tonic

So, although I first registered 5(!) years ago, this is my first post here on Rennlist. Let's just say that I was sidetracked by a series of BMWs ...

Now, I'm finally in the market to buy a 911. I'm trying to spend less than $20k, so I've been looking almost exclusively at 964s. However, for the past couple weeks at least, this car has been stalking me on craigslist:
http://www.carsauto.com/1997-porsche...rera-c-547.htm

The dealer hasn't responded to my requests for information, so I'm planning to drop in tomorrow to see what I can learn. However, I wanted to ask all you experts here for your thoughts and opinions.

As far as I can tell, this car is priced $10k less than market value for a 993 with that mileage. Aside from a major accident, are there any other reasons this car would be priced so low? Are there any particular things I should look/ask for when I check it out?

stace

ad now says sale pending but it is a tiptronic which brings less money but could be any number of reasons for the price - ALWAYS get a good PPI by a reputable indy before buying - good luck!

95C4VanIsle

I am not an expert on used 993's by any stretch of the imagination but I happen to own one. I haven't been following the prices of used 993's for a while.

Hard to say why the car would be priced so low, but it definitely seems low considering the mileage and age of the car. I believe a tip used to be less expensive than a MT. If that is still the case that may be one reason for the price, but not enough to knock $10K off the car. You mentioned accidents, which generally shows up on a Carfax, and that may be a possibility. Maybe it is a loss leader trying to get people in the door. Hard to say from long distance.

I would certainly ask for any service history on the car to give you an idea of how the car has been serviced. There is no guarantee with a used car. I have heard horror stories. If you remain interested in the car after you have seen it and you know anyone with a paint guage they might be able to check out the car and see if there have been any repaints. Some accidents don't show up on Carfax.

Somewhere on the forum is a thread about what to check out on a test drive. You might want to search that out.

Whatever you do, if you are interested in purchasing the car make sure you get a PPI by a competent mechanic. That would include a compression test for sure. Some people on the forum don't consider a leakdown test as necessary if the compression test comes out good. When I was looking for a 993 I did both.

BOL on your search. Keep us posted.

C4SJOHN

Review this report...http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory...&partner=AAN_0

tonic

Yep, that carfax pretty much explains it all.

As much as I know that I should run from any 993 priced at $20k, they're just so hard to resist.

For now, back to hunting 964s.

Halcyon

This car showed up in marin county by a private seller at $24k when i was searching for my 993 back in May. Not that I was interested in it because I wasn't looking for a red one. But I kept track of it anyway, and saw it got snatched up by this dealer and listed for like $27k. That split grille on there confused me so I thought there was something about the car the got it down to $19k .

Falcondrivr

I bought my car from Dawydiak in 2007. I had an exceptional experience, and can't recommend them highly enough. They like to do consignments, and I suspect the price drop on this one is the result of a frank conversation with the car's owner about the history issues.
That being said, I bet the car is a good one. I don't think Walter Dawydiak would risk his reputation on a $20k car.

ppashley

Florida car. Aren't there things to be wary of with Florida cars.
Also as mentioned the carfax report mileage is very iffy.
The prive probably refects a higher mileage car then the odo reflects....

inkatouring

I, too, bought mine from Dawydiak. My experience was neither positive nor negative. But, they are mostly a consignment shop. And as such, the usual caveat emptor applies.

justin993

I think it is sometimes underestimated what tip will do to the price. The tip kills it in my opinion. I know folks on here have them and couldn't be happier. But that being said, there is such a small market for the tip, and even smaller as time goes on with the older cars. I think the buyers in the low $20k's would settle for a nice 996 6speed before a 993 tip.

tonic

I've had a hard time gauging how tip effects the price. Flipping through the 993 prices thread, some tip cars seem to go for a price comparable to manual, others for several thousand less.

I will be buying a manual, so I suppose all of this is for naught, but thanks everyone for the feedback.

sds

very smart! have you also considered a cabriolet?

Bearclaw

No mystery here: It's a tip - odo problem - and it's been whacked.

Bada-bing, bada-boom, 3 strikes and you're out. It's an orphan now.

And it's true, it may be a perfectly acceptable car as a driver.
As far as the dealer: some will deal in compromised cars, some will not. But if it's a consignment, it's not really "his" so I could see rationalizing having it around.
If there's a commission to be made and everybody's up front about its history, what the heck, put some lipstick on it and move it out.

tonic

No cabriolet for me. This is going to be a daily driver: planning to put on about 10,000 commute miles per year. It will also be the third car for our household: the other two are an E46 M3 coupe and a turbocharged Miata. The Miata fills the cantankerous convertible "toy" role, so I'm looking for something else in the Porsche: a relatively practical commuter, but still lots of fun for the daily drive over the golden gate into Marin.

Because we'll be putting a fair number of miles on it, I don't want to spend too much extra for a perfectly mint example, but I do want to get a car that is 100% sound mechanically, and one that will hold its value better than another BMW or Audi. These requirements out the 993 due to the price and the 996 due to depreciation.

deadhead1960

It seems to me that tip/cabs sell for less of a discount relative to manual/cabs, then tip/coupes do compared to manual/coupes. The theory being that more cab owners want the "cruising" experience and are less inclined to track the car.

Also, as "time goes by" and the knees, hips and other parts of the body fade; and as traffic congestion continues to worsen, I think tips will hold their own.