A car is a major purchase, and it is important to know that you are choosing the right one. This is particularly true when you are looking at second hand cars, as you cannot be sure how well the previous owners have treated the vehicle. If you are considering buying a Porsche, then there are a few simple checks you should perform when viewing the car in order to be able to make your decision with confidence.

The first thing you should do is take a look at the car to check for any damage. This could be some simple wear and tear, which may not be serious, but which should be reflected in the price of the car. You should look carefully at the body and paintwork. Check for any marks and dents, particularly ones that could be the results of crash damage, and for patches of rust. If there are any freshly painted parts, then consider whether they are there to conceal a problem with the car body.

You should also check that the tires are in good condition, and that there are no leaks. Take a look at the engine. Even if you don’t know much about cars, you can check whether there is any damage or corrosion, and whether anything is leaking.

Once you have assured yourself that the car is basically sound, you can check whether it is working properly. Never buy a second hand car that you have not driven. The current owner or car dealer should be able to offer you a test drive, during which you can get a feel for how well the car handles and make sure that everything is in working order. Driving, even if it is only for a few minutes, will tell you whether the suspension, brakes, engine and controls are functioning properly. If someone tries to sell you a car while making excuses for why you can’t test drive it, then walk away. They may be hiding something that is seriously wrong with the vehicle.

As well as checking the condition of the Porsche, you need to make sure that all the documents are in order and that the serial numbers on the different parts of the car match.

If you are still concerned, or you feel unsure of your ability to asses a vehicle properly, then you can employ a professional service to look over a car for you. They will be able to inspect the car thoroughly, and they will know what they are looking for. Many companies specialize in Porsche cars, so you can be sure that you are getting an expert opinion on your possible purchase.

Related Porsche Posts
Top 10 Porsches of All Time
Porsche vs the Rest

Len Keen (Charleston, SC) and Dirk Werner (Germany) drove the #87 Farnbacher Loles Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup to a runner-up finish in the Crown Royal 200 at Watkins Glen (NY) International Raceway Friday, but Porsche factory drivers Timo Bernhard (Germany) and Romain Dumas (France) were literally deflated five minutes from the finish and dropped from a DP podium to a misleading 13th place.

With just three races remaining in the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 season, Keen and Werner now have a 31-point lead in the Acxiom GT driver’s championship standings. That is almost a full race’s worth of points (35 points are awarded to the winners).

“”It was a crazy race, but it was a lot of fun for the fans,”” Keen said. “”There was a lot of action out there and bad things could have happened to us at any time. Dirk (Werner) was just awesome at the end. We finished second and we inreased our points lead, so it was a great day.”
”
Keen started from the pole, led the first 22 laps and drove for an hour and 15 minutes of the two-hour race on the fast 2.25-mile, 11-turn Watkins Glen short course before turning the Porsche over to Werner. Following the pit stop, Werner was fourth, but began a furious charge. Werner turned in his fastest lap of the race five minutes from the finish and wound up finishing just 0.794 seconds behind the winning Mazda.

“”I’’m disappointed,”” Werner said. “”The (lapped) cars between me and the #69 car Mazda had nothing to do with the race, but they kept blocking me every time I was ready to make a move. I had to overtake them before I could try to overtake 69. I never got close enough to make a move on him.”

“”Our car was fast all day – it was just awesome. Our goal was to protect our points lead and we wound up almost winning and adding to the points lead. That is a very good result,”” he said.

The Penske Porsche factory drivers were a lot more disappointed than Werner. Dumas was running a strong third with less than five minutes remaining when he suffered a flat right front tire that slowed him down and forced him to the pits and dropped him to 13th in the final standings.

“”A little unfortunate again,”” Dumas said. “”We have had a couple of races where we were close to a good result and in the end it didn’t work out. It is a pity for the crew, us the drivers and everybody. At the other end, we are trying very hard and it is frustrating to have these things happen. It would have been a heartfelt finish for us, and would have been a really good show for all of us. But it is P 13 for us again and we lose points in the championship. It is not anything we could have done anything about. If a tire goes, a tire goes.””

It was the second time this season a solid finish has been spoiled by a flat tire for the Penske team. This one, though, really deflated the team’s spirits. Through great strategy in working the yellow flags, Bernhard led for five laps early in the race and the duo ran in the top five all day long.

Dumas had a spirited battle with Scott Pruett (Auburn, CA) for 11 laps late in the race before Pruett pushed his faster Lexus Riley past Dumas en route to a second-place finish that helped him and teammate Memo Rojas (Mexico) take over sole possession of the Daytona Prototype points lead.

“”The tire exploded,”” Dumas said, ““I think I hit a part (debris) laying on the track. It just happened. It exploded.”

“”We drove without a clutch the whole race as well, so we had problems. We could have ended with a podium finish and we didn’t,”” he said.

Both Brumos Porsche Rileys finished in the top eight overall. David Donohue (Malvern, PA) and Darren Law (Phoenix, AZ) were sixth in the #58 entry and JC France (Ormond Beach, FL) and Joao Barbosa (Portugal) finished eighth in the #59 Brumos car despite starting from pit lane after the crew repaired a leaking overflow valve on the gearbox cooler.

““That was a rough race for us but we got a pretty good finish anyway, so we’ll take it and be happy,”” Law said. “”For a while it looked like we finish much lower, but circumstances went our way at the end and we moved up. It was a positive finish, and we can take confidence from it.”
”’
The newest Porsche team was also disappointed. Driving the #48 Miller Barrett Racing Porsche 911 GT3 car, Kevin Roush (Upland, CA) even led three laps before his 2006 Porsche was tagged by a Daytona prototype and slammed into the guardrail. Roush and Bryce Miller (Summit, NJ) would up 15th in the GT standings.

Justin Marks/Andy Lally were the top-finishing drivers in the three-team TRG Porsche effort, finishing sixth.

Related Posts
Porsche Wins in the ALMS Left Bruised and Bleeding in the Grand-Am
Porsche’s Results in Round 7 of the Grand-Am Series at Daytona
PorschePurist.com’s Great Driver Series