO for an additional 2K and the other came with CPO despite the exhaust mod. I suspect the chip is the issue. Not just because it's there but because of how it may have been driven. Big emphasis on may but let's face it.....who chip these cars?

ggoodlife

I wonder about the chip. The salesman said he thought it was "chipped" but didn't really have any details on it.

I am absolutely going to ask about CPO. I also think if they I will get with either their service person or someone independent to see any and all mods and get anther opinion on what has been done to the car.

ggoodlife

Also maybe since I reacted positively about the exhaust, maybe he was just embellishing about it being more souped up with a chip / tune. I guess I will rely on the CPO and/or independent mechanic review.

sandwedge

Something to keep in mind is that dealerships can CPO a car without any involvement at all by PCNA. However.....if you come back later with a blown engine and ask for a warranty replacement, PCNA has to approve and can take issue with how and why the car was certified to begin with. There was a thread some time ago about this exact situation. A guy bought a CPO car and thought all was well. The engine blew and PCNA refused warranty replacement since they said the dealer shouldn't have certified the car as it had range 4 overrevs. Ended up as an ugly battle between the owner of the car and the dealership that certified the car.

ggoodlife

Scary. Reasons like this are why I have typically ale ways bought new. However I just like the 997 better than the 991. Also as you do when buying a car, I have been somewhat rationalizing myself that a used one made sense since it would depreciate less and be a better "investment" (realizing that a depriciable assert shouldn't really ever be called an investment).

tbrom

I feel the same way about the 991. Pre Volkswagen and post Volkswagen. I like some things about the 991 but I really think that the 997 is built better and it has a real handbrake and better sunroof and hydraulic steering. Just my opinion of course but I'm looking for a 997.2 only.

Good luck - I don't know if I would buy one if it didn't have a CPO unless it was from an individual and I got a real good deal and a good PPI.

ggoodlife

I like the 991 too, but just something better about the 997 I like better.

I'm a few months early on my new car plan, just happened to find this one and am debating strongly. What I think is for sure is that I do need to get a 997.2. The question now is is it this one and is it now.

fast1

Unless Porsche could prove that the car was abused subsequent to the issuance of the CPO, Porsche is legally bound by the warranty. Whether or not the CPO should have been issued, is not relevant to honoring the warranty. In the past Porsche would periodically check CPO cars to ensure that their guidelines were adhered to, and when they weren't substantial financial fines were imposed by Porsche on the offending dealer. I'm not cretain if this policy is still in effect.

targaC4S

Nowhere in the CPO wordage does it state that Porsche is required to replace a blown engine. There are always additional details and things left out by the owner (s).

USMC_DS1

In general FVD exhaust systems are on the high end, made in Germany by M&M, and distributed by FVD who provides excellent customer service. If it's an FVD then it may be one of these systems price between $4K to $9K: http://www.fvd.us/us/en/Porsche-0/99...st_System.html FWIW, I've had an FVD Brombaucher exhaust system on my car for 3yrs now... very happy with the product and FVD service.

Re the "chipped" ECU... you may want to have the dealer flash the car back to stock if they don't have the chip/flash program from the PO. Some p-dealers will refuse warranty service if the ECU has been remapped so you'll always want the flash codes(stock and remapped) so that you may switch between the two if necessary... plus some flash codes will not pass emission testing unless the ECU is flashed back to the stock mapping. One way to resolve this would be to procure a new set of remap codes. FWIW, FVD offers a very nice remap which specifically takes advantage of their exhaust systems and passes emissions w/o requiring a remap back to stock. GL with the car.