TT Surgeon

A friend has a '97 TT. 67k, daily driver and looks it. I know he's tired of it I want to make him an offer, any suggestions, ballpark of course. The car has never been wrecked, but has been tracked extensively(just what I plan to do with it).
Thanks
Chris

ca993twin

Depends on the condition and upgrades that he's added that you want. If the car were perfect, but stock, it should sell for around $60k. You can deduct for the imperfections, and add a little back for the upgrades. Remember... if the car needs a clutch, 4 new brake rotors and pads, and new shocks, you are looking at a bunch of money. Are the turbos smoking? Is the engine using excessive oil? How's the interior? Worn or torn seats are a big detractor (but may work in favor of some good racing seats).

Give us a bit more info. Can you post any pictures?

Woodster

my (non-expert) opinion says $60k approx and plan on 5K in stuff to get it fully serviced and
running beautifully. (expect to pull engine to fix oil leaks, clutch (65,000 miles is old if original)
put tires on it
right away as well, as some of us know how frightening these cars are in the rain on bald tires!

TT Surgeon

The seats are very worn, it actually does smoke alot on start up as well. The paint is shot from the sun(parked outside mostly). Will try and post pics. I know it's gonna need some work, I was going to low ball him bc I know he has no intrest in a major overhaul.

Bill (NC)

From what you describe I would lean more in the mid 40's$. Seats minimum of 3k$, overhaul or new turbos and clutch you would still end up with 60k in it and still have the paint issue....are you sure this is the car???

Dr. G

Every now and again I go through the sell my car/don't sell my car debate. I'm leaning towards the sell my car side again as I am getting married early next year and my fiancee's parents can't afford to pay anything towards the wedding. Plus I only drive it occasionally. If you're serious about a good quality car I may be able to help you. My car has no issues with smoking on startup, leaks, excessive oil consumption, etc. The only interior wear is on the drivers seat on one of the side bolsters. It has never been tracked as far as I know. The previous owner was a doctor who traded it in towards a carrera GT in march/april of this year. I picked it up in may. It has been garaged by him and by myself and the paint is in great condition. As far as mods go, it has only one - fabspeed muffler bypasses which I installed (although I have the original mufflers/tailpipes in my garage). It's a 55K mile 1996 arena/gray car with the supple leather option. Although it will kill me to get rid of it, it seems like the logical thing to do at this time with my new dental practice and having to foot the bill for the wedding. Now I'm not putting it up for sale (ok, logistically that is, it would cause too much pain to do it) but maybe we can work something out.

hatchy

If you are looking for a track car, and don't really care too much about appearance, then your friend's car may be a good fit. Just be mindful that P cars are not cheap to repair, so unless you like to wrench, your offer should reflect the cost of needed repairs. Also, don't forget to double the cost of the known items that needs to be services to cover the cost of the "surprises" you'll find after a month of ownership.

ca993twin

You'll need to know if the smoking on startup is a serious issue (valve guides?) or a simple oil filter issue. You'll want to pull the intercooler hoses and see how much oil the turbos are throwing to know how soon you'll need a pair of Kevin's upgraded rebuilt turbos (a good thing, unless you don't want anymore HP). You'll need to determine if the clutch is OK or not (mine is original with 66k miles, and still doing fine) or you may need to budget for a lightweight flywheel and HD clutch upgrade (another good thing). If he has tracked the car, he may have already upgraded the suspension. If not, you'll need to plan for some major upgrades in that area as well. Has he installed a second oil cooler yet? Screw the seats... you'll want Recaros or Sparcos or something else anyway. How's the steering rack? Leaking? How does the clutch pedal feel? A track car is a whole different animal in terms of what needs to be right, and what you don't really care about.

How about those pictures and more details on the upgrades?

TT Surgeon

Primarily I'm looking for a weekend track toy. I talked to him the other day and made him a lowball offer knowing what it may need. He's considering it (35k as is). I've had my eye on this car for a couple of years now and I have a feeling he's going to go for it. I kow that this is likely to be a long term project, that's not an issue, I have a '03 C4S as my DD now.
I don't want to dump a lot into it off the bat anyway, so I can take my time on this one. Dr G your car sounds great, but I'm looking for more of a fixer-upper so to speak, I don't think I could spring for what your car is worth now without getting a divorce.
I'm going to try and post some pics this wk, I have to remember to bring my cam with me. As far as mods go, he says there are none. Other than the oil smoke on start up, he knows of no mechanical problems.

Bill (NC)

Sounds like you're in the right "ballpark", hope it works for you.

stedge

35k sounds like a huge deal to me. if he takes that and the ppi is reasonable (it obviously won't be perfect), that sounds like a deal for an awesome car you don't have to worry about cosmetically!

TT Surgeon

He wants to keep it for now, oh well.

IamSMC

For $35k to mid $40k offer, I can see why he would keep his '97 993tt regardless of condition.

TT Surgeon

Let him mull it over for a couple of months, I'll get that car yet!

IamSMC

Great catch if you do.
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.