What to look for buying 02 996

hi just after a bit of advice, i went to look at and buy an 02 911 carrera tiptronic s convertible yesterday and was impressed with the look of the car but had a bad experience where i went, i went down and had agreed a price on the phone before travelling 3 hours, when i arrived the battery was dead, took persuasion to get him to jump start it, when it was started the engine sounded a bit tappety, (maybe thats normal on idle after lying?). he lied saying it was a 1 owner car, when i checked it was 4 previous, he wouldnt give me a test drive until i paid in full? and the rear bumper had been repaired and was noticable when looking closely, he wouldnt remove the hardtop and let me see the soft-top condition, then decided he wanted 2300 more for the car. what else is there to look for on these cars i never gave it much attention after falling out with the salsman, and does anyone know roughly what that car would be worth the way things currently are, its a 2002 02 carrera 2 tiptronic s convertible, 44000 miles, last serviced at 32, so due a service, black with black leather, had a few extras including xenons, sat nav, 18" carrera alloys, carrera spoiler and sideskirts, heated seats, traction, cd changer, bose, sports exhaust. it was a nice enough car but was bit unsure why it sounded tappety. i feel i have had a bad experience but hopefully find another one. any advice appreciated

Sounds bad, but second-hand car sales have a rep to live down to!! The first thing I was told is don't buy a car until you have inspected at least 10. The reason is because if you see the first one and it blows you away you will miss all the gems waiting there for you. Have a trawl on this site and you will find loads of info and advice, look at several cars, ask some specific questions and we will advise you. Good luck - LOJO

If the guy's lied to you on basics like ownership and is shifty about inspecting or using it just walk. You are lucky that in England you have the luxury of choice. Here in Northern Ireland you have much less choice and really need to wait to see something you like.

im in north scotland so choice is also limited, i think the reason was he didnt have a clue what he was selling,it was at a motorstore and used to selling average family cars, the car seemed ok and checked with the servicing dealers and it was all ok. do they sound a bit tappy during idle? i have been on the phone to the sales manager today to complain about the salesman and will take it to area manager if i have to, i had to walk out the showroom before i done something i regretted, so i have no hesitation reporting him as far as i can. its just a shame as it was a good spec car in the colour i was looking for, but as long as hes there i wont be purchasing the car.

Hi and welcome :thumb: an '02 996 is a great car but it sounds like you did the best thing and walked away. That dealer should be struck off as far as I'm concerned. There are loads of cars aroudn at the moment, dealers should be falling over themselves to get your money. There are loads of guides on here on what to look for when buying, try doing a search or looking at the 996 forum and the 'sticky' posts. Above all get one that ticks all your boxes and then get a PPI done on it. If the dealer won't allow that then walk away, there's obviously something to hide. Happy hunting, there's so much choice for you :thumb:

what would a car like that be worth?, the manager was better when i spoke to him hes phoning me back later, it also had yellow calipers, is this standard?

Just done a quick search and found the car I think. The interior looks a bit tired for 44k. There is one in Merc Abz with the same spec and price but higher mileage which looks in better condition. I am in Abz next week and will happily meet up to have a chat if you like.

where did you fund the pics, could you send link please? i thought the interior was very good.

In the current climate you would think dealers would be rolling the red carpet out for you, I get our sales guys to look after anyone before even showing a customer a car. The car being flat when you arrived is a shame, but atleast you heard it start from cold. As for not showing you the hood, thats just out of order.. 911's seem to go through owners, but there is no need to lie to you over the phone. If something like this happens again ask for the manager there and then, let him show you the car and look after you. If one of my salesmen did this I would be making them arrange for another salesman to bring the car to your place of work or home and the commission they would of made taken off the price. Keep looking your new car is out there waiting for you. Welcome to 911uk by the way- :bye: Dan

Maybe you should move to an OPC :thumbs:

i know they go through owners so wasnt too fussed, but why lie, im waiting for the manager to phone back, but if that doesnt happen by 5 im phoning customer services to lodge a formal complaint. My dad is in the trade and gives that group a vast amount of money per year. the car didnt seem too bad. i heard it from cold but sounded tappety, is this normal? didnt sound too healthy but sounded really nice when revved with the sports exhaust. should i try and arrange a deal with this car or look elsewhere, also what service will it require at 44k? not been serviced since 32k

No service for 12k miles? Doesn't sound as if it's been well looked after. After your experience, I would look elsewhere. There are plenty of 996's around, even if it means travelling a bit.

Hi and Welcome... Firstly, service intervals are 12,000 miles so that's not an issue (as long as the previous service was done less than a year ago). However, I wouldn't buy a car from anyone that lied to me and refused to show me the soft top. As for paying in full before you can test-drive... This company obviously doesn't want to sell you a car so tell them to get stuffed! I would add that 44,000 miles with 12,000 done since the last service would make me very suspicious... RUN AWAY :bye: (from that dealer I mean - not from here :thumb: )

Why would 44k miles with 12k since last service sound suspicious? Mileage is about right for a 996 (book at 8k miles per year) and the guy has traded it before he got it serviced (also quite normal). What is unsual is that it hasn't been serviced by the trader before sale (as presumably the lack of service would have been taken into account in the part-ex price). 4 owners in a 911 is not unusual, but I generally avoid high owner cars. The things to consider are: 1. What service is due and when? I'm guessing it's a 48k major and that's expensive (about £600+). 2. Where the 4 year items completed and when? eg. fluids, airbag check, spark plugs etc. 3. When were the brakes/pads last changed? I bet they're due soon 4. What condition are the tyres in? 5. What condition are the alloys in? All of this little lot will set you back around £2k. You need to look under the car to determine state of the RMS (search for RMS on here for more detail). When was the clutch changed, as this will be due soon. Interior being a bit tired would suggest that the car has been driven in town/city traffic, which doesn't matter, but not ideal for the car. As everyone on here has said, get the PPI done. This will cost around £300, but provides a little bit of peace of mind (search for Peter Morgan PPI on google for a list of what is checked, you can also get OPC to do it and make it a condition of sale). Tapetty engine noise is not uncommon in the 996 when cold. Yellow calipers denote PCCB (ceramic brakes) which are not an option on the narrow body 996 (I believe), so will have been painted. There are loads of examples around for what you're looking for, so I wouldn't rush into this sale and I wouldn't waste your time with this garage any further. It's a buyers market, so take your time. What price did you agree and what did he revise it to?

i had agreed £20,000 before i went down, when i got there he was wanting £22,300, but i stressed to him on the phone i wasnt coming if he wouldnt accept £20,000 and he said if i came that night we had a deal, the interior wasnt tired it was very clean, the car was very clean, alloys were as new, no marks, tyres were decent bridgestones, brake pads still ad plenty meat left, the only thing i noticed was i think the o/s rear quarter had been painted and front bumper but both to a high standard, but the rear bumper must have had some damage and been split just above number plate, had been repaired but i could notice it. but im pretty fussy. it also had 2 very minor dents on the n./s. what would you think the cars worth its an 02 c2 tip s with 44k extras it had were sat nav, park assist, heated seats, electric seats, bose, wind deflector, sports exhaust, side skirts, carrera spoiler, 18 " upgrade wheels, cd changer, traction control