what up guys. thinkin of buyin a new 996.. this one?

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst...650168410.html had a boxster before, and although its a great car, everytime i sspepped in it, i wish it were a 911! i saw this ad on clist and wondering what you guys thought. only weird things are when i asked him why he was selling, he said his wife is pregnant and needs to get an suv. what i found strange however were he bought the car 6 months ago, his wife is 8 months preggo, and is already trying to flip it. i asked him, "so you knew your wife was gonna have a kid when you bought it, but his rely was, i though i could get away with it,/? his wife doesnt even like riding in that car as well. another thing i found odd was that i wanted to test drive it, being that it is car after all, but would not let me unless i was 'serious' amd had the money there. something about.."g-d forbid you crash it... proved i had full coverage, but still, no dice i gave him my word i had the means to purchase it but all i was able to convince him was to let him drive as i rode in the passanger seat. although we did travel a full gambit of scenarios from traffic to rough roads and freeways, he also punched it a couple times, says he always keeps it in the 3-5000 rpm range. the car has no defects, leaks i could see, although the CEL light came on when warmed and was told it was just a couple o2 sensors that needed replacement. the mileage is at 155k, which im pretty sure absolves the ims rms issues, no? said he would work something out about the o2 sensors and if i took it for a PPI, he would reimburse me if the compression test failed.. what do you guys think? just kinda leary about his whole demeaner... thanks BTW... carfax clean, but what does that really tell you? started out in NY, now in LA......price seems too good to either pass up, or be true (even though it is correct) \any advice would be very appreciated

This from the ad: "There are Absolutely NO Issues or Repairs Needed!" "Everything works Perfect!" This during your inspection: He wouldn't let you drive it. "although the CEL light came on when warmed..." Codes thrown? " he bought the car 6 months ago , his wife is 8 months preggo, and is already trying to flip it" "which im pretty sure absolves the ims rms issues, no?" NO! Keep in mind a new engine is ~$15-18k Run Forrest, Run!!

Walk away.

Run!

Run! plenty of nice cars out there!

What they said!

You have a choice of so many 996's on the market in the USA that you should really take your time, find the color and options that make you happy and settle on the car that checks out and feels right! Pete

It has the rare "power doors" option. I'd go for it.

For starters seller must provide recent passed smog test to transfer ownership & that can't happen with CEL on. Check license plate to see when registration expires, maybe he thinks/knows it will cost alot to fix CEL issue & pass smog test so he is trying to sell first.

Ancient Chinese proverb: There is no cheap path to Porsche enlightenment. You must pay, one way or the other. How is not important, will is inevitable

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What others have said. Walk away. Kudos to you for doing the test ride thing. I can't stress how important it is for a prospective used car buyer to spend some time with a used car with the engine running and the car being used in one's presence. And that the check engine light came on during the test ride.. that's what I'm talking about. To address the other points... He's going to find it hard to sell the car without letting a prospective buyer take it for a test drive. Of course the seller can demand to see current proof of insurance, a valid driver's license, even take pics of your car, license plate and you. Not sure what to make of that always keeps it in the 3-3500 rpm range comment by the seller. He may be just a grandpa when it comes to driving the car, or he may be trying to keep you from using higher revs because the engine has a problem at higher revs. How do you know the CEL was due to O2 sensors and not something else? What were the codes? And did all codes get pulled? IMS is always a possibility. That the engine has lasted 155K miles though suggests that however the car has been treated, serviced, agrees with the car. A clean CarFax means about as much as a policitian's promise in an election year. Always be on the lookout for serious things, like major body/paint work, that may not have been reported to any to databases CarFax and similar services use. Really no need to run a compression test. The test ride/drive if long enough gives the engine controller time to log misfires which is the engine controller's way of telling you combustion in one or more cylinders is sub-par. Car starts out in NY and ends up in LA? Not a real concern. Cars just like people move about a bit. CarFax though should provide you some idea of how this occurred, over what span of time, etc. Anyhow, based on what you found when you looked at the car, talked to the owner, and how the car did *not* match the seller's ad info, my advice remains the same as everybody else's: Walk away. Sincerely, Macster.

There is alot of good advice here, but at that price, which is consistent with the mileage, if you are really interested, make the deal contigent on a PPI. If the PPI comes back in good shape, you got yourself a good car

It sounds like the seller is acting in an odd manner (even though his ad claims to be "odder free"). Also, his advertisement says: "There are Absolutely NO Issues or Repairs Needed!" and "...All Factory, No Modifications" The vehicle obviously has some issues and needs repairs. It's also not riding on factory wheels, so that's one modificaiton right there. I think you're looking for trouble if you buy this car.

Run!

LA is FULL of Porsches. Seriously, I think something like 25% of the Porsche's in the US are in the LA area. I bought my 2002 cab down there with 56k miles for not too much more than that - drove it up the coast and it's been mostly problem free (minus the problems I've induced by overzealous cleaning ). I think I saw a couple other high mileage 996.1's for the same price or lower when I was looking 6 months ago. I'd pass on this one.

wow... so many replies, so fast! thx! this place is amazing! just for more info, talked to the guy over the phone for like an hour today. the registration is due now, (well in aug) so i think he went to smog it and said that it was the o2 sensors. although he said that he will get the car smog approved for me (of course its also the law here). also said, wouldnt mind driving me to santa barbera or even vegas to show it has no problems driving long trips in the heat gonna get the codes soon from german autosport who is amazing and will be doing the ppi, although, seller said, if everything checks out you gotta sign a "contract" stating that i would purchase the car! idk.... my gut is telling me to run for the hills, although i already have some sort of emotional attachment to this car for this price for some odd reason the ppi is only 90bucks so not really a big deal, just not sure how thorough . im obviously gonna give him an extra "incentive" aka $20 to say something is wrong with something therefore negating this stupid, "if the mechanic says its good you are obligated to buy it" thing.. who the %^&* ever would come up with that! again, thanks for all your guys' replies and advise... im sure ill be here ALOT more!

My car checked out with CarFax and after I had it I noticed where it had been in an accident. I love my car and only paid $23,000 for it and it's a 2003 with 55,000 miles on it. Theyre out there! The accident doesn't bother me, it was repaired flawlessly, but the car your looking at for some reason is giving you the creeps. There is a reason for that. Use your gut, walk away.

If everything checks out you gotta sign a contract saying your gonna buy this car....... For some reason I wish it was me this assclown said this to so I could go off on him! Where did he pull that from? Plenty of cars out there, if you don't put this one in your rearview mirror the term sucker comes to mind.

Yes Maurice - there are lots of trouble signs here. I always say that when you buy a used car, you are actually "buying the owner" - this guy showed himself to be untrustworthy in every possible way, and is not worthy of your trust.

Put it out of your mind. If you are looking for a cheap sports car I would suggest maybe a used Corvette or 350Z. I know that a MY99 996 Aero is way more appealing... Trust me, I know. Get a quote on what a m96+transmission+clutch job will cost. Then ask yourself... "Do I feel lucky?" If you are lucky you will be driving a genuine bargain. If not, you could end up with $35,000 invested in a car worth ~$20,000.

Unless this is all you can afford, I wouldn't give it a second look! jmo

If everything checks out? It's a freakin' 99 with 155k miles. It has stone chips, somewhere, guaranteed. The headliner will make noise when the sunroof is open if a window isn't cracked. There are a couple of other sure things wrong that a good ppi will tell you, scrape on wheel, etc., so it will never be "everything checks out." This guy is a tool and not being honest about his car. Run! PS - A $90 ppi is not a bargain. I was going to buy a local Boxster and took it to my trusted regular indy for a ppi. He said step one is check the oil filter for metal flakes - I pay for oil change. Lots of flakes in a fresh oil/filter. Car fails and the process stops. You can't even get an oil change for $90. A good ppi should be around $200, with a leakdown/compression test a bit more.

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This is not uncommon to sign contract if PPI passes. A friend of mine bought a Ferrari 360 this spring and that was the deal. It all turned out okay.

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Not to disagree... but that seems very uncommon. In fact, I've never heard of it before, and I have bought a whole lot of performance cars over the years and worked in the business for a while. To buy my current car the dealer in Massachussetts delivered it across town to a shop I chose for the PPI and did not even charge me for the time. For me this is an automatic deal breaker. Again - walk away, fast.

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I've changed my mind. Do not walk away from this car. Run away. Sincerely, Macster.

think i all ready knew that this one just seems too fishy, just really wanted it to work out, just needed reassurance from this wonderful community! thanks again all already looking at other options (if anyone has anything for sale or they come across- lemme kno

I would suggest paying for a Membership. You get to see the Member 'For Sale' ads. Most members have a reputation, and won't want a bad transaction. Plus, you get RL Off Topic, which by itself is well worth the price of admission (I think it's $17/year.)

Why fall in love with this car? LA is absolutely flooded with 911's. Buy a different one. Makes no sense.

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Good for you! Plenty of eye candy out there to easily forget that one. Keep looking and do your homework and you'll be greatly rewarded. Remember cheap doesn't always mean good or better.

mauriceoner, Private message (PM) sent to you. Thx.

BUY IT NOW! What could possibly go wrong??

the Boxster is a woman's car in my opinion. good luck searching for a 911 but hang in there for a good one, there are plenty out there.