Mayadino

You may remember my sad story regarding a beautiful Arena Red 97 C2 a few weeks back - 21K miles, beautiful condition, $30K...had already pictured it in my garage...until the seller backed out at the last minute.

Well, as predicted by this group, it was not long before another fine example showed up. I found a very nice 98 C2S, black/black, two owner 993 with 35K miles. Car looks great, very clean inside and out, with 18" turbo twists, motor sound, locking diff/active brake, hifi, alum shifter and brake lever.

I just received the PPI and wanted to ask the groups opinion on the report and what worries you would, or would not have...here's the break down:

Leak beginning between head and block base gasket
Some carbon build-up on valves, but no CEL, and recently passed smog
Clutch at ~50%, F brakes at 25%, rears at 40%
Hear a noise when turning slowly - looks like suspension pieces replaced (front end, but no further info)
Some varying paint depth on doors and front hood
Some cracks in the belts

I had noticed that the front hood looked to be repainted, as there is overspray inside, and the options sticker was removed and replaced. I asked specifically about front end damage and none was noted. Nothing noticable to me regarding the doors. No accidents known by the second owner of 7 years, and a clean carfax

Other small items include a broken rear spoiler air dam and worn out R/R hood struts.

Overall opinion from the Porsche dealer was that the car was very nice...offered to me for $40K.

I think the car sounds like a keeper, but would appreciate weigh in from this experienced group. Cheers!

Trader220

At 30k on the red one you should not have stumbled and just showed up with the cash, unless the car was a mess that price is just silly. I would not have given the seller a chance to reconsider.

The second car is not quite as good a deal. The details are still a bit sketchy on the PPI was there paint work or not? The leak is beginning? Its either leaking or its not. The hood shocks are a tiny fix. How did they tell you 50% of the clutch is left? I doubt they opened it up and inspected it.

logan2z

The seller wouldn't happen to be in Walnut Creek, would he?

justinsrx7

At that price, I think I'd rather take a chance on this

95C4VanIsle

^hard to believe that the 996 turbos have dropped that far in price.

Mayadino

Yes... Logan2z, in fact, the car is in Walnut Creek. Do you know of the car?

logan2z

Yes, I took a look at it a couple of weeks ago and decided to pass on it. I thought the price was quite high given the car's condition. In particular, I was a bit disappointed in the condition of the paint given the seller's description. The asking price was $45K when I looked at it, but the seller subsequently dropped it to $40K. Even at $40K I think the price is on the high side in the current market.

H.H.Chinn

Unfortunate this car wasn't better cared for considering its low mileage.

Trader220

They made so many 996 turbos the prices have fallen off a cliff. Yes they're great performance bagains but they'll be even better bargains as the prices will continue to fall.

ploglet

I would pass on that car given the condition/PPI and the price. There are much better examples out there for the same price.
The 996TT is a bargin right now but unfortunately I would expect them to continue to fall in price.

Mayadino

Thanks everyone for your insights! I decided to follow the collective advice of the group and pass on the car. The seller apparently has three other folks who are ready to buy...even after reading over my PPI, so I will jump out of the way of the stampede. I'll wait for one that is more in line with what I want, especially since I plan to keep the car awhile.

tlark

Walk from it, as others have said another car will come up. You have $5-7k in maintenance issues with this car as its stands and they want $40k !!!

Crack does terrible things to people........

NP993

I don't understand...a low-mileage C2S in a great color combo (black/black) for $40K that had its hood resprayed? That's a ****ing great deal.

BTW, the shop that did the PPI is the one that needs to put the pipe down. How do they know the clutch is at 50%? Answer: they have no idea and are making **** up out of thin air.

grwoolf

I would agree that the price is good given the miles, but it sounds like it might have been in a significant accident. I would try to get the accident/repair story from the original owner if you can track him down. If it was a minor fender bender and fixed at a top rate shop, then I'd say the car is a heck of a deal. If it is obvious that the hood has been resprayed, that is not a good indication of the repair quality. I would also be concered that the accident was more than minor if you see paint meter variations all the way back into the doors. The hood has probably been completely replaced if the option sticker looks like it has been re-applied. If front suspension parts have been replaced with stock (vs. upgraded), this is a possible red flag also since there was likely an accident big enough to bend that stuff up. There may be logical explanations for all that stuff, but it sounds like the car was in a significant accident to me and I'd want to know the entire story and see pictures of how bad the car was before repair. I personally would not buy a car that has been significantly wrecked, but some people do and you can often get a great deal.