Advice Needed - Red Alerts going up on a Targa!!

Hi All, I went to see a 996 Targa and was very close to securing a deal. I arranged for a Motor Trade Vehicle Check HPI and the following picked up on the Car: --snippet-- Make: Porsche Model: DATA NOT PROVIDED following on..... -snippet-- TRANSMISSION: DATE NOT PROVIDED. ENGINE NUMBER: DATA NOT PROVIDED. and then... Engine Compacity: 2596cc This is for a 2002 (Reg 01/06/02) 996 Targa.... I have been advised that the car is import/grey import (hence not all details come up). The traders report data is protected with £50k Indemnify (+system used by a mainline dealer, so unlikely data will be inacurate). -Firstly does 2596cc even exist on these models??? Ive been told to say clear, it was almost impossible for me to turn away.

Dont know what Data not provided means but what ever you/he paid for the report should be refunded the CC is 3596 (or poss 3400 not sure when they changed)....... Im guessing its an import but if its been registered in the UK some detail should exist, mine was and basically all history was there for the 3 years it had been in the country, do you know when it was first registered in UK?

Ive got details such as body type/colour/VIN but not on the ones mentioned. The cc flagged up for me as well, I couldnt understand where this cc came from. Im not looking for an import, so want to also confirm if this was an import from the option code (hence new post, on how to find this). Date first registered in UK: 01/06/2002 Cheers.

This means (most of the time) the vehicle is an import.. PM the reg tomorrow (in working hours) and I will do a full check and see if I can find out anything else about the vehilce.

Almost certainly an import. Easiest way to check is look in the log on the first page (under where the first owner is listed) and look at the group of option codes. They'll either be 3 or 4 alphanumerics in a list of 10+). The first one is a Cxx, where xx=country code. C16 means UK. C98 is Cyprus etc. It's also on a sticker under the bonnet, but this starts to fade after a few years and becomes difficult to read.

PS I'm also on the lookout and have seen a few Targa's now. From the traders, there's a few which are definately imports and I decided not to purchase one of these. Not because I think there's anything particularly wrong with an import (sometimes Porsche OPC sell them), it's just they can be a bit problematic to sell on. Definately go for a test drive and after driving a few, you can definately tell the bad ones. Suggest you try a test drive from an OPC to get a feel for what they're like, then look at independents for a better price and get a 111point check from the OPC, so you can get a warranty put on it. My experience has found that 2002, 30k miles, tip S, Targa will cost around £35-36k from an indy and about £40k from an OPC. I'm still looking and am not going to rush into buying one until I'm 100% sure. That said, they are few and far between, so be prepared to travel a bit and move quickly if you are convinced you've found one you really want. I'm now considering the C4S as well, these are a couple of grand more expensive, but are even less practical, so not sure at the mo.

PS, All Targa's are 3.596 litres, you cannot buy a 3.4 Targa as they only came in on the 2001MY (ie. Turbo lights).

Guildforddad - I'll second what you say about them being rare. Indeed I missed out on two seal grey Targas during my search when I was en route to go test drive them only to be told they had been sold the same day! The midnite blue one that I did end up with I didn't even bother test driving, just placed a deposit on it and drove away from the Indie. Price was £38k for a 2003 model. I did test drive the C4S also but found the sports suspension a tad hard for my liking and also the impracticality (ie no rear hatch) even though it is much more of a driver's car and looks amazing with most of the Turbo kit add-ons. It was also out of my price range if truth be told. By the way, mine is a C16 but was initially purchased by a UK customer from an OPC centre in Italy! ~ Maxie

That's a good price for a 2003 model. Did it have more than 50k miles and was it Tip or manual please?

It had 15k miles on the clock, manual. It was up at almost £40k initially and this had actually been sold on the day I first went to view it (making almost 3 Targa misses in a row!) but the purchaser's finance deal fell through so I offered £37k for it and ended up getting it at £38k. I did a HPI on it and it was all ok (though I know HPI is not always the best way to tell a car's history). Before you might be thinking that was a good deal, there was a fault with the car - the SIM drawer for the phone module doesn't close but the garage have offered to fit a Parrot system free of charge for me. That and also the fact that it was first purchased in Italy (in spite of it being C16) may be contributing factors. ~ Maxie