race911

When I looked at the Carfax, and saw who owner #2 was (Ft. Bragg) along with the mods it piqued my interest. I emailed a friend who MIGHT know the ex-owner. Not too many Porsche guys up there on the coast. No word back yet.

Something to consider is that per the Carfax this car landed as a trade in at SF Toyota in May, and was run through the auction (likely in Tracy). EVERY one of the 6 car dealers where I have vending machines knows damn well what EVERY niche used car coming through is all about, either in house or a phone call away. So why has everyone passed on this car for the past three months. Cuz you know internally it was offered. Kinda like the red C4 in Houston recently that was at the Sonic BMW dealer there. My local connection could have bought the car internally for his own personal use for ~$15K.

San Rafael Mitsu picks up a huge number of sports/premium cars, and aggressively turns them. ZERO idea how up-and-up they are; buyer needs to do the normal due diligence.

jo2e6y

Thanks for the search, let me know if you hear anything! It would be most appreciated.

Cars like this which is passed by everyone scared me... It could be those two accidents reported on carfax...i wonder if it was serious or just minor..since it doesnt say much on the carfax.

It also states on the PPI, "Two tires mounted and balanced, Clutch replaced, Oil and filter changed, State emissions inspection completed, A/C system checked" done at or by Mitsubishi...this worries me a bit??



thanks for your feedback, I will talk to them tomrrow, hopefully those accidents aren't major so we can move forward with a PPI.

best to you and your m3

race911

No word back on possibly finding out about previous ownership.

RE: Mitsu doing the work. A clutch certainly is kind of out there as far as reconditioning for sale, but who knows? Over at Concord Honda last month they were replacing an engine from a dead STI they took in on trade for basically free.

My bigger question was the same as what I first posed--if you're stretching to get into one of these, maybe you should rethink. If not, it's a much better play to find a good car, albeit at a higher initial price.

96PCarrera993mg

I'd say walk away. It's strange that there's no documentation for a 10 year period, yet the millage was up by 40K miles, how can someone drive a car without it being registered for 10 years? Either DMV and/or CarFax failed to document it for 10 years.
In fact run away from this one.

race911

And you draw this conclusion, how exactly?

(Hint: there are a few areas in CA where you don't have to smog a car every two years. Mendocino Co. is one of them.)

jmg3

.....

Rick-A-Shay

You're welcome to mention my name at Hi Tech in San Rafael, but they may not remember me. I did spend a few dollars there though........

jo2e6y

I went to check out the car today.... here's the photos.
I did find records of the car for it's first 100000mi during the first ownership, but nothing after that.

I believe the two accidents that show up on CARFAX is regarding the front and rear bumpers that happened during the 2nd ownership

jg291446

That's good if you have the first 100k miles of maintenance. But do you only have record of oil change? At least, the first owner did change the oil on a regular basis...

Magdaddy

those are not any sort of maintenance records that I would put any faith in. Stamps in a book, and single page hand written records can and do get "created" all the time.

Front lower bumper cover damage is simply from not watching your approach angle to an incline driveway/etc...not unusual. Rear pic of cracked center reflector at back up light, also is no indication of an accident.

This car still looks pretty good to me for the price. Get it to a local reccomended Indy for a complete PPI of the mechanicals, suspension, and have them look over the body as much as they can. Putting one if these cars up in the air, pulling the front carpet/spare/etc out, and the fender liners...can reveal any serious accident damage.

Must be something glaringly wrong with this car...to an experienced eye, or it would be gone by now. OR...maybe it just fell thru the cracks so far.

How does it run?

How did it drive?

How does the paint look, panel seems, glass?

COULD be a solid car at a very attractive point of entrance price. You need someone familiar with these cars to look at it NOW, if you are interested.

good luck

Blue TTop

Another perspective on the subject 993.....

A few years ago, after a 12 months of research, I decided my #1 choice was:

- A 1996-98. IMO a true last-of-the air-cooled NA Porsches had to be the 282hp Varioram.

- A C4 or C4S. My preference is narrow body.

- Silver color.

After purchasing the right car for me I learned only 411 or 412 '96-98 NB C4's were sold in the US.

jo2e6y

Theres too much issues cosmetically, i felt the car was not loved... Theres cracks in the rear bumper, the turbo ducks are crooked, some gaps not consistant. Some small parts of rust. Also the doors have sounds when it opened. I dont know, perhaps im too picky

Magdaddy

yes, but that's certainly your choice. The car was driven, cosmetic things happen. The door check straps are probably in need of repair...that's the clicking noise. Everything you said above is minor stuff.

The euro turbo front nose, Turbo S ducts, and lowered ride height tells me somebody loved that car at some time. What needs to happen here is somebody looking for a "driver" quality car, get a complete PPI on this car.

Still could be a terriffic buy for someone.

Good luck with your search, it's a constant learning curve

Reddy Kilowatt

If I wanted a C4, I'd already be looking into a good indy PPI on that car.

ilko

I'm sorry guys, I don't see how this car is good value. By the time you're done fixing the cosmetic stuff you'll be well over $4,000 out of pocket. Add a couple of mechanical issues, some maintenance items (those Nexen tires have to go!) and you are pushing $30K. How many people would pay $30K for a 140K+ mile C4 in good shape?

For $18K I'd buy it. For $23K I'd pass.