palladio

I was in the market for a 996, and went by a dealer today to look at a C4s. However, there was a 1997 C2 that a customer had there on consignment that totally caught my eye. I'm not very familiar with 993 pricing as I hadn't really been looking for one.

Here's the basics on the car:
1997 C2
Midnight blue metallic over Savannah beige leather
61K miles
One-owner local car
Car is clean but some paint chips on body and rash on the wheels.
Interior is clean with no cracks in leather

The car drives well and has had a recent service at the dealership (the same one where it was bought back in 97). Don't know much about options on the these cars, but it didn't appear to have anything special.

The owner is asking $36,000, which seems to be easily $6-8K over KBB and Edmunds values. I know these cars are not so common, but that sounds like a big premium. The color combo is one of my favorites, and if it checks out I'd buy it. What's a reasonable price to offer on this car in your opinion?

Thanks for the advice.

csertich

If the car got a clean PPI, I think it would be a steal at around $33-$34k. KBB or Edmunds do not reflect the actual market for these cars.

Look for the option codes on the sticker on the inside of the trunk.

chuck

jimbo3

Options? Complete service records? Mods? Wheels? Tire and brake wear? 60K service done? Might want to take a trip to <autotrader.com> for price comparison purposes as KBB and Edmonds don't reflect the market. Without more than you've provided and assuming nothing else, I'd say you'd need to end up around $32, but there are lots of variables.

-Jim

rome

Blue over Cashmere...Hmmm...you should pay whatever they ask to get that beautiful combination.

palladio

Thanks for the input. I figured that Edmunds and KBB would pretty useless for the 993 market, given the low supply and high demand on these cars.

I will look in the trunk for option codes. I am familiar with all the 996 option packages but not the 993. The dealer did say the car had had the 60K service done. I've got a good local independent mechanic that can do a PPI nearby, as well as body guy who races Porches to check out the body if need be. The car should have good records, since it was bought and maintained at the same dealership if I'm not mistaken.

Anything special I should be looking for or particular pitfalls with these cars? I'll do a search, but if anyone can point me to a relevant thread I'd appreciate it. Don't want to reinvent the wheel here.

Thanks again.

palladio

Yeah, I've always loved that particular combination, though the 993's look great in just about any color.

jimbo3

There was a comprehensive 993 buying guide article in Excellence a few months ago and there were a couple of threads here on it.

chris walrod

Where are you located? I am sure many folks here could point you in the right direction to where a PPI can be done, depending upon location, of course

Good luck with your search, sounds as though your headed in the right direction

palladio

I'll look for them and any links you might know of would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Berkley

If you are comfortable with the PPI and the body/paint is virgin ......I think the price is fair for a one owner narrow body '97 C2......they are hard to find and the owner will not get anything close to $36,000 after consignment feeds are paid to the dealer. When you get down to this price level, dickering over a thousand or two seems pointless unless you need tires, brakes etc

Midnight Blue over Cashmire is a beautiful combination....Good Luck

Black993

I'd be all over it assuming it checks out. Like others have said, great color combo!

dcdude

I think someone posted Tony Callas' "Inspection Tips" at some point. For your Pre Purchase Inspection, you absolutely need somebody with a Hammer or PS2 to confirm that no Secondary Air Injection codes are present or worse yet, recently reset! Also, a leaky steering rack is a known weakness and can be a $1,500 repair, if needed.

palladio

I apologize for my ignorance but what is a "Hammer" or a "PS2"? I'm assuming it's some kind of factory computer/code reading device?

palladio

I agree with your point that haggling over a thousand or two is pointless. The real bummer here however, is that I can't buy it from the guy in a private sale. If I pay $36,000, I still have to pay $2500 more in sales tax because it's going through a dealer. So the real price to me becomes $38,500, which seems to be at the high end of the car's value range. The owner will probably only get, what maybe $32K of that? If it were a private sale, there'd be no sales tax, and I'd be happy to give the owner his $36K straight out for the car.

I talked to the dealer to see if there was any way I could just pay them the commission and do a transaction with the owner to avoid the tax, but they said no go. So, I think I'm going to offer maybe $33K, which gets me into the car at about $36K all in.

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. Anyone here ever bought a "dealer consignment" car?

palladio

Just talked to the dealer and there may be some leeway on the tax issue.

He also gave me the options list.

1997 C2 Ocean Blue Metallic/Cashmere (I thought it was midnight, but it's not)
Base price $63,750
Options are:
Leather seats
Power seats L & R
Brake/shifter in dark wood and aluminum
18" Tech wheels
Crests on headrests
Storage bins (in place of rear seats I guess)
Sound package plus
Remote CD Changer
IR security system
Sticker price new was $75,243

I told him I'd be willing to pay $33-34K all in for the car with a clean PPI.
He confirmed that the car had its 60K mile service done recently at 58K miles by an indpendent mechanic who stamped the book.
Wish me luck!