Opinions Wanted - '02 996 C4 Cab

26K mile, one owner, 2002 996 C4 Cab -- $34K miles including shipping. Looks like a nicely optioned car (GPS, CD Changer, Heated Seats, Power Seats, 18" Upgraded Wheels) with a starting price much better than the '01 I found in Washington. Grey wouldn't be my first choice but it's a very nicely optioned car (or at least it appears to be). I think I might want more information on this car. And, at the request of my daughter... Thoughts? Suggestions? Comments? Criticisms? Bring it on!! -Eric

As the ad says, "show me the CarFax." And the PPI by a reliable indy. And the service records. q

That's a sweet looking ride. Not thrilled about the interior color choice but the GPS is a huge plus in my book. I am surprised though that as a florida car, the miles aren't higher as you would think that with the florida weather, it woudl be a year round driver. Good luck

My thought is you should not settle for a color combination you don't love. These cars are not rare antiques. They are very plentiful. The price is high unless it's a one owner with every single service record and perfect PPI... in my opinion. As another has said check it on NADA and then you will know what this guy's bottom line is because you learn about what he would get on trade in. It's probably about $27k or so.

I think that looks like a clean car and a fair price. I see a lot of people talking about how these should cost 2X,XXX dollars, but when I was shopping a couple of months ago, it was much more like 38-45 for a low mileage well optioned 996. I don't know, maybe it's just me and I got taken, but I picked up my C2 for several thousand below KBB which, according to this forum I probably paid about the average/reasonable price. I will say, the advice that is thrown around here appropriately is that when you do finally get one, forget about the rest of it and drive it. Mine brings a smile to my face every day.

love the aero kit...looks clean, the normal brake handle stuff...records records records I like that it is from an owner not a lot

i like it a lot. seems to be a reasonable price. what everyone always says, ppi, records, etc. my interior is the same color and it is quite nice. but if its just ok in your opinion dont get it. when you look at your new car it should bring a smile to your face, no an oh well its not a bad color....

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According to the seller, it is a ONE owner car with a complete service record history...and only 26K miles. I'm also not sure if it's settling. Here's the deal from my perspective...no, the interior color wouldn't be my first choice but it is otherwise pretty much what I was looking for: a low mileage, highly optioned C4 Cab. It's not an S but it does look like it has some kind of body kit package on it that looks nice (I have an email to the seller asking about it -- supposedly they still have the Monroney sticker!!). It's also not actually my first exterior color choice but it's also not on my excluded color list either -- and it is a color that I've always loved. I'm not actually sure what my top color choice is -- Guards Red and Speed Yellow have always been favorites of mine on the coupes but I'm not sure I'd want a Guards Red cabrio and I think Speed Yellow looks best on the wide bodied cars. As for pricing, NADA puts the car at about $37K retail. They add $8K to the price for it only having 26K miles on the clock. Average trade-in is at $28K and clean trade-in is at $31K. In my experience, most sellers prefer to sell for a little more than they'd get as a trade-in (but less than dealer retail). Otherwise why go through the hassle of a private sale when you can just trade it in and get 'screwed' by the dealer who will then resell (or try to resell) it for $37K? With that in mind, I'd say $34K (which, remember, includes cost of transport from FL to CT -- figure about $500-$700) probably isn't so unreasonable. Maybe I'm wrong. I'd love to see if I could get them down to $32K shipped. Am I nuts or missing the boat on this one? My BIGGEST concern is actually in the leap of faith I'd have to take from having the car inspected/test driven by a 3rd party. Any thoughts or suggestions on mitigating this risk -- just avoid long distance cars? lol -Eric

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I love the aero kit, too. Do you know if it is a Porsche package/option or aftermarket? Also, while it isn't on a dealer lot, it is being listed by and was located by brokers so that will (and has) undoubtedly added to the cost. This car definitely brings a smile to my face. Hell, just look at it! -Eric

if I were you I would move forward and do all the right steps...and I would kake an effort to fly down and personaly check the car for final apporval before shipping it home - the $3-400 would be money well spent and you could do it in a day and a half or so...

looks like a factory kit to me, have him send a copy of the original window sticker

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I've told them that I am interested and asked for more/better pictures. As for the trip, yeah, I guess that's kind of a no-brainer. I've already requested a copy of it! I'll keep everyone posted on what I find out! Thanks again to all of you for the great advice and suggestions! -Eric

new listing today, wrong roof http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/ctd/2469939246.html

Looks like a potential good deal if everything checks out. Good luck.

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I can do that for you with the vin#

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I can do that for you with the vin# I can provide you the dealer invoice and build sheets.

Let me amend what I said yesterday. I only took a quick look and didn't notice it was a 4. I thus think you are in the right price range. I love the 1 owner aspect. To me 1 owner with records is worth extra. Get that PPI done and let us know!

Thanks everyone. Abby, I should have that information. I spoke with the broker about it today and he agreed that everything I asked for is reasonable and he's comfortable that we should be able to get it without a problem. Before I order a PPI, I want to run a Carfax or Autocheck, review the window sticker and see some real pictures of the car's blemishes. Any thoughts on the differences between Carfax and Autocheck? Carfax used to be the standard and Autocheck is an Experian service so they certainly know the "data" collection industry. Whether they know car data as well as Carfax is a different issue. I wish Carfax still offered an unlimited 30 day VIN check. Anyway, I'll share more information as I get it! -Eric

When I was looking a couple of months ago, I found autocheck to have more detail than CarFax. Both appeared accurate, but I have had at least one experience where CarFax did not report a major accident. I was on a car I owned when the accident occured. The damage totalled $18K. When I went to sell it, I pulled a CarFax to check the accuracy and the accident wasn't listed (I did disclose it to the buyer however). If damage ocurred at a track and wasn't eligible for insurance claim, it likely won't show up. The moral is. Don't rely on either. Have the PPI done and check for repaired damage.

so.....

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EXACTLY!!! So, I emailed the broker this evening. He has a call into the seller to get the info and said he would follow up again tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm keeping my eyes on the Internet for other cars in case this one falls through for some reason. His gut tells him this is a very nice car (he knows the guy rep'ing the car for the seller) and mine kind of tells me the same thing....who knows? -Eric

I doubt it's part of their sales strategy but the longer they keep me waiting for the information the more I want it! lol Of course, if anyone finds an alternative, please let me know! -Eric

Dude, you are like a 16 year old eyeballing the white convertible at the V-dub dealer. Relax. There are a TON of these cars out there.

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lol I am actually...although I realize how it could come across differently. I'm not really in a rush -- the extra time gives me an opportunity to see if there's anything else out there. I'm just curious to see what the real deal is with this particular car. Funny thing is, my wife keeps pushing me to consider a Turbo since she thinks it's what I'd really like. She's not wrong but I don't think it's the right time for it with other things coming down the pike shortly and I'd be very happy with a C4. Usually I'm the one telling her just to get what she wants so this is a complete flip...but it does get me thinking about the occasional C4S I come across...or, okay, even a Turbo. Whatever happens, happens. -Eric

I think it's a good buy, assuming the car is solid. A lot of the banter around here about what's a good price doesn't reflect the actual options on a specific car. The good thing about the color is that it won't show dirt immediately, you can fly "under the radar" more than in speed yellow and it's not a color that if your tastes change or if you want to sell it -- the color just won't work for you (or will be a problem for the buyer....there's a reason you don't see a lot of speed yellow cars). The wheels alone were over a $3k option. So, in part, it comes down to....if you like the car & appreciate the options -- then paying a reasonable price to get one makes sense. Were I to decide sell my car (a C2), I'd want more than this car and I'd be happy to wait for someone who appreciated the extras on the car. If someone didn't, just move along.

Well, the broker got back to me this morning. He said he left the seller 3 voicemails and his broker friend (who is assisting the seller) also put a call in -- nobody has heard back from them. Maybe they're away on vacation. Maybe not. Sounds like it might be dead to me...oh well. It's a little disappointing but bring on the next car. -Eric

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I WISH my wife pushed me to get a Turbo, that's what I would be driving now. I say get a Turbo and don't look back. IMO, Cab w/ a hard top would be best.

CarFax seems to do a good job of recording title changes, repos, sales... all the DMV related stuff. When it comes to engine replacements, accidents, warranty repairs, required services--all the stuff you want to know--not so much. As you indicated, you are paying a premium for low miles--not always recommended with m96 powered cars. I wonder what sort of 993 would $34,000 buy? Do you care whether the car was eaten in? Smoked in? Used to transport pets/kids? I doubt the broker can provide reliable detail. Do you care if the engine is original or a reman? If so, get the engine code and look for "AT" in the string. Unless you are into the "mail-order-bride-thing" avoid surprises--do an in-person inspection to see if the car passes both brain and heart checks.

If this car passed the close-up picture and VIN check, I would have flown down to see it before the PPI. It was a relatively quick and cheap flight away. -Eric