Should I Buy? 70k miles on 996 4S With Accident History

Hello all, I recently found a local dealer with with a vehicle I maybe interested in. However, It has an accident history on the carfax (link in description below). This will be my first Porsche and I admit I am a bit leery on It's condition. Maybe some one with more experience than I can chime in to help. I am only available to view this car on a Saturday when most PPI places in the area will be closed. Would it be a safe bet to have it checked out at the local Firestone? Thanks in advance for any advice. Cheers ! https://www.redsautoandtruck.com/inv...rera-4s/174205

Jajaja hell no. That car has had four different accidents. Has an automatic. The carbon fiber on it is destroyed, that is super expensive to fix. The only thing cool about that car is the Porsche headrests and it seems the Carfax has records. Any ims aos type records? The car looks beat, the dealer looks like a place I wouldn’t buy a Porsche from. Good luck. I would not be interested in the car even in the teens.

Quotes source post: 16148670

Nothing on record regarding the ims.

Quotes source post: 16148643

Don't make this your first Porsche experience. You'll be able to find a nice Carrera for $25,000. Not a 4S but still loads of fun to drive.

If you do decide to go down this road, get a thorough PPI including scoping the cylinders for bore scoring.

Quotes source post: 16148643

Porsches are not cheap when it comes to servicing and repairing them. I'm sure we can all agree to that fact. Therefore, if you don't want your first experience with a high performance car to be an endless money pit, then I'd avoid this car. It's not reasonably price considering the fact that it was involved in, not 1, but FOUR accidents. One accident was severe enough that it had to be towed. If you notice on the car where the corner accident happened, the body shop didn't get the bumper installed perfectly. It's poking out around the edge. Makes you wonder if there was frame damaged. Plus, there looks to be a dent in it too. Anyway, if this car was in the area of $15K, then it might be worth it, but not at $25K. No mention of any IMS service. I'd keep moving on from this one. I've seen better examples of the 996 C4S for around $25,000.

Nope on this car. Nope on Firestone for a PPI!!

I beg to differ on some of this. People seem to live and breath on a carfax report. Those "accidents" could have been minor fender benders. If a body shop is part of the carfax reporting system and a car comes in for a simple bumper respray for rock chips it can show up as "accident reported". My 04 c4s has no accidents reported on the carfax. Guess what.....the rear bumper, front bumper, and right rear quarter panel have been painted. I would be willing to bet more cars of this age on the road have had some sort of paint work then not. Just don't hold a carfax as a bible. Factory carbon fiber cracking is not abnoral for the cars age. Car looks pretty good and is priced reasonably for the decent mileage. If its a car you are interested in have a PPI done on it by a good local porsche shop and then negotiate the price based on the PPI results.

Quotes source post: 16149081

+1

Quotes source post: 16148643

Yes and no.... Yes - they can check the basics on any car. Steering, suspension, tires, brakes, starting / charging systems, belts, hoses, fluids, filters, light and the like are all the same when it comes to inspecting. No - they won't have the detailed knowledge about typical issues with these cars like , IMS bearing, AOS, DME reports, cam devations and the list goes on. This is also a true representation of you get what you pay for with a PPI. A place like Firestone (or any typical chain) is going to charge you somewhere between $50 and $100 for a visual inspection and the may scan for codes. An independant Porsche Specialist will typically offer inspections between $200 and $500 depending on how detailed you want to know about the car. I'm not sure how long you have been in the market or how much research you have done. But my suggestion would be this....... Buying a Porsche is nothing like buying a Honda, Toyota or Chevy. These cars can be great cars and make you smile or be the worst enemy you have ever met. Knowledge and research is power. Spend a ton of time researching thru this site and others. This forum will give you a wealth of information as well as show you a ton of doom and gloom stories and smiles per mile stories. Spend the time here learning about these cars until you feel like you are an expert, then learn more. Then look at several cars and narrow the field to exactly what you want, not just what you found. Then take the best example of what you want and take it to an indy for a real PPI and the two of you discuss the car and options before pulling the trigger. Buying a 911 is like not other. But the expenses can be like no other if you didnt prepas re yourself. Good luck sir.

Quotes source post: 16149081

I will add that it can be a good tool to use but definitely isn't a 100% guarantee. I owned an E36 M3 that was slid into a wall at a track, fixed by the owner out of pocket so it didn't show up on Carfax.

Quotes source post: 16149081

I don't know about that. Carfax reports are a love hate thing in the industry. We love it when it comes time to buy because we might finds some deals (minor damage), but hate it when it comes time to sell that exact car with the stain on the carfax. This car had severe enough damage on one of the accidents to warrant a tow. That's significant to me. Too many good examples of the C4S for about the same money. I'd keep moving.

Quotes source post: 16149146

Not to thread jack, but my point is simple. What does "because a tow truck was called" really indicate? Did the car hit a tree at 50mph and put the frame rail to the firewall? Or was it a minor hit to a curb that damaged a bumper and blew out a tire? Or was it a stupid minor fender bender and the car owner towed it because they were now scared to drive it? The information is too vague to make a determination. Either reciepts or a good inspection will answer some of these questions. Also another example. The shop i work at recently started reporting to Carfax. We (the shop) did't know this and we don't enter the info. We using a POS system called Mitchell (tons of shops do) to write and bill repair orders. Mitchell report the info to Carfax based off the catagories that the items are listed under. I just replace 2 tires for a DE event next weekend. Carfax reported as "Tires Balanced" instead of "Tires Replaced". Carfax is a great system. But its not perfect and good luck trying to fix an error. I'm just saying a PPI will give you better info than Carfax.

I purchased my 70K mile 04 C4S sight unseen from Florida. I had a local shop look it over, but it wasn't a PPI from a Porsche specialist. When I got it, this is what was wrong with it (and not reported by the shop): * Stereo didn't work (haven't fixed yet cause I'd rather hear the engine) * Mismatched wheels / tires was setting off PSM (had to get 4 new tires. hoping viscous clutch isn't toast. I'll find out this winter) * Passenger leather is like a rock * Rotors had a lip the size of the grand canyon on them (replaced pads and rotors all around) * No record of IMS replacement (I ponied up almost $5k to have the IMS Solution installed. I also replaced the coolant tank at the same time. You have to drop the engine (almost) for both jobs.) * Rear light assemblies were cracked (I picked up a metal retainer on eBay for them so they don't fall off) * Front suspension squeaks when it is colder out (I'll deal with that soon) * AOS actually gave out while it was being test driven by the shop looking it over. The dealer fixed prior to me getting it (whew) But all in all, I love the car. People don't like the automatic but since I am a little taller, endless shifting would have been a problem with knee room. People also scoff at a cabriolet, but I also love top down driving when its nice out. The C4S has one of the nicest contours of any 996 out there. Dare I say almost any 911. I can't tell you how many compliments I get. Just the other day in bumper to bumper traffic, I saw a guy taking a picture of my car. This wasn't the first time. If you have the funds, it is a beautiful car. If you don't, you may want to look for one that is a little more sorted with IMS / AOS replacement records. Just my 2 cents...

Mbren1979 its like if you own a company are hiring workers and some have criminal records. There are plenty who don’t who will work for the same price which do you pick? The Carfax affects resale there is no doubt about it. Carfax is not always right and is sort of a joke within the Industry, but you cannot ignore four damage entries. Some stuff on a Carfax can be explained but overall this c4s is a poor example. For that price you can wait around and find a decent one talk to the owner and feel it out get yourself a deal. This c4s will need substantial financial investment within 6 months and will be a 35k car before you know it with just the maintenance not to mention cosmetics... And guess what? It will still have cracked carbon finer, rough leather 4 accidents and god knows what else. It’s borderline junk imho.

There is a blue C4s with just over 100k in NJ I just found on cars.com and autotrader with a decent autocheck report for under 20k. It's at a dealer as well.

I wouldn't buy it, at least not at the offered price unless they had some receipts. I might consider looking at it. If it looks clean, body lines look good, paint looks good, drives well consider a ppi. Low-ball them if the ppi checks out. With the repeat auction history I bet they had trouble even selling at auction. Front bumper looks off of alignment. There is a price at which I'd consider just about any car though and to write it off as junk I think is a bit much. You show up with cash and you never know what they might let it go for.

Quotes source post: 16149829

I used to sell cars, yep, offer them some cash and walk away. You might be pleasantly surprised!

Quotes source post: 16151864

I agree. The dealer with my 04' C4S was asking $35K. Blue book was $30K. I wrote him a check for 28K slid it across his desk and said this is my offer and he said no. I told him OK and tore up the check. Quickly, he "checked the computer" and said he could take 30K. Personally, if you really like the car and it Passes a PPI I would offer ol Red $12K and say that carfax will kill you when you try to resale and not go above $15-16K. Point out all the flaws your Rennlist brothers have said (in your own words don't mention Rennlist.) Knocking $2.5K/accident off is not unreasonable on a high performance sports car. If he says no walk and wait. They'll chase, call, or email you with an offer. If you are in a cash position you are in control. Some of the more knowledgeable guys may be able to chime in: I looked back at the pics The exhaust tips seem to be low so it might need motor mounts It looks like two of the center wheel caps the crest has no color. Why only two? Also, this car seems to have spent a lot of time in the snow belt so corrosion could also be an issue

Scope bank 2 on this car OP and you'll thank me.

Pass. If the price was right, it got a clean PPI (work done correctly) and you planned on driving until you died, then maybe. I wouldn't want to deal with the resale later on.

Just look at the panel gaps on the left side of the car dudes. You don’t need to check any piece of paper. This car is not straight. Compare gaps on left and right. The bonnet and left headlamp don’t even meet evenly. Front left fender is not on straight. Maybe it just needs adjusting, but that’s probably optimistic. I haven’t even looked at the Carfax. I have no idea what it says about this car’s past. You can tell just by looking at it that it is all messed up on its left side

No way. I paid around that for mine with 78k miles on it, 2 owners (stamped book up thru 50k miles), no accidents, loads of options, etc. Needed some cosmetics and fluids, but overall has been solid. That's a good price for a good example C4S, not one like this. And while you may get a deal on it, you will have a helluva time moving it with that many accidents reported. Any casual buyer on not on this forum isn't even going to consider it with that many accidents reported, IMO. Hold out for sure.