Help! Price on 99 Cab and PPI paint work discovered

Hello All, I have a deposit on a 1999 996 Black Cab with 31K 1 owner miles, books and records, 6 speed with a full leather interior, 18 inch wheels, etc. The price is pretty darn good at 45.5K. The car has not been in any accidents, but a paint meter turned up that the rear driver's quarter panel had been repainted. All other panels including the door and rear deck lid are clean. According to the body shop that checked it out, it looks like a softball or something else hit it to create a nice dent. The panel is original and has never been replaced. They see no signs of accident damage. Of course, they did detect a little body filler used to make the repair. How big of a deal is this in the Porsche world? I am at a loss as to what to do. The car is also still under full factory warranty until July. How many Porsche buyers would walk if any paint work was found? I am also worried if resale will be an issue. Thank you, Edward

Buy it. I just got the same car, same mileage, same price. Been having a blast the past 3 weeks, an amazing machine. As long as the paint doesn't look cosmetically different, then it won't be a big deal when you sell it - just disclose to the buyer and it'll most likely be fine. MUCH more important is the overall condition of the vehicle mechanically. Make sure that a dealer looks it over thoroughly for leaks, clutch & tranny issues, cab function, etc. Also, buy an extended warranty if you can to cover everything for another few years. Could save you lots of dough. Finally, as far as value, the price is great right now because the market is soft and its still wintertime. Keep it for 3 years, sell it in the late spring, and you could get high 30's for it. Total cost of ownership could be as low as $350 per month (after interest) plus the tax you pay and any maintenance items. Not bad to own a Porsche for a Hyundai price...

It wouldn't stop me, particularly if you plan to put a lot of miles on the car. Mileage seems to be a bigger issue with high end buyers, and is much more easily discernable. If the car is solid, my advice would buy it and use it. AS

One other point - if all looks well, it probably is well - meaning a quality repair. And it's Black - the easiest to match. What would concern me is if the seller never revealed this.

Edward -- This car is from EXPO in Houston. Right? I was very interested in the car but they wouldn't give me a straight answer on the paintwork question. I know little about body work, but I don't think that high end body shops use filler any more. The dealer that it was purchased from new, in Maryland, went out of business so there is no way to get the service info on the car. $45.5 is a good deal but make sure you see it in person. Maybe you can have them take another $1,000 off for the paint! Good luck!

Just a quick $0.02 cents from me, I paid 45k, 5 months ago, 25K miles, the car had minor front fender body work, but otherwise was super clean. My best advice is to be patient, if anything feels wrong then walk. I don't like dealers, their high prices are suspicous. Private owners on the other hand are much easier to read. You can tell the "strait-shooters" from the others. You can get a good deal, you just need patience and the good sense to know when a good deal is sitting in front of you. Good luck!

straight, oops!

Obviously, a country music fan from NoVA!

On a similar note, I want to solicit opinions. I bought my '99 996 Cab certified from a dealer about a year ago, now I notice that the driver's door has been repainted and it's noticable because the panel has waves. I have heard the subpar body work sometimes takes time to become apparent. Since so much time has passed do I have any recourse? How would you handle this? Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by Renato: <strong>On a similar note, I want to solicit opinions. I bought my '99 996 Cab certified from a dealer about a year ago, now I notice that the driver's door has been repainted and it's noticable because the panel has waves. I have heard the subpar body work sometimes takes time to become apparent. Since so much time has passed do I have any recourse? How would you handle this? Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">As a lawyer, it's impossible to really respond to your question without seeing what the dealer certified and what limitations on suit (i.e., statute of limitations) the document contains. If you're interested in getting the body panel properly repaired, and if you live anywhere near Long Island, I would recommend Rich at Elrich Auto Body in Aquebogue. He repaired my '99 cab after a car wash wrecked the driver's side door and rear quarter panel; when I went to trade it in a dealer put a micrometer to the paint and couldn't tell there'd been a repair.