Newbie - about to pull the trigger

I am considering the purchase of a 2001 C2 in Lapis with savanna beige, from an "Indie" dealer in Connecticut. I am going to inspect the car on Saturday. The car has 32K miles on it and was a lease return auction purchase, according to the dealer. He is Guaranteeing / Warranting the car for 6month/6Kmiles. The car was checked by another "Indie" service "Daniel Jacobs" with a 96 point inspection (will find out what 96 points mean - PPI?). I asked about RMS, leaks etc. and anything else I gleaned from "lurking" on this forum for the last 7 month. Any advice? what should I look for (tell tale signs of neglect etc.). David

I would call Dan Jacob's and find out exactly what was looked at? Make sure compression test is done and also lockdown test and get it in writing. If I remember correctly Dan Jacob's just started a Porsche selling business where he sells cars, it's called Weissach something or other. Perhaps that is what you mean by Dan doing a PPI already, normally potential buyer pays for and sets up the PPI. I know his Hairrry Dog garage is well respected. I hope it works out for you. Great to have another CT person on the boards.

David, One other would be the coolant tank and lid issues that crop up. See if they can tell you if it was replaced or not. Also check around the lid for coolant seepage. This could bite you for $300 to $500 if out of pocket. Mine went within months of purchase and cost me just a little due to an extended warranty coverage. Other than that would be to look for signs of repaints and repairs. Just so you know going into it that they were done and price the deal accordingly. My car had repairs that were not in the carfax nor disclosed by 'indie' seller. Can bite you on resale if not aware! I would probably recommend looking into an extended warranty to pick up where their 6 month leaves off. Let's you sleep better! ps. My car is a 2000, bought in 2004 with 40k or so on it. RB

I just checked it out, it is his business, you may want to have another garage check it out? 6 months is good, but I would ask about ability to purchase a longer warranty, and 39K is pretty high for a lightly optioned 01, but car does look clean. http://www.weissachautohaus.com/cars/070409/070409.html

Robert - sorry to disappoint, I am actually in New Jersey - you are correct "Weissachautohaus" is the place RB - thanks for the tips, I am making a list of things to look for and ask... David

I spoke to the guy earlier this year. I think Phil is his name? at weissachautohaus. Seemed like a nice guy but upon shopping around, he does have a markup for his cars. Maybe its because he only picks cars that are in nice shape to sell? He welcomes PPIs from another shop as I recall.

Hell, you can get my 2004 Lapis Blue for an additional $11,000! 2004 Lapis Blue

David, Nice color combination.. I also have an 01 C2 with lapis blue on beige. I would highly recommend another shop performing a PPI just for the peace of mind. However for your own inspection, check the panels and make sure they all line up, if not then thats a good sign of an accident. Make sure all the switches work, PSM, windows, OBC, etc.. Dont be afraid to open the airbox and see the condition of the airfilter, even though it can be replaced if they kept the dirty one in just a sign of neglect. Make sure it has the toolkit, manuals, etc...overall it looks like a nice clean car. Good Luck

Go 02 or newer !

1. carfax i know carfax isn't catching everything, but it's worth $20. 2. call 800-porsche find out where the car was sold, then talk to that dealer, hopefully u can get some details of that car over there. 3. perform a PPI in a near-by porsche dealer. the reason you want to PPI in a dealer is: they have access to the porsche dealership database to find out every warranty work done on this car. good luck.

Here are some "practical tests" I found helpful: Pull out the front and back bumper plugs from where the tow ring would go. If your bumper has been replaced with non-compliant bumpers (or non OEM) you won't find the threaded hole where the plug cover is. Then you can "suspect" something. Make sure all of the plastic parts are in place under the car. If some are missing, my guess is the car went off the track Also, if they allege a non-smoker car, check the plastic stuff at the top of the door/window seal. Smokers are perpetually hitting the seal with hot butts when the window is only cracked a little. Lastly, (for older 996s - not sure if 2001 counts...) gently lift the seal on the outside of the windshields (front and back) to make sure you have grey stuff in the gap. Black stuff means your 2001 car will creak As I understand it, the grey foamy strips are the fix and might indicate a responsible owner. -td

Welcome, glad to see your already a member. Best bucks youll ever spend before and after you pull the trigger. Good Luck on your search. Listen to the wise advise above and you cant go wrong....

This forum is "awesome" the facts/watch outs/lessons learned and sharing of all of it is just the greatest...I will keep you updated. David

u are good guy, i can tell..... joined last year, became a member, and have totally 3 posts.............

good luck with your search, u will be glad that u buy a porsche......

dan is a great guy. but he is a dealer now, so you might take the car just down the road to farbacherloles motorsports. they don't sell cars. also check with rennlisters and 6 speed guys. you can get gorgeous cars at lower prices sometimes and self insure yourself with the savings. that said,- if your gonna buy from a dealer dan and phil are credible and will stand behind it. i have been customer of dan's for 4 years, and was treated excellently on all service and upgrades on my 964.

Curious - why would a 2001 just be coming off lease ? I have an 04- Lapis Blue is a great color IMO Good luck

The current "owner" could have leased it 3 years ago, used. When initially I leased my '04 C2, it was 1 year old.

OK - Trigger pulled - take a look at e auction item 260147322352 - I am trying to figure out all the options it has, seems to have sport seats and carrera III 18 inch wheels...anything else you can gather from the pictures? It will be shipped to me next week - will take pictures when it arrives... David Thanks for everyone's comments...

Here it is; http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=260147322352 Interesting color combo with the deviating Black carpet. Looks like my Black '02 996 except I have an all black interior. Thumbs up.....

Congrats Rockateer, and a real welcome to you. I know you will enjoy it! Cant wait for more pics!!

Grayson BMW are just a few minutes from my house.

Rocketeer, Is Grayson BMW also a Porsche dealer? The ebay listing is contradictory in that it indicates the car is Porsche Certified until Jan 2010 or 100kmi., then it also indicates the vehicle is being sold AS-IS NO WARRANTY. If Grayson is not a Porsche dealer, then any existing Porsche Certified Warranty is null and void: the Porsche CPO warranty expires once the vehicle is purchased by a non-Porsche dealer, and is only tranferrable through a private party sale. If they are telling you the car has the Porsche warranty, you might want to talk to them about that.

Thanks for the info...I will call and find out...

Hi Kevin, The original warranty 4years 50K miles expires on 01/08...assuming the CPO is null and void can I aquire one from a Porsche dealer... This forum is the greatest... David

Hey, Congrats nice find! If they are a BMW dealer, the warranty from Porsche is null and void, and Porsche will not allow you to buy one from them, you will have to go aftermarket. The wheels are Carrera 2's. IMO, they are some of the sweetest rims designed by Porsche. Very clean car. Good luck

The Porsche CPO warranty is only available on cars sold at a Porsche dealer. I have heard tales of guys having a Porsche dealer purchase a car, then having them certify the car, and then buying the car with warranty from the Porsche dealer. I don't know if it has really ever happened, and if so, if it would be cost effective. Seems to me the additional cost to go through that exercise would exceed the cost of an aftermarket extended warranty. You might find some other threads about this subject by doing a search on transferring CPO warranty.

So this auction is still live, it ends on 8/14 and the Reserve has not been met yet, am I missing something because I thought it sounded like you bought it already

I did, deposit given, they are fedxing the paperwork for me to sign and for me to send the check back...just to clarify - is the original Manufactures warranty still in effect after being sold by a dealer?? David

David, Yes the original 4 year / 50,000 mile warranty will still be in effect until 1/08 (as you mentioned in post #25) if it was initially put into service (titled) 1/04.

Deal - un-done, Grayson was up on the level and a honorable dealership they are crediting my deposit back - back to the hunt...narrow my search to only Porsche franchised dealers... David Again, without this forum I would have never known...and would have had a rude awakening.

Are you only looking for CPO cars then? If so, don't waste your time with e-bay. Start calling Porsche dealers.

Hey David, What's the scoop? Was Grayson unaware of the Porsche CPO policy?

Kevin, Grayson was not aware that it did not carry over.. Ray, Exactly what I started doing... Thanks Again everyone...will update when another deal presents itself... Learning curve -

Check Porsche.com, under certified pre-owned. You can narrow the search by color and other options too. Only pulls up certified cars if you want. BTW, a car I was looking at didn't come up in the certified only search, since it wasn't officially certified yet. The Porsche dealer said if I bought the car, they would then certify it. So not all certified cars are certified before you buy them, if you know what I mean.

Good for you... Unless you are really familiar with 996's I would try to purchase these cars from a dealer, you might not get the deal of the century but you will get peace of mind. And of course the Rennlist community is here... keep us posted.