qtipvenom

Read and scoured the forums here for quite some time but finally needed assistance myself as I plan to make my first 996 purchase within the next few days. The search has narrowed to two cars a 99 C2 with Factory Aero, 77k miles or a 99 C4 in Viola Metallic, 92k miles. I have run into some what of a roadblock as far as deciding which to go with. I will highlight the cars pros/cons below. Both cars have had Pre-Purchase Inspection completed. Both cars paint and interior are in very similar condition. Very good paint and body on both with no major dents or dings to either. Condition wise cars are nearly identical. Both have clean titles. My budget for the purchase of a car is roughly $18k as I wont to leave some room for maintenance and upkeep costs.


99 C2 w/ factory Aero kit , Turbo Twist wheels, car is black with black interior , minimal options from the factory but had complete OEM carbon fiber interior trim added at some point in the cars life. Has 77k miles with a reported IMS bearing change, unknown date of completion (no receipts done two owners ago) also has new clutch , ac compressor, all done in 2018, and reportedly had mechanic look at IMS bearing during this time to confirm it was completed previously (have receipts). Autocheck shows one accident to rear (right) in 1999 but a check of Carfax shows two accidents, the 1999 accident and an additional in 2001 also to the rear (left). Owner has little to no knowledge of cause of accidents but stated damage was minimal. Car has been owned in Ohio, NJ, Michigan , and Alabama throughout its life. Car has been inspected and checks out no structural or frame damage . Only glaring fixes are, airbag light is on, window regulator going out for passenger window and a hairline crack on bottom of front bumper. Owner does not have a garage so car has been maintained outdoors (under parking shelter or car covered) for 4 years. Price $14.3k * Car is not local so add $700 for shipping / travel fees


99 C4 with 92k miles in Viola Metallic with grey full leather interior , has several options including heated seats , leather dash,, PCM, Nav, Bose speakers, power spoiler, contrasting purple stitching on interior leather, sport pedals, GT3 wheels, front bumper was changed to a turbo style front bumper at some point , as well as aero side skirts added and a small wing added to rear power spoiler . Car has clean Carfax and Autocheck with no accidents reported , New a/c compressor, alternator, recent oil/filter change. No IMS bearing change reported so seller was willing to discount price of new clutch , IMS bearing and RMS replacement. Car is local to me. $17k.


Would the two accidents on the C2 sway many of you all away or since they appeared minor and were repaired over 19 years ago not too big of deal for the price? While a beautiful color would the Viola Metallic be a tough sell in one or two years or add to its value since its a unique color? As much as I am buying one of these cars for the enjoyment I am also realistic that I typically don't keep cars too long (maybe a year or two at most) before I move on so looking for a purchase that I wouldn't lose too much on the back end or have a very difficult time selling.

cds72911

Unless one of them checks all the boxes for you, keep shopping. Neither strike me as particularly desirable and the prices seem higher than I'd expect.

Quaz

My 2 cents, carfax is out of control with what they report because of lawsuits. If you bump another car on a street and the only damage are some scuffs, but the police are called and write and incident carfax now reports that as an "accident". If the accident is reported to the insurance company and a claim is made carfax will put a $ range on the claim in the report. However everyone is fricken hell bent on a clean carfax that it is damaging the value of cars that do not actually have significant damage done to them. Furthermore the new scam is dealers selling a car will provide a carfax to you "free of charge" but it has been doctored to not include certain records. Then when you go to sell the car someone else runs a carfax and it show major damage. What was initially a nice tool to find the history of cars is becoming another tool of fraud and abuse.

If you want to know if it has been in an accident look at it and paint meter it. That is the only real way to tell. Anyone who has ever done any body work can spot it from a mile away. Run your fingers on seams and check for paint lines. Look down the side and look for poor mud work or orange peel that doesn't match the rest of the car. Look underneath and see if there is overspray on any parts that shouldn't have it. Cars with major damage are usually pretty easy to spot. Now I know judging a car that is not local is tough, but send the seller a paint meter (they are cheap on amazon) and have him take pictures of the readings all over the car. Or have him take it to a local body shop for a PPI on the body. My point is don't trust the Carfax 100%. It is a data point, but one that should be used in context of other relevant facts.

That being said both cars seem pretty reasonably priced. The violet car is a unique color, but will need clutch and IMS at some point. Other car will probably need some other maintenance, but it is cheaper at $14K. If you are not in love with either one of them then just walk away from both.

strathconaman

Between the two, I would go for the C4. Unless you are worried about re-sale. Then I would skip both of these.

qtipvenom

I will agree , while a decent tool , vehicle history reporting companies and applications are definitely not as refined or accurate as most would like. This example is case in point , Auto Check only showed one accident vs two for the black C2, luckily I checked both as Carfax then showed another accident. Even worse, I looked at a Lexus IS350 later part of last year and Carfax showed car had hail damage in its past as its only damage. Checked Autocheck and it stated car was salvaged at some point due to collision with another vehicle and title washed when it was taken to another state some years later. So its seems to be hit or miss sometimes on the accuracy of those type reports though generally they are pretty good.

qtipvenom

I like both cars as both have certain aspects that I am looking for in my price range. Knowing I'll likely only hold onto either for a couple years I would prefer which would have the possibility of bringing more interest on the back end. I wouldn't be looking to make a huge profit or anything but when calculating in maintenance costs and upkeep I don't want to price my self into a point where I take a $5-6k hit in the next few years

In a perfect world I would love to have a 03+ C4S or a 996 Turbo but with my current budget those are out of my price range for the forseeable future.

cds72911

In my opinion the C2 will likely have better resale, especially MY '99 with factory aerokit.

qtipvenom

That was my thought as well between the two. Its always hard to judge but even once repaired an accident will never matter as much as it will until you go to sell. I know it would be tough enough with a car with one accident in its past but this car reportedly has two so wonder how that would affect resale down the road.

The car doesn't list the Aerokit or the carbon fiber trim as one if its option codes on the options sticker. Would you all say that takes away from the value of those parts or with them being OEM Porsche pieces and most likely dealer installed options they would still be sought after additions?

808Bill

Did you drive both of them?

qtipvenom

85eurocarrera

Didn't bother me. And yes, if installed properly. Some, myself included, would find those options desireable. Original owner of my car had Brumos porsche install PSE, oem Aero kit, X51 and full carbon interior. Not on build sticker, but plain as day when you see and touch it. I won't win any concourse competitions, but doesn't bother me.

Paul Waterloo

I like the C4.....but you have to post pictures. The difference between the full leather interior and the plastic interior is very big to me. I skipped everything that I looked at that did not have the full leather interior. and the viola is such an awesome color.

qtipvenom

qtipvenom

808Bill

Carbon fiber does not age well as you can see on the steering wheel..
Do you prefer apples or oranges?