GregH

Incredibly informative thread. I have added thalist & setso to my search options, learned more about the narrow/widebodies and the 97/98 variables which I certainly didn't know before, and am amazed and impressed at the generous offers to lend a hand. Not surprising, considering the alignment with such a class machine, but certainly a pleasant breath of fresh air. Thank you.
I have now refined my search to a Silver (need to see both Arctic and Polar before I know which one ;-) '98 C2S or C4S. Not sure if this refined criteria is good or bad, based on the already-limited findings! Again, thanks for your warm welcome and offers to lend the 'new guy' a hand...
Appreciatively,
G

GregH

Hmmm. Maybe a case of print price expectations not aligning with reality, but I am having a very difficult time finding the car I desire, in the price range I expected. Would very much appreciate some feedback; I ran into this '97 C4S and fell in love. Talked to the current (2nd) owner at length and it is obvious that this is a special, well cared for 993. Question of the day... Does it justify a $60K+ price tag???
http://www.dupontregistry.com/search...70&sessionkey={F2CFAB55-F09C-469E-BFE8-CC041F125A14}
TIA,
G with sticker shock

Steve 96C4S

Looks like a real nice one, but I think it should be selling for more like $52-54k. It doesn't even have sport seats... That's a huge chunk of change if you're paying over 60k. Gosh that's a lot of money.

You are mostly paying for the very low miles, and excellent condition. Have you touched it, seen it in person? I almost bought a 25k mi, 97 Arctic silver/black leather interior, in similiar condition to the one you're looking at 1 year ago for it's selling price of $52,500, and it had most, of if not all what this car has. I ended up going with a much higher mileage car (59k mi) for $8k less. Glad I did! I didn't want to pay too much for a pristine car. It's just where I was at at the time.

Good luck!
Steve

User 4621

Hi Greg,

Is there are reason you are limiting your search to '98 cars, per your next to last post? The cars are basically identical from 96-98 and you will have a better chance of finding the right price/condition mixture if you widen your search.

I found a near-showroom 29K mile 96 C4S with $10K in desirable mods a year ago within your stated price range, but not in the Bay area, I found it in Denver via a Rennlist classified.

Good luck,

laurence '97 C4S

GregH wrote: "Hmmm. Maybe a case of print price expectations not aligning with reality, but I am having a very difficult time finding the car I desire, in the price range I expected."

You answered your own question, when you said you can't find a car that fits your parameters. IMHO, there is a problem with expectations, but it appears to reside with you as a buyer. The pricing on the AZ car you mentioned is not surprising to me at all, assuming the car is as stated. You should read what stephanc2s said on the thread about "realistic pricing." I paraphrase, he said (he's a dealer in high end used 911's) only 15% of the cars on the market are high quality examples. And these high quality cars command substantially more than a seemingly same car (ie model year). You need to increase your budget or decrease your expectations.

Carrera GT

I'm a bit tired of these "help me find a car" threads. How about people post their top five cars and a summary of the research they've done into those five cars and a list of all the ways they're searching for their car with the given criteria.

The links like Dupont and RPM are both "top shelf" seller sites that target customers willing to pay a significant premium to get a better than average car.

There's often cars at the PCA "Mart" and each PCA region has their own classifieds.

A site like cars.com digests many local newspapers classifieds and there are many small time operators offering to bring astute buyers into wholesale auctions. RPM is a bad example because Ray Joseph is a relatively sophisticated negotiator (by car sales standards ...) but most sellers realise this is very much a buyer's market and the asking price is just that -- a point to start negotiation.

Also, I'd recommend using email notification services, available at many of the sites, to subscribe to roughly what you want so you're quick to respond when cars come up.

Good old Google also makes it relatively easy just to search for "porsche for sale" or whatever to build up a list of sites worth monitoring. Although rare, I even found a few interesting candidates on hemmings.com -- you have to look under every virtual rock, large and small.

protokultur

Don't get cranky about aspirant 993 owners - they're what is going to keep this community and the aftermarket alive. I'm very excited about possibly getting one myself this spring. This is, bar none, the best place to get honest feedback on simple questions.

I'm doing my research on eBay, autotrader, and looking over the local newspaper on weekends. I wouldn't bother with DuPont Registry or the Robb report unless you just want to throw one of these guys a lowball offer. Most people are willing to pay more for a car that is low miles and appears to be pristine. But I know first-hand a lot of the tricks that you can pull to make a ratted-out car look like it's been in showroom condition its entire life. Most of them are going to be difficult to detect. Personally, I don't trust any seller, even private ones, unless I know them fairly well (e.g., I would trust an active Rennlister). I assume that all cars, even the sparkling clean ones, have problems that have been concealed. That way I just plug in the expected repairs into my purchase budget. Thanks to Rennlist, for example, I'm prepared for almost any 993 I buy to eventually have the "check engine light" (read the 993 FAQ) problem, and I know how much it costs to fix it, etc.

In a few months there are going to be a ton of 993's on the market.

DC from Cape Cod

I think the number of HIGH-QUALITY 993's will only decrease over time.

There might be a lot of middle-of-the-road examples but the people that have a late model mint car know what they have and will not be eager to sell it.

Mark '98 Targa

Try Porsche Market Letter, a monthly subscription Porsche only classified. http://www.pmletter.com/ I think it is a good source and I bought '95 from an ad there. Now, I find it entertaining just to see the wide range of asking prices across the country.

Good luck, Mark

GregH

As anticipated, a healthy mix of input. Very appreciated.
Steve - pretty much what I was thinking as well. I will continue the search, as it is my hope that the car YOU describe will find its way into my crosshairs - soon!
PeterS - Primary reasoning for '98 is focus (and following Rennlist counsel) on buying the most current MY that my budget will allow. Prior to current reality check (?) all 'other' indications (Excellence, KBB, Edmunds, etc.) lead me to believe that my $50-55K-ish budget will readily cover this MY. I am not adverse to 96/97 MY at all, all other things being equal.
laurence - Appreciate the input. Certainly appears to be the case thus far, hence the query to the group...
Carrerra GT - Apologies if these threads annoy you and can certainly understand why. Heck, you already have YOUR 993! As protokultur points out, it is the addition of 'newbie blood' that will help ensure the passion lives on. And remember, you can always choose to ignore the threads that don't hold your interest.
protokultur - completely agree with your commentary up top and certainly hope that the last sentence of your post comes to fruition
DC - you may have hit the nail on the head.

Again, I truly appreciate y'all sharing your perspectives and counsel. Heck, at the end of the day that's what this forum is all about, yes?
Appreciatively,
G still on the search

viperbob

Greg,

Would you be interested in a '97 C2S Arena Red with 12K miles? I might know locally where one is available.

GregH

Dear Team Lunatic
Appreciate the extra set of eyes, but am pretty stuck on Silver. Thanks for checking though!
G

ON TIME

Hi there, i would give ray a call.

adambos

GregH, good luck with your search. Posting treads like this, is exactly what a web board is for. Please ignore and don't be discouraged by people who are "tired" of reading treads like this. Also, ebay is good route with a PPI and seeing the car in person.

Good Luck! Cheers!

amfp

Not sure what the basis for "ton" being on the market. I think there will be many more 996's available than 993's especially when the 997's are further "announced". Very good, or better 993's will always take a stronger and longer search. I may be a bit jaded in my thinking. But do agree the Spring will bring more inventory as fair weather cars hit the road again.