chsu74

Thanks! I was not planning to sell my car until last Saturday night at around 10 PM. Its a good car and will go to a good home.

kromdom

PEACE OF MIND is priceless and no doubt the future owner of your car will have lots of it.

SSST

If the car is at a dealer, they dont have any more than NADA wholesale into it. You should negotiate based on that number. When I bought mine, I paid $2000 over NADA wholesale. They were asking 8000 more than I paid.

If they just got it, they may be willing to carry it for a few weeks. If its been sitting there for a few weeks they may be more likely to deal.

Just remember that they aren't emotionally attached to it and just want to turn a profit. If you have real money they don't want to let you get away no matter what they say.

nick49

That's an early '99, tail lights give it away. There were several improvements on the later '99s. The car has 17" wheels too, much less sought after than the 18s. Thought you should know before you consider what to pay and if you want this car. One owner and no service records? How about all the books, manuals, and tools? Are all 3 keys there?

Invius

SSST -- it's at a dealer that sells high line autos, they took it on trade. Agreed, on the NADA wholesale. I'm getting the "at this price, we're not making any money, just doing to earn your business quote"...which happens everytime I buy a car. That said, the clean NADA trade in on this car is $21,775. Assuming they gave them average and reconditioned it to get it in this shape, or beat the guy up that was trading it in, they would be at $19,750 at average trade in. I'll work more towards that price and see what happens. I don't mind someone making a little money, but if I'm taking all of the risk of ownership, the savings needs to be proportional to that. Also, they have had this car for a few months now.

Nick -- All of the books, manuals, tools, and all three keys are present. The PPI mechanic checked all of that and used the headlight removal tool to take them out and check for any body work issues that may have been hiding behind where the lights would have been pulled, but said everything was as it should be. Agreed on the early '99, mechanic also noted he could tell by the radio, and a pattern or type of bolts on the car that changed in the latter years.

ohioboxster

"At this price we're not making any money" yea, how long you think they would be in business if they sold cars and didn't make money. I'd be insulted if they said that to me and would ask him if he thought I was an idiot. I mean, do I look like an idiot? The car is worth what's worth even if they got it for free. So take what you think they paid for it out of the equation, it means nothing.

I'm going to go against the grain here and say if you take out a perfectly good bearing you're F'n nuts. It makes me crazy, it's just so nuts. I'm not getting into an IMS debate either. These guys found a niche in your fears, good for them I guess.

That's it, I'll be quiet now.

chsu74

I will have to agree with this. Do a search on how much people are being offered on trade in on this board. It is not $18K for a car like that; more like mid to low teens.

scottiemac

Invius, I bought a low mile (28,000) 1999 Cab over 4 years ago and it has been great. No issues. I have agonized over the IMS issues many times but now I'm starting to hear that the early ones had less problems due to the dual row bearings. I just change the oil and filter frequently and enjoy it. Mine had the 17" wheels when I got it and changed to 18's a couple of years ago.
If you like the car buy it and enjoy it.
Cheers

2K7TTMIA

Paint, check, interior, check, engine condition, check, test drive, check, electronics ( radio, turn signals, A/C, headlights, ), check. About all I would envision is to pry drop the engine or trans when the time comes to do the clutch and inspect the IMS, RMS. And look forward to getting the oil changed as needed ( depending on how much or how little driving you do).
Invius, you are definitely up to the task as far as getting some good info here and further on the mechanic's checkup. I think a good purchase would be at $19.5 give or take a few hundo.
Good luck.

soverystout

I wouldn't touch that car. What was the clutch replaced at 25K? The pressure plates are known to go bad sometimes but that is quite early. This car is plain jane and certainly doesn't reflect anywhere near the best of the breed.

I would not buy a car just because it was closer to where I live. If you need to see a car with you own eyes, buy a one way ticket and drive it home.

Keep in mind that these early 99s could have some substantial issues. Remember that if the RMS is leaking, that doesn't mean that it just needs the most up to date seal. Some of these early cars had bad castings and if the Porsche developed tool to inspect the area says the engine is out of spec, they replaced these engines because they would never stop leaking. The IMS is it's own separate issue but don't forget about the RMS.

nick49

Sounds like you've driven it more on your test ride than I have mine in the last month. You have checked out thing things pretty well and sound like you know your way around cars. From what you are describing, this sounds like a nice find at a fair price. Way too many people put price ahead of everything else like it's the sole most important thing about buying an item. The very best plan for negotiation is to make sure the car checks out and you will be a buyer at an agreeable price. Decide exactly what you feel the car is worth to you. Make an offer for a little ($1k-$2k) less with some earnest money, $500-$5000 in the form of cash, cashiers check made out to the dealer. Better yet, a cashiers check made out for the full amount of your offer.

The biggest problem car salesmen have, are indecisive and wishy washy customers, ones that will verbally commit to buy, then say they have to ask their wife, sleep on it, ask the credit union, prey, or any one of a thousand excuses. Cash talks, BS walks. Show the cash, the more the better, tell them you don't have to ask your wife and the money is ready and available, and you have made up your mind that you would like to purchase this car. Also tell them that the price you offer is for the car as it sits and you do not expect anything thrown in or other adjustments. Be concise, be clear and you will be able to buy at a price at or below what you value the car to be. By doing this you have saved the sales team an awful lot of time and frustration which they will appreciate. Good Luck!

Palmbeacher

This car is 13 yrs old. Expect things to go from age, FL heat, and lack of use. Just one example I saw multiple times when I was in the market: The A/C vents in the center console are plastic and don't like being closed up in the FL heat. They tend to lose their friction & won't stay in place, and cost several hundred $ to replace. Basically anything made or rubber or plastic, after 13 yrs in FL has seen better days regardless of how nice the dealer's detailer made it look. The PPI might give you some peace of mind about large single items, but unless you're an inveterate DIY'er, your time is worth nothing (retired) and/or you don't care if you're constantly fixing this or that, you might really want to consider paying more but getting a newer car.

That said, it's a beauty and perhaps has been very well cared-for, which counts for a lot.

I would not worry that the clutch was changed at 25K, as mine was changed @ 30K with only half its life gone, merely because the pedal was uncomfortably stiff for me. I wouldn't expect that the IMS bearing was replaced though. 25K (assuming regular driving) would've been in 2006 and I don't believe the LN bearing existed then.

Gonzo911

Be patient. I looked for my car for 8 months before I bought mine last Sept. My only requirements were that it be a 6-spd Cab, under 50K miles, with full leather. I probably looked at 50+ cars both at dealers and private sellers. I only asked to drive about a dozen. Asking prices ranged from $19.9 to $35K. Then one Sunday, my wife actually found the one I ended up buying online. Went to see it and bam...when you know, you know. However, I was willing to (and did) walk away from alot of cars. As so many others have stated, if you have the desire and the means, it is way too easy to get emotional on the purchase of your first Porsche and end up buying the wrong car. There are too many out there to choose from for anyone not to be picky and find the best deal.

Turkertwo

That oil leak would give me pause too. But given what you said about your mechanic road testing and diagnostic testing the car, it probably is not the IMS that is leaking, more likely the RMS. A leaky RMS is not, IMO, a deal killer as they are usually resolved by the update kits now available.
How about offering to pay for an oil and filter change. Then you can get a look at the filter element. If it is metal free, I would do the deal, and discount the price for the oil change.
P.S. I love that color combination!

soverystout

Or you could just pay for a new filter and 1 quart of oil given that is all you lose when you take the filter off. Some folks assume that all 9 quarts could run out of the engine by just removing the filter. It doesn't work like that.