Opinions on this ?04 Carrera?

I am very interested in this Carrera. Seems to check all of my boxes as far as condition and spec/small mods. I contacted the dealer, a PPI can be done on Thursday by a third party (I spoke to them). The obvious thing here is the high asking price. Dealer said prices as is, zero negotiation.. what do you guys think? I looked on Classic.com and found a few lower mileage aerokit cars that sold right at $50k as comps. PPI guy said he would do an extensive inspection plus borescore for about $450. Coming out of a Mk7 Golf R and this would be my first �vintage� car and first 911. https://www.diamondmotorworks.com/20...arrera-c-4646/

Dealer or not, I would pass on this car. That is high even for a C4. If it was a C4S in pristine shape, plus 4.1 engine, maybe, but price is still waaay high. Carreras with as much and MORE options are in the $42K-$46K range. Low mileage can be good or bad, a tossup. Silver over gray is typical Dr/Dentist car colors, a dime a dozen so to speak, nothing special. "Modifications" like wheel spacers & clear side markers, = whoopie, No Big Deal. A 10K service that was 9K late is interesting. The LN IMS replacement is 12 years old and LN advises a 5 year life for replacement. Nothing said about tires. Are they as old as the car? What are the dates on them? Tires past 7 years old used or unused have aged enough to warrant being replaced ASAP. The same could also be said for the engine, as "Manual Transmission Fluid Change, Sparkplug Replacement, Ignition Coils Replaced and Drive Belt Replaced" are usually NOT needed at such a low mile count. What else is just gummed up or deteriorated by age? Where has the car been for 21 years? Remember, dealerships rarely "Fix" things, they just install new parts because it is more profitable. The tossup again. I think there are other 996 C2 cars available for a lot less $. If dealer won't budge by a minimum! of -$10K to $12K, that is still a high price. I would definitely walk away from this one. Just my opinions and observations. . Others may offer similar, same, different opinions. You asked for it. YMMV

I have looked at cars places like that� Looking through the inventory it looks like the kind of place that charges a significant premium for low miles cars that are detailed to a crazy degree for people want something flashy that they won�t drive. It�s probably a great car if you don�t mind spending a premium for something �off the shelf� that will be flashy in the garage and then trade it back for something else flashy in a few years. But as a car to drive? As mentioned it�s way past the �change by� date for the LN IMS so if that worries you plan on spending at least another couple grand on top of the rather high asking price to get that done. The show the tire tread but I can�t see the tire date so it seems entirely likely that the tires are old and need replacement. Having said that if the PPI checks out and you are fine with overpaying it�s a nice looking car that might be hard to find exactly specced that way. If it�s local to you that saves a few grand not having it shipped so factor that in. The dealer may say price is firm but if the tires are more than a few years old I would work them hard to at least get new tires on it.

Perhaps this is a better buy given the extensive service and reputable seller https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...rera-coupe-36/

I checked the LN Engineering IMS lookup website and the VIN was never registered so if you go for this, make sure you get the paperwork that proves it. I'm not thrilled with the CarFax data showing very little services. But this is a rare set of options and the low mileage makes it rarer. My sister in law just paid $40K for a C4 that looks like new and had 40K miles. If you have the scratch, I 100% would buy this if the PPI comes back fine, but I would strongly consider an IMS replacement. Gorgeous.

IT'S NOT EVEN A LEATHER INTERIOR.

OP - That’s pristine, supremely optioned C4S (that’s not silver, gray or black) money. What I see is a nice silver, low miles C2…$32,000. Exhaust and aero…add $7,000. Even that is pretty high with IMS and tires questionable and stock US-spec pogo stick suspension (not M030 or better RoW M030). Pleather, as previously mentioned, 6sp and Sea of Gray interior with standard seats are not “rare.” I feel there’s a number of fine 996’s down your way you can investigate.

Quotes source post: 20207810

Yeah. My feeling of about $40k is probably right then it seems. Thanks for the comment.

All of the above, plus this - Once you start putting the miles on your "low mileage", premium priced car, the premium price goes away and it becomes one of the rest of us. If you don't plan of driving much (a terrible shame), then pay the price and park in your garage. Pull up a couple of chairs, stare at it, take pictures, blah, blah, blah and it will probably retain it's premium value. On the other hand, something with a few more miles, that has been properly maintained and updated mechanically is probably your better bet. And probably at a much more affordable price. IMHO.

If it checks all the boxes for you, get an invasive PPI and make an offer. I like everything about this 996 except the price. Aren�t factory aero .2s really rare?

Sit down. Write a list of equipment that you would have ordered new on a 996 C2S. Year, mileage, history, color, wheels, interior, options, etc. Be patient. I suggest more than one color, to up the odds. Be patient. Be willing to trade lower priorty equipment for higher. Take the "don't buy" comments above seriously. Be patient. To quote a friend, "the perfect car is coming to find you."

One could argue that if that 2003 C2 with 60k miles and no unique options is currently at $38500 on BAT, that a 2004 Factory Aero Kit car with Factory Porsche Sport Exhaust with 19k miles is probably worth about $50k. But color does matter; I personally dont like silver and love Carrara White.

Quotes source post: 20210706

This! This is how I buy cars. Research what all the different variations and configurations the car in question came in. All the options, all the colors, interior and exterior. Then make a short list of what your top examples would be. Then start looking and plan to wait. One thing I would add, is don't ask others how much you should pay. After you have done the research and been scanning classifieds for months, you will know what the average market price is. But once you have found YOUR perfect spec car, many others won't value it the way you value it. For example, what makes that silver Aero Kit car worth $50k is not that 90% of the market thinks its worth that. Its because less than 10% thinks its worth that. It only takes a couple people willing to pay a certain price to make a vehicle worth what its worth.

Quotes source post: 20207646

It has a full dash leather interior , expect for the horseshoe. They put leather on the key cover as well. Pretty nice car but only dealers mark up these type of cars, but dont do justice to the 996 market. Hell my $31k 04 Targa with 58k miles, in my op was overpriced by $4k but I still bought it. This example would have to get an extensive PPI for those miles and even than I wouldnt offer that.

Quotes source posts: 20210706, 20210936

Agree ^^^^ both. Besides BAT, look at Pcarmarket.com auctions. You will learn a lot from reading both sites. I looked for over a year to find a C4S (Heckblende King) that fit my priorities. Other priorities very High on my list were Tiptronic and AWD (C4), so only a C4S would fit. Bad knees, age, whatever takes its toll, screw the 3rd pedal. On a plus side, Tiptronic cars are "deemed less worthy", so a lower price. OK with me. Also High on list was southern/desert-like states past history. I don't like silver or black cars. I found nearly everything I wanted, color a bit off, but close enough. The C4S still draws unsolicited compliments whenever I take it out - to blow the dust off you know.... Back years ago in the time of dinosaurs air-cooled era, I wanted a 930, but NO Black, Silver, or Red! It seemed like 90% of 930s were those colors. I ended up with a Copper Brown Metallic with leather interior to match. Nearly any color was on my OK list, and Chiffon White was as the top. My copper brown metallic made the list because it was there - and I traded a concours '74 Carrera RS for this 930. The 930 wheels had been used as curb feelers, I had perfect wheels (same size). I kept my perfect wheels and new owner of RS kept his beat-up wheels. The deal worked for me. Today I really like Macadamia Nut?-Brown? Metallic, but it is pretty rare. My '04 C4S is PTS darkish gray, sort of like Atlas Gray, semi-unusual, but not the Seal Gray I liked as top of list. The other points on the car were too good to pass up, and this PTS gray has sort of "grown on me". Dollars and donuts, I passed on a great 997 C2, silver over black, manual. It was a great car, but no heckblende, gawd-awful lobster wheels, and silver. Good price, but the negatives won. What I have is not perfect, has some problems, but it can be fixed. After all, it is just a pile of metal, nuts & bolts, and a machine built by Germans who have some strange ideas how things should be/go/whatever. Just my thoughts, organize your priorities and you will find a 996 Carrera that fits your expectations. These cars are all pushing 20+ years old, so something will break or happen. Live with it and expect it, fix it and drive it. JMO YMMV

Quotes source post: 20210982

I don�t think so. 100% of every 996 original leather interior I�ve seen has a stitched instrument binnacle edge. The leather also has less pebble effect than the standard finish, ie, smoother texture.

Quotes source post: 20210982

The door panels will tell you. It's a vinyl interior.