Buying a 911 in Germany...
Discussion
Dear all,
my first post on this forum, so here goes.
After a few years of saving, I am now in a position to purchase a 911. My personal preference is for a 993, 1996 onwards for the varioram and around 40 to 45 K Euros. The ideal for me would be a C4S, but I am prepared to be flexible. It will be manual and coupe, possibly targa.
So I am a Brit living in Stuttgart...bliss...Porsche on one side north and another car manuafacturer somewhere else in the city..can't recall who..!! I have started the search of the websites and have been on visits to dealers as far away as Munchen and Frankfurt. I have also driven some of the cars and done the inspections as far as I can, with the help of the downloaded e-books and stuff. I am making progress..I think!
I am in no way a mechanical expert, and would like to get a second opinion as to the "fitness" of the car and there seems to be some choices. First up there is the TUV, which is like an MOT agency who will inspect the vehicle. They can be contracted by private individuals to check up on any car. Seems OK, but I think maybe they will offer only a general opinion. Secondly, there is the ADAC (German version of the AA), who will also inspect a car, but who also will inspect all makes.
One point I have noticed here in Germany is that a full service history is available in 100% of the examples I have seen. In addition, the cars seems to be staying in the main dealer network for much longer than in the UK. Although this gives some reassurance..I am always reminded of the saying "buyer beware".
My question is really if there are any other groups who could help with a pre-purchase inspection. I have visited the Porsche owners club websites and cannot seem to find any contacts who would be able to help. So I am at a loss. What seems to be normal in England, to get a second opinion (the back of 911 & Porsche World magazine seems to have contacts), seems to be more challenging here. If anyone has any experiences or could offer advice then that would be appreciated...Thks..
my first post on this forum, so here goes.
After a few years of saving, I am now in a position to purchase a 911. My personal preference is for a 993, 1996 onwards for the varioram and around 40 to 45 K Euros. The ideal for me would be a C4S, but I am prepared to be flexible. It will be manual and coupe, possibly targa.
So I am a Brit living in Stuttgart...bliss...Porsche on one side north and another car manuafacturer somewhere else in the city..can't recall who..!! I have started the search of the websites and have been on visits to dealers as far away as Munchen and Frankfurt. I have also driven some of the cars and done the inspections as far as I can, with the help of the downloaded e-books and stuff. I am making progress..I think!
I am in no way a mechanical expert, and would like to get a second opinion as to the "fitness" of the car and there seems to be some choices. First up there is the TUV, which is like an MOT agency who will inspect the vehicle. They can be contracted by private individuals to check up on any car. Seems OK, but I think maybe they will offer only a general opinion. Secondly, there is the ADAC (German version of the AA), who will also inspect a car, but who also will inspect all makes.
One point I have noticed here in Germany is that a full service history is available in 100% of the examples I have seen. In addition, the cars seems to be staying in the main dealer network for much longer than in the UK. Although this gives some reassurance..I am always reminded of the saying "buyer beware".
My question is really if there are any other groups who could help with a pre-purchase inspection. I have visited the Porsche owners club websites and cannot seem to find any contacts who would be able to help. So I am at a loss. What seems to be normal in England, to get a second opinion (the back of 911 & Porsche World magazine seems to have contacts), seems to be more challenging here. If anyone has any experiences or could offer advice then that would be appreciated...Thks..
The reason the Porsches stay in the main dealer network longer here is because their labour rates for older cars is much more reasonable- 70Euros an hour- better than alot of UK specialists.
The service you get from the main dealers here is on a different plane also.
I'm currently having ALOT of work done on my car, just to get into top-notch condition- due to the expertise and price!
The service you get from the main dealers here is on a different plane also.
I'm currently having ALOT of work done on my car, just to get into top-notch condition- due to the expertise and price!
A general comment ... cars in Germany are generally much better maintained than in the UK, with it being rare to find ANY car without a full service history. I'm not saying that you won't find dogs over there, but I expect the general quality of the vehicles on offer to be much higher than those in the UK.
Oli.
Oli.
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