Buying 99 C4 Cabriolet - no CPO...bad?

Hi guys, After reading about the thread below on the non-CPO car...I'm in a similar situation with a Porsche dealer in PA. Here is a link to the car: http://sunmotorsporsche.cms.dealer.c...c263e81&bhcp=1 It's a 99 Cabriolet C4 with 40.3K miles on it. I drove to PA to take a look at it, and it appears to be solid (I mean..I just looked at it and test drove it). I didn't hear any suspension noises...no weird engine idle or anything. Clutch seemed fine (tested by accelerating at low speed in 6th gear). Interior was in excellent shape. Tires were pretty much near new. They had service records since they had the car which was 7/2005. Said a local doctor bought it...then traded it in a year later. Service record had nothing major...just 30K-tuneup + a battery + the seatbelt (bet it was the ground problem). I asked him..."why no warrantee?" The sales guy told me that it wasn't certified because after scrutiny, the rear right quarter-panel had been painted. He said that they can only CPO a car if the accident is on the front or rear bumper. I asked him about RMS or any leaks...he said there were none. The warrantee on it is a 30 days 50/50 on parts/labor. I also had ran a carfax on it and it came up clean...had 3 owners but nothing out of the ordinary. We settled on a price $36.5K. I have a credit card (refundable) deposit on it of $1K....but now I'm having second thoughts and getting scared because it's not CPO. I guess the biggest question...am I getting screwed? Should I get a neighbouring dealer to do an inspection? Has anybody dealt with this dealer and/or this gentlemen? Should I get a extended warrantee? I appreciate any feedback . thanks, Amir

A few more things... I liked the car becuase of the color and the shape it appeared to be in. There were no dings or dents or anything. I saw some curb rash on one wheel. IT's not the ideal car because I'd want nicer wheels + the litronic kit. Also for winter, I might want the hard top. I had looked at another 00 from a private seller that I didn't like. thanks, Amir

CPO warrantee... http://autos.msn.com/home/cpoWarrant...spx?mk=Porsche -------------- Limited Warranty 6 years/100,000 miles from original in-service date or 2 years/100,000 miles if purchased outside of new-vehicle warranty; warranty expires when vehicle reaches 8 years old or 100,000 miles -------------- Dealer told me production date was 2/26/99. Carfax says first owner at 7/7/99. Does this mean CPO would last until 7/7/2007? thanks, Amir

I would not buy a 99 without a warranty. The car I bought had about $25k in repairs including a new engine...all under CPO warranty. The little extra you pay for the CPO warranty is nothing compared to what you will pay. You know the 45k service is coming up? The CPO warranty would cover that as well as brakes and tires if they are more than 50% worn. This can be $2500 alone right there.

I could be wrong, but I think that CPO provides a 6 year warranty from original purchase. And if the car is a '99, then CPO warranty (6 years from '99 or '00) would probably be expired. Right? You could get an independent mechanical inspection and consider other after-market warranty options.

jchmlee....that is incorrect. The CPO is not a 6 year warranty. It is a 2 year limited warranty that is either stand alone after the 4 year has expired or is added to the 4 year if still in effect. 100%.....I would NEVER buy a 99 without at least the 2 year CPO.

I thought there was never any solid evidence that the 99s in particular would have problems? Especially the later year 99s correct? BTW - Amir, nice Supra...I had a BPU TT 2 years ago as well...Alpine Silver is nice too...

I would buy a 99 without a CPO if the car had things like a meticulous service history, one owner, passed a PPI and was never tracked and it was priced accordingly. As soon as I didn't get the warm and fuzzy on any of those points I would move on.

s14roller: BTW - Amir, nice Supra...I had a BPU TT 2 years ago as well...Alpine Silver is nice too... Thanks . It's fun and fast, but I've had it 5 years now and want to try something else....hence the C4. Other considerations were 911 Turbo and an F355, but then I wouldn't use year around :P. ------------ So common theme...get the CPO! Would it be okay to get an extended warrantee instead? Also, would the stance be the same if it was a 2000? Also...don't know about the 45K service...will do some searches. thanks, Amir

I think this is an excellent formula to apply to the purchase of any late model Porsche.