bzalforno

for sale in CT. very clean in and out. full leather. only bad on visual and test drive is that it need new tires. haven't done full ppi yet.
NOT highly motivated seller, comfortable with his 6 benz'.s

he is asking 43K

my current car is 9911 silver with terracotta full leather , big reds, well optioned, 95K.
thinking of selling that to my son.

what is the range for this red car? bought for the sellers wife, who doesn't drive it all.
Is red no longer resale red, and should it take a deep discount? i think it is a multi owner car. haven't done carfax yet. but Edmunds says private party sale is 33K. i can live with the red, since the lines and driving experience of the C4S overcome the color issue for me.
what is a fair price for this car?
thanks for your opinions. i will respect them all
bob
deep river, ct

pfbz

$43K is in my opinion beyond top-dollar for a C4S... It better be perfect, including the tires, and you should love every option and color choice for that kind of money. Red would be a deal-breaker for me personally...

If you like the wide body look and are considering spending mid 40's, you can likely find a very nice 2002-2004 Turbo instead. 100 extra horsepower, immune from IMS bearing issues, likely better value retention. On top of it all, 996's seem to do better when they are driven, and driven fairly hard. A nine year old 996 that was rarely driven and never driven hard sounds good, but Porsche wisdom around here puts it as more likely to have IMS bearing issues than a car that was driven more frequently and more aggressively.

For valuation, clearbook is imho the most accurate. They put a 2004 C4S with 25,000 miles at about $32k-$36K private sale price depending on condition and options...

6ta1

^^^^^^^
agree 100% with all of the above.

+ You current car looks like a very nice one, love the terracotta full leather

Dennis C

Seems high to me, but red is fairly unusual for the C4S. You just don't see them like you do with the C2. I don't think it detracts from the value or adds to the value.

Hardback

Yeah, if he is asking 43k you are probably to far apart. 25,000 mile 4S's are getting harder to find. They do look sweet in red though. Don't concern yourself with options since the 4S comes loaded already. PSE would be the one option Id look for. 33-35 would be a more reasonable price.

oldsock

Hardback is correct, low mileage C4S's are getting hard to find. I don't know where you guys find these 996's so cheap. I paid $42k for my C4S with 19,500 miles on it (it did come with factory Aero kit though) and I thought that was a fair price since I couldn't find any others with similar mileage any cheaper. pfbz is correct, you can start to find Turbos at that price point, but the mileage is usually above 50k.

I say if you like it, and it appears well cared for and the PPI checks out, buy it - Life is too short!

Hardback

Ok Oldsock... now we need pictures of this 4S aero... that is even more rare. (Start a new thread and intro)

halik

steeep... rather get a turbo in that price range

oldsock

I know, I know, I didn't make an intro thread yet. I will get to it soon. Anyway, here's something to hold you over. (I'm not trying to threadjack, I'm hoping this picture will show bzalforno how cool the C4S is and help with his purchasing decision )

soverystout

Way too much money for that car. In pristine condition with brand new tires it's not worth a dime over $34-35.

soverystout

Old sock,

You paid quite a bit of money but that is an absolutely stunning example of the 996.

oldsock

Where are you guys finding these cars so cheap? I'm not trying to be argumentative, I really want to know, I'll buy one for my wife! A quick search on ebay turned up only a few C4S's that are way above $34-35k. Now I know ebay isn't exactly representative of the market, but these 4S's are getting hard to find cheap.

2003 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S - $43k w/25,000 miles

2003 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 S - $40k w/56,000 miles

I tried to find similar cars at a cheaper price when I was negotiating for mine to use as leverage against the dealer, but there where none to be found. In fact, based upon my searching at the time, $42k for a 4S with 19,500 miles and Aero was less than others with higher mileage no Aero.

Gonzo911

If it is Guards Red then $43k seems crazy low to me!

Macster

Fair has nothing to do with the price.

Visit all the online used car value sites and plug in the car's numbers and get a sense of what the wholesale and private and retail prices are for similar cars.

To state the obvious, the car is worth somewhere between its wholesale price and whatever you want to pay and whatever the seller will take.

You have to be careful when comparing sale prices of cars. While the cars on the surface may appear similar there can be considerable differences that account for the difference in prices.

It is the old apples vs. oranges thing.

It is hard to argue that red is a negative then try to buy a red car. Also the seller's opinion is since at least one buyer liked red enough to pay even more for the car (though the car was newer and had less miles on it) there are other fans of red cars out there.

Personally, red is not a negative to me, but in fact a positive. Silver and black, black and silver. Boring to some extent. I like a red, white, blue or even a yellow car once in a while.

IOWs, to find a car in good condition for a good price is nice, but to find one in a different color is a bonus. 'course, for a used car buyer almost always it is price and condition, condition and price that come first.

One technique is to have a list of cars with this one close to the top of the list and play the old if you see me walk away you have lost a sale to another seller game.

A private seller may or may not be sensitive to this.

Bottom line is if the car is worth owning determine what the market price is and see if you can do better with good negotiating. But a few extra dollars for a very good car is not the end of the world. Just of course don't go overboard.

Oh, and don't pay "excellent" money for a car that needs money spent on it to bring it up to "excellent" condition.

The car needs tires. That's $1500 easy. Maybe an alignment. Add on another $250. Plugs could be due if not on miles then on time.

What other services has the owner delayed? You can possibly lower the car's selling price but of course you'll have to turn around and spend this money on the car to get it into proper condition going forward.

KrazyK

OMG!

Exactly!