DCP

I don't think it is too shady for the dealer to offer the certification as part of the deal. I was offered cars several times with or without CPO. The difference in price was the premium which would need to be paid to Porsche.

It does seem a bit odd that the dealer wouldn't make a deal with you that you could back out if the car did not drive to your satisfaction, but then I can see the dealer's point of view on that.

I strongly suggest that drive some other 996's. Two reasons. One is that so you can know what it should drive like. Two is because of the the clutch. Mine just is not very heavy (or at least it seems that way to me), and I would be a bit concerned about that. If it feels similar to the others, then it probably is not a concern.

If you are willing to let this car go, but you decide you would pay 41, why not offer them 41? It is better than what they would get if they wholesale it and they might take it before they sent it to wholesale.

Blackness

My car did not go through the CPO process until we agreed on a price and I put a deposit on the car. This was based on not uncovering anything in the CPO process that was going to be a large $ amount to make it right (at the dealer's expense). The sales manager said he would unwrap the deal if the circumstance arose where they could not CPO the car, etc. But, I had a signed contract for a CPO car at a specified price. I also took him on his word as far as unwrapping the deal if the inspection revealed something unfavorable. But, the car drove fine as is. I didn't have to wait until after the CPO to verify that the car drove satisfactorily to me.

I think you have to ask yourself is the car worth $44k to you if it drives like you expect it to (after the CPO)? I would not sign any final paperwork until the car met my satisfaction. Can you agree on the deal and put a deposit on the car to get the ball rolling? I still think you should drive a couple more 996's to establish a proper baseline to measure this car against.

AndyK

I did offer $41k, and the sales guy went to his manager, and came back with "no, $44k is the lowest we will go", and gave me a list of how much all the stuff they will do to the car to cpo it would cost. If they hold at $44k, I could take that price, IF they replace the pads AND rotors, and let me pick the tires they are putting on. Not sure if they would go for that though. They seemed to make it appear that they would get $44k if they farmed it out to another dealer (he didn't say wholesaler though)? I know you shouldn't jump at the first nice car you see, but this does have all the options I would want in an '01. Will probably drive a more local Cab, just to try the clutch for feel, etc.

LTCMontana

My 2 cents from Iraq...
Write up a formal offer. Tell them your end of the deal; brakes, tires etc. Tell them you'll pay them $41K with those stipulations and walk away. If they get to their 45 day mark without another sale, I guarantee they will call you.

Take a look at the completed sales on ebay for that year. This will give you a decent idea what wholesale is running. Obviously that's not what a CPO car may be worth but it gives you a rough idea on wholsale.

If you give them a formal, signed, offer, they know you're serious. If you aren't willing to commit, why should they?

I live in Montana, but have herd good thing about Rosen from friends out east. We also buy parts from them for repair work in Montana. They have a great parts staff that have always worked with us.

ssarchi

Iraq, Montana?

MJBird993

I agree with everyone else that said you need to drive more cars. I have been reading your posts for a while here Andy, and I surprised that as long as you've been "searching" for your 996, this is the first one that you've driven. I think I test drove about 5 996s before I found the one that I ended up buying. When I drove it, I knew I had found an exceptionally tight, well maintained example. I paid too much for it, but it's been a great car.

Rather than having all of this speculation, why don't you just ask the dealer all of your questions? What kind of tires will they put on? Will they do an alignment (or at least check it first)? Don't be shy - you are the customer, you've got every right to ask any question that you want to, even stupid ones. If they will not answer every question to your satisfaction, then walk away. There are way too many cars out there in the marketplace to get hung up on this one if things don't all fall into place.

Michael

AndyK

Good points Michael. I checked the free carfax-type reports linked to the dealer site. Seems the car was leased, twice. That tells me that both owners didn't really care about the car, since it was only leased, and they knew they would be getting rid of it in a short period of time. That's probably why the only dealer records are the 15k service.

I really do have to check out more cars. The reason I haven't (except for this one) is because I wont have the money for a 911 until next month. Sure, I could finance for a month, but would rather have the cash in-hand. That said, if it takes a few months to find "the" car, I should get driving!