FRUNKenstein

dciraolo - I'll throw in my thanks also for going to do a Rennfax on behalf of other Rennlisters. Good info with reasonable comments. As b3 says, probably the only red flag is the Carmax thing - I would definitely want the sump plate pulled on a PPI. It's a 2000 model, so likely a dual row IMSB and therefore fine, but still . . .
I don't know that I'd do a respray for rock chips at that price point - would likely just touch up the worst of them and call it good. The rears in the pics don't look that bad from the pics, but maybe the inside edges are bad.
I did a Rennfax last week on a 996tt here in Overland Park for a Florida Rennlister who had already contacted the small dealership several times and even made a purchase offer (although pretty low and was rejected). But the salesman wouldn't even unlock the car for me. He said that he hates selling Porsches because he has to talk to 40 guys for an hour each to sell one car - always lots of tire kickers.

MadIrish

Most of the small dealerships I've been to (all but one of the cars I've looked at so far have been small dealership sales) have been really easy to deal with. A few qualifying questions so they make sure I'm not just there to sit in a Porsche for a second and they pull the car out, hand me the keys and let me dig through it. As someone who has spent his life in sales....boo hoo, the salesman has to do his job to sell a car.

gnat

I agree. What these stories smell like to me is that the salesman recognizes that he is dealing with someone that can spot the problems with the car. They are looking for the buyer that is too distracted by the name...

The last Rennfax I did with a private seller was like that. Brought his kids so there was no way to test drive and clearly wanted me to spend as little time as possible looking at the car. It was also clear from what I could see that it was not remotely as represented in the ad.

docmirror

^^ What he saided ^^

Some salesmen can't drive a stick, so they assume no one can drive a stick. I usually ask if they will drive a test drive and I can ride along. Offer to pay for a few gals of gas usually does it.

Car appears to be accurately priced. If we take into account comparative neglect, then there's more work to do that can't be seen. I would say, water pump, Y cable, maybe AC work, etc. The paint by the time you fix all the little scratches is a do-over. That's gonna set you back ~$6k in SoCal. Or ~$4k ROW.

Sounds to me like by the time you bring it up to rennlist 'standards' it'll be just over $20k. I vote - 'no bargain', unless one is looking at a track beast, in which case you'll spend $8k on the engine/trans, and leave the coachwork and int alone.

roguiethegiant

This may be a stupid question, but how can you tell the motor mounts are worn from exhaust sag? Intuitively makes sense but I'd like to learn more about that (what specifically you look for, etc.)for future test drives. Any insight is appreciated.

FRUNKenstein

Well, the general rule around here is that if you identify the car as a 996, then the motor mounts should be changed. New motor mounts make the car shift better, run smoother, corner better, add 50 rwhp and make you better in bed. There's no reason not to change motor mounts because it's an easy DIY and then you can impress everyone you know by telling them how you just swapped out the motor mounts in your Porsche.
So, for what seems like 90% of the cars posted that include a shot of the rear end, if the top of the tailpipes are more than about 1/2 inch below the bumper, someone's gonna say that it needs new motor mounts.
FWIW, I have changed the motor mounts in both of my 996s and didn't notice any significant difference either time.

FRUNKenstein

This one sold yesterday. We are definitely in that time of the year (spring fever/tax refund time) where reasonably priced cars will not stay on the market long.

dciraolo

Doc - I agree. (PS - sending you a PM after this post) And I get the point about them being careful about letting people drive the car, but 1. it's a $14k car and 2. I pulled up in a manual trans car (which they knew), but anyway...

My main point is that I'd be much more likely to get on board with a $14k Porsche that was presented as a $14k Porsche and not as a super clean car that has 95k miles. For all the typical used car salesman speak they were throwing around, they got pretty quiet whenever I was taking a picture of a rough spot/noticing the seat doesn't work/etc. I'm not looking for a showroom example, but if they can't even acknowledge the faults while I'm looking at them, it makes me wonder what else they're hoping I don't notice. Maybe I'm just being overly cautious, but as gnat said - they probably would prefer some who just wants "Porsche".

I will note that Arena Red does look awesome in the sun... But this just ain't the one for me. I really appreciate everyone chiming in. I'll definitely have all this info in mind when looking at cars from now on.

docmirror

Sometimes sales guys need an ego stroke to get the car moving. Sometimes you need to make an offer. It doesn't even have to be a good offer, just toss some money in the air. 'I could maybe do 12k on this', tells them you don't want to just fawn over it. Exotic car sales has to be tough for the small lot guys, as they don't know squadoosh about the car, and some/most buyers coming in will know more than them.

I'm a fan of arena red too, but the tint of Guards Red with a touch of orange/yellow in it is pretty tasty too. My favorite of all time is Cobalt blue on a 928 or 968. I think the reds work better on the 996, but I have a red 928 as well.

Byprodriver

I wonder why it has a 4-spoke steering wheel ??

dciraolo

Code Option Description
413 18" Turbo look wheels
424 Automatic heating control
437 Comfort seat left
438 Comfort seat right
446 Parts for type "Targa" belonging to stipulated assembly
446 996: Colored Wheel Crests
490 Hi-Fi sound system
537 Left seat with positrol and lumbar
680 Digital Sound
939 Soft leather rear
982 Supple Leather Seats/Trim
C02 Equipped with catalytic converter
X54 Oval Chrome Exhaust Pipes
I posted the option sticker yesterday. The three-spoke wheel was not selected as an option on this car.

shneapfla

A good respray for a (not very good) 14k-car? Seems a bit like over the top...
You're looking at it from a different angle - for the last owner, that was probably a dated sportscar that he offloaded for 10k$ and on which he didn't want to spend wads of cash...

808Bill

Wrap it.

gnat

I wouldn't wrap it or respray it. KC has it right, just touch up the worst.

If a good PPI checks out, this is a car that can be driven and enjoyed with little upfront cost. It might not be the prettiest bell at the ball, but I bet she'd put a smile on your face on the way there and back!

The carmax bit does bother me as we've seen too many carmax specials, but I stand by my original opinion that this is a good deal. Other than the carmax bit, nothing stands out as something unexpected on a $14k 911. Get a deep PPI, (hopefully) fix some minor things, and drive the hell out of it.

MiataR

This will be a steal if it ends up selling for sub $20k.

http://bringatrailer.com/listing/200...11-carrera-4s/

Less than two hours to go... watching it closely.