vjd3

PPI = prepurchase inspection

911Dave

Come on now, they did say NEAR wholesale. One might consider Newark to be near Boston.

The world is full of suckers and uninformed buyers and dealers are well aware of it. I don't think they really expect to fool knowledgeable Porsche guys like us.

Kika

No need to apologize, that is what this place is for, to learn, share experience etc... and have some fun along the way.

PPI Pre-Purchase Inspection. A number of shops will perform a checkout, if you search, there is an extensive list of items to check that are fairly specific to 911s and even the 993 especially. I say this as there are places where rust can form due to how the car was put together and should be inspected.

Low mileage does NOT mean great shape. There are many very nice cars with high mileage that have been well maintained that I would rather own than abused/neglected low mileage examples. Don't get me wrong, low mileage does not necessarily mean neglected, and high does not mean well maintained, there is plenty of mixing and matching to be had all around, thus the necessity for the PPI.

The Porsche and particularly 911 lineage has a long history of reliability, just look at how many 60s and 70s 911s are still on the road. The motors can go well past 100K miles.

I would say that if the car has been in CA and AZ, it likely does not have any rust, and the 993 has a galvanized body (all 911s since the SC are), however under the wrong conditions, rust can form near corners of windows, under battery tray...but you should still have it inspected.

Some of our Chicago Rennlist brothers can probably chime in WRT a local mechanic.

Good luck, and it is a requirement for you to post pictures upon acquisition.

Canyon56

imho, that price is about the same as Truspeed pricing. I personally would buy from Truspeed first over a "luxury car" dealership in that price range.

As a comparison I sold my 1996 C4S to a RLer here for $42k back in January. It had 43k miles on it, all records, I was the second owner and with contact info to the first owner.

Sport seats and the suspension had been done (by me with PSS-10s.) Plus all the "correct" mods that are not intrusive, like OEM wide oval tips, RUF spoiler module, 996TT hollow spokes, etc..

You can find good cars, it just takes a bit of patience. Most people spend a lot of time here on RL to get the info needed to find a good specimen. You can also contact a specialist and ask them to be the broker to help find you the right car.

I'd go with a RL member, a PCA member, or an air cooled Porsche specialist dealer for a car.

timothymoffat

This is sooooo important when considering a 993 or any older specialty car for that matter.

Ocean Blue C2S

PPI, a "Pre Purchase Inspection", usually done by a buyer's optioned qualified mechanic.

FYI

Bert

agent325

The car may have low miles, but its still 15 years old. For 50K, its should be in perfect condition:

1) Fresh Tires
2) Service completed
3) No oil leaks
4) Suspension Done (Original shock would need replaced)
5) Original Window Sticker

These Iteams will set you back at least 5 Gs

rhinomd11

Truspeed doesn't have a 993 C4S for sale. lol- Actually, most C4S porsche's with low miles are going for High 40's to mid 50's. The one's I can find. Autotrader, E-bay, etc.

So I guess this is the price range. Which honestly I feel is about 5K high. C2S are consistently 5K lower. (apples to apples)

I just now have to find a local expert mechanic in the Chicago area. Any suggestions?

Thanks again-

kjr914

Interesting, since this is the opposite of what I found 4 years ago. Fewer C2Ss on the market and everyone wanted "the last one" prices. But I also wanted big reds (stock on the C4S)....not necessary, but purely due to sex appeal of course.

Dr. No

This could be a good car and worth the price if you like it, but it could also be pretty car needing $5-8k worth of clutch and engine work. A PPI would tell you things like this, and what I noticed from looking at the pictures: passenger side fog light out; cigarette lighter missing. (BS IMHO from a dealer positioning themselves as these guys have). Do a search on this site for PPI in your area; you'll probably find several recommendations.

Dr. No

Good point about the 30k service. It is not cheap and if it hasn't been done that is not a good indicator of care, no matter what the car looks like after their detail shop has had it for a few days.

George from MD

ENSURE you get a PPI done by an independent or walk away. If they won't let you do that don't walk- RUN. Also ask for the FSH (full service history). At that price the car should have one.

The points made here are all excellent- for that price the car should need not a thing and if it hasn't had the 30K service I'd offer a lot less and walk if the dealer stays firm. As noted that's the real indicator of care- not the detail it's just had.

It looks like a car with very few options- no motor sound/no full leather, no sprt seats etc. but it apparently does have power seats and obviously has the sound (upgraded speaker) package. The option codes are on a sticker under the hood- ask the seller to read them off for you. Good luck and let us know!

jnoble79

if your looking at the 1997 MA Shaw 993 C4S from Luxury Automotive Wholesalers, then you might want to check out this rennlist link. Guy out of Cali was selling this car for 42k about 3 weeks ago . . . Had some oil seepage from one of the cylinders, and he said he needed new tires . . . .

https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...-interior.html

rhinomd11

Thanks for the info. But I'm looking at the 1996 Black/Tan C4S listed for 51.9K.. (35K miles).

bavarian06

Be careful when buying low mileage cars. Often times people just drove them to run errands and caused a clogged SAI ($2-4K fix). These engines are well built and meant to be driven hard. There is a white c4s with 36k miles for $46k on autotrader. But from the sound if it (from the owner), the car was driven granny style.