996 Buying Advice 2002 60k miles for 25k?

I'm looking at my first p-car and getting close to purchasing from a local private owner. I have not done a PPI yet, but that will be my next step if I move forward. It has the following: Under 60k miles LN Engineering IMS New clutch New AOS Needs new rear tires, 50% fronts Some scratches on body and some rashing on wheels My offer of 24k got countered to 25k, what do you guys think? Thanks for any and all advice!

With the limited info you provided it sounds pretty decent. Only a PPI will tell. The owner may have a similar mentality to mine. I drive my car almost daily (might take the truck if it's my turn to drive to lunch), and I don't really sweat small cosmetic imperfections. I have never rashed a wheel (knocks on wood) but my car has various scratches on it. However, I maintain my vehicle's mechanical components like the best of them. Most of what I have replaced has been preventative so that I can enjoy my car every day. Seems like the seller is "cut from the same cloth" Happy hunting. It's part of the fun.

Yes the car looked cosmetically in good shape, drove well and it seemed like the owner did his homework and got all the above preventative maintenance done. I've been looking for a few months now, but have been looking more at 02-03 c4s when I stumbled upon this car. Is 25k for an 02 c2 on the low or high end pricing wise?

That seems like a decent deal. I know potentially a 02 C4S with 77K miles for sale at $29.5K but still on original clutch and IMS but new tires.

That sounds like a pretty good deal provided that the car is clean title and not salvaged. From my experience looking around here in seatlle area, that would be a great price on a clean title car with clutch and ims stuff already done. I've seen older cars 99-01 asking for that with same mileage or higher and no clutch done yet. Is it highly optioned? color? interior? Remember when looking that these cars, they are 10+ year old cars so you want one that was driven rather than stored so its lubricated and at 60k miles it was driven but not over driven which is good. Rear tires will probably just run you about $400 for the pair installed. You won't have to worry about doing a clutch if it was already done and its even better if the ims was also done that would save you the headache and worries that us guys looking at getting into a used 996 with original clutch will have to deal with since that would run you another $2500-$3000. So you would pretty much be picking up that car at $22k if you had to do the work that had already be done. That would definitely be a steal. If your looking at the C4 or C4s those are great cars but their price point will easily be in the low to mid $30s and come with the same engine and power but more weight. If you need the four wheel drive for the winter then you might want to go with the c4. As long as the bumper is not hanging off and there are no large dents then the paint will just need to be buffed and polished out. Remember it isn't a new car and if you want a perfect car that would be a brand new one. If you pass on this car. PM the info I'll take a drive somewhere. If its in Seattle or Oregon even better.

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My back of the envelop calculation indicates the price is a bit high. But not that high. Roughly, take the dealer's cost of the car (I use 87% of a car's list price not including destination charge, or any additional dealer markup) and then subtract 10% for when the was sold and another 10% when next year's model came out. IOWs, the car depreciates 10% per year from the price the dealer paid for the car. I used $75K for the dealer's cost, which might be high, probably is high, for I seem to recall coming across a very nice very low miles used 02 996 (just a few months after I had already bought my new 02 Boxster in Jan 02) and I do not think the MSRP was $75K. Of course various forces can affect the above depreciation curve. Or visit www.kbb.com or www.nada.com or similar sites and plug in the numbers and see what trade in, private sale, dealer sale numbers come up for the car of interest. I like to operate on the assumption that the car is worth somewhere between its trade in value to, well, as high as I want to go. Sincerely, Macster.

Interesting tactic to make an offer on the car pre- PPI, then negotiate over $1k. If the car passes PPI and you have crossed all the other cars off of your list, then buy it. Excellent has a good buyers guide; http://www.excellence-mag.com/resour...ide/1041874889 But you should do your homework (PPI, pricing guides, etc) before starting the negotiations.

I've looked at excellence price list as well as kbb but have not seen a car for that price without it being abused or salvaged. Seems like prices have gone up just a bit.

$25K is a pretty good deal for <60K mile car. I got my wheel rash fixed for $75 per wheel (autospatlc), and scratches can also be easily buffed out. You probably have to match the fronts with new rears - so cost for that could be up to $300 each depending on brand. The fact IMS was done with new clutch and AOS is a big plus. 60K service will run you $1-$2K - including plugs, brake flush etc. (or you can do most of it yourself to save some $$). Check brake condition. Check service records (how often was oil changed) and carfax for evidence of accidents. Get PPI as mentioned above. Check windows drop down 1/2" when you open door handle - replacing regulators is about $500 - and a common repair at this age. Good luck.

Thanks for the tips everyone. Carfax shows a damage report from first owner, service records show the rear decklid being repainted / replaced. I'm getting more in-depth service records sent over and scheduling a PPI for this week. Thanks for the detailed response targa996. If everything checks out in the PPI and I get the car, I'll give autospatlc a call to fix some of the cosmetic defects. How satisfied were you with their work? Can you recommend some good shops in the Bay Area for servicing?

Last week, I bought a cream puff one owner 01 Carrera with full maintenance documentation and a clean carfax for $18k. The only negative is the car had 110k miles. The car is in beautiful condition and is as tight as a drum.

$25k is fair if in PERFECT condition. Known body work done would knock the price down for me. I wouldn't pay over $22k for it. However, as many say what's 10% one way or the other!?

up here in the NW that is an outstanding deal, the MKII's up here are all around 30k+ and it already has the IMS replaced and fairly low miles, as long as its not a salvage title I would be jumping all over that in an instant. (FYI though PNW P-car prices seem to be quite a bit higher than the rest of the country)

Your description roughly fits my car in terms of mileage, condition, and service history (including one relatively minor body/paint repair). Having said that I also have a bunch of nice options, and that I think might be the difference if all else, like the PPI, checks out. If the car has some decent options, such as Bi-Xenons, Bose, PSM, or full leather, $25k might be a very good deal. If the car has minimal options then $25k may be just about right. I am also skeptical of adhering strictly to anyone's valuation guides. Porsches are so rare (relative to Hondas and Fords), that these numbers are only good in a very broad sense. They are probably accurate for newer models, but once you get around 10 years old all bets are off. With the wide variety of mileage, condition, and options spread around a relatively small number of cars the relevant question "is this a good deal,"is perhaps more like, "is this what I am able and willing to pay for this specific car." Good luck!

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WOW!!! That is a good buy With that kind of documentation, 110K miles is very reasonable. Goes to show you if you are patient, and have the cash in hand, good deals come around all the time, you just got to be ready

I would say that price is in the ballpark, so it's a decent deal if you like it and it all checks out. PPI is critical and it is important to have some or all records. Also, if you've been looking and have a sense of the current market, then I'd say trust your gut instinct. Good luck!

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agreed about the valuation guides, they just are not accurate for Porsche's.....if someone is selling one cheap (like a 01 for 18k) 90% of the time there is something hiding on it..........or you are in the right place at the right time with someone who is DESPERATE to sell (18k for a 996 is CRAZY cheap in my area) or you might be in a saturated car market like SoCal/Vegas/bay area where a Porsche is on every corner for sale

Heyer. Performance in mountain view is worth the drive... further south id highly recommend flintworks in Campbell ..also had recommendation for don wise. First thing id do is join porsche club .. pca. ..sign up for autocross school or go to one of their other events and ask some of the other owners that live close to you for shop recommendation. I looked around San Mateo but couldn't find one better than heyer. In sf or east bay others may be able to recommend. For rear deck accident .. that is probably ok if repaired at porsche approved shop. As long as ppi doesn't see any structural damage or paint issues fact it was repaired long time ago is probably ok. Mine had carfax with front fender repair .. but I didn't have any issues related to that .... Autospa did great job on wheels .. they run discount deals in mercury news from time to time so look out for that. Paint work was ok ... but you might be able to find better ..... depends how much u want to pay .. could also just get the Dr. Color. Chip system and do your own .. that works pretty well ....

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Have to agree largely because a new model has already been launched and resale on 997 and 996 will take a hit very soon. I would be skeptical that this car could hold $25K for long. That's if he's even had many other offers in this territory recently. OP, has he?

Not sure the 996 are gonna take a much bigger hit. The 997 definitely will. The 996 has pretty much I think hit the bottom a year or so again are holding up pretty well overall. I still see 99s asking in the low 20s for lower miles and in the higher teens for the higher miles and most mkII in the mid to higher 20s. I'd be interested in an mkII with under 60k and clutch, rms, ims and stuff like done for up to $27k.

Got it today! My almost 7 month long search has ended. Thanks for all of the advice! Got the PPI done at Heyer Perfomance in Mountain View and Tony was great. Seller was really easy to work with and knew how to take care of his 996. Not sure if you're on here Mike, but thanks! I'm thinking about getting the Fister D muffler mod done this weekend, throwing some Hankook V12s on in a few weeks, and getting a detail done / curb rash fixed. Any advice on other first mods?

I will second the Fister mod. I have it on my 99 C2 coupe and it sounds great!

Congrats to you!! Hope to be the next one up.... Thinking between targa or turbo but leaning towards the targa and keep the difference in the bank. First mod would be upgrade the stereo system. Porsche oem stuff is junk in my opinion. Try and get a navi with iphone/ipod and bluetooth...

Congrats! paid $24,995 for my 2002 ~60k miles back in November.

That's a darn good price kahdmus... What options did your come with?

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My mech thought so too. After driving 964's so long, I'm not sure what's standard kit vs. optional on a 996 still tbh. Having a cup holder still feels like a guilty pleasure! Car is 6-speed C4 cab, leather, trip computer, electric seats, CD-changer, side air-bags (but I think these are standard). Oh, it has beautiful looking, but a PITA to clean Porsche-design rims that aren't standard.

Thanks! Car came with a Kenwood popout nav / bluetooth. After pushing the car a bit I'm liking the stock Porsche exhaust note. How big of an improvement is the fister d mod?

My buddy has the fister d mod and it sounds 100x better than stock. It makes the exhaust sound the PSE and how the flat six should come out of the factory. That's gonna be my first mod when I pick up a car. I may just have a local muffler shop do the mod they usually charge about $100...

The FisterD or the MkII hack, both are a huge improvement. You get some rasp and burble, and zero negative side effects. FisterD is louder, and looks more difficult for the average shopt to do. I had the MKII hack done with 2.25 SS pipes. Love it.