Tuorbillon

Helllo,

What do you guys feel about this loaded 2002 Turbo. It was listed late this summer for $49K. I reached out to them and it's a 3 owner car from Colorado. There was some service history. They had to get 2 new rear tires. My wife likes the fact that it's tiptronic. I was reluctant because of all the wood accents so I never actually went to see it in person. I see the car is now on Ebay for much less and no one has been bidding. What do you feel about the wood finish and what would you be willing to pay for it if PPI is all OK.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2002-...item1c2f1490a7

turbo4 me

If I bought it, I would paint the wood. It is not that difficult, just labor intensive.

I think 45k is high for a tip.

carmstrongls1

I like the wood grain. Only when it is completely done OEM like that car. I bet that thing was 140k new.

Misplacedyankee

Looks solid. See if you can get it for 42,500. Wood grain is an acquired taste in these cars. I just don't like the grain they use. Maybe it would look better with a better wood, but if you can get a deal on it certainly something you can deal with.

Macster

The question is what do you think of the car? You're the one that would have to live with it.

At first view the wood finish is a bit garish. A darker wood if it had to be wood would be my preference.

However, it does really accent the cabin and in a way that doesn't involve bright trim that glares in the sun.

If you can live with the trim, if the car checks out... why not?

As for price about all I can suggest is run the car's numbers through www.kbb.com, www.nada.com and other similar sites and come up some numbers or number for the car's wholesale value.

The car is worth then that much to whatever you want to pay or whatever the seller will take.

It is on eBay which is almost like turning the car over to an auto auction so that says something.

Can the wood trim be that much of a turn off? Or is there something else about the car...

fly2low

I agree with Mac
your opinion is the only one that counts
but I do understand why that car has sat unsold
if you like it, a chance to get a car you like for les because no one is bidding against you

Last930

I drive past that dealer almost daily; I'd be happy to take a look at it for you. They are closed Sundays, but open Monday.

quick968

As Mac and Fly2low have said, your opinion is the only one that truly matters here; well your wife's too obviously. In fact, if the wife likes it, you're in a better position than most. My wife LOVES driving my Tip. A couple points to help your decision perhaps. Mine is a 2003 Tip, Arctic Silver with Black Leather, bought in June with 41k miles from Porsche North Scottsdale. So it's a model year newer, but it's not nearly as heavily optioned as your candidate. Essentially, base + painted console, aluminum accents, base power seats, Bose with base CDR23, base steering wheel. No heated seats, no PCM/nav or cd changer, no wood, no parking sensors etc. however, the price was $42k. So I'm 1 year newer, but far less equipment, for roughly the same price as their opening bid. I think the other guys are correct in stating they are a little high price wise, their reserve is too high, as is their BIN price. It's the dead of winter, NO ONE is buying these cars right now in Chicago, and certainly not paying top dollar if they are. You have bargaining power at the moment, but as spring approaches that will diminish. If you and the wife like the car, hit em with a number. Good luck, keep us posted if you move forward.

Cheers
Mikey

Tuorbillon

Thanks for the offer. If you have time and it's not a problem for you it would be great to get your input on the car. Since I am almost 6 hours from Chicago you would save me entire day worth of traveling. Can you PM me next week or whenever you get a chance. I am hoping it's aclean car with no dings or scratches. My wife thinks the wood is brighter due to the camera flash. I think I could get used to it since plain interiors of these cars look kind of cheap.

Tuorbillon

Thanks for the information. I was thinking the same thing. It's winter and this car has been listed for the second time with no bids. I was thinking about offering $40K if it looks and drives good.

Tuorbillon

When I first saw the photos the wood looked almost orange like a cheap aftermarket set that poeple get and glue on their SUV's. I would prefer the dark wood instead. Second thing is the silver metalic color. They are so common. Seal Gray or Black would of been my prefered choice, but if the deal was right I can accept the silver. After reading about tiptronic it seems like it's reliable and other members like it.

sprinky911

i live 10 mins drom there - ill drive by there on sunday and check it out if it is outside! ill report back on the physical condition at least- im very picky when it comes to dit and finishes!! the first thing i do when i pull up along side a vehicle is look for door dings and scratches- the drive me crazy!!

The NSX dude

Just my personal preference but the wood interior is a huge deal killer for me. I passed on several cars that had it.

Tuorbillon

Thanks a lot for doing this!

Macster

Generally speaking used car buyers are more concerned about price and condition vs. say exterior color, interior color, and so on.

This doesn't mean one buys a market priced nice car that makes one sick to his stomach every time he walks up to the car or sits in the cabin.

I'm rather attracted to cars that are outside the mainstream. I bought a lapis blue base Boxster, and a torrid red GTO with red hot leather interior -- I used to tell everyone I bought the car at night and I thought it was brown -- then a speed yellow Cayman S.

Now consider this: The 02 Boxster I got at nearly $5k under its list price. No one wanted a lapis blue base Boxster. The torrid red with red hot leather interior 06 GTO listed at over $32K and I got it new for under $27K. The new 08 speed yellow Cayman S was marked down from $62.6K to $50.6K. Some otherwise nice cars though with more out there colors/interiors can be had at big savings.

When it came time to replace the Cayman S -- lost to an accident barely 4 weeks after I bought it -- I looked at a nice 996 with carmon red metallic paint with dark wood trim, the name escapes me but it was a dark wood with a nice pattern. Classy.

Then I switched to considering a Turbo and I considered a speed yellow car, a lapis blue car, and would have liked a red car, but I ended up with an 03 arctic silver 996 Turbo with black leather interior.

The reason? Well, there were several. One is the arctic silver car was was the closest car. The SY car was in Michigan, the lapis blue in Las Vegas. The other reason was the arctic silver had the lowest miles, had a CPO warranty, and was based on my research the car in the best condition. And while a bit more costly not unreasonably so based on my research and I did manage to buy it at over $4K less than it was at one time advertised for. ($57.7K vs. $61.9K)

You have to do what's right for you. But nice cars with more mainstream colors/interiors at reasonable prices can only get scarcer with the passage of time.