Leawood911:
If it was not for folks like RC can you imagine what that car would have cost me? His type of fear makes it possible for me to own that car for a fraction of what it cost to lease a new one - AND I get to drive it all I want.
You are aware that you drive an old model of the 911 Turbo, so I'm not quite sure why you are so happy about it?! 
The fact is that if the engine showed any signs of issues (or the gearbox) they would not have wasted the money to put in a new clutch without fixing everything (or anything obvious).It does come with an eBay buyers protection plan (very limited). I got 30 second approval for 60K at 2.25% for 72 months. I will need only about a third of that so about an extra $12 a day including extra insurance coverage (lower deductible $500) to trade up from my car and to own the Turbo.
A new engine is around 40k USD as far as I remember. With the old Mezger engine being "decommissioned", repair cost won't really be cheaper in the future.
The other good thing is that my mechanic is THE US Porsche club Turbo expert (Panamara magazine features his advice). Not only can he bolt it back together if there is a failure - he is better than any Porsche service center mechanic. Again, because of folks like RC and their fear of NON Porsche Dealer repair shops I can employ his services cheaply enough that I don't worry about stuff like engine failures. It is built into the price but odds are in my favor that I will not face that expense.
I heard stuff like that more than I can count the cars I owned and in many cases, the owners paid a heavy price for their naivety. However, I forgot that you drive all-season tires in summer on a 911 and you are happy with them, so I'm not surprised. 
My point is to show everyone here that Porsche ownership of EXCELLENT used cars is affordable and fun! Let's face it, given the price increases for the new cars this car will be a solid value for years to come. I was careful to pick a manual, the newer four wheel drive, all the right options, Metzger block - you name it. Except for those uglific wheels! Who knows they may grow on me or I can use them for winter tires. I have enough money left for nice wheels, no problem.
So why didn't you get a 924 for 5000 bucks? 
I am sorry but you are comparing old cars to new cars and it doesn't make any sense to me. Oh well...all-season tires on a 911 don't make sense to me either. 
Cheers - AND THANKS RC! -
BTW throwing money at what might not even be a problem is not always intelligence. Your statement implies we are not smart for buying used Porsches (without extra warranty coverage). Again - it is priced into the car. It is a gamble, so it crossing the street, but it is a very educated gamble - and I am older than you by just a little and not an old fart so I doubt you are an old fart.
I didn't want to spoil the fun with your new car, you misunderstood me. The "intelligence" comment referred to the "old fart" comment made by a different user. I was just pointing out that buying a used 997 Turbo with 50k miles on it without a used Porsche warranty poses a serious risk. Nothing more and nothing less. Apparently you and others love risks, I don't. I learned it the hard way, maybe you and others need to learn it the hard way too. Don't forget that I have contact with hundreds of Porsche owners worldwide and while you may have been lucky so far, not everybody was that lucky. Especially the 997 Turbo is the favorite car for chip tuning and so many things can go wrong, especially if previous owners were cheap. No Mezger engine withstands bad tuning.
Back to topic, I didn't want to steal your thunder, I'm sorry about that. 
--
RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche Panamera Turbo S, Cayenne GTS (958), BMW X3 35d (2012), Mini Cooper S Countryman All4
, the car will be bullet proof even chipped these engines have so many inbuilt protecting features that you will be fine and as we all know this ain't no A91 closed deck chocolate, if something breaks you bolt the broken part off and bolt on a new bit - congrats
" -
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