02 Targa Value - Use as a Daily?

Hello, Found what I thought was the ideal "new" daily... 02, white Targa, 50k miles, 6 speed Dealer is asking $28k But...just found out it has two accidents on the car fax. It looks CLEAN in the pictures and I have yet to speak with the dealer. Assuming it checks out...what should be a reasonable price for this?

First impression, it's priced high. Quite a bit more goes into proper valuation than what you've provided. Check out the 2017 sale price thread for examples of actual purchase prices recently - that's the best place to start. Next read up on prepurchase inspections (ppi), why to have them done and what is checked. Post some pictures too! It may not help too much with valuation but everyone loves to see pictures. EDIT: Its been about a year since I was seriously shopping to make a purchase (may/june 2016). That being said, I was looking at several Targas. They all were 60-75k range in terms of miles and the prices I expected to pay after negotiation were 20-22k.

I purchased a 99 C2 6-speed a few weeks ago after doing a lot of looking. 50k miles is a little on the low end and should demand a few thousand dollar premium. The 996.2 (2002 - 2004) also bring a small premium, although it really depends on the quality of the car. The targas are scarce. Plenty of convertibles. Not quite as many coups available. Very few targas. 6-speed cars bring more than tiptronic in general. Based on many of the Porsche chat threads I read, it does seem that most 911 buyers are quite picky. I was not as picky. As a matter of fact, I bought a "bring a trailer" car off Craigslist that I was not able to test drive. I definitely took a chance. Having said that, I would take a close look at a two accident car. Does the Carfax give any detail, such as stating "minor accident"? I would be wary of a cleaned title on a car that was previously salvage. Not very common, but it does happen. Based on what I saw, the low miles and the fact that it is a targa would be negated by two accidents. I personally would not pay over 20k for the car, assuming it checks out OK and the accidents were minor. Just my opinion. Eric

A couple of other things to think about. Does the car come with at least two keys? My car came with two "normal" keys with the large fob and one valet key with the smaller fob. Most cars that are sold by dealers, especially cars that came through an auto auction, have one key. Replacement keys can only be coded by a Porsche dealership. Expect to spend around $500 for a key. Does it need tires? Around $1000+ a set for ZR rated tires required per the manual. Does the car have any maintenance records? Most dealerships have zero paperwork and know nothing about any maintenance performed. They will just say it is "excellent". My experience anyway. Eric

So with two accidents does it have a salvage title? This has a huge impact on value. I had an 02 targa as a daily driver for about 3 years. Smelled always of burning oil. Never did find a leak. I admit rms weighed on my mind but car held up fine. Two thing against it as a daily driver. It had lots of interior squeeks. One associated with the targa one with the dash that bothered me more and more as time went on. The other is the targa top. It has a mesh canopy to block the sun. So it never fully blocks the sun. On summer drives from phoenix to Vegas that can be a huge problem. You never fully escape the sun. It gets old after awhile, trust me. My 6 speed was a bit off in second gear. If i had to guess I would say the previous owner was one of those always resting his hand on the shifter guys. Never got bad enough that I needed to fix it but it was going that way when I traded it in.

So with two accidents does it have a salvage title? This has a huge impact on value. I had an 02 targa as a daily driver for about 3 years. Smelled always of burning oil. Never did find a leak. I admit rms weighed on my mind but car held up fine. Two thing against it as a daily driver. It had lots of interior squeeks. One associated with the targa one with the dash that bothered me more and more as time went on. The other is the targa top. It has a mesh canopy to block the sun. So it never fully blocks the sun. On summer drives from phoenix to Vegas that can be a huge problem. You never fully escape the sun. It gets old after awhile, trust me. My 6 speed was a bit off in second gear. If i had to guess I would say the previous owner was one of those always resting his hand on the shifter guys. Never got bad enough that I needed to fix it but it was going that way when I traded it in.

When I was searching to buy, an 03 Targa came across in Kernersville, NC and I think it is still there. 90k miles but the engine was previously replaced by Porsche under warranty and the replacement engine has the Large IMSB. It also has the Ohlin Coil overs. Dealership/shop asking for 25k.

Unless you're dead-set on a targa, I'd pass. Having 2 accidents hurts the value significantly - I'd rather have a 100k mile nice, clean car than a 50k mile multi-accident with paintwork car for the same price. $28k is way to high, I'd pass on $20k personally, but I'm a cheap ***. That being said, the 996 is an excellent daily driver. Running costs aren't bad at all, most parts are pretty reasonable compared to most other non-econobox cars, and (unless you're scared of cold-weather bore scoring) you can drive year around.

Remanufactured engine is a plus against a regular production m96 but I forget the specifics. Another option is a 5 door Saab Viggen as they accelerate faster to 100mph.

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Born from jets bro!

White targas are rare but 2 accidents leaves a lot of room depending on severity & remediation.