New member, not sure where to post

[Stonestreet]

Hi everyone, my name is Marc and I'm new here, so I apologize if this is the wrong place for introductions.

I'm not a porsche owner yet, I joined here to try and get sorted in my first purchase. Just wanted to say hi and express my excitement at the prospect of knowing more about the car that may save my life.

I currently drive a big dumb ford f-150. I'm a builder and I have no choice but to use the company truck for personal travel as well. Can't wait to be in a proper sports car. . .

Anyway, I'm enjoying reading the threads and picking up some knowledge.

Cheers,

Marc

[SilberUrS6]

Originally Posted by Stonestreet

Hi everyone, my name is Marc and I'm new here, so I apologize if this is the wrong place for introductions.

I'm not a porsche owner yet, I joined here to try and get sorted in my first purchase. Just wanted to say hi and express my excitement at the prospect of knowing more about the car that may save my life.

I currently drive a big dumb ford f-150. I'm a builder and I have no choice but to use the company truck for personal travel as well. Can't wait to be in a proper sports car. . .

Anyway, I'm enjoying reading the threads and picking up some knowledge.

Cheers,

Marc

Nothing wrong with a dumb F150. We use ours for towing a boat and getting mulch for the flower beds. Something a Porsche wasn't really intended to handle.

This forum is more about discussions of valuation for Porsches/parts. But it's always good to see someone doing research ahead of time. There are a couple of things you'll want to do before even looking at your first car.

1.) Buy a couple of 911 buyer's guides. They'll give you a rough idea of what to look for. And stuff to look out for. They aren't the Porsche Bible, so use them for guidance only. And they do work fine to get you into your first Porsche. If I had to do it all over again, I'd do a couple of things differently, but overall, buyer's guides will help you narrow down your choices.

2.) Read the 911 technical forum. A lot. You'll get a lot of insight into what folks do with their cars. It's also a very valuable knowledge resource. Search the forum before you ask questions - someone has asked your question before. More than once.

When you have your year/car range narrowed down, turn off that part of your brain that REALLY wants a Porsche 911. Because if you fall in love with a car, you'll miss important details that might hurt you later. Let me say it again:

DON'T FALL IN LOVE.

Evaluate each car you look at like it were a Toyota Camry. Be critical. Be aware of what the seller is telling you, and what the seller might not be telling you. Look at how the seller keeps his garage and his other cars. Looks like a garbage dump? Beware. Could eat off the floor? Good sign.

Drive a bunch of cars, even ones out of your price range. Get an idea of how they feel and sound. Then make the best deal you can. Pay more for a better car - nothing is more expensive than a cheap Porsche.

Good luck, and don't be afraid to come back and ask questions. There are a lot of super-smart guys here, who know a TON about Porsches.

I'm not one of those guys, I just know stuff about buying used cars.

Hope to see a picture of you in a Porsche soon.

[Stonestreet]

Thanks for the advice, I'll try to find some buyers' guides and read up in the tech forum. I've been looking hard at the late '70's to '83 models. I like the idea of being a similar age to my car.

I know what you mean about falling in love with a car. I'm going to try to stay linear and objective.


So much to learn. . .


Marc

[brock911]

Hello fellow Canadian, welcome to our madness.

I'm from Niagara and own a small hobby pre-owned Porsche dealership. I would be happy to share insight and provide some guidance if you like.

PM me for my number.

Best wishes with the search,
Mike

[Stonestreet]

Thanks Mike,

PM sent.

[PushingMyLuck]

Originally Posted by SilberUrS6

1.) Buy a couple of 911 buyer's guides. They'll give you a rough idea of what to look for. And stuff to look out for. They aren't the Porsche Bible, so use them for guidance only. And they do work fine to get you into your first Porsche. If I had to do it all over again, I'd do a couple of things differently, but overall, buyer's guides will help you narrow down your choices.
.

Can you name a good buyer's guide?

I understand that the Zimmerman book talks about the various models,
but if you already know you want an SC or a 3.2 Carerra, are they PPI style buyer's guides for certain models? Or is this built into the Zimmerman book?

[SilberUrS6]

Originally Posted by PushingMyLuck

Can you name a good buyer's guide?

I understand that the Zimmerman book talks about the various models,
but if you already know you want an SC or a 3.2 Carerra, are they PPI style buyer's guides for certain models? Or is this built into the Zimmerman book?

Peter Zimmerman's book is very good overall - much of what you look for carries over from year to year. For that matter, much of what he recommends can be used for cars that aren't Porsche.

Randy Leffingwell also writes a good guide. I found that book to fill in some stuff that Zimmerman's book did not.

Another thing to do is find out if there is a Pelican near where your target car is. That Pelican can really give the car a good looking-over, and be happy to do it. If you do get another Pelican to help out, don't leave them empty-handed.

I also bought the Red Book - gives VIN ranges and production numbers. I also bought some general information books, just to teach myself a little history of the brand, and the car. Oh, and I bought a Bentley manual, just because I wanted to see how hard it would be to do my own fixin'.

[PushingMyLuck]

Is the Bentley for 911's considered good or junk?

[SilberUrS6]

Originally Posted by PushingMyLuck

Is the Bentley for 911's considered good or junk?

Good for what it is. Detailed descriptions of how to do stuff, which is great. Some conspicuous errors on torque values, which is bad. Overall, I'd much rather have a Bentley for any European car that I own, than have any of the others, or nothing at all.

The factory service manuals are best, but they will cost you a mint.