Is this 2003 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet a Good Buy at $23,500?
A Porsche 911 for the price of a Hyundai Sonata might seem like a dream but will this 2003 911 Carrera 4 Cab turn into a nightmare?
Buying a Porsche 911 is a dream for many. It is about as iconic of a sportscar as you can find. Even non-car enthusiasts typically know what a 911 is. However, buying an icon is rarely inexpensive. And in the case of the 911 it is downright pricey. Even though the model has been out for nearly 60 years none of them are cheap. It is not the car to buy if you are a bargain hunter. But there is the 996-generation. Even though it is making a bit of a resurgence, and I personally think they are great cars. They are still the cheapest way to get into a 911. A 2003 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet is currently for sale right now on Craigslist for $23,500. Is it a good buy or a hard pass?
This car was the subject of the ‘Nice Price or No Dice’ treatment over on Jalopnik. But the Porsche experts are here on Rennlist, so we should have our say about this 996. It was a fairly well-optioned car when new with an MSRP of $93,665. A new version of this car today would cost you well over $130,000. But this is clearly not a new car. It is almost 20 years old and has over 142,000 miles on it. Still, $23,500 for a 911 can be tempting. Should you bite? Will it bite back?
Appearance
The pictures in the ad are typical Craigslist quality, which typically means they are lousy. However, they are enough to give us a sense of how this car presents itself. There does not seem to be any significant body damage or paint issues. The top appears to be in decent condition and the interior is worn but has held up well considering the miles. There is nothing from the pics alone that would send me running. But it is the details that matter.
Maintenance
I made it all the way to the fourth paragraph without typing “IMS bearing,” and that is impressive. Apropos, the seller claims it was recently addressed back in July. The seller is not clear on exactly what IMS remedy was used and it should be verified by the buyer. But it should give piece of mind. The car also got a new clutch recently as well as some other minor repairs. It would be interesting to see a DME report on this car.
The current owner bought it to teach his kids how to drive stick. Props for that, but it does make you wonder a bit the abuse this car took at the hands of manual transmission newbies. The car got new tires about 2,000 miles ago. It recently passed a California emissions test. And the seller claims he has all service records.
Concerns
Passenger side taillight is cracked. There is an issue with the windows dropping correctly. The owner believes it will require just a new switch to be installed, which he has. But it may be more than that. There is only one key for the car. Getting a second key is a good idea but it will cost the buyer a decent chunk of change. The car also seems to have a cold air intake elbow kit installed. This is not called out in the description of the ad. A minor modification, but it does make you wonder if there are other mods that are also not listed in the ad description.
Verdict
Would you buy this 2003 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet for $23,500? Obviously without driving the car, better pictures, a full PPI it is really tough to say. But let’s just base it off what we know. For me, I think the asking price is reasonable but a bit high. If I could get this car for $20K or less I think I would take a flyer on it. Share your thoughts in the Rennlist forums.
Photos: Cragislist
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