About to take the 996 plunge

Allrighty Guys I cant believe it but I'm about to take the plunge. I hemmed and hawed back and forth 997 vs NSX vs stick w/ my Z and wait... but yesterday I saw a 2003 996. It was dark Blue metallic the options are as following -GT3 look aero kit -PSM -PSE (cool!) -stiffened chassis (what is that) -sport seats w/ heat -bose The car is at a porsche dealer. It has 9800 miles on it, has the balance of the factory warrantee plus the 100K extended warrantee. The dealer is asking $67K for the car. They claim that everything is clean (carfax), car is Porsche certified. I test drove the car (and a 996 Turbo) and really liked it. The only thing that I wish were different was the interior color and the addition of full leather. I'm really sick of black interiors - but otoh, I really like the GT3 bodykit. Is it true that the kit is $9K? I was going to pull the service records to see if theres any service issues (RMS). Otherwise is there anything else i should look out for? What do you guys think re: the price. I've already told them that they need to knock off a couple thou'. Thanks in advance for your help guys....

So why wouldn't you spring for a brand new base 997 for a few thousand more????? That seems way high, although the warranty would be nice if you are going to pile on the miles.

Way high. Consider getting a '91 Turbo with a few more miles for just a few more bucks. You're in the ballpark.

Whichever Pcar you get will put a smile on your face everytime you drive it.

I don't think that Bob would agree with that statement. His Pcar hasn't put a smile on his face yet.

well a base 997 will be 69k. add the pse, gt3 kit, sport seats etc...its easily 80k. anyhow, i'll sit tight and see if they come down. you guys think its too high though? what about the gt3 kit...how much is that from porsche?

Are the options what the dealer had on the window or from the sticker under the hood. If that's all the car has, it is fairly light in the option category. You also didn't say whether it had litronics. If it doesn't I don't think there is an upgrade kit for the '03. Lastly, you said that you don't like the interior. Make sure this car is what you want. I spent 4 months looking for my car and walked from quite a few because they didn't have the options that I wanted.

That number does seem high, how long has the dealer had it ? With the flood of 996 Cards on the Market, it's not like they are selling like hotcakes. I would would offer him a fair dollar and allow him to sleep on it, with todays market, I'm sure he will come to his senses. Good luck. Take some pictures, I love the GT3 Kit....

I'd knock $5k and make it a deal at $62k. Also, make sure you get 18" and Bi-xenon as they are very expensive to buy new. I happen to like the black interior since it looks better and hides marks too. The 996 at over $60k are hard to sell since most would consider new for $10-15k more. Keep haggling with the dealer to see if they will sell. Use time to persuade them... It's also year end and people spend money for xmas gifts rather than a nice car. The salesperson wants to fill his quota so he'll keep calling you and cave in eventually.

If you like it enough, buy it!!!

I will be happy one day in december :> the replacement rebuilt tranny is on it's way from germany... as they don't have any in the states... (seems quite odd) so it'll be sitting at barrier porsche for another few weeks... got my $9000 check from the insurance company the other day to pay for it, so i'm not complaining.. the weather in seattle isn't exactly prime for cab driving regardless.. $47,000 in repairs (including the cost of the $0 deductible extended warranty for 2 years) and counting for the first 1,100 miles of ownership.. (do i hold the record?) :> oh well, have an extended warranty now, and every single major part is rebuilt with a 2 year authorized porsche warranty for everything replaced.. so what else could go wrong? ..so just crossing my fingers.. until then, just been waiting since february to actually be able to drive the darn thing... but patience is a virtue.. or so i've been told <g>

the aerokit, if purchased aftermarket, can indeed cost around 7000~ and then it needs painted and installed from the factory it is like a 8000$ option. go for it. Aerokit cars are the best.

The car is two years old and moderately optioned. In my area the car would sell in the $62K to $63K range. Keep in mind that the sale price is market dependent. Porsches are not hot sellers in the northeast in the winter.

The best thing to do is to buy it in a slow selling market, or an oversaturated market, such as southern florida, pay $150 to have it sent to a porsche dealer for a full inspection and if all checks out, get it shipped to you... i've done that with 7 cars.. (florida is a hot bed for good deals, since it's an overly saturated market for high end cars.. everyone in southern florida seems to want the newest and best thing... which would be the 997, and can afford it.. so there are most likely an abundant amount of 996 coupes sitting around doing nothing..) without any problems... i've saved about $8k-$10,000 per car by doing this.. it's only about $800 to ship a car cross country and only takes about 1 to 2 weeks to receive it...

But Bob you wiped out all of your savings when you bought the 996 from the Ford dealer. Let's hope that your luck changes with your latest repair.

or look for a 03 or 04 C4S in the same price range

i was just thinking that. what are the louvres on the bottom rear of the c4s for? can you add them as an aftermkt kit?