Skip to content

Buying a Used Porsche

But is it really? Would you prefer ‘risky’ or ‘right’?

Those immortal words…

“It’s mint mate!”
“Like new!”
“Best you will find.”
“Superb condition.”
“Perfect.”

We see Porsche advertised like this all the time, and because we buy them & sell them, we have folk telling us or asking us the same.

Some sellers might be forgiven for not knowing real condition as they have no other experience and are dazzled by their own car.

Some sellers simply lie or are delusional.

Some sellers are economic with the truth.

What we can tell you is that no two used Porsche are the same, and as they get older the differences vary like mad.

It’s harder for us, than it may be for the Official Porsche Centre (though we’re not looking for sympathy as we love what we do!). We handle a much broader age range and sat side by side in the showroom we could have a 1000 mile old 992 or a 70 year old 356. A main dealer has a much narrower spectrum of age to deal with.

For near new Porsche, the condition spectrum could be really narrow, maybe a stone chip or a very slight blemish, but a classic Porsche could range from being a world class restoration, through to the shiny but suspect, and all the way down to boxes with little more than dust, rust and hope.

The best (the near new) and the worst (the rust and dust) are really quite easy to describe fairly, but everything else in between, the classics, the emerging classics like 996, 997, Boxster 986, 987 Cayman, and the used moderns are harder to describe fairly.

Telling it as it is might hurt a sale, so many sellers don’t tell.

Many sellers describe with little expertise, knowledge, transparency or honesty, and they litter fancy words and clever descriptions throughout their adverts to deflect your attention. Perhaps some buyers simply don’t want to know the truth, but we would if we were buying.

We want to know the true condition, what it’s really like. We want to know what is unseen, what might be a likely issue or need maintenance in the future, and whether it’s suitable for the purpose or not. Although we don’t have x-ray vision, we do have plenty of experience and excellent technical knowledge.

So, when you are buying a used Porsche ask the difficult questions and see if you get a straight answer, a polished reply, or your question is deflected.

Ask what the seller knows about the car and its true condition, what is being done prior to sale, and what is not going being addressed prior to the sale.

How about support? Do you get any or not? What about that warranty? What is ‘actually’ covered, and how you cope if there is a problem?

This is where the real ‘hidden’ value is.

What is the real condition?
What is being done prior to delivery?
Will the seller support you (in any way)?
What comeback, warranty, responsibility is the seller offering?

Answers to these questions can add up to a heap of trouble, or a heap of value, high risk or a rewarding purchase & ownership.

Buying and owning a Porsche should be a pleasure.

We want you to have a great time, from the purchase and through years of ownership. If people have a bad experience, a Porsche that turns out to be trouble or disappointing, it contaminates the hobby we all love. It need not be like that.

How do we do it?

We’ll carry on as we have done for over 30 years, delving deep to understand the ‘real’ condition of a Porsche, and helping you to make an informed decision. Telling it how it is can sometimes lose us a sale, and then we see the buyer go on to purchase a misdescribed or under-described Porsche from a poor vendor…don’t let this be you.

We have to do it this way.

We have always been the same, it’s the fabric that provides long-term relationships, and turns our customers into friends, and will lead repeat business. It provides reviews and referrals that come without adverts. It’s our pride and it means that we can sell to people miles away, often over long distances and even overseas, by phone and internet.

We operate our business in a nice part of the country, yet still deliver worldwide, and that is because of the way we handle business. The shared understanding of a given car, the clarity of what you get or don’t get. It’s an essential part of us avoiding reputational issues, and the buyers avoiding the nasty surprises.

EXPERIENCE.

We have been buying, selling, rejecting, servicing, restoring, and fixing the errors of others for over 30 years. We should know.

RESOURCES.

While we don’t have x-ray vision, we do have many experts in our workshops, who like most mechanics, see the worst and are happy to report on issues found. They love finding issues. They have the ramps, their eyes, their experience, their tools, and for the more modern Porsche…all the testing equipment they could ever wish for.

PROCESS.

We assess every Porsche (and other vehicles) in the workshop before we commit to resale. We want to understand what needs doing, or what needs telling. That creates a report, pictures, video, a ‘to do’ list, and a not ‘to do list’. We can share that information with our buyer, and even conduct a live WhatsApp call with a buyer.

SUPPORT.

Porsche do go wrong. Mechanical items have tantrums, break, creak, groan, or give up from time to time. The older they are the more likely this is, though the older they are the less complex. Therefore, we offer most of our Porsche, even the classics, with a Warranty. Ask us about them.

WARRANTY.

‘Not worth the paper they are written on?’ That’s another common phrase from the disbelieving or the disgruntled…but ours are. Our warranties are indeed ‘OUR’ warranty. IT’S NOT some wishy-washy 3rd party policy that’s been bought in for next to nothing. If the car gets sick, it’s covered.

RISK TAKER?

Well, you can buy online on a Friday night from pictures on the web, from unknown sellers, and from situations where its ‘sold as seen’, with ‘no warranty’, ‘caveat emptor’. You might save yourself a few pounds, but you might end up with a large bill, or even disappointment.

IN IT TOGETHER.

Considering the above, it’s obviously in our interest to protect ourselves, and therefore, the buyer too. We’ll tell what we know and see. We both should know what we are getting into, or not, and that means you can make an informed decision. For over 30 years we’ve kept to the same principle, explain to the buyer what they are getting or should expect, and what they are not.

ONGOING SUPPORT.

We attract nice clientele, we become friends, and wherever they are in the world we are happy to help, advise, and make Porsche ownership the pleasure it really can be for as long as they keep their car.

SPREADING the LOVE of Porsche ownership helps us all.

That’s the Passion for Porsche. Less RISK, more REWARD.

ADRIAN FOCUSES ON ‘BUYING A USED PORSCHE’ IN THIS WEEKS WALKABOUT WEDNESDAY.

Latest News

A visit from Design 911

Design 911 came to visit and here's the 'fly on the wall' video with Adrian.
Read More

How to Choose a Restoration Partner.

This guide will help you in choosing a restoration partner, and applies if you are seeking a full restoration, bespoke build, major repairs, or major modifications.

Fill in your e-mail to receive our free guide.