Price advice

Hello, I am currently in the market for a 996 and in final discussion with the seller. It's a 2002 Carrera 2 Coupe with 32k miles, 6-speed manual, no accident, but paintwork on the front bumper. Moderately equipped with decent options. The overall condition is great, but unfortunately, there is no service record. The dealer is asking $30K. What would be a fair offer for this car? Prices are all over the place that it's difficult to get the feel for the market value. Any advice would be appreciated.

Hi there, That actually sounds like a fair deal, given the low mileage, IMO. Check out this link, as a GENERAL guideline: http://www.excellence-mag.com/resour...ide/1041874889 How much do you trust the dealer? Are you getting an independent PPI? Can you bargain a lower price or some sort of warranty from the dealer? If it's a dealer, I would think they're more likely to negotiate than a private seller, and it's unlikely they'll get pissed off if your offer is low. That been said, I would not start my negotiation from $20K. What was your original budget? Are you going to have to ship/transport? How about any mods you want to make right away, can you offset them from the price? Regardless, good luck with your decision. Edit: I just saw this on the forum, sorry if you've already seen it: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...e-6-speed.html I figured more data can't hurt. Good luck!

I purchased my 99 cab with <37K miles last october for $23.5. The service records only went back to 2005 or maybe 2004 cant remember off hand. But the car was in fair shape body and paint 7 out of 10. Not a show car but a driver, if was in better shape I would not drive it as much. I also put about $4k in it after I purchased it, new tires, full major service just based on its age. If you don't need new tires and all the service is up to date $30K from a dealer is not to bad. I would offer 27K FWIT.

one million dollars !! $30 seems high, more like $25 IMO only after it passed a PPI with flying colors - if you split those its still a fair deal....

If $30k is the asking price, $27K shouuld do the trick. When seeking advice from the board and other sources, make sure you compare apples to apples. A comparison (although appreciated) to a 99 Cab with similar mileage doesn't help much. Good luck.

Thanks so much for your insights and excellent guidance. Extremely helpful.

I just bought a 2004 996 Targa, single owner, no service records, 30K miles, for $31.7K from a dealer (MB) in Houston. I had an independent PPI that showed the car to be in excellent condition. They originally had the car listed for $39.9, and therefore weren't willing to deal at all. I have had the car for 3 months, and am very happy with it. You will find prices all over the map, as you indicated. If you are negotiating with a Porsche dealer, try to get them to certify the car. That is worth lots to a new buyer. If it's a non-Porsche dealer, you can't do that. but the price sounds fair. As others have said, you can offer $27 - $27.5 based on a successful PPI. The fact that you are buying from a dealer doesn't mean that you don't need a PPI. You need an independent person to tell you how the car looks, drives, etc. Good luck, and keep us posted. larry

A year ago I paid $29k for my 02 Carrera coupe with full leather, PSM, the Advanced Technics package and some other nice options. The car was in excellent condition with 40k miles and a complete service record. I would think that $26-28k would be the correct ballpark value for the car, based on miles and your description. That said, ultimately a used car is worth whatever the seller and buyer agree on... and there are a lot of factors that weigh on that beyond what a car may technically be worth. If this is the car you want, in terms of color, options, and mileage, and you have spent some time looking, is it really worth it to quibble about a thousand dollars? Good luck!

30k is c4s money... but what do I know, I thought mine was well priced...

I bought my 2003 C2 45k miles in September for $28K. It seems these cars vary greatly not just on options/trim but also location. After reading some threads here I felt like I paid way too much for mine, but honestly, it only depends on if YOU think its worth it. For me, I just had to have this color and there aren't a whole lot of these out there to choose from, so for me the color was worth the extra $. If this is the car YOU want and you are comfortable with the price, then go for it. Although just to be smart, I'd haggle with the dealer a little. Probably start at 26-27K and see where it takes you. Mine was originally priced at 30K and I got him down to 28K.

I concur with some others. If you can get it for $27 that would be good. But I would be hesitant to buy with no service records. I bought my 2002 targa one year ago for $35k (yeah sounds high now). It had 13,500 miles in near new condition. All records plus it has the CPO which costs the dealer about $2k, but has been worth more than that to me. It has HIDs, Bose, Sport Seats, Carbon fiber shifter/hand brake, painted center console, lightweight Carreras, rocker panel flares (dealer installed), and I think a couple of other options I can't remember right now. You can't get a 2002 CPOd since it's too old. Did you check the Porsche site and do a CPO search for 2002-2003 models? The CPO 996s are holding there prices. Or spend more if you can and get a 2005 CPO for about $41k. There are 2 on the Porsche site now - one black and one gray both 997 CPOs. The black one only has 34k miles priced at $42k.

25 would be a great deal,cannot compare with 99 #s.PPI results? RMS done? Gea conditiuon on a clean oil analysis?

I think that you can see how fluid these numbers are. Don't be lulled into thinking that you get the same car for better dollars by buying an early 996 compared to a later one. There is a big difference between the 99's and the 04's. But that being said, a properly maintained 996 should provide you with many solid years of fun driving, if you are careful with your maintenance, and get a proper PPI done. In your situation, you don't have any idea of past maintenance. Should you avoid that car because of that? I don't think so, especially if you can buy it right, and the PPI shows no leaks or other issues. Be cautious, there are a lot of 996's out there. If this one fails, there are lots of others waiting for your checkbook. Just be patient, and don't get emotionally involved. This (or any other car) isn't the deal of the century. If it doesn't feel right for ANY reason, say good-bye and move on. larry

Get PPI and CARFAX. If inspections go well then talk! Keep in mind dealers need to make a profit. I will offer low (26k +/-) and see what they say. If they say NO then they might be in more with the car, etc. Also check how long has this vehicle been on their lot. Usually dealers will let cars go if they have been sitting for over 90 days on their lots. Good luck and hope you get her. Post some pics if you get her

Thank you so much for excellent advice!! What carfax shows several data points of services performed at Porsche Dealers. The car is currently offered for sale at an independent dealer. I will get the PPI done. Thanks again.

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I'm not current on 996 market prices. Use www.kbb.com or www.nada.com or some other similar site to get the trade in, private sale, retail sale prices for the car. When I look at a used car I assume the car's worth trade in if that. (It is quite common for a dealer to offer *less* that trade-in. The price the dealer offers is what he believes he can sell the car for at a wholesale auction should the car prove to be a slow/no seller car.) What one pays over this trade in value depends upon many factors. Regardless of whether there are service records or not, you want to check the car out to ensure its condition is good. Be sure you listen to the engine from a cold start. When you turn the key on check all dash/warning lights come on then go off. You want to make sure no bulb (like CEL bulb) is burned out or missing... Be sure the A/C is off. Start the cold engine and let the engine idle and pay close attention to how it sounds. Idle may be a bit rough at first but it should smooth out and the idle speed should slow down some over time as the engine warms up. Continue to let it warm up while you listen for any ticks, knocks, etc. Have seller take you on a 15 mile or so test ride. As a passenger your job is to focus on how the engine sounds, runs, the tranny shifts, etc. Once warm you want the driver to run the engine up from near idle to redline and preferrably shifting from say 2nd into 3rd and continuing to accelerate the car to ensure the engine pulls smoothly and strongly from idle to redline. Back at the starting point, change seats and repeat the test drive this time of course as a driver. Follow same route and drive the car in the same way. If all is ok so far then a full check out like you would any car is called for. And if you can find no reason to reject the car and believe you can buy the car at whatever price you deem agreeable to you, then you have a PPI done. As an aside, that there are no service records you must assume that all vital fluids/filters are in need of servicing. These include oil/filter, engine air filter, cabin air filter, coolant, brake fluid, tranny/diff fluid. I'd also like the car aligned. You should try to factor in the cost of these services into your offer. You want to avoid paying good to excellent money for a car that requires considerable servicing costs to bring its unknown servicing state up to date. Sincerely, Macster.

Drag your deal to the end of the month/end of the year. A dealer will be more likely to want to move inventory off the books and get the cash in the bank than a private seller. Sounds like a great car but for $40 you can buy a mediocre 997 so there has to be some daylight between the two. High $20's is better than $30.

Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom!

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Well... wisdom may be a bit generous with this crowd

Just my 2cents: I wouldn't be hung up on buying a car that I saw or buying from a dealer: there are many many motivated PRIVATE sellers out there if you are willing to buy from anywhere in the country and pay for shipping, which can be about $1200 from just about anywhere. Couple that with the willingness to pay for a local PPI when you find the one you like and you can probably save a lot of money on a car that has lower mileage and the perfect option list/color for you. Easiest way to do the PPI? Simple: do a search on this site for a recommended independent Porsche mechanic in the city you are looking at the car. He'll charge about $200 or less and you will know if the car is worth buying after that. Worse case scenario is that the car is no good and you're out $200. If you are saving thousands, it is still money well spent. And, if you can vet the car well enough before the PPI is done you won't find out anything very surprising. Very important also is to start a dialogue with the seller -- you can tell b.s. a lot easier this way and dismiss him if you don't feel comfortable!

I agree with everything that Jim said with one exception. I have never had a PPI done for $200. Depending on what they are looking at. If you have them do a compression test and a leakdown, you're going to spend upwards of $300 - $350. But the seller, if motivated, may split the cost with you. It is an National car market out there. I'm in Chicago, and bought my 996 in Houston. Flew down and drove it back over a weekend. So don't just look locally. And to find a place for a PPI, either use this site or the Pelican forum. Post a thread, "Looking for a PPI in Podunk, TN" it's a very active community out there, someone will know of a good indy in any town you can mention. larry

Good advice here... I'll throw my .02 cents behind what everyone else said. Do your homework the more research you do on your end the better. I did carfax, ran vin and with that info I w was able to actually call servicing dealers and speak with service folks about my cars history and service. becourtious and professional and they were both more than willing to help in my case. Take your time look at a few cars and there are plenty out there and be ready to walk away if the B.S. detector goes off or if it just not "feel" right. Cannot stress enough that you as someone said start dialoge with seller and get a feel for them and how they handle any issues that come up or concerns you may have. At same time be realistic in your expectations and pick your battles if and when issues come up. DO a PPI. DO a PPI. DO a PPI. LOL. It's just common sense. Would you rather be out a few hundred or a few thousand dollars? Yes, shop nationally 2 out of my last 3 cars were purchsed sight unseen over the internet and if you follow the advise here and do your homework it will save you money and get you a nice car. In S. Florida the car I bought would have commanded a $5k premium EASY. Why? I don't know but they do. Suckers born every day I guess I just choose to not be of them Good luck.