Hi from a forum noob! So after 10 years with my '06 350z I am taking the plunge into a new-to-me 996. Have done a lot of research (thanks forums!) and have settled on a 2002-04 manual C2 cab (I live in SoCal). Sat in a lot of beaters, but have found 2 nice examples in my price range but each has a few issues. Was hoping to seek some advice on which (if any) would be the better choice. It seems that my price range doesn't have any perfect examples!

Car #1: 2003 C2 cab manual, 86k miles
-Seal grey with black interior,
-Exterior is in good shape except for a few tiny door dings. Paint is good. Headlights a bit cloudy. Easy to restore, or have to be replaced?
-Roof has some wrinkling/cracking and the fabric on the passenger side doesn't fit into the plastic groove correctly, leaving a small gap. Might need a whole new roof, I'm not sure. Mechanicals fine. Comes with hard top, which is in great shape.
-Interior 8/10 but current owner (3rd owner and has had it 2 years) is far from meticulous, needs some TLC. Probably would clean up fine.
-Passenger power seat goes up and down but not backwards/forwards - needs new motor, maybe? Not sure.
-Clutch OK, engine good, brakes had to push a little hard to get the car to slow down, but no squeaking. Not sure what that means.
-No service records prior to the last 2 years, he bought it from a dealer. Well maintained since then.
-Carfax showed an accident 10 years ago but seems to have been fixed well, all panels line up and no frame damage or other apparent issues. Clean title.
-Decent replacement head unit and good speakers.
Price: $17k and might come down a bit but not a ton.

Car #2:
2003 C2 cab manual, 74k miles
-Arctic silver with black interior
-Exterior is 10/10, paint is great.
-Roof is in great condition but the roof mechanicals have a problem- roof only partially opens and closes on its own and needs some manual help along the way. He thinks the lines just need to be bled, I'm not so sure (don't know if you guys might know). No hard top.
-Interior 9/10 except some pixels out on the climate control display, making it difficult to read.
-Drivers side door window doesn't go all the way up very easily and makes a knocking type sound.
-New (very firm! is that normal?) clutch. New water pump. Good brakes. Good engine.
-****ty replacement head unit and ****ty (probably stock) speakers.
-Wheels seem to be Porsche 19" wheels (maybe from another model?) but for some reason have wheel spacers pushing them out so the tires are almost outside the fenders. Not sure whether this was because the wheels are too wide to fit under the fenders without rubbing, or if the previous owner just liked that look. Anyone seen that?
-No accidents, clean title, has some but not all service records. Car has only had 1000 miles put on it in the last 3 years.
-Asking $19,900 but is willing to fix the roof mechanicals and window (or give me a credit off the price to fix them myself)

Any advice? Are these issues deal-breakers on either car? Sorry for the novel. I've become a little 996-obsessed so want to make sure I include all the info...

 

Forgot to mention- IMS not done on either car, but I'm a gambler so willing to take my chances and would not plan to fix it. Seems fairly uncommon to happen this far out with this many miles, based on what I've read, but please correct me if I'm wrong. No apparent RMS issues and no oil or any other kind of leaks on either car.

 

Could the accident be the issue with the top? I'd shy away from that one.

 

FWIW, I would favor #1 by a small margin.

I'm troubled about #2...as the owner spent the $$ for a new clutch and didn't replace the IMSB...very odd. Sounds like he may have skimped on mntce. Also, the 19" wheels with spacers seems a bit too much "Boy Racer" for my blood. Plus the asking price is at the high end of the current price range...why!

As I said...my 2cents.

relinuca

 

Tough choice. Personally I'd go for gray over silver, just on the color and price. Are you planning to have a PPI? How many owners have each one had?

The headlights can be restored. The top sounds like it may need a replacement, but it's under budget.

you may also want to consider to continue looking or expand your search area. It took me a good couple months to find a nice one and it was out of state. Good luck and welcome!

 

I'd be leaning towards the first car for $17k, but would probably pass on both. Instead I'd be on the lookout for a MK1 (98, 99 or early 2000 build date) with same miles. You might even save yourself a few K and end up with a car with dual row IMSB and no more or less of a project.

 

Is #2 located in Playa Del Rey? If so I looked at that one for a fellow Rennlister that was out of state. Car looked pretty good other than a little overspray on the front bumper. The seller (guy that was selling the car for his friend) did not mention the top issue to me. Top was down when I saw it. I pulled the Carfax the other day and it shows 2 minor accidents. If it is the same car I think you could get it for quite a bit less than $19,900. The car has been on CL for at least 3 months and I could sense the seller was getting tired of the tire kickers. I think you could offer $17k and have a decent shot at grabbing it.

 

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/ctd/5938259126.html

pretty low milage, includes hardtop

needs motor mounts

 

Welcome,

I don't have a preference for either of the candidates. But - this is typical of what you are going to find on the market for a 14-15YO German built car. Top issues are very common, and very costly to put right. Think about it, if it was just an easy bleed of the system, why isn't it done before selling? hmmmmm. My guess is it'll be far more complex to resolve.

I just did a PPI in Texas on a 99 red/tan cab and it was in tip-top condition, with only a few rock chips. It sold for $18,600. You can find cars that are not deferred maintenance, just be patient and when you find it, grab it.

Both of these cars sound like deferred maint vehicles. Once something breaks, the owner figures 'oh well, I don't need that to get around'. What else are they not taking care of?

Keep shopping. Look in the 'Today CL finds' thread. Often some real deals pop up there, but may not be in your area. Shop for cars asking $22-25k, and see if you can get them to move, or buy one of the rough one's and plan to spend $5k putting in good shape.

 

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5934079154.html

Targa, not a cab. But - sounds like a deal. If the PPI checks out.

 

I personally would pass on the two you are considering. I pulled a search on Autotrader using my zip (cab, max $20K, under 100K miles):

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...&numRecords=25

 

+1 for this one. I called on it last week. Guy said he had a buyer (full asking price) set to buy the car today. He emailed me last night saying the buyer had cancelled. Seller is getting a PPI done tomorrow so that would save you a few hundred $$ and should inspire confidence that the seller is preemptively doing it. I just agreed to buy another car the other day. Otherwise I'd be taking a road trip to SF!

 

Thanks for the replies! This is really helpful.

I would get a PPI on whichever one I choose, but I don't want to do it *****-nilly since that can add up, so trying to kick the tires as much as I can beforehand.

Good to know about the roof issues. Didn't realize that could be so expensive. I hadn't thought of the Targa as much since I've never ridden in one and not sure how much of an "open-air experience" it gives you. That car looks sweet though and I may have a look. He may not be willing to deal at all though given he just had a full-price offer. I could swing $22k if I had to, I suppose.

Yes #2 was the one in Playa del Rey. I agree, he seemed pretty ready to part with it, could probably get a deal. Wow small world! Thanks for all the insights.

Th

 

That's excellent if he was willing to do the PPI himself. As soon as I saw that car on CL, I knew it was a gem--even though i'm not fond of targas.

 

Agreed. Seller offered to send me the results of the PPI tomorrow (just in case the one I have an agreement on doesn't pass the PPI). I can PM it to you, assuming the seller doesn't mind.