umfan866

Thanks - input is all welcome. I have 15k cash and I'd have to stretch to get into 20k hence why I am looking at 993's with issues (ie the ones about or under 20k). I have been mostly looking at 84-89 car's and there is a good chance I'll get one of those, so that I have a little room for repairs/issues--- its just that if I can squeeze myself into the right 993, I may want to, since I tend to keep my cars a long time. In terms of DIY, I can do light DIY (did with my bimmer) and I am willing to get into it, but the earlier car may be a better start since it is less complex. The thing I like about the 993 is that it looks/feels like a modern car, could still be used as a DD. I personally am NOT very picky about the radio, even this car is in better shape than I keep my own cars in general. It just that no matter what, I'll have to live with the "Diminished Value / DV" of this white 993 whenever I do go to sell it way down the line. In the meantime yes I'd want to track it, DE it, use it as an occassional get-to-work car, and drive it without caring about racking up the miles.. and take the kids in the back seat to the track then drive home... the way Ferry intended.

I am thinking now of how to bargain - it looks like Kelley Blue Book lists the high retail on this car with these miles at 19.8, so I could say hey the diminished value (ie the reduction for having been in an accident, even if it is repaired properly) is 15% (I've googled and read extensively on DV) so I could offer 16-17k and hope to get it at 18k. If I can't this car is too expensive for me and I'd rather go back to the earlier cars, there are a couple of G50 87-89's I can buy for 16-18k.

black ice

Lots of good points about being able to afford maintenance and repairs, especially if you plan to use for a DD. R&M can be volatile. Know what your backup plan is if the car is down.

The car could be perfect after a unibody straightening. The reason to bargain hard is because the next buyer will expect a price reduction for it as well. May not be possible but consider getting the numbers from the unibody repair shop - they may have checked it on the jig and did little or no straightening at all.

dave

Stealth 993

Sadly KBB mean nothing on 993s. A few years ago KBB on my C4S with 36kmi was @ just under $30k, & the asking price was twice that. Even now, they are not realistic on what is out there. The only real problem with the low KBB is that banks will only finance the KBB amount.

If he is not a car guy & doesn't know what he has, then try the KBB thing, if he has a clue what the market is on the car, my guess he will not budge that much. But I still feel you can get a car like that in the $16-18 range.

944/951guy

+1

My 96' 993 with 19K miles books for $27K retail!!!!!!
KBB Is for Camry's, Civics, ect.......... and I would still do research otherwise.

johnsjmc

KBB puts a higher value on a 1999 996 Tip than a 95 993. NADA and KBB are unrealistic with 993 values.

logan2z

I think they call it NADA because that's what it's good for.

umfan866

Guys,

The good thing about KBB is that it lists a 96 993 with 94 at just under 20k retail. If I argue that KBB - 15% DV (Diminished Value) due to the accidents (frame damage) I may get this car into the 16-18k range, hopefully low end of the range. However she is a PCA member and knows what the cars are worth and has brand new PSS10s. BUt I know how fussy porsche buyers are, and I'll have to live with this accident damage the rest of this cars. life. I have some photos of the pre-accident values (pm me). The damage does not look too significant but there is a kink in the right rear quarter panel hence the need for a frame pull. They did not use a Celette bench but a computerizes frame system (I can get the exact name). The front bumper was not touched at that time, just the rear bumper replaced and the left quarter panel. Here are more details:

2005 accident

Fender bender to the Rear. She Pulled out of a parking spot and a
Lexus hit rear. The insurance paid the claim for the bumper repair.
Owner paid the body shop herself (extra) to have the front bumper
reconditioned and a new windshield installed.

2008 accident - owner popped clutched, jumped over curb, was late
at night, no other cars involved.


The Body shop has photos of the vehicle when it was brought in for repair in 08,
and says this

"As you can see the vehicle barely looks damaged but she is very meticulous
with her vehicle.
- The rear bumper and reinforcement were replaced
- the front cover was repaired-
- the left quarter panel was repaired and refinished.
- we did a frame rack setup and pull to straighten the kink on the left
quarter panel.

- I don’t have any photos of the repair in 05 but that was the rear bumper
as well.
- I don’t show any repair in 09 only an air duct bought for $53.25.
-The bumper and reinforcement and time to replace them are over $2,000
by itself so that is a major portion of both repairs.
- receipt totals $3800, biggest part is the "rear bumper cover for $1,600.

Ash

It sounds like you're willing to live with the damage and in fact, it serves a purpose in that it provides negotiating leverage to reduce the price to a level that you can live with. You mentioned that you have 15k cash but 20k would be a stretch. With that in mind, I would say that the bigger issue is the size of the potential contingency fund you might have to fix niggly things never mind the big issue out there which is the possibility of an SAI fix. When was the car last smogged? If it was recent, you have 2 years before another inspection is due which gives you some time to build a fund should the SAI rear its ugly head. If you're due for an inspection in the coming year and it pops up, that's when things could get crunchy. Now bear in mind, there's nothing that says it's going to happen - a solid PPI with a compression and leakdown combined with solid knowledge of oil consumption can help point the way. Brakes, steering rack, an alternator, battery, swapping out plugs, etc...are all things that can pop up - small but they can add up quick.

FWIW, you also mentioned that the owner is a PCA member who knows the value of these cars - as such, your KBB argument on pricing with her might not hold...hopefully she isn't a Rennlist member reading this thread.. :P

Cheers and best of luck in the hunt!

GT9111

umfan866, as you mentioned earlier, I would rather look for a nice Carrera 3.2. Don't overstretch your budget and leave little excess cash for repairs down the road.

Good luck on your search!