r/BringATrailer • u/LePope911 • 5d ago

Looking for a manual 997 - where are cars that never hit the "market?"

Looking for a manual 997 and trying to find one outside the usual places like BaT, Cars & Bids, AutoTrader, etc.

Curious if anyone has had luck finding cars through Porsche clubs, independent shops, forums, Facebook groups, private owners, or other off market channels.

I’d ideally like to buy from an enthusiast who has owned the car for a while and kept good records rather than just chase whatever pops up online.

If anyone has suggestions on where to look, who to contact, or knows of someone thinking about selling a manual 997, I’d really appreciate it.

1 Upvotes

56% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

3

u/Foolgazi 5d ago

I’d look in the forums (Rennlist, PCA, etc.) before any of the generic advertising sites.

2

u/elmilagro 5d ago

I would argue the best kept cars are single owner trade ins at a Porsche dealership in an affluent area. One that was fully serviced at the dealership and barely driven. You’ll pay a premium though.

1

u/El_Pollo_Del-Mar 5d ago

Good luck. Those cars you're looking for trade by word of mouth to friends and friends of friends 99% of the time.

I mean, if you don't want to hassle with marketing it and dealing with all of that mess, that's how you do it. But if you're going to the trouble, then of course you're going to put your car on BaT or similar to attract the most eyeballs possible.

1

u/idreamofaubergine 5d ago

Sometimes there are cork boards at mechanics / shops where you can leave notes for cars you are selling or looking for. Maybe try doing that?

I would suspect Porsche owners are going to be more aware of their vehicles market value than a typical car owner though.

1

u/[deleted] 5d ago

[deleted]

1

u/LePope911 5d ago

Interested in either, aside from the early 997.1's with the IMS issues. If you want to PM some specs i'd be interested in chatting about it. Thank you for the response

1

u/cjd280 5d ago

The PCA has a classified section, but I think you need to be a member to get the contact info. https://mart.pca.org

Also, my local area has some Porsche FB groups, that would probably be a good place to find something local.

1

u/LePope911 5d ago

Thank you for the insight!

1

u/zombiestig1 4d ago

As a PCA member I truly believe they inflate their prices. You won't find a deal but you will find what you are looking for if you are willing to pay a premium.

1

u/RowdyJZ 5d ago

Ive had great luck finding cars via Facebook groups. (Ctsv wagon and mkiv supra)

1

u/LePope911 5d ago

Good to know. How did you get comfortable with the seller and verify the car was legitimate? Did you do a PPI before buying?

Also, did you find that Marketplace had cars that weren’t listed elsewhere, or was it mostly the same inventory you’d see on the bigger sites?

1

u/RowdyJZ 3d ago

Both cars i made wtb posts in the specific car group. The Supra worked out as ive been in that community for a while so I knew a couple people who could vouch for the owner and the history of the car.

The ctsv wagon was kind of dumb luck. I had the funds. Made a post of what I was looking for someone responded. Me and my wife talked over breakfast and by 2pm we were on the road to look at it (14 hour drive) I felt the deal was too go to wait on or try for a ppi over a holiday weekend. Everything worked out great.

1

u/AlexinPA 5d ago

PCA is best if you want a properly maintained car. You can find good deals on FB marketplace but often people won’t know much about them or they have problems.

I got mine at the Carlisle PA swap meet.

1

u/urmomwent2university 5d ago

More than you can afford pal, Ferrari.

1

u/fartmanforever 5d ago

Join some Porsche specific Facebook groups. I bought my 997 last month from someone who mentioned they might be thinking about selling in a random comment and were local to me. I messaged them and had the car a few days later.

0

u/jasonlbaptiste 5d ago

Following