alexl911

Hi,

After a long search I've found a car that I would be willing to pull the trigger on but I'm hesitating as it's significantly over my self imposed 'mental' budget of $60K for a 993 C2. Here are the facts:

-'96 993 C2 with just under 40K miles
-Manual
-Midnight Metallic Blue / Blue-Gray Interior
-Completely stock (I believe the clutch and other regular maintenance has been done)
-Full PPF and ceramic coating
Car looks immaculate.

The seller won't accept my offer of $60K (so far) but also won't give me a real counter... his original ask was $80K (yeah right) but has acknowledged that price is not realistic. I pointed out to him that not one 993 C2 has sold for more than $60K in the last two years on BAT, regardless of mileage or condition.

I'm looking for a long-term drivers car and NOT an investment/collector car. However, it would be nice to not overpay. I'm not really concerned about loosing money in the medium to long term as I think they will hold their values. (please no debating an air-cooled bubble)...

I need to get my head around this quickly in order to secure a deal. If I separate emotion out of the equation, what's the max I should be offering in the current market? I feel that $60-$63K MAX is what the car is worth. I don't think 40K miles is collector car mileage.
I know, I know someone will tell me "...what's a few more thousands $$$ for the right car." I might just go ahead and pay the extra but I'm asking for some logical advice. Would I be better off buying a slightly higher mileage car that already has new, upgraded suspension, exhaust, etc. If you look at my signature, I used to own a '96 for about 8years and know them very well. There seems to always be one or two on BAT all the time.

Of course everything will depend on a thorough PPI.

Cheers!

Onami

IMHO $60K is all the money on that car. Politely leave the offer with him and continue looking. My bet is he will call you within a few weeks. If not, you might find an even better car for the money...

NC TRACKRAT

Averaging just under 2,000 miles per year...No, not a collector car...unless you collect cars! If this trips all your triggers, passes a PPI and you don't have to travel far to buy it, up the offer to $62,500 and let him stew until he relents or sells it for more. Meanwhile, continue your search.

gonzilla

I think $60k is high, but I don't know much about the market these days.

I guess if I were you and I really wanted THAT particular car and money weren't a huge issue, I'd figure out the most I'd spend on the car without regretting it and throw that figure at him. Keep in mind there are other cars out there, and most likely, better buys as long as this one isn't your grail.

abiazis

Stay at 60K and if he really wants to sell it, he will call u......

Elfer1

rrc715

alexl911

Thanks for the feedback and validation. The car is really nice and I would pay $60K or even slightly more but no joy. This is the third time I've been disappointed as this seller is like so many others right now who seem to think they struck it rich riding the never ending wave of air cooled nostalgia. I tried to do a deal but despite all my market research and evidence from BAT sales over the last two years I was not able to convince him, insisting that he's "...not willing to consider offers unless in the $70's". This is despite the fact that he told me he paid $63K for the car a year ago?? He claims to have put an additional $16K into the car (no repairs just full PPF, ceramic coating, Porsche Classic head unit, radar detector and reupholstered front seats) and is expecting to recoup nearly 100% of his 'investment'. I've read many times here that one should "buy the seller and not the car". I guess this is one of those times. It would have been serendipitous since it's the same year and colour of the one I sold in 2012 and hoping to replace. Oh well.

Tlaloc75

The low(ish) miles is worth something and I think it’s reasonable to be in the 60k range +/- 5k. I might even be willing to say high 60k if and only if all the normal preventative maintenance has been done including the expensive suspension updates and all the other various bits and pieces that tend to wear and need replacement on age rather than miles. If that hasn’t been done, you’ll be in it for another 10k once you’ve done the catchup yourself.

The money he put into the car is nice, but not anything that would bump value much, if any. The fact he’s selling so quickly doesn’t help value either.

Anything near 70k is madness for a C2.

alexl911

Yes I agree. The car is completely stock... pretty sure it's on the original Monroe shocks. I know what these cars need to come alive and $10K is a start. Then I will need an RS clutch, exhaust, etc...etc...

Alan Smithee

How long ago did you check BaT? I suppose you are technically correct, but a 28k mile '96 C2 with non-original spoilers was bid over $63k last month, a 73k mile '96 sold with some mods for $59k earlier this month, and a 61k mile '95 sold for $56k last week. (All prices with fees.) All three comps support over $60k for a nice '96 with under 40k miles. That said, if the interior needed reupholstering, it doesn't sound like a $60k+ car.

mike cap

nile13

Couple questions come to mind, If you are looking for a driver, whats the point of spending $60K instead of $40K on a decent car with 80-90K miles?
Why would clutch be replaced at 40K miles? Coupled with seats that need to be redone... I smell some small furry toothy fidgety animal and it ain't a rabbit. Help me identify it, please.

Finally, I'm the biggest proponent of "buying the seller". If you are not feeling it, I'd walk away without hesitation. I'm also certain that this car will be available for quite a while based on described seller's behavior.

HelpMeHelpU

Setting aside all the other comments, most of which are hard to argue, fundamentally your "seller" is not a real seller. If he was, he would have provided a rational counter-offer with justification. He hasn't given you even that. You'd simply be bidding against yourself, which is never a smart move...and, frankly, probably isn't going to get you any closer to this particular car. Some have advocated for increasing your offer a tad; I'd hold tight and communicate that you're interested at that price and that you're actively shopping for a car and are ready to buy now.

I just spent ~18 months searching for a 993...and wound up with two, because I couldn't decide between NB and WB (and colors), so I figured the only way to really know is to own and drive both. I found two really nice cars at the exact same time. (Coincidentally, I also bought another one on BaT by "mistake" at the exact same time. It's for sale if you're interested. It's the '96 121k-mile Polar Silver C4S with blue interior and some nice mods. It was owned by two enthusiasts, one of whom is well known on RL. Most of the maintenance and mods were done by Rick Deman's shop, which is not far from you, as is the car. It certainly qualifies as a "driver." Regarding the relatively high miles, an RL friend recently paid market price for a WB with nearly 200k miles and he couldn't be happier.)

I saw lots of very marginal C2s and the condition was not always in proportion to the miles; remarkably, some of the higher mileage cars appeared to be in better condition, at least what I could see visually.

Another lesson I learned is not to settle for a color or color combo that's less than ideal...for YOU. I almost pulled the trigger on a few cars I liked otherwise...except the interior color or color combo wasn't quite right (...for me).

If you want to speak, I am glad to share any of my experiences, so just send a PM with your phone number.

Paolo1

I'll sell you the tie I'm wearing right now if you guess the magic number even though it's not technically for sale.