Bob Bennett

I'm a newbie looking to buy his dream car, my first Porsche. I was hoping to get a little bit of info about buying a 95-96 993.
I've scoured the board and talked to friends and found the following:
o-Whatever you do, make sure to get a ppi before buying.
o-There are option codes in the trunk lid which give insight into all the options a given car has, and could be helpful when determining resale value. To decode, try: http://www.kindel.com/Porsche/options.asp
o-Re: The Vin Number: Make sure to try a Carfax report, 20 bucks well spent - though no guarantees. You can also decode the VIN to get more info about the equipment on a given car.
o-There are some subtle differences between the 95 and 96, and I think I prefer the 96. The post just below this one was very helpful - Thanks!

Where I was hoping to get some insight was on the following:
o-Can a good car be found at a dealer, or do you really have to go out there and find that "porsche lover" who has treated it like it was his baby?
o-What can a 96 coupe with less than 50Kmi be had for?
o-I found a Silver 96 coupe at the Downtown Los Angeles Porsche Audi (Felix) dealer, and I like it. Seems like it was taken care of (and has new 17inch P-Zeros on it, which is nice). Anyone know that car? More importantly, anyone have a good mechanic in the downtown Los Angeles area for the ppi and maintenance thereafter?
o-Anything else I should know?

Thanks for any help!!
-Bob

SeanD

Bob,

Question 1: Can a good car be found at a dealer, or do you really have to go out there and find that "porsche lover" who has treated it like it was his baby?

Answer: Yes. For whatever reason, dealers feel the need to throw away all the prev. owner's paperwork. Just make sure the car has a clean history and all records. I bought my '95 993 from a dealer. If I was to do it all over again though, I would have bought private party. If you are financing, then you have more options through a dealer (maybe your only option if you look to lease an older car or do a traditional finance). Keep in mind that most private party cars that are clean with all records will cost more.

Question 2: What can a 96 coupe with less than 50Kmi be had for?

Answer: I paid $38K for mine (although its a 1995 993 C2 Coupe) with 54K miles and two owners. The car is missing the owners manual and most of the paperwork. I was told it would be mailed to me and it was a lie. The dealer either 1. Never had it or 2. Threw it away. I am now finding small but manageable problems with the car. The latest is a hard shifing problem that has yet to be diagnosed. Items such as: Missing the fan speed switch, power drivers seat cable broken, battery drain problem, noisy rear wing motor, slightly dirty door panels due to the prev. owner smoking in the car (the ashtray was full on delivery.. yuck!), sunroof seals missing/broken. The oil had not been changed.

For $38k its a good deal and most of the items I listed have been or will be fixed by the dealer which a private owner will not do. If I was to do it over again Bob, I would have spent less time looking for a deal and more time looking for a mint condition 993, dealer or private partly. Pay now, pay later you will pay.

Question 3: Sorry can't help you there. Been out of LA for 9 years.

Good luck and welcome if you get a 993!

Edward

Bob,
In addition to all the above, I would add: 1)Drive a bunch of them (as many as is feasible). You'll get a better feel for which ones feel "off" or are "just a bit nicer" when you've driven and compared. 2)Try and stay objective; control the "dream car" euphoria that so often can cloud judgment. (Yeah, I know about this one). 3)If it ain't exactly to your liking, walk! There are a whole lot of good 993s out there and, IMO, a car this special should fit you like a glove.

Price: In SoCAL, I've found good 96s going for high 40s low 50s; typically 50s if your looking at dealers. Your call if you think the dealer can offer you more than pvt party. Lots of luck and post a pic when you get it

Edward

Ray Calvo

From my experience, yes - you can find good oen at a dealer. I bought my '95 from a dealer - car was 1 year old and had 3600 miles on it (previous numnut had traded it in on a TT; hate to think how much money he lost on a trade-in). Car had had its initial service; owner's manual had certain sections hilighted with yellow marker, so it appeared as if owner cared aobut the car. I'm at 61K miles now, so obviously I don't regret the purchase.

STLPCA

Bob
Ditto to all above. I bought my '96 C2 coupe from a CA "pre-owned high end" dealer @ 29k mi - on eBay! Car had 30k service done & was flawless exc. expected bumper chips. I had a PPI.
IMO, purchase source less important than you doing thorough investigation, although there is more legal recourse against dealer than individual if fraud, etc.
Find orig. selling dealer (look at stamp in service book, call PCNA or any P dealer can get you that info). Start @ orig. purchase & try to trace the car's service history - easy if always serviced at a P dealer. Dealers will usually provide you w/copies of all service records from their store if you explain your interest (they should black out name of prior owner). I was able to get faxed copies of the complete service history in a few days. I also spoke w/service mgr who knew the car & prior owner, a long time P owner & dealer customer - was very reassuring.
Some states require mileage on title transfers and/or safety/emissions inspections which may be publicly available & can verify present mileage.
Last, if a dealer: ask if you can contact the prior owner or ask them to have the PO contact you; find out how/where the selling dealer got the car (trade, purchase from owner, auction, etc.); get EVERY important representation or promise about the car in writing (e.g., never hit, we'll get you the missing compressor, etc.).
Oh, another thing - CA seems to be an inflated P car mkt compared to other parts of the country. Don't be afraid to expand your geographic search. An enclosed transport will cost roughly $750-$1500, but if you save $5k it's cost effective. Of course, checking out the car may be more difficult/risky.
Good luck.

Rohan Nath

You should consider getting in touch with Robin Sun (if you have not already done so). He is selling his 96 993. Everyone on this board can confirm that Robin is a high ethics guy who is incredibly knowledgable about Porsche's. From everything I know his car is in prestine condition.

Robin 993DX

Rohan,

Thanks

89911

Hey, Bob -

I have not been recently, but I really like TRE in North Hollywood. May not be as close to downtown as you would like.

Mark in Hermosa

Bob:

Go to www.cars.com and search the LA area available Porsches. I believe Ogner has a few in that year range. You can afford to be picky as there are a bunch.

Consider Callas Rennsport in Torrance (not D.T. LA) for the PPI. I am sure that there are others, but he is good.

Allen

I strongly advise you to talk to the previous owner(s)if at all possible. They really have nothing to loose by telling you the truth. In 1999, I bought my '97 993 coupe w/ 21K miles from a private owner who was the 3rd owner. I loved the car, but was wary of all the owners. Well, as it turned out, the car was originally sold by "my" sales guy at the local BMW/Porsche dealer (I bought a BMW from him). He pulled the records of original sale, and talked to me for about an hour about the original owner...AND the guy who bought it from him! I called them both. They turned out to be are "Porsche guys" and talked my ear off about the car. Original guy had traded it for a BMW750i (after 8 months & 4K miles), and second guy sold it (after 9 months & 2K miles)cause he was "scared" to drive it anywhere for fear of it getting messed up...too stressful for him. The guy I bought it from was selling it because he drove it on the Interstate 600 miles per week...and it was beating him death, eating tires, and oh yeah...the kicker...he was JUST divorced and the bank insisted he get rid of the debt before they would lend him the money to build his new girlfriends dreamhouse. So all that to say...in my opinion, several owners is not really such a bad thing...if you have the luxury of talking to each of them and have reords of all work done.

Martin S.

All of the above posts are on the money as to a shop for a PPI. Callas and TRE are the two (2) I know of as well.

On the PPI, if the car has limited slip, be certain to have it checked. It is an expensive proposition for R&R a LSD.

Also, get thyself to a reputable body shop to have the tub checked for occult (hidden)* collision damage. The shop was recommended to me by people in the know in SoCal is Deshler's Collision Repair, in Orange, CA, (714) 998-9256. They checked my car for collision damage, occult and otherwise, and found none. Deshler's also does primo paint work if you need anything painted. Based on the thoroughness of the inspection and Deshler's reputation in SoCal, I am going there when I need paint or collision repair, God forbid.

Advantages in buying from a dealer: You can purchase a warranty. GE Capital has a decent program: There are others as well. Be certain to read the fine print in the warranty. Be advised, if a part is not specifically delineated as covered, it is not. They won't cover a clutch repair, yet they will cover a limited slip that is, for all intents and purposes, a clutch (of sorts).

The other advice that I would follow, drive more than one car. Drive one with M030 sports suspension , see how you like it. By driving multiple cars you will know how the transmission feels. Good luck with the project .

Martin

Bob Bennett

Hi All,

Just wanted to say thank you very much for all the excellent advice. VERY helpful. This board is excellent - look forward to "contributing" instead of "asking" in the future.

-Bob

Mdrury

Bob, another person's $0.02 for you.....
I picked up a '96 C4 with 60K miles for $43K.
I the process I drove a LOT of cars to get a sense of what a good one drives like. My preference was for a single owner car with a solid service record. Tried e-Bay and hated it. Used CARFAX and loved it ( really flushes out the story tellers! ). Was looking for <40K miler, but compromised when I found the one I have now. The owner babied it. He had an engine-out 60K service and the clutch changed "just to be safe". In the process I saw everything from a '96 C2 with 21K for $57K to a '95 C2 with 46K for $40K.
In the end my ppi guy "steered" me away from 95's, and I discovered a wide range to choose from in SF Bay Area ( something to do with DotComposting ). LA definately is the Porsche capital of CA, but there's more rogues per square mile there so use a good ppi guy. Good luck. I'm still at the stage where I have to look at mine every night, before I go to bed with a big grin on my face.