Am I being too cheap on this car?

http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/ctd/5919315268.html The car is a 99 with 54k on it and no history of all the big 996 stuff- clutch, aos, water pump, thermostat, alternator. It has two accidents in its history on carfax. One says ran off road and hit a tree, other says hit a fence in rear. The car also has a ticking at idle and had a loud rattle on cold start this morning. Oil pressure was just over 1 bar at idle and when driving was about 1 bar above each thousand rpm. Apparently it was checked out by Larson Porsche and reported to be good but I'm not sure they really paid much attention or were alerted to the noise. I made a call to Chris' German and was advised to budget 6k to get alll the preventative maintenance, clutch, and ims bearing (I know it's a dual row and is debatable) done. I found some paint flaws including a crack in the paint under the engine deck lid that looked like it had some rust behind it. Also, bad seal on oil neck? I love the red leather interior and M014 sports package. The body mods are ok, and maybe the result of the accidents. But the car has poor history. I thought 17k would be a good deal based on what I'll probably have to put into it and the fact that it'll always have the accident history. The dealership refused to go below 20k. They already sold it once but "the finance fell through". Am I being too cheap? What's a fair price?

After the last couple of experiences I have had, knowing the actual history of the car is super important to me. Just my $0.02. if you see anything in the Vegas area you need a rennfax done on let me know!

A shop said that was okay? Holy **** hahahaha That car has a cracked cylinder. Just from the oil filler cap you can see the intermix. That car will be a roller very soon.

Well, that is a unique car. First off, pretty much everybody is going to tell you to "run don't walk away" from it due to the accidents. For me, assuming the repairs were done properly, they just give you leverage to negotiate. Normally, I don't care for that interior color, but in this car it looks great, I think because the black parts break up the red. The body mods are clearly aftermarket, but they work. If you are a purist, then you aren't even going to consider this car. But 911s have long been a car that people customize. When I bought my current car, I was very close to buying a different car that had some light custom bodywork and a color change to a BMW color. But, it looked great and I still think about it - if it was back on the market now, I'd probably buy it as the price was really good due to the mods. I think the right price for this car, given the accident history but low mileage, is around $18,000. If you like it, then go for it. If you pass on it now, it will probably still be there in a month. Edit: Oil filler neck appearance is normal for a low mileage car as it indicates short trips where the car doesn't have the chance to warm up fully. And on a '99, I would leave the IMS bearing alone. Does it need a clutch now? If not, no need to spend $6k on maintenance now because something "might" break.

Accidents don't necessarily scare me, original IMS on a 99 is actually a positive in my book, but that oil filler neck and rust at the hood scares me more than anything. There are better 99s out there.

Sounds like a bad example to me

Run Forrest run! If the body work is so poorly done on a place so easily seen like that, imagine how it will look on the places you can�t see... And with an engine that most likely needs a ton of work, 20k for this is 10k too much I would say.

Until you dig in, the car shows well, so they figure they can get what they want. I wouldn't be scared of the oil filler neck as that is pretty common, but the accident damage at the engine lid corner WILL get worse unless properly addressed.

Rusty cracks are scary

That car is optioned very similar to my car. However, the clicking at idle and the rattle on cold start scare the bejezus out of me. Unless you can get a warrantee on the engine, I would pass. Many of the things that cause ticking and rattle in this engine wind up costing $$$$$$$$$ to resolve. This car would be near roller price for me to pick up, and plan an engine strategy on purchase.

I agree that the oil filler is more likely a sign of short trips that don't let it warm up than intermix. Just on the shoddy repair work in the frunk, my advise is to walk away. There was obviously significant damage when it hit the tree and that picture shows that it was not repaired remotely correct. Who knows what other short cuts were done or things that were missed. As far as the motor goes, I agree with the others that have said that you could be seeing indicators of some serious problems. If everything else was perfect on the car I'd say getting a good PPI including scoping the top and bottom of the cylinders would let you know the full pictures. With the bodywork issues, it's just not worth it. This car is a junker that is going to make someone a very horrible ownership experience I think

If you want to start your Porsche ownership with worry/fear/paranoia/grief/stress/headache, etc..... then this car might be for you

1. 2 accidents on Carfax = bad 2. Substandard body repair and paint = bad 3. Engine rattle/ticking at idle = bad bad 4. Nice light brown milkshake in the oil filler - bad bad bad 5. Dealer will NOT take less than $20K given the carfax and engine issues. what??!!! BAD BAD BAD... SUPER DUPER BAD! Delete the images from your mind, wash you hands and feet of this place, go home and take a cold shower, sit indian style on the floor and hum good pleasant pure thoughts, order a nice pizza and watch "Gone in 60 seconds" or Grand Tour on Amazon Prime, but whatever you do, don't convince yourself that this is the car. There a many '99 model 996 examples out there for crazy prices in the $15K to $20K range. Just because it's a low miles '99 Porsche 996 does NOT mean it will be a reliable, problem free car. In fact, it might actually be more of a risk given the history along with the low usage. You've been warned!

Why don't you buy my red/tan 99 model AeroSport for $20k? Lots better than the POS you're looking at. I deliver too.

Here you go. 1999 and silver on red: https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sf...902622942.html Maybe you'll have better luck with this one.

I wonder what's upgraded about the dashboard? And who says 'dashboard' anymore? Last time I heard that reference was a 38 DeSoto.

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And it seems this one comes with a complimentary woman!

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Probably referring to the leather covered dash.

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[Image-only post; no author-written text. Original image references:] https://images.craigslist.org/00S0S_h6tQFYRBnwM_600x450.jpg

Looks like half a woman to me. But I like that half...

Driver side door not aligned, or just not closed properly?

The dealer "refuses to go below 20k." Let them keep it forever!! RUN. I always say have $5k ready to burn anytime you purchase a 996 (or any other used 911). Okay, so now we're at 25-26k. For that money you can get a 2002 or newer with all the records and a maintenace history. There are so many 996s to choose from. Do you like that "bloodbath" red interior? Ugh. Sorry to all you red interior lovers.

That's a $12k car max in my opinion. Too many negatives on it as pointed out above.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I appreciate the opinions, advice, suggestions of other cars, and offer for help with rennfax! The red interior with the sport seats was the biggest seller for me. I love the color, and love the extra support of sport seats. Plus the US M030 suspension, LSD, and traction control. I've found some other 99's for sale recently with those options so I'll try to pursue those.

I love that int color too! I had a 928 with lipstick red interior and venetian blue ext. It is a striking combo. But - I HATE silver/gray ext. Bentley, or Buick colors and there's a ton of them out there.

There are definitely better deals to be had out there, move on and keep looking. You will find what you want for similar or less money and without the questionable issues described.