danspach

I went to see and drive this car last week. If anyone is interested in it, I'd be happy to give you an honest assessment of the car.

Shoot me an email and I can give you a call to discuss.

danspach@optonline.net

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2003-Porsche...p2056016.l4276

FRUNKenstein

Beautiful car. Not sure that I'd classify a 2003 gray over black 996tt with 26k+ miles a "collector car" or "rare". Also would disagree that $49,995 is way under market value. Plus, 50 shots of the car, including one of a partially wadded up car cover, yet not one pic of the options sticker under the front hood.
But, looks like a quality car that would make someone very happy.
Dave - are you shopping for a 996 turbo to replace that 951? I have a 951 in the garage that looks just like your avatar.

Dock

Good price for a car that is worth mid-$50k's.

danspach

It's not worth mid-50's.

It is - at best - poorly represented in the ad and at worst borderline fraud. I'd say this was a prototypical small-scale "high-end dealer" experience where they offer scant detail and have well-rehearsed answers to thwart the efforts of people looking to do real due diligence on a car.

I'd be happy to give more details to anyone seriously considering purchasing it.

KC: Yup - 996TT to fill the hole left by both my e30 M3 and the 951. Pretty sure I'll be picking up another 951 at some point for track duty. It was just too much fun to drive and work on.

rmc1148

Should just put a basic review here, as on the surface the car looks good. Most 996ts I have seen in person were ok to rough with a couple being nice-very nice.

Dock

What's wrong with it?

danspach

In the interest of saving people time, aggravation (plane fare?!), I'll offer some details. Didn't want to publicly shame the dealer but I suppose that comes with the territory if you're going to ask for $50,000 for a car.

The car does NOT have matching tires. Sumitomo in the back, Conti in the front. Matters not, really as they're all dry-rotted.

Every panel has scratching. Some just swirls (less concerning) where others are gauges my buddy saw from the car as we pulled in (and he was driving!). Not "Collector condition" or "Super clean inside and out".

No mention of the built in radar detector, who installed it or whether it works.

No explanation for the stereo install, who may have done it and where the cd changer went that at some point was clearly installed. (something about it interferes with the Blue Tooth in the new head unit....dunno)

Ad says it has Porsche stainless exhaust. It's a Fabspeed system which might be a positive for some but a negative for others. It should at least be listed correctly. You just have to bend over and read.

While you're bent over, you can see the car is clearly leaking oil.

And If that wasn't clear enough, when you test drive it, the car will tell you "Please Check Engine Oil Level. I doubt I was the first to see this message but if you were selling a car, wouldn't you at least take the time to make sure THAT didn't come up.

As soon as I got there, the dealer immediately had to go to another meeting even though he knew I was driving 90 minutes just to see the car and had lined up a PPI at Princeton Porsche. Originally, when I asked if he had a DME report so I could get an idea of over-revs before deciding to make the trip, he told me he doesn't have a cable or the software. I have the cable and I don't even own the car yet.

The color is cool (I like slate) and the interior was nice (aside from the manual spoiler switch that disappeared into the dash if you touched it) but the wheels are advertised as "Sport Technos" which they are not.

I'd say it was a car that was ridden hard and put up wet which made me mad as hell at first (a modicum of cooperation from the dealer would have given me my answers and I could have moved on) but now just sad as it seems a low-mileage car that has just been abused.

Oh yes, it also has 600 more miles on it than the ad says. 26,700 is shown in the pictures.Current Odometer reading: 27,320.

They've had the car for four months (Search Google for the VIN and see the August eBay listing that has a $57k Buy It Now. I'm sure they've only taken it out on nice days, though.

Dock

Sounds like you are just pi$$ed at the dealer.

danspach

Yes, I'm annoyed with the dealer but the point of my post and the description (you, in part had asked for) was to list several actual facts about the car to give people who might otherwise think it's a solid car a little more to go on......especially after someone blindly suggests its worth mid-50's".

vogz

Seems like he has reason to be. The car was "advertised" as perfect, which it clearly is very far from. It also has modifications which are either not listed or completely mis-represented.

Dock

Pissed at the dealer and the worth of the car are two different things.

Dock

It wasn't a blind assessment.

Dock

I did a word search of the ebay listing and didn't find where they represented the car as "perfect". I may have missed it.

They did state the following though..."Please remember above all that it is IMPOSSIBLE for a used car to be perfect".

MaddMike

I have been to that dealer to look at a well priced Z4 M. The thing was a rat trap and I couldn't believe it was represented the way it was. Looking around their lot, every car was pretty beat up. All high end cars purchased probably at auction with sketchy service records and history.

vogz

Ok, I'll bite. I wasn't speaking to the worth of the car, I was simply saying his rant is totally justified. He wasted time going to look at a car that was misrepresented. It is clearly a car with unknown modification and issues based on the OPs observations. An 03 with issues is not worth mid 50s or anywhere close to that. If you think it is, you are living in a fantasy world.