Looking for my first 993 - good sources?
 

I've been trolling Craigslist for a while looking for a good used 993 with a reasonable number of miles, but haven't found anything quite right for the right price just yet. Does anyone have any suggestions for other sources of used 993s for sale? I don't really want to do the eBay thing, just don't feel comfortable buying a car that way. There are some companies that specialize in used 911s, such as TruSpeed Motorsports in SoCal, that seem to have some really good examples of 993s. Can anyone comment on this dealer? Their prices seem to be on the high side, but they do seem to have the cream of the crop.

IMHO, the best car comes from a knowledgeable, caring owner. Which in my book rules out the specialty dealers. You should search on them, there are some that are really bad, others have had good experience with some.

Rennlist comes up with very nice cars, sometimes here on Pelican too. Bottom line, you want both good records and a professional PPI.

Time is one your side here - with the economy as it is, I bet a few more come up for sale every month.

Check all the local PCA club web pages.

www.pca-ggr.org to start also find the monterey region, redwood region, diablo region etc. IMHO that's the best place to find a well cared for 993. I strongly recommend staying away from a dealership. You only pay a huge finders fee and open yourself up to all sorts of scams the average Porsche owner can't pull off ...

Good Luck!

George

It took me well over a year to find my 993.
I saw ALOT of abused / poorly maintained 993's (most of them being sold
at dealers). Finally, one became available in the next state.... the rest is history
and I couldn't be hapier. Private sale. I also agree with Don's comments.

Go into nearby indy p-car shops and ask. Sometimes you will see cars posted for sale in the office, or let the owner/mechanic know you are in the market. They talk to customers and may know of one looking to sell.

I actually did just that last week and already have a referral. I think this is a good way to go, thanks for the advice!

Logan, before reading my comments below I have to disclose that I'm affiliated with TruSpeed. By affiliation I mean they advertise on my blog. However, I'm very fortunate in that my blog gets fairly decent traffic and as a result I'm able to pick and choose who or what I want to advertise on the site. A long time ago I decided I would only work with organizations that had good reputations as qualified by the feedback here on Pelican as well as Rennlist, 6Speed and TeamSpeed. For independent Porsche dealers, the same four or five kept coming up. One of those is TruSpeed.

With that said, I know TruSpeed very well. I deal with Dave Cohen (the business manager) and Scott McCloud (sales manager.) Both Dave and Scott are first rate Porsche people and they purchase very, very nice cars for resale. They usually have a good number of 993s listed on their web-site and from what I understand, a good many of them never make it to the listing as they are sold before they get on the site.

So, if you can get past the affiliation, then I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. :)

You might also want to check out Willhoit Enterprises (same affiliation) as that is where I purchased my current 993. I think if you ask around you most people will tell you that Michael has some of the nicest 993s around (mileage and quality wise.) His asking prices are sometimes high, but you get a very, very nice car!

Lastly, I wouldn't rule out eBay. As long as you do your homework and have a PPI done at a reputable shop, you can probably get a very good deal.

Good luck!

John

That is news to me. I would have thought that the dealers would sell only good used cars. Don't the dealers give you a warranty as well? That said I bought my car privately from a 2nd owner with all the records. It was maintained very well. I also talked to the mechanic who maintained it. I was a little worried about the purchase since I have never bought a car privately. I would have thought your odds of getting ripped off would be higher with a private sale. Maybe not. Thanks for the information
Cons