thoughts on value of 2001 orient red C2 with 19k mi?

Hi All, Saw this ad on pca.org: https://mart.pca.org/ads/69068 We're looking for a good value on a tiptronic cab (yes specifically that) to keep down at the house on the coast for us+family+friends to drive/passenger in when we're down there. Something in a fun color like red, yellow, blue, green, etc. and not white, silver or black. Targeting $20k-$30k. I'm happy with my 2004 C4S daily driver, and have been doing my own maintenance for some years now on my car and my wife's 2010 boxster base, so I'm familiar with the model/range in general and what I'm getting into (ISMB, water pump, coolant tank, etc. etc.) $39.9k pricing seems way too high and also way beyond what I'm looking to spend. I saw and drove the car today and it's nice. Body and interior are clean, all bits and pieces seem to work and the engine was strong on the drive. Like the color a lot and very good intangibles chatting with the owner. Somewhat concerned about the low mileage but based on records it looks consistent over time, just light. Will do a PPI but want to center on a solid value first before I embark on that. What do you all think is a fair price? Thanks for the help!

I wouldn�t say the price is way too high. I mean the car has super low miles so I would expect a fairly high price. Being an auto does hurt the value. Personally I�m a firm believer that low mileage is better but that�s just me. The car is probably like new. I�m sure the price can be negotiated down.

In certain buyers/sellers minds low mileage is very important and demands a significant price increase my expierence with 996 cars is that low mileage is a less important price factor especially if buyer plans is to drive the car. A car with reasonable mileage say 50-70K with good maintenance history has probably delt with the common issues, IMS, RMS, AOS, clutch, etc. plus the asking price would be approximately $10K less then this car. Just my thought😀 Rich

Low mileage can be as much of a problem on these cars as high mileage. It would be helpful to have some idea on maintenance; you're going to want to see 20+ oil chnages, for example. Also a lot of short trips are murder.

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Thanks all for the inputs! Thanks for the calibration! Indeed the seller is placing high value on the low miles and is not recognizing the impact of the tiptronic. Car is definitely clean, not exactly like new with some minor wear and tear, but very nice. You are right that I am not looking for a low mileage collector car but rather a driver. We won't be driving it a ton since it'll be basically a weekend car. I know the IMSB was done but I need to inspect the maintenance records in detail to see if anything else has been done. I doubt it given the mileage. That means I need to plan on doing these things myself at some point. Hmm. ​ I agree with you. The car has had two owners with the most recent one purchasing it in 2016. Carfax from the beginning shows 12 "vehicle serviced" some of which call out oil changes, but not all (although I assume that is what it was). Dates and miles from the carfax entries are below, showing basically regular use over time. Current owner seems to have maintained it very carefully and I'm looking forward to inspecting the maintenance records from 2016 to now. Interestingly the convertible top was replaced because apparently on a long drive on a 100+ degree day the glue along the bottom edge of the window delaminated. I've never heard of this... I think I may be able to get the car for around $30k. It's tempting. Anybody have concerns with bore scoring on a car with this low mileage? I know short trips can lead to fuel dilution which contributes, so that is a risk here. But total miles are quite low. An invasive PPI removing the sump would tell.

For cabs, the rear plastic window and heat definitely do not go well together... I had that exact problem with mine when I was living in Dallas TX; just after a few short drives in the afternoon-heat in the summer, the rear plastic window just came off cleanly. I had a new plastic window replaced by a very reputable shop in Dallas because my canvas top was still in perfect condition. My car has ~45K miles now and I do change the oil every 6 months regardless of the miles driven. Also the water-pump needs to be replaced even at super low mileage because the plastic fins do get worn with age inside the cooling-system. Mine were clearly worn down (no missing fins or anything) even with low mileage. Good-luck with this car... Cheers,

Just a couple more thoughts on this. The IMS bearing. If it was replaced, what was it replaced with and when? Unless it has the LN Engineering IMS Solution, it may be due for another replacement. You can search this database to see if and when it was done with an LN Engineering product: Does my car have it already? – IMS Retrofit I concur with the group that a Tip should sell for less and I would add that a Cab usually does as well. The Cab adds a little weight and, in my experience, a lot of indys won't work on the mechanics that move the top up and down. Cost me $3K to repair the cable that releases the clamshell because only the dealer would work on it. No one wanted to touch it including the first dealer I asked. So yeah, ought to get a discount if buying the rag top. That being said, I was willing to pay a premium for a cab at the time because it solved a problem and you may feel the same way.

With only 19K miles it should be very low risk for any catastrophic failures , except for the IMS bearing ..I remember a beautiful Blue 2004 Targa that had 2 IMS failures within the first 10k miles ( got new engines installed under warranty)..this was before the IMS problem was brought out in the Class Action ... If you like it , get it !!

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Ah, this is great info about the rear window. The car has a brand new top on it now that looks great. Thanks for the advice on the water pump. The one on my 996.2 went out at around 70k miles and 10 years. I'll put this on the list of "things to do." The bearing was done in 2016 and is unlikely to be the IMS Solution (not sure it existed back then). Interestingly, I had mine done oin the 996.2 around the same time and I asked my mechanic (established independent here in the south bay area) about the 7yr service life and replacement. He recommended against it, saying that they have not once seen a failure on any car ever (!) after the factory bearing was replaced with the LN Retrofit. I myself wonder why there is a service interval on this bearing. Anybody have thoughts on that? So I'm forging ahead and doing annual oil filter inspections and oil analyses looking for any badness. So far so good. I'll do that on this car to. Re: paying a premium, I think you get where I'm coming from. This car will fill a nice need and is very clean with an unusual color. Should be fun to drive around on the weekends along the coast. Thanks for the advice Skip! Any thoughts on why there is a service internal on the LN Retrofit bearing? I have the car going in for a simple PPI on Thursday to make sure main systems work and no obvious leaks. I've decided against spending the $$ on a borescope given the low miles and relatively consistent (if low) usage over time. I'll let you all know how things go! Cheers, -Dennis

Here is the thread on why change the bearing out if it has been driven so little over its supposed time stamp service interval. Check posts #30 and later. I want a thorough explanation on why aftermarket IMS bearings have service intervals - Page 3 - Rennlist - Porsche Discussion Forums

Yes, the only permanent repair for the IMSB problem is to install the "plain bearing' pressure fed journal type bushing AKA IMS Solution, Any other rolling type element will have a service life when used in this location... The 2001-2005 single row bearing is the exact same one/size/type as used in 90% of riding lawn mower deck spindles , and anyone who has owned a riding lawn mower for more than a decade knows how those can were out... ....The big difference is a riding lawn mower deck spindle failure doesn't do a lot of damage or cost a lot of $$ when it fails...

Hi All, just wanted to let you know that we bought the car! Thanks for all of your inputs. We made a deal at $31k and it's been great so far. Changed the oil and oil analysis came back perfect. Also replaced the brake fluid since it hadn't been done in a while. Coolant, water pump, and other bits are next when I have the IMS bearing repalced.