Buying 991 Targa - Is a warranty necessary?

[anonymous-user]

Hi all,

My Dad is looking to buy a 991 Targa 4S for my Mum, and the cars he is looking at are from 2014-2015 with around 10-30k on the clock.

My experience with Porsche does not extend into the newer 911 models as I have only owned classic air cooled stuff, so I have no idea of any issues or problems that may affect the 991, or more specifically, the Targa.

There are a couple for sale at Porsche dealers so will come with a 2 year warranty apparently, but most appear to be for sale at independent garages so I presume will come with a warranty of anywhere from 6-12 months, or possibly even less...

So with this in mind, is there anything I need to know about common problems or other issues that affect these cars that would make you think that a longer warranty, or some kind of extended warranty is necessary?

Would you be even able to obtain a Porsche warranty on a 6 year old car that had been out of warranty for some time?

Not having a warranty on anything I own never bothers me in the slightest, because if stuff breaks on cars you just get it fixed and that’s that, but I would just like to give my dad all the info before he makes the purchase.

Thanks!

[Twinfan]

You can add a Porsche warranty to a car bought elsewhere provided you take it to a Porsche Centre for a full service and it passes a 111-point check. The car must be 100% as it left the factory and have genuine Porsche brakes, battery, N-spec (Porsche rated) tyres. no significant over-revs recorded on the ECU etc. Once done you can add the warranty which is approximately £900/year and you won't be able to claim until the car has been owned for 3 months.

That's all from memory, I'm sure someone will come along and correct me if I'm wrong about anything

[anonymous-user]

TBH I think he'd be mad to buy anywhere other than OPC if there are "warranty" concerns.

I like the 991 Targa a great deal but my word they're (a) expensive, and (b) complicated. What are they going to do in a 991 Targa that they couldn't do in a Boxster for a fraction of the price? Obviously if the objective is to "look flash" then it has to be Targa all the way.

Just checking: Make sure your folks aware the roof can only be moved when the car is parked. It's not an "up to 30 mph" roof.

[anonymous-user]

Twinfan said:

You can add a Porsche warranty to a car bought elsewhere provided you take it to a Porsche Centre for a full service and it passes a 111-point check. The car must be 100% as it left the factory and have genuine Porsche brakes, battery, N-spec (Porsche rated) tyres. no significant over-revs recorded on the ECU etc. Once done you can add the warranty which is approximately £900/year and you won't be able to claim until the car has been owned for 3 months.

That's all from memory, I'm sure someone will come along and correct me if I'm wrong about anything

Thank you, that is really useful. Good to know a rough price as well.

[anonymous-user]

rockin said:

TBH I think he'd be mad to buy anywhere other than OPC if there are "warranty" concerns.

I like the 991 Targa a great deal but my word they're (a) expensive, and (b) complicated. What are they going to do in a 991 Targa that they couldn't do in a Boxster for a fraction of the price? Obviously if the objective is to "look flash" then it has to be Targa all the way.

Just checking: Make sure your folks aware the roof can only be moved when the car is parked. It's not an "up to 30 mph" roof.

They had a 987.2 Boxster S a couple of years ago, and it was a great car and did everything they wanted. They went touring in it and enjoyed it.

I can safely say that the reason that they want a Targa isn’t to look flash My dad has spent decades actively trying to not look ‘flash’ or give off the impression of having money. He’s one of those types of people. He worries a bit about what people think if you flaunt it. He has little to no interest in flashy physical possessions.

He wants to buy one as he just loves Targa roof cars, and absolutely loves the look of the 991 Targa. It is purely driven by the fact he feels it will be a good car that will do what he wants, and he will enjoy the Targa top experience.

[markiii]

not directly relevant buts its going to feel very heavy after that boxster

[Maxym]

If you don't do warranty you effectively self-insure. If you're prepared to take the occasional big hit (and of course you might not get hit at all) then don't buy a warranty - and after all the insurer that provides the warranty aims aims to make a profit on that particular block of business (although the insurer spreads its risk). But on the other hand knowing your outgo is limited to £x00 pa and that stuff is then covered - on an official Porsche warranty extensively so - may be worthwhile peace of mind.

Knowing how much stuff going wrong can cost to put right, and ditto how complex modern Porsches are, has led me down the warranty route.

HTH.

[anonymous-user]

markiii said:

not directly relevant buts its going to feel very heavy after that boxster

It certainly will, but honestly, they won’t notice or care in my opinion.

My mum will just tootle along at the speed limit in the same fashion as she drives her other cars. She probably won’t even notice much difference between it and her other cars!

My dad is more likely put his foot down occasionally, but as long as he can have the roof off and just enjoy the drive, he won’t be interested in the dynamics and the handling.

I would go so far as to say that the comfort is likely to be more important to them, and if the Targa is a better car for longer distances and increased comfort over the Boxster, then it’ll be better for them.

Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 3rd June 12:21

[Royal Jelly]

The Porsche warranty is very good by any measure. As said, it’ll need a 111 point check from an OPC if it’s not sold by Porsche. If the stock is primarily outside the dealer network, a reputable independent dealer will allow their cars to be taken to an OPC for the check, if your parents pay the 180-odd quid.

It does have to be pretty much entirely standard, but remember that the real world isn’t PH - so that’s unlikely to be a factor in most inspections. The vast majority of 911s are bought by folks who want a nice sports car straight out of the box as opposed to those on here who want to extract more out of the car with mods.

My Cayman is under extended warranty, but I’ll likely not renew next year and self-insure - they’re pretty robust things. However, for peace of mind, 1800 for 2 years of very good coverage on a car of that value is undoubtedly what my old man would do.

[Twinfan]

Royal Jelly said:

It does have to be pretty much entirely standard, but remember that the real world isn’t PH - so that’s unlikely to be a factor in most inspections. The vast majority of 911s are bought by folks who want a nice sports car straight out of the box as opposed to those on here who want to extract more out of the car with mods.

It's not just mods that are the issue, it's non-standard parts e.g. discs/pads/tyres/battery etc. Cars outside the OPC network are more likely to have non-Porsche service items fitted I suspect. So the cost of getting them back inside the network needs to be considered, if you're going down that route.

[Royal Jelly]

Fair point well made...

Although I suspect your typical 911 Targa first owner is the sort of guy/girl that uses the OPC for servicing..

Edited by Royal Jelly on Thursday 3rd June 18:01

[Pauloamore]

OP...

I've had my 991.2 Targa 4 for 3 years.
- (I also have a 981 Gt4 that I track quite regularly).

Is it required? No - i dont think so. Is it cheap and good value; yes - IMHO.

In terms of warranty claims, I had a wishbone thing creak in the front that was changed out.
- I've never heard of the roof failing. It is complex for sure but very reliable.

BUT - the warranty is cheap and transferable, for what it is. I just paid £1950 for 2 years = £81 a month.
- Adds value for a personal / SOR sale for sure. But is not refunded if the car is sold back to an OPC.
- I forgot to extended it in March, and had to pay for the 111 point inspection. Went fine expect for a switch that needed replacing.

Hope this helps...

Lots of people write that the car is heavy (glass roof etc)... I don't feel that for what I use it for. I commute and country road drive (I wouldn't take my Gt4 for that). Then again, I wouldn't take the Targa to the track.

[Monch]

BUT - the warranty is cheap and transferable, for what it is. I just paid £1950 for 2 years = £81 a month.
- Adds value for a personal / SOR sale for sure. But is not refunded if the car is sold back to an OPC.


the warranty is an insurance policy that can be cancelled and monies refunded.
terms and conditions apply, obviously, but you can do it

[anonymous-user]

Pauloamore said:

OP...

I've had my 991.2 Targa 4 for 3 years.
- (I also have a 981 Gt4 that I track quite regularly).

Is it required? No - i dont think so. Is it cheap and good value; yes - IMHO.

In terms of warranty claims, I had a wishbone thing creak in the front that was changed out.
- I've never heard of the roof failing. It is complex for sure but very reliable.

BUT - the warranty is cheap and transferable, for what it is. I just paid £1950 for 2 years = £81 a month.
- Adds value for a personal / SOR sale for sure. But is not refunded if the car is sold back to an OPC.
- I forgot to extended it in March, and had to pay for the 111 point inspection. Went fine expect for a switch that needed replacing.

Hope this helps...

Lots of people write that the car is heavy (glass roof etc)... I don't feel that for what I use it for. I commute and country road drive (I wouldn't take my Gt4 for that). Then again, I wouldn't take the Targa to the track.

Thanks for the info

[JohnnyUK]

Monch said:

BUT - the warranty is cheap and transferable, for what it is. I just paid £1950 for 2 years = £81 a month.
- Adds value for a personal / SOR sale for sure. But is not refunded if the car is sold back to an OPC.


the warranty is an insurance policy that can be cancelled and monies refunded.
terms and conditions apply, obviously, but you can do it

That's interesting, I'm currently having the same debate with my local OPC.

I bought a 2 year warranty (my second) back in Sep 20, but decided to part-ex for a newer car in May this year.

Having worked in insurance for ten years, I tried to get a refund for the terminated policy - I was then told that as I part-exed into an OPC I wouldn't get a refund as the policy "goes with the car"...!

I've never heard of such a policy where I buy it and it is then passed on to a new customer (when the original car was then subsequently sold with a Porsche 24 month warranty - It's MY policy!)

The Terms and Conditions DO say this (yes, I missed it), but I will be going to the Financial Ombudsman, as this falls foul of many "treating customers fairly" rules.