Price check and advice re: 2001 C2 cab......

Hey all - I've been lurking here for a bit and wanted some advice. I'm buying a 2001 C2 cab (tiptronic) for my wife. It will be used as a weekend car when she is without kids and doesn't need her minivan. This will be replacing a 2003 M3 with SMG (she's not crazy about the SMG since she's never driven a manual before and in auto mode it's not the smoothest thing out there).... Anyway, I've found 3 cars I'm interested in. 1. 2002 black/black with 4400 miles on it - asking price is $60,900 - 10 months left on warranty - it is not certified yet. Options like we want, PSM, heated seats, tip tranny - no NAV, no hardtop. 2. 2001 black/black with 28,000 miles on it - asking price is $54,900 - ~9 months left on factorty warranty - it is factory certified. Same options as the 2002 basically. 3. 2001 silver/black with 17,000 miles on it - asking price is $56,900 - also ~9 months left on factory warranty and it is also certified. Same options except it has an exhaust (not sure what kind) and spoiler (some OEM thing). I'd be pulling the exhaust off (it's too loud for her) and the spoiler as I like the stock look. The 3.4 vs. 3.6 doesn't mean much to me as the power difference is not that important to her. The glass rear window vs. plastic is an issue but not sure it's worth the extra price. All of these cars seem to have higher than expected asking prices. Obviously they are negotiable. Does anyone have any opinions re: appropriate prices for these cars? Has anyone bought a 2001 or 2002 C2 cab recently and how much did it cost? Also, how difficult is it to swap back to the stock spoiler? (The exhaust on the silver one I'd do myself as I have a lift at home and I'd only need to find a stocker someone removed and does not want anymore.) Thanks in advance for any advice.

02 has better interior, glass in back, better exhaust, nicer headlights, wider fenders, lighter 18 in, more aggressive front end, more HP. if you like the 02, I'd go for that. The only way I personally would take the 01 would be if they came w aerokit. Stock 01 just doesn't look aggressive enough for me. Your wife may like the 02 better and honestly a few more thousand more gets you an almost new car w 4k mi only. $60k is good if you can get it certified with more warranty. Otherwise, $57k should be doable. Since 997 cabs are out, 996 cab will sit in lots but at 4k mi, it's barely even broken in. I'd get it inspected for RMS leak bc that low mileage means it's sat for a while and probly RMS prone. The warranty will come in handy if it is leaking oil. 02 also offered BOSE, which is much better than HIFI in pre02. Get one w/ cdc to kick up the music (cdc added is about 1k) You can easily swap the deck lid which the wing is mounted to with someone w OEM with some money back. Have fun shopping

For the small price difference I would definately recommend the '02. Here is a list of differences: I'll list a few things I know of concerning the differences between the '99-'01 and post '02 cars: 300 hp & 258 ft-lbs of torque @ 4600 rpm vs. 320 hp and 273 ft-lbs of torque @ 4250 rpm Better mid-range torque curve on post '02s Turbo style front on post '02s (doesn't look like a boxster) - 25% less lift Slightly redesigned rear bumper - 40% less lift Real glass in the cab top Post '02s can be retrofitted with the Carrera Powerkit (345 hp) Higher quality materials used in the interior 25% increase in torsional rigidity Standard 17" wheels weigh 8 lbs less 18" wheels weigh 24 lbs less 15% increase in air flow to the radiator Slightly better fuel economy You get the '02 guy down to $58k and you have a nice deal there. Or if this car is in Houston Texas, let me know and I'll pick it up

I would agree with Shark. IMO the '02 is significantly better than the '01; for all the reasons he listed but mainly it just looks better! Good luck.