Opinions on this 2000 C4 Cabriolet

My wife and I recently test drove a 2000 C4 Cabriolet 6 Speed (guards red with tan leather interior)(VIN WP0CA2999YS651148 ). The car seems to be in decent physical shape and the paint test on the metal surfaces seemed great. The car has 60,000 miles was a one owner car a local Mercedes-Benz dealer took in on trade (Carfax seems to confirm this) which they are currently selling They've had it a few months, they keep lowering the price and it is now listed at $21,988 as it is in Connecticut and it is winter time. We both noticed that the clutch seems to catch kind of high (is that normal?). Brakes felt a tad weak too. The car comes with zero records and its hard top is missing. I read about the IMS bearing issues and they sort of worry me. What about a 15 year old C4 system? Are clutches a hassle and expensive to replace in these cars? Also, this dealer owns a local Porsche dealer too but they did not send it there. We kind of like it as a 4th car weekend car that we can put our little 2 year old son in the back. If we decided to buy we'd pay to have the Porsche dealer across the street do a PPI as they are not affiliated and a direct competitor to this dealer's Porsche store. What do you guys think about this car and its listing price? Thanks.

Hard to judge without pics, but here are some thoughts. It's probably still a bit high given the time of year. A 2000 should have the dual row IMSB which has less risk. It's gotten it this far, just replace it with the clutch. At 60k if it is on its original clutch it's probably close to its end, so plan on replacing it soon after purchase. A new clutch will run you between 2500 and 3500 depending on your local rates. If you do the IMSB at the same time add another $1k. Don't go to a dealer for a PPI. Find a good local Indy that specializes in Porsche and ideally knows the 996 well. That they have a Porsche dealer, but didn't send it over there may say something as well though it may not depending on their business structure.

If there are no records, I am assuming that the owner maybe decided to dump the car just conveniently before a big service. At 60k, you're most likely talking: oil change air filter and pollen filter fuel filter poly belt spark plugs Plus, at that mileage I would most likely change out the water pump and ALL fluids if you have no records. All of this combined with a clutch job can get expensive. Do you DIY? You could do the brakes, filters, and oil by yourself at the very least. I agree about an independent PPI. Remember, ANY 15 year old car will usually always need something. It's the big ticket items you want to watch out for.

You say it's a C4 and the vin says it's a C2...?

That seems like it's in the ballpark of where the price should be, and you have a dual row so don't worry about anything to do with that at this point. Being new to these cars myself last spring... - Yes the clutches are high, just the way they are - Not sure about yours, but the brakes do feel different than other cars I have, but, when you step on it you better be wearing a seatbelt. I'm indifferent on a PPI. Unless the pan is dropped there really isn't much you can learn that a good test drive wont sniff out. Also, a PPI won't catch how worn the clutch is anymoreso than a drive, and it won't tell you anything about the IMS unless they drop the pan and it's full of shiney bits - however, I'm sure the dealer would have done an oil change and dropped the pan to clean things up (if anything was there) so I'm not sure how much value that would have other than to see scoring on the cylinders.

Since it won't let me edit this... meh Just saw the part about it being a weekend car, so taking that into consideration even if the clutch was going out (mine is, can't totally dump it from first to second) it will still drive great for a while. For the IMS I wouldn't worry and if you are worried change the oil filter every few thousand miles to check for signs. Now if you're putting more than 5k miles on it a year then I'd start to plan ahead, but this could be something great to have around for fun and enjoy a few times a month.

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Thanks for the helpful insight.

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All I did was copy and paste the vin from the dealer's site. The trunk lid and both door panels say Carrera 4 and it is listed as a Carrera 4. It is for sale at Mercedes-Benz of Greenwich if you want to search for it.

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Assuming I found the right one, it has the silver calipers of the C4 and the (bad) picture of the frunk clearly marks it as a C4. It actually looks like it is in pretty good condition and I didn't see any "OMG run!!!" Items that jump out. I also, however, don't see any must have options on it (pics aren't great, but doesn't look like full leather. Halogen lights. 4-spoke steering wheel (plus in my book). Tape deck + cd changer). I still stand by it being a bit overpriced especially since it sounds like it will need a clutch soonish. I'd say try for 17k and 19k wouldn't be a number you should feel bad about. Beat them up on the clutch and the time of year (especially for a cab). If it was a private seller they might be able to afford to wait, a dealer wants to get it sold ASAP so use that.

I am a sucker for a guards red car, so probably not the most impartial. That's a very sharp looking car - lots of curb appeal. A little overpriced but what isn't at a Benz dealership - not the place to go bargain shopping. Plus, it's got the extra 25 hp the factory puts into all guards red Porsches. I had no problems with the AWD on my '99 C4. They are pretty robust.

well I just saw a video on the car. They didn't say if it was a c2 or a c4 but did say it had the hard top and had 60,880 miles on the clock. http://www.mercedesbenzgreenwich.com...ca2999ys651148 I think the price is very good. I would still go for a reduction if you feel that the clutch needs to be replaced. It's a sharp looking car.

The stock clutch will engage high even new, and get higher with wear. This has always been a PITA for me as all of my stick shift cars have a clutch pedal that starts to catch about 2" off of the floor. Probably not a problem if it's your daily driver, but a PITA if it's only infrequently driven and you're in stop-n-go traffic. Just to get a fail-proof confirmation on the C4 vs C2 question, have them put the car up onto a lift and do a visual to confirm there are axles on the front. Not unheard of for C4's to be converted to RWD (don't ask me how I know about this!!). And to get some background information on the car, check with the local PCA chapter folks to see if anyone knows the previous owner. You might want to also get on the phone and call the area Indy shops that do Porsche work to see if it rings a bell with any of them.

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This is all good advice. I think we will pass as I found it too hard to drive and even my wife thought it was tough and she mostly drove sticks most of her life. The car does have full leather and looks nice but I'm not sure this model is for us after all.