Mike J

I know, I know, neither. And it may be a stupid question. Well, with my budget, its not an answer.

I recently bought a 96 Targa, no accidents, but fairly high mileage at 60,000 miles. Car is clean but needed the usual maintenance such as brakes, fluid changes, etc. It fit my budget of about $33K. Had the bumper repainted because of rock chips.

My friend, also working with the same budget, found a 96 Targa with 27,000 miles for virtually the same price. However, its had two seperate accidents, one on the right quarter costing $9000 and the second one on the right rear quarter for $9000. Both were fixed by very reputable shops.

Both cars have maintenance records. My car is Polar Silver, the one he is looking at is Midnight Blue (?).

So, by being at the same price, he is trading the accidents for the lower mileage. I am trading the price for higher mileage.

Which is preferred?

Personally, I like the higher mileage with no accidents myself (given I own that option!).

What is you opinion?

George Helser

Mike,

No doubt in my mind. 60k miles in a 993 is not high miles.
Any crash requiring $9000 in repair is a car I would NOT buy.

I would go for the well maintained car with rock chips and 60,000 miles.

Good luck!

Regards,
George
In sunny AZ

Mike J

No, no salvage title, just body repairs.

I do agree I was looking for a car with no accidents and reasonable mileage at a reasonable price..that's why I have the 993 I have.

He friend seems to be less discriminating because he would only buy if the price reflects the depreciation because of the accident.

Thanks!

Flying Finn

If you call 60 000 high miles, then high miles is for sure, far better than the accident one.

E. J. - 993 Alumni

102k miles on original clutch. Which do you think I prefer?

E. J.

Mr Michael B

Mike,

I think BOTH of you did very well w/ your purchase of these cars.

I also want to say (as the others did) that 60K miles is only "mid mileage" really.

Lastly I want to mention that $9K worth of body shop is NOT MUCH these days. With a front nose piece running over what? $4000 alone? (without paint) you can get up there in a hurry. Heck... Look at the price of 1 headlight!

If you get even a minor bump in a parking lot, and it splits that plastic bumper, now your at upwards of $5K. Add in just a few other bits & you will see your pals $9K body shop bill real fast. I would bet his car was not hurt more than on the surface.

With that said... I still like your 60K mile car for mid $30's, but I would imagine your pals car is very nice as well.

Both are great cars.

JC in NY

The problem with the accident damaged one is the unknowns. How bad was it really? What shortcuts were taken. You'll never really know. In this case the higher mileage discount is preferred.

Mike J

Well, given that the car was fixed at one of the top body shops here in Vancouver, and I am sure they are willing to explain in detail what was fixed, I also think you can find out the details. As well, the insurance is government provided here, so complete records of all the parts and how much was spent is available as well. The nice thing about this kind of insurance is you know the complete accident history of the car unless the owner paid out of his own pocket...which is unlikely!

Sorry about the comment about 60K being "high mileage". I just get the feeling because of all the 20 and 30K cars that seem to be around. I have only had my car for less than a month and because its winter its spent all of the time on jackstands in the garage being serviced by yours truely. However, it looks like a new car underneath and drives really tight, so I am happy!

Joe L

Where did you find a '96 Targa for $33k, and do they have more?

Kevin Reilly

The way I read your original post, your friend's car had $18K of damage repairs done...$9K for each repair.

If this is the case I'd take your car in a heartbeat. If this is not the case I'd take your car in a heartbeat as well. A no-brainer.

60K miles on a '96 is not high mileage compared to the overall universe of cars...it is less than 10K miles per year.

Edward

Mike,

Lots of good replies here so I won't bore you with a similar response. But if I may add a perspective on milage, the "average" annual milage (according to my ins co) is 12K, and 15K in urban sprawls (I live in SoCal where Everything is a drive!) So if you're looking at a 1996, "average" is 60-75K miles --YMMV....been dying to use that one

Obviously, many don't use their p-car as daily drivers while still many others like myself do. So what you're seeing truly IS average mileage, especially given the price
Compared to a collision, milage would be of MUCH less concern given good records and clean PPI. Believe me, I understand the "on a budget" thing, but you shouldn't short yourself on an investment (financial and emotional) of this magnitude. Lots of good 993s out there...just my thoughts

Good luck to your friend on the hunt!

Edward

ked

This topic reminds me of a similar timeless debate about service garages & their staff,
"...on balance what do you prefer, a skilled mechanic with dubious honesty, or an inexpert mechanic pure in heart?" Usually, we opt for Neither! In the case of Mike's Targa examples, the answer is (almost) Either!

Mdrury

I got a 60,000 C4 last year, with no regrets. The chassis was straight, maintenance records impeccable. This is not a high mileage. I was interested note that this vehicle had an engine-out service to remove carbon deposits prior to 60K. According to the local independant where this was performed, this can be caused by not using enough revs ( I can fix THAT ) and no fuel additive ( Techron ). Also the previous ( and first ) owner had the clutch changed "just to be sure" ( God bless 'im ! ).
Accident damaged choice? Run away! Run away!

Poohbear

A great question that I have contemplated myself. Personally, I lean toward the "high" miles, and more so after seeing the othe replies. I'm also in the market for a 993 cab, and you've found a great deal there. Good luck and enjoy your car!

Mike J

Joe L asked about the where did I find a Targa for $33K? Well, first of all, up here in Canada, the Porsches appear cheaper than in the US. Not sure why since our dollar is really crappy, but they are. A $33K US car is about $52K Canadian dollars. Woops, I was a little low, I paid $55K ($34.3US). That kind of deal is hard to come by but they are there. And the prices are dropping. A car at $60K CDN ($37,500) is relatively easy athought tight this time of year given its winter. The biggest pool of cars is in Toronto. I am in Vancouver (about 5 hour flight away) so I bought using internet and phone, remote PPI and then flew out to do the final inspection and purchase.

What are other cars going for? For a really nice 96-96 C4S, you are looking at a preimium price of $75K Canadian ($46,800 US). That's a pretty high price up here. Not sure how that compares with the US.

I have a friend of a friend who's sole job it to import Canadian trucks and cars into the US. The currency differential and cost base allows him to make a decent living at it! Mind you, once the WTC happened, his business vitually stopped.

Parts are the same way. Buy the time I import parts from the US, even doing all the paper work myself, my local shop (www.weissach.com) almost always can at least match if not beat the US prices. Porsche factory parts seem to be price adjusted to allow for the weaker Canadian economy. In some cases it would make sense for a person in the US to buy from them. They are a licenced RUF dealer, and I know people in the US often buy from them just because its cheaper!