anyone know this car? looking to purchase (Chicago area)

https://www.mandimotors.com/used/Por...vdp-recentCars The car fax is not terrible but shows no real info... I am looking to move on something soon that is local. This car fits the bill as I would like something I can drive, track and work on myself. If anyone has any info that they feel could help that would be great! Thanks in advance, this forum has been a great tool for me.

Looks badly molested with those horrible aftermarket side skirts, front lip, decals and pimp-y 19" rims. Looks like a racer boy owned it. I'd lean toward something more original/stock looking that I could start with as a clean slate, unless this one has something compelling in its ownership/maintenance history or price.

I felt the same way and would remove a lot of that mess, The last owner appears to have owned the car for over 10 years and even with all the stick on garb it looks clean for something that is 20 years old. The price and location are the biggest positives about this car for me.

He's asking top dollar and if it's not something you'd change then maybe, but if you're going to put it back to factory spec, it's going to cost a lot more. has it been tracked much, who knows? Maybe he just liked the "Ricky Racer" look.

The previous owners aesthetic taste is questionable, but the stickers and most of the unnecessary bits can be easily removed. Whether they appeal to you or not, the modifications were done using quality parts and appear to have been installed cleanly and correctly (as best as I can tell from the photos). If the majority of the modifications appeal to you and are something you would want to do anyway, then it's a good deal. If the mods aren't your style, then be sure to take into account the cost to replace those parts. Edit: Looking at the ad again, all the car really needs is the stickers removed, different wheels, and the dorky orange splitter thing removed from the front bumper. I like the side skirts, and the front lip (minus the orange thing) looks fine. Oh, remove the HID kit from the non-Litronic headlight housings.

The advice on this forum is accurate. I was dismissive of points that didn�t align with the car that I was eyeing. I bought it anyhow. I now fully appreciate the fact that when it comes to buying one of these cars, you�ll either pay for a well sorted example or you can buy a cheap one and pay even more to sort it after you purchase. This particular car has a bunch of flags: 1) K&N intake tells a lot about prior owner 2) No obvious maintenance history - the 90K service is a big one 3) Good cars at fair prices don�t stay on market as long as this one - this one is still for sale for a reason. If you�re truly stuck on this one, get an inspection by someone that knows these cars. Make sure to look at the ignitions on this one.

Yes you're right. I am torn between finding on that needs work and is priced to reflect that or one like this that "seems" to be okay. There are so many cabrios for sale and tips ( not a knock on either, with traffic and if it was my only vehicle I would 100% get an automatic) I just can't seem to find what I want and I'm getting antsy. Thanks for the help from everyone!

I haven't been into stickers since I was in grade school but everything that is orange has to go. I am possibly the only person on earth who is totally ok with something that does not have HID or LED headlights so I agree.

I wouldn't write it off until you go look at it, test drive and have it checked out mechanically. Do the old factory parts come with it? If so, that a plus...Then negotiate a fair price if needed. It really looks to be in decent shape overall.

geesh .. I feel like the black sheep on this forum. every time I see a consensus, I find my self on the opposite side. you can find a perfect car and get it home and have it be a lemon. I just bought the cleanest mk1 audi tt I've ever seen a few weeks ago for $3k. I just passed $5k in repairs(some of that was mods) and this car was clean!!! now all I want to do is drive it into the lake. I bought my 911 from a dealership in Atlanta Georgia(Atlanta auto brokers) over the internet. The dealership told me they couldn't' stand behind anything with the car because they couldn't get the trunk open to do an inspection on it. it looked like it was owned by a young guy with some of the mods done to it and the dealer ship said they could only tell me it "seems to run real good" ... I bought it and its been a blast. just saying, check it out in person if your worried and accept that any older car is going to be a gamble regardless of the car fax, word of mouth, neighbors opinions or the tilt of the axis of the moon lol

I kinda like it. I would check it out mechanically. The few things that make me wanna puke looking at it is it needs a taco spoiler on the rear for balance, I know the orange on the wheels/tires is applied and not integral, the seats would need to tested for comfort/fitment. It's an early 99 with the 4 spoke steering wheel 3/99.. If the seats feel good and mechancial check out, with a Taco on the back 15k would be good.

Are you in the Chicago area where you can go look at the car? It is not that far from me. And of course get a PPI from a source other than the seller. I use Golz Motors and they are only a couple miles from the seller. Or there is a Porsche dealer right down the highway (I would go to an independent Like Golz as at the dealers many of the techs may never have owned on a 996).

I am close enough to look but would have to pick a time when the 20 mile trip won't take an hour Thanks for the tip about the local mechanic!

I've been to that dealership in the past, some decent offerings, mostly overpriced and have some type of what I consider red flags, accident history, multiple owners and no service /maintenance records, most likely auction cars.

Not sure if op was trolling, that car looks awful. Fake seats, no options, probably needs tons of maintenance...

This is whats wrong with the internet. Not trolling asking for advice...thanks for being so helpful.

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Nice. Who's trolling now? Having an opinion is fine. Pissing on something that doesn't suit your tastes, is another thing.

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Just ignore the negi-Nancy's.

Car looks 'okay'. Negotiate the asking price, get an PPI done, remove all the fugly things (unless you like them) and drive and enjoy it.

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Don't sweat the handful of guys like that. RL is filled with genuinely good information and people, and a few ********.

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I agree with Capt O and Ptech3. De-bling it a tad and PPI +, for sure. Would look more balanced with taco. And ttt123 has shown us what �potential� means. Could turn out to be a good car.