Buyers Guide - Classic Porsche
So you’ve decided to live that Porsche life. Congratulations on your excellent taste. But just making that decision places you in treacherous waters that can lead to expensive mistakes and unenjoyable ownership. To avoid buying someone else’s problem or your own mistake, there are a few tried-and-true steps to correctly and smartly buying a classic Porsche.
Whether you’re shopping for a 928, 944, 911, 912, or any other classic Porsche, the first step to buying your own is to thoroughly investigate exactly what you want. Years, trim packages, colors, options, and modifications all come with pros and cons that you need to be aware of. To do this, read everything you can on the model you are interested in. Histories, period reviews, PCA buying guides, and magazine features will all give you detailed background on your future car and educate you on what to look for.
As far as what to avoid on your chosen model, online forums such as Pelican Parts, Rennlist, and model-specific forums will all be endless wells of information from actual owners and enthusiasts. Many have buying guides or previous threads of people just like you looking for advice. These forums will also become indispensable when you acquire your car and run into eventual problems or questions.
Now that you are a learned Porsche shopper, it’s time to start shopping! Prices and quality tend to gravitate upwards on PCA and forum classifieds. You’ll pay a premium here, but generally the best of the breed is sold here. Next up in price and quality is BringATrailer and/or classic car dealers. The best deals – and the biggest opportunities for getting scammed – are generally to be found on online classifieds like eBay, Craigslist, and Autotrader. If you’re shopping on these sites, carry a giant hunk of “buyer beware” with you at all times.
Regardless of where you shop, when you find your three top prospects – and you should definitely find more than one – it is time to start arranging Pre-Purchase Inspections (PPIs). These are in-depth investigations of the car by a knowledgeable mechanic. You are responsible for paying for a PPI, and it should be between $90-$500 depending on the shop and the level of detail they go into. No reasonable seller should prevent you from getting a PPI. Yes, it’s a bit of a pain for them to drive to the mechanic and wait, but that’s what it takes to sell a vintage German sports car.
You can find PPI shops near the seller by searching through the PCA vendors, or by posting on the various Porsche forums. I’ve done this several times and never had a problem getting suggestions for respected Porsche mechanics from the hive mind.
At this point you should have one to three solid options to purchase, a solid mechanical report on each, as well as possible areas you can use to haggle with the seller. Now it’s all down to negotiation. Here is where it is important to have more than one option for you to purchase. The foundation of any negotiating stance is the ability to walk away if you don’t get what you want. Porsche prices have risen and fallen quite rapidly over the last decade, but after all your research you should have a solid sense of the current market and will know a fair and decent price for the car you want. Knowing the market price and the condition of your car should arm you with all you need for this discussion.
Close the deal, wire the funds, insure your new dream car, and hit the road. You’ve successfully navigated the treacherous waters of buying a classic Porsche. There’s only one step left to take – enjoy.
Interested in a day behind the wheel of a classic air-cooled 911? We have just the experience for you! Registration is now open for our Porsche 930 Driving Experience.
