Need the Board's sage input.

There's an '04 996 on a local dealer's lot with less than a 1000 miles on the odometer. The car is used and was originally purchased earlier in the year. The dealer is asking $66.5K but the car has literally no options. No PSM, no heated seats, no stereo upgrade, etc. The car is certified with the extended warranty. I was thinking about offering the dealer $60K but I'm hesitant because of the no option deal. Sure, I could always add dealer installed options after purchase, but I'm leaning towards finding another car with at least most of the popular options. What do you guys think?

I think that if the options are that important to you, you'll end up sinking money into it in the end and some options will be a pain in the *** to add after or nearly impossible. Find the right car. Depending on where you are located, have you considered buying a car from a Canadian dealer? Your dollar still goes a long way here (assuming that you live in the U.S.).

Skip a car that does not have the options you want. The criticism of 996s is that they were produced in far greater numbers than previous P-cars. That might be bad for sellers of used 996s, but it is absolutely great for buyers of used 996s. My point is that the car of your dreams is probably on the lot right now for the right price, the trick is to find it. Options rarely increase the price sgnificantly, but they are very expensive to add (at least some), so keep looking. The options that are easier to add include: Sport exhaust; suspension; auto dimming mirrors, rain sensing wipers, and virtually any interior part (leather, carbon, alu-look). Virtually everything else, including PSM, NAV, Radios (especially '03+) is a real pain to add. Just my .02 TD in DC

With no options, if you are seriously considering it, you should pay an absolute rock bottom price. When you read about all the "cheap" used 996's on the market like the '99s in the $30k they usually are cars with very limited options. When it comes time for you to sell the car for your next Porsche it will be difficult to get good money out of it.

You'll be sorry....I bought an 03 C4S with Carbon Fiber door sills, hand break, shifter, for 66k....there was one closer by for 71k with alum guages, painted center console, heated seats, and same carbon fibre stuff.....now I wish I'd pushed a little further and gotten the other one.......on the other hand, that car is STILL on the lot.....expensive cars are not jumping off the lots everywhere.....be firm w/your negotiation.

Another man's opinion - this is basically a brand new car you can get for probably a hair over 60k vs. a mid to high 70's for a 997 which has the same engine slightly tweaked. That saves you 15k, not bad, and should assuage your concerns about resale given the delta on the initial purchase. As to options, I bought a similar certified '04 car in December, the key option was the 18" rims which it had, I could not bring myself to spend over low $60's for any car so this was my way to get behind the wheel of a 911. I came to the conclusion that the most of the option catalog is additional weight and complexity, cosmetic or of marginal utility. For example, interior styling stuff looks important on the dealer lot where there are acres of P cars but less critical when you are driving in the real world of assorted machines. The stereo upgrade is nice but with tire roar, engine noise and minimal insulation it seemed like something I could live without. As to navigation, electric seats and other electronic wizardry, you can take the view that a 911 should be hard and focused and dispense with that stuff if you like - personal choice I was happy with. Bottom line - these cars are pretty well optimized out of the box and I see most options as an expensive customization option for the owner. If you can afford / justify personal spec then do it! But if cost is a real concern either in affordability or ability to rationalize then I think you will be happier in a plain 911 than almost anything else. Since purchase, I have been happy as a clam and have installed B&M short shift ($199 plus some tools cost) and replaced the CD holder with another shelf (much better look and more useful).

Alon, TD, bet, RLandis: I'm on the same page with all you guys. As you know if you don't want to take a real beating you have to sell a Porsche yourself, and selling a Porsche without options is going to be real tough especially for a private sale. Thanks for your advice. It confirms my hesitation.

I agree with Alon. If you want options it is better to order the car that has them if you go new. If you go used try to find one that closely matches what you want. In all but a few cases, installing the options you want after the fact is a pain in the ***. The price is OK on the one you are looking at less a couple of thousdand dollars maybe. If you do decide to go with it use the fact that it is the basic model to negotiate downwards with the dealer. Anyway you look at it the dealer is coming out ahead. Here's a good rule of thumb...if its not what you want, walk away from it. Good luck...

PSM is "virtually" impossible to retrofit and IMHO the best option on a 996.

Here is my story, when i was looking to buy my porsche, i had a list of options i just HAD to have.It was so hard finding the right car , that i ended up ordering it. I feel that cars with no options are just as hard to sell as the cars with too many options... I would pass

Cars with lots of options are typically easy to sell, albeit the price may not reflect the seller's valuation of the worth of those options. As a general rule, the only type of buyer who would not buy a car due to an option (where price is equal, and not taking into acount tip v. stick) is a hardcore track person, but they are probably a very small percentage of potential buyers. As such, I have always viewed options as something that will make my car sell faster provided that I did not tack on too much of a price increase for those options.

Kilrgt & TD: I've been reading your posts for some time and appreciate your insights. Again, you guys are confirming my fears. My intent is to buy a 996 and keep it for some time, but just in case an unforeseen event comes up that would necessitate a sale, I wouldn't want a car that would be almost impossible to sell privately.

Rob:To me the absence of PSM was the real concern. Other options can always be added but I doubt that it would be possible to add PSM, and even if it is possible, I'd imagine that the costs would be prohibitive.

Nick: You make a lot of good points regarding options. If the car had PSM I'd be at the dealership right now doing some serious negotiating.

If you can live with the price and no psm, buy the car and imagine how much fun you will have with mods!!!!

Remember you are talking about a purchase fueled by passion, not logic. You will most likely regret buying the "wrong" color, the missing options which are either hard or expensive to retrofit, etc. Would you buy a tip because it has the right options and price when you are lusting for a 6 speed? I think not. It isn't like you can't eventually get what makes you happy and fits your budget by being patient. I had to look for a while to find my car in just the right color with just the right options, and when I found it, I had to spend a few thousand more to get it. The easiest decision in the world.

There's a stage leaving at ....oh, you said sage. Get the options you want. You'll be happier.

Are you committed to driving in the snow? If you aren't getting 4 new rims and snow tires, then you aren't, and the PSM is non-critical. For normal cruising, and even spirited street driving, I don't think you will miss PSM. I personally prefer to avoid a lot of options. Options represent a disproportionate portion of dealer profit, and bear the heaviest depreciation. The missing options are not something crucial like air conditioning, or power steering. For normal conditions including wet, I loved the predictable drift of a rwd Porsche. AS

Alexander: I don't have PSM on my '95 993, and I agree with you regarding the predictable drift. So personally I don't have a problem driving a car without PSM. The business side of me however has a concern if I have to sell a 996 without PSM. If I have to sell the car to a stealer, I'm sure they would tell me how little the car is worth without options.

Once again, I like to thank each and every one of you who have taken the time to respond to my post. We all have at least one thing in common and that's our passion for Porsches, and I genuinely value all of your counsel. I'm still vacillating because the car has the silver color and black interior that I love, and of course it has the great 996 performance. To top it off it even has that dam intoxicating new car smell.

It's got all that and price. Buy it, drive it til the wheels fall off, and don't worry about the sale. Chances are the next buyer will care more about mileage, condition, crash history, abuse, and price than the length of the option list. Any time I have traded in cars at a dealer, they check year and mileage. Everything else is just pure smoke. I doubt if there is a 10% return on option cost. AS

Hold it, move it cheap or take it to the High Line auction........two or three '04s ( C2s ) with very low miles went for mid 50s at the last auction......offer $57,500 or a bit more PSM is not mandatory......the majority of 993s did not have LSD/ABD and as you go back to 964s and earlier LSDs were rare on two wheel drive Porsches....

I agree. That's why it's a great deal when you buy a used 996 with a ton of options.

According to KBB the car wholesales for around $56K. Add another $1800 for a Porsche Certified car and that takes it to around $57.8K. If I make an offer, it will be for $60K. Since the car has only been on their lot for a week, I doubt they will accept my offer, but that's about all I'm willing to pay for the car.

I have bought and sold 14 Porsches over 32 years....my experience has been if you offer 57k plus you will end up around 60k.....which is still a good deal for the seller in today's market...Plus they gain a loyal customer Good Luck!

Berkley: Thanks for the advice. I agree it's never a good bargaining strategy to begin negotiations with your final offer.