Fair price to pay for 2002 C2

I am looking for some input regarding purchasing a 2002 996 C2. Car is at a Porsche dealer, 200 miles from me so any negotiations will be over the phone. Fortunately my friend lives within 10 min. from the dealer so he can check general condition. Car is black with black leather, 24000 miles. Car is pretty basic, no aerokit or nav system. Dealer has lowered the price to $38950. This is a lot of money to me, but it seems the 2002 is soo much better than 1999-2001, and worth the extra money. Bruce Andersson lists the 2002 at $30600 to $46600, so this one falls just above midpoint. If this car was not for sale from a Porsche dealer I wouldn't bother. Any input is much appreciated.

From my point of view I would say that the price is not unreasonable considering the mileage and the the fact that it's coming from a Porsche dealer (presumably approved pre-owned?) and will have a decent warranty. If you are really concerned about the price then check Autotrader.com and look at similar cars within say 300 miles and compare the prices if you haven't done this already.

I agree the asking price is in the ballpark. Edmunds.com is another good pricing resource Is the dealer offering a Certified Pre-Owned warranty (CPO) on this vehicle? If so, this will add to the cost (and does add to peace of mind). Does the new vehicle have 18" wheels? These will also put the vehicle asking price higher on the dial. If it is a base 996, you need to push the asking price to the lower end of the range. Have a PPI done by an independent repair facility. The 996s are solid vehicles but not without their weaknesses (RMS). The PPI will allow to know if there is anything that requires addressing prior to the purchase. Dealers will normally fix these items, if addressed. If all fails it will provide a good negotiation edge. If possible have the dealer provide a copy of the service records. If the records are not available plan on base lining the maintenance: 1. oil change 2. radiator fluid refreshed 3. brake fluid refreshed 4. transmission fluid changed 5. Possibly tires 6. Brake pads (fronts most likely) 7. Battery Have the dealer do these items if you willing to pay the midpoint of your purchase range. Good luck.

Vehicle is not certified, dealer might be able to provide receits for maint, wheels are 17" and the car is pretty basic. Overall, considering where I live private sellers and dealers are asking about $34000 for 1999's this is by far the best deal I have found. My search continues. Johan

I just picked up a well optioned 02 C2 from a Porsche dealer, miles are higher at 49K, Arctic Silver over Black Partial leather, Flared Rocker Panels, 18" wheels, Bose stereo, Bi-Xenon, Full Power seats, Heated seats,Crested headrests, CD Changer..etc..etc.. $33K non CPO, dealer put new tires on it, serviced, all books, keys , History...etc. I think I did pretty well, the miles do not bother me. I was about to buy a 50K miles 01 with Xenons and 18" wheels, no history for $31K when I found the 02 In my search I have found that 996 prices are all over the place! Bargains are out there.

is the 2002 really that much better that a 2000 or 2001? their is some really great deals on these models

I say low-ball. People are or have lost equity in their homes and there are a lot of porsches for sale and will be a lot more soon to follow.

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LOL thats ture

Keep on the dealer too come down in price I went into a dealer in Ca. for 4 mo. and one day he called, lowerd the price Good luck.

I believe the 02 has the 3.6L engine, vs 3.4L for the earlier years where the RMS issue was important. I did not buy an 01 because of the RMS issue. My experience is a Porsche dealership is the best place to buy a used Porsche. Preferably Certified. They are price competitive with private sellers--for the most part.

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+1 I bought my boxster from a dealer, CPO, and was very happy with the piece of mind I got. People freqently point to Craigslist or Autotrader prices, and claim the dealers are inflated. Well they are inflated a bit, but often when you look more closely at the inexpensive cars from other sources, you realize that they are poorly optioned, of questionable history, higher mileage, etc..... There are bargains 'on the street', but I enjoyed the piece of mind I got from buying from a dealer. I got great service, and they backed it up after the sale.

If your Porsche dealers are competitive with private sellers with respect to second hand Porsches, you are doing well, since my (admittedly unscientific) observations of Canadian Porsche dealers is that they are always way above the market. Makes me wonder how they move any second hand cars.

So did the OP ever buy the car?

I just received the Consumer Reports 08 auto issue today. They show reliability data for the 02-07 911s. 03 reliabilty was poor, 02,04 and 07 excellent, and 05, 06 average. "Major Engine" seems to be a trouble spot for most years except 04 and 07. They don't define "major engine" and they don't say what their 911 sample size is, though the total number of responses from all cars is 1.3 million. They generally don't report data below a certain unspecified sample size. They say 911 reliability has improved to better than average--same as the Boxster, and they now recommend both. These cars have the best braking (60mph-0) of any production car. I've been watching the reliability data from year to year, and they tend to change. It's hard to say if the differences in model years are real or just statistical fluctuations. For a given model year, they might change significantly the next year. I haven't looked at last year's auto issue as a comparison, but I suspect there are changes up or down.