53 replies to this topic

[94SilverCab]

My Daily Driver...how funny that so many of us are Miata folks too.

Attached Files

•  90RedMX_5.jpg   1.19MB   23 downloads

[Kim]

Found my white one in an Auto Trader - bought it in Toronto at a (once was a) Porsche dealer without seeing anything other than pictures. When I picked it up the A/C compressor died on the test drive. Got that fixed and started the 1700 km drive home. DME relay was bad and had a hard time getting it started in the morning in the hotel parking lot. Was told "you won't need to spend a cent for three years" - now at 2.5 years and have spend just over $35K in repairs (not including the car). Glad now to say the EVERYTHING that was wrong has been fixed.

Bought the blue one an internet search from HJ Pfaff in Toronto - car was immaculate, exactly as described and still is. Drove it home also and had a blast.

Jeckyl and Hyde they are.

Might be buying a Cayenne today from the local dealer - tired of all this long distance love affair stuff.

[VGM911]

My neighbor put a note in my mailbox telling me that he was selling his Amazon Green 968 and that if I wanted it, I should call him.

I did. I drove it. I bought it. I loved it.

[pbc1548]

I was very lucky - something I'm not accustomed to!!! I saw mine privately listed in Autotrader in Toronto and bought it immediately. About a year earlier, I saw the car at a Porsche dealer but the asking price was outrageous so I let it go. I couldn't believe it when I saw it for sale again. The car was being sold by the family of the man who purchased it from the dealer. Unfortunately, he passed away after owning the car for only 7 months. The car was/is pristine, 57k km's with full documentation. First owner had the car for 13 years when she traded it to the dealer for a new boxster. The most remarkable thing is I paid quite a bit less for it than I did for my S2. I often take a quick look in the garage just to to make sure it wasn't a dream or a bad practical joke.

Kim - i know the place in T.O your speaking about - he lost the dealership years ago as a result of "questionable" sales practices. Glad your other purchase went well - Pffaf is the best around these parts.

[Etnier]

I bought my car in early 2002 from the -original- .net forum. A very nice guy down in New Bedford MA.

[Renalicious]

I too bought mine off of ebay on March 2006. At the time I was saving up for a couple of years, and it wasn't too easy because my job was kind of iffy back in those days. I started off wanting a late model 944, and I'm not quite sure what made me switch to a 968. At first I didn't want one, thought maybe a 3L was going to be too expensive on gas? heh. But eventually I started looking at 968s, and looking, and waiting. It was a brutal couple of years.

I finally found a relatively cheaper one on ebay: great condition with all records, white on white, it really caught my eye. I wasn't on any forums or knew anyone in texas at the time, so I bought it hoping it wasn't a lemon or anything. It took another month or so of delays and customs, and whatever else, but I finally got it. When it finally arrived I went and paid it a visit down across the border, and the feeling I got when I first saw it was jaw dropping. I went up close, inspected it here and there, and then it dawned on me: this car really is going to be expensive, the back seats really are small, and the trunk was surprisingly shallow.

My first chance to drive the car wasn't until I had paid for the insurance and put on the plates. My relief was almost palpable, it drove great! And talk about power!

Obviously the car wasn't perfect since I have spent probably close to $10K in additional maintenance on it . But its the kind of maintenance that keeps the car running happy, and not something that needs to be done every year. I figure some cars are better than others (true for owners), and the last owner must have really pushed the car and cheaped out on maintenance. It used to be my daily driver across town for the better part of 2006, now I moved closer and carpool, and save my car for the weekend (or shopping)

968 sitting in the car lot, my first time seeing it in person. I still can't get enough of how nice 968s look.
 968_fence.JPG   110.22KB   38 downloads
Deceptively it looked like the paint was ruined, but it was just dirty
 968_dirty.JPG   76.27KB   34 downloads

If I had to do it again, I probably would be more patient, and make sure the car I was getting was in a bit better shape than the one I got. Its true about the official Porsche inspection, it might have saved me a lot of headaches. But I wanted a project car, and I got one. Be careful what you wish for

[Vaino]

It took me six months of "serious looking" on autotrader, cars.com, eBay, etc. I had looked casually for about a year. I find my car on autotrader, allow with three other cars in the area. Not my area, but down in Maryland. A fellow 968forum member did the look at one, and I took a leap of faith and drove down to look at all three, and bought the one. Luck has a big part to play. My car only had 42K miles, and was in generally good condition. Still needed general maintenance (Timing Belt, front end seal, and a Steering Hose). As this is my third FEWC, I know these are standard repair parts. All three of my cars have required the same thing.

Good luck with your search!

[sguy]

I don't know if there is a connection with Miata's and 968's or not, but once someone told me that if you love sports cars, someday you'll own a miata. That makes sense because they are cheap, fun, easy to find, and a great sports car experience. That being said, they are not a 968. Last year I drove my miata 4K, and the Porsche 12K miles. That should tell you something. Let's see, if I sell the Miata, then I could get a ______?

Cheers, Stephen

[Anchorman]

I, for one, will never own a Miata. I was in one once and, like the Honda S2000, it simply didn't "fit". I certainly can see folks going from a Miata to a 968, but not the reverse.

[ds968]

On E-bay. In a bidding contest with one other interested party, was getting tired of that nonsense and really wanted that particular car ( color combo, etc. ) so I called the owner, offered him $ 1 k over the last bid
( which incidentally had just met the reserve ) so he ended the auction and sold it to me.
Happily ever after

[csc71]

Exclusive Motors out of Charlotte North Carolina.
"Stan" found exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a black or blue coupe with black or grey interior and low mileage. He found me a black/black with 37,000 miles on it. The car was in Houston Texas and he had it shipped to NC and then shipped to me in PA. I bought it sight unseen except for a few pictures.

Highly recommend Exclusive Motors!

Steve

[Chris Vais]

I found my car in the local newspaper classified. I looked at it the first day the ad appeared. The car was registered in AZ and the registration was expired. You cannot sell a used car in California that is not currently registered in California, so I told the owner this and she freaked out because she had purchased another vehicle and needed as quick sale as she could get.

So I told her that for a significant discount on her asking price, I would get the car smogged and registered and a check for the purchase amount in one day. She got at least 8 calls on the car while I was taking care of the details. The car was a year and a half old with 21,000 miles on it. Cost me $28K.

Given the age and comparative rarity of the cars, it seems unlikely that you'd find one in the local classified. Thee are always cars listd for sale through PCA and regularly on the forums. Don't be put off by some of the asking prices you see out there. People who are passionate about their cars, tend to assign unrealistic values to their vehicles, but in the end everything is negotiable.

[opua]

I am now down here in sunny Florida. I was in South Beach Miami this past Saturday, and I have never seen so many exotic cars, cars with base prices over $100k, all in one day. I counted up to 20 before I saw a Miata. Saw Ferrari, Aston Martin, Masaratte (sp), RR, Bentley, Porsche GT. The only car brand did not see was the super rare or super exotic such as Bugatti.

Back to 968 discussions.

94silvercab, I see you're in Bucks County PA. Are you a member of LVMOC or Del-Val?

ds968, I'll keep your story in mind next time I am bidding with someone in Ebay. Useful story.

csc71, is Exclusive Motors like a buying service?

Looks like patience for finding a 968 that has been well kept and maintained is the key to getting a good value 968. Keep the stories coming. I love reading them.

[Jack]

Many on the boards are in better condidtion then the average ebay, auto trader site. You may also have the oppurtunity to read past posts from the seller on that very board, to give further insight on the cars history. However in the end nothing beats a PPI.

Theres a nice white one at the link below. I purchased that White 968 from Arizona about a month ago and recently put $3,200 in maintenance and upgrades. Keep checking ebay as I have seen several nice 968's since I started looking. Good Luck. Jack[i]
http://www.rennlist.com/ads/

[csc71]

http://www.exclusive-motors.com/

A small dealership, but Stan will search for what you are looking for!

Steve

[Bart]

I first noticed the car in pano and knew that it had to be the car I had seen around town, it was and still is the only 968 in town. Asking price was a bit high for me to take the time to look at it. A couple of months later I spotted it on ebay and decided to go take a look. I watched the ebay bidding run its course and was the 2nd highest bidder and told the owner if the sale didn't work out to give me a call. It didn't and after a PPI I was the new owner...For significantly less than the asking price in pano. I didn't get a steal but a fair deal.

[PorscheDude]

I started out looking for a 951.

Then blah blah blah.

I found my 968 at porsche dealer 500 miles away while searching dealer inventory online.

I still miss not having boost, but all in all I feel I made the right choice.
Came with all dealer service records, a set of snow tires and a box of parts that were removed by the PO.

In the last year I spent approx $4k in gremlins.

[TheMirror]

Out here on the west coast, there are WAY less cars available to choose from. I actually found mine by posting here and an owner less than 3 miles away from me contacted me.

[chanf968]

I am very fortunate to have a girlfriend who take me auto related suggestions seriously.
I encouraged her to buy an 07 NC GT 6spd with bilstein shocks. I never imagined I would
enjoy a vert knowing the inferior handling comparing to a coupe (had a 93 968 6 spd with LSD
a few years back). I was WAY........wrong, the little NC handle twisty up and downhill roads extremely
well. The car has quickly become one of my all time favorites (among 968, 993 c4, F430). I drive it
more than she does!! I like it so much that I am putting a new sway bar set and possibly underbelly
butterfly brace to stiffen the frame.

Anyhow, I am in the same boat as you are, shopping for a 968! I am looking for a coupe though.
Good luck with your search!

[Darth Vadar]

Heh! My Porsches all seem to find me! I wasn't looking for a 968, but was "Porsche-less", and happened to drive by the Ford Dealer in the next town over (15 miles). Glanced at the used car lot, and almost ran off the road when I saw this Black 968, looking sort of lonesome, at the rear of the used car lot. Pulled in and spoke to the Head Honcho of Used Cars, who said the 968 was sold, to a fellow in my town who owned a Porsche repair shop. Well! There is only one guy, so I went back home and stopped in and asked if he had bought the 968 at the Ford Dealer. His wife said "no, but we called about it for another Porsche owner who wanted it for a track car, but the Ford dealer said the clutch was gone, so he decided to pass on it".
Not being deterred, I returned to the Ford Dealer (helps to be retired and have lots of time to explore these options!) and informed him that the car was not sold, which did not make him a happy camper, but it DID make him very interested in showing me the car. I asked about the clutch. He grudgingly admitted that he had been told that it was "Gone". Ah Ha! an even better bargaining chip! I didn't even try to drive the car... just started it to see if the engine was junk. It was not, so I made the Dealer an insanely low offer... I think he had to swallow his lunch twice before he could respond... of course the answer was "No Way... I would sell it to a junk yard first!" I said "hey, sounds like a plan to me!", and walked out.
He called me the next morning, practically begging me to buy the car at my price... it seems that the Dealership had taken the car and a BMW M3 Z3 in on trade for an Expedition (the better to haul drugs with???), and the General Manager was having a fit because the 968 was still setting on the lot, and with the bad clutch, they couldn't afford to have it fixed and make a profit on the total deal, nor could they auction it in that condition, so they were, shall we say, STUCK!
I said I would be right over with my trailer with a winch on it, and haul that piece of foreign crap out of there that very day! I will not reveal the actual purchase price, on penalty of death!
When I got there to load the car, the Used Car Guy had one of his minions help me. He asked if I wanted to drive it on the trailer, or should he? I said, No, I would winch it on because the clutch was gone. He looked at me funny, and said he had just driven the 968 around the lot that morning and the clutch was fine! I said Okay, then you put it on the trailer! Which he proceeded to do, with absolutely NO issues!!!
Yeah, you already guessed the punch line! The brake fluid reservoir was low, and below the level of the clutch master cylinder, which had sucked in some air at some point and needed bled. Sometimes the clutch was a bit "soft", and the Manager had listened to someone who had complained about that, BUT had never checked it out for himself!!! Refilled the Reservoir, bled the clutch, and away we go! Body and interior are pristine, and she runs like a top! So I spent the extra money on a full belt and roller change, new front end seals, etc. and had some left over for the Bilstein Escort Coilovers and M030 Bars! (and a set of Lloyd's mat's from Kathy! Love those Mats!)
So, look far and wide, but sometimes they are right in your "backyard"!!!