skywachr

A few months ago I sold my much loved 1997 daily driver cab. I didn't list it here because I sold it with conditions I chose not to deal with in light of my preference for a 993 coupe and never wanted to pass on to a fellow RLer. My car was purchased by a major reseller in the southeast who claimed the rare color combo was exactly what he was looking for adding to his own collection knowing all the mechanical issues which would be cheaper for him to easily deal with. What the buyer actually did was to address every imaginable cosmetic issue and now offer it as a collector car for 17,000+ more than it was sold for. It sickens me to think that this car may be purchased by some unsuspecting person who falls in love and fails to do a PPI. If anyone is thinking about a car that fits this description please contact me here through email or PM.

My own problem with this is not money left on the table or anything monetary but my own inability to find a suitable replacement after exhaustive efforts. Done some PPIs and dug deep with other cars only to find resellers knowingly or unknowingly selling cars with serious or unrevealed issues. What I am learning is that the prior owner may be the most important part of the equation (I recently paid $400 on a PPI to find out that a beautiful car at a reseller was 2 quarts low on oil, missing an option sticker, had 2 different tire makes and types on top of the normal PPI revelations. It makes you really gun shy. I am looking to buy from a great owner and this is obviously the best place to find one. At approaching age 71 next month I am probably looking for what could very well be my last 993. Can you help me find one or do you have a '96-'98 6 SPD C2 or C2S that you are considering selling? My preference in colors is Glacier White, Polar Silver, Guards Red, any blue or any unusual or custom color. I would be truly grateful for any help with this. Thanks much.

Dan V

I recommend you widen your scope to include MY 95. Just curious: why the preference for coupe? Also, how do you know the reseller didn't rectify any of the mechanical issues of your 97 cab?

EMBPilot

it is kind of you to offer assistance on your old car. it would prob be more effective and helpful if you posted a photo of your old car. besides nothing wrong with sharing photos of your old car!

you are most definitely buying the previous owner as much as you are buying the car. i think many of us around here have become pretty good friends with our PO's...

NYC993

If you really want to help a potential buyer, post a vin and list of issues that you had with the car, so if somebody does a google search of the vin, this thread will come up.

Selling car to a reseller did you really expect them to keep the car forever in this market.

Good luck with 993 hunt.

EDoyle

I am in a similar boat. Sold my 1995 993 last October for 23k Can that needed a diagnosis for a small engine running issue that was hard to find. the person I sold the car to just sold it to a dealer for $36k so it will likely pop up in the $40k range sometime soon. Despite being a tip, I wayyyyy undersold this car and now I am stuck looking at junkers that are much more pricey than my clean 993 was.

..So I can't help you but I sympathize and wish you luck finding a new car.

Ocean Blue C2S

Tony,

Nice to see you are still active in the 993 community! Here's "Bump" from your old friend…

Bert
Calgary

skywachr

To answer your questions I love owning a cab on top down driving days but I've probably had enough sun exposure for a lifetime and the looks of a 993 coupe appeal more to me. It also seems like a better choice as far as value growth over the long term. I'd also like to experience a more aggressive suspension setup than on my cab. Many reasons actually but those only lead to conflicting opinions here on RL.

I honestly have no idea as to what mechanical issues were addressed if any but I don't think that with the truly extensive cosmetic work done there could be room for any profit if the mechanical issues were addressed as well. Of course, you never know. As long as a buyer does the most basic PPI all will be revealed. It was the buyer who would be tempted to buy without one based on looks and representations alone that concerned me.

TouringTeg

Was it a slate grey tip coupe with 65k miles and red interior? If so it was purchased for low $20s according to the buyer here in Victoria BC.

I just assumed he bought it directly from you. He just sold the powder coated Cup II wheels. (I was interested in the wheels so we exchanged a few emails). He has an arena red 993 TT and bought your old car as a daily driver.

u7t2p7

While you seem to have good intentions, at best you've contradicted yourself from one post to another and at worst you're implying someone is dishonest without (by your own admission) not knowing the facts. At $17,000 that leaves alot of room for cosmetic and mechanical issues to be resolved (especially for someone in the business) and still make a fair profit.

rwthorpe

You're a good man, Tony. Best of luck with your search for the right coupe. I'll keep my eyes out for you.

skywachr

Bert,

Thanks for the wave and the bump. Hope to see you both down here again.

Tony

EDoyle

This is my old car. He really enjoyed the car for the short period of time but has spotted something else I believe.

skywachr

As a result of this thread on RL the new owner had enough information to contact me. The car had already been purchased and paid for and was being prepped for shipping.

As I had feared the buyer was successfully dissuaded by the dealer from having a PPI done. A number of misrepresentations seem to have been made in order to lead the buyer to do this. Among them was the presentation of the car as having been in it's pristine cosmetic condition prior my having sold it. This enabled the dealer to represent it as a collector car rather than the daily driver it actually was. None of the mechanical issues that I was aware of were represented as having been addressed. The nature of these issues is such that any seller would have wanted to state these as having been recently addressed either by me or the seller as a selling point. Strangely, the brakes had been redone when the only issue known to me was minor squealing at some temperatures at the beginning of a drive. The indy shop I deal with would have gladly brought any real issues with the brakes to my attention.

The buyer seemed pleased to learn of the careful and regular maintenance and care that had been given to the car during my ownership and was up to dealing with the mechanical issues I had revealed. The beauty of the car and it's color combo seemed worth the issues that the future may hold for the buyer even though they paid almost full asking price.

I am presenting all of this info in the hopes that it will prevent anyone from buying any 993 from any seller without a PPI. I have no idea whether the buyer will be a regular RL forum participant or present my former car on the 993 forum. I certainly will respect and protect their privacy if they do become an active member. It just seemed important to get this out as an object lesson.

pp000830

Clearly it is buyer beware when buying a 15 to 20 year old car.
One can make an endless list of an inspection items but the key ones are:
The car sits properly and has no evidence of major unibody collision work, only a body shop guy can rule this out.
A recent clutch replacement
The steering rack does not leak
First and second gear shift smoothly - synchros are new or are not worn.
No OBDC issues present. The car can be checked for pending codes if the seller has recently cleared the fault memory to hide issues such as the secondary air injector clogging.
The engine feels right and doesn't burn oil or leak to the point that it drips
and the car handles correctly and the brakes feel good and do not pull.
A key indicator of a car that has had a major collision is the body is not tight causing the tire body ringing sound when rolling over rough pavement to not be present or the steering feels dead.
Andy