I found a car I like, its a 2002 C2 white on gray leather. The car has 32,000 miles and I have gotten the price down to 52K, with the CPO warranty etc..

The car drives well BUT, there is a dent/gash about 10 inches long on the bottom side of the passenger rocker panel. (the location where the areo side piece would cover up) The location on the dent/gash is on a metal piece of the body, it looks like it hit a curb or something. It is not noticeable from close up, but when you step back, you can see the dent on the bottom of the car... the dealer said he can get it fixed, and that the dent has othing to do with the frame or structural integrity of the car...

Is what he is saying true? Is this a body/cosmetic issue that can be fixed? Do you know if the frame of the car reaches out there? Dealer says the frame is much narrower than that area & so it would not have been affected... It looks like the previous owner may have run over a big curb, and the middle of the car landed on the curb, creating the dent/gash... help, you opinions really matter, I am thinking about pulling the trigger.

 

I would put down a refundable deposit and have him fix the car. If you're satisfied afterwards, no problem. If you're not, take your money back. Before or after the repair, I would have an independent place check the car's frame if you're worried about that. If you're uncomfortable, don't be afraid to walk away and move on. You can find CPO cars with 32,000 or fewer miles over and over again. Good luck.

 

I am starting to think that the frame of the car is underneath the part of the car that is damaged.. reason being this is the general area where the jacking points are on the car.. arent the jack locations under the car located on the frame so that you can lift the car up from these 4 points?

 

I have attached a picture of a C2 with the damage area circled in red... please note that this is not the actual car I am looking at that has the damage, the car in this photo is for illustration purposes only.

 

tell the dealer to give you a set of sideskirts instead. his cost vs repair costs will probably be close. and you car will look better

 

I don't believe the dent involves the frame. The frame is further in. This is a cosmetic defect, not a structural one. It does detract from the attractiveness of the car, however. I would definitely have the dealer repair it or cover it up with sideskirts.

 

purely cosmetic !! nothing to worry about.

 

i think the price is a bit high for a 32k mi 02. I think it should be another 2k less esp given this body damage. I'd have a PPI done or take it to a body shop for an estimate before you decide to buy. A good shop can tell you what would have caused this (accident, scrap when transporting, etc). I doubt it but maybe a dent pro guy can fix this without repainting? That would be the best fix.

 

I turned down a 996 that had a gash in that location but it wasn't just a scratch there was some indentation. My previous car had the same gash as the one I turned down but mine was from a truck hitting me from the side. The entire car was repaired but they left the gash so when I saw it on the 996, I ran away to never look back.

 

The gash that I am talking about does have an INDENTATION .. it definately looks like some sort of parking stucture drayway incident or that perhaps the car went over a curb & the curb hit the bottom/side of that panel.

Is this piece removed & replaced with side skirts or do the side skirts fit over the this damaged piece?

 

That underside part was not replaceable on my old car I don't know if it is on the 996 but didn't want to waste time finding out.. I can say though, my old car drove fine afterward. The 996 I was looking at had other things I didn't like as well so that gash was the icing on the cake. I'm not sure how I would have reacted if that was the only flaw.

 

I did go on a Mtn road test drive and the car is fantastic! drove better & had no rattles like the other 996 I was looking at with only 18K mi.!

Is anyone else suprised that this gash didnt get picked up during the 100+ point CPO inspection??

I am still considering the car, esp. because it drives stong & its CPO. But I dont get where you guys get your pricing.. I get mine from KBB, but you guys think its high.. it seems most dealers go with KBB used car values, so its hard to walk in w/ a lowball edmunds number & have them take you seirously... right?

 

Try www.autotrader.com to see what others are selling it for.

CPO'd Porsches are not supposed to have been in accidents so you should be ok.

 

No offer is too low, so long as you are serious about it. My motto: If you don't ask, you don't get. It's all about attitude and the value of a sale in hand to the dealer. To let them know you're serious, tell them you are ready to sign at the dotted line, and have pen and checkbook ready. There's a lot of good 911's out there. I'm pretty sure they wll either take your offer, or negotiate. The one thing they will NOT do is not take you seriously. By the same token, be ready to walk out anytime. Walking out on what the dealer says is a good deal does not mean you were not serious. If the dealer can not make you a good deal, it's the dealer who was not serious.

 

Is it Porsche CPO?? or Dealer CPO?? Porsche CPO isn't supposed to have any dings or dents or visible repairs. Dealer CPO is a different dog!! I would definetly want an independent eval of that problem before I plunked my hard earned money down.