Corso

Or if you are considering buying a car sight unseen.

HardHitter

Most likely going to be my case. If it is close enough, I'd fly out and look at the car and drive it back but that can get expensive quickly. Of course the 2 cars I'm looking at are East Coast and I'm in California.

T10Chris

The thing I have always felt about PPI, is that the shop performing the PPI has a bias towards exaggerating issues-- they are hoping to be able to receive the business to resolve the issues. If it is done at a dealer they may wish to steer you to buying a different car from their inventory. Maybe not always, but that is the gut feeling I always had.

Useful if buying sight unseen, but even still I would recommend having someone local, such as a knowledgeable trusted forum member that is truly a neutral party, check it out. It is hard to get an idea on the real shape the car is in from seller and a shop.

Nzo

PPI can be very useful in negotiating price as a neutral third party is pointing out the flaws with the car instead of the buyer who might creating hurt feelings.

Freddie Two Bs

"Rennfax" is also a good option sometimes

BillZ260

I did the exact same thing, and got a little lambasted ( but really only by one guy here ) for trying to justify $$ to enjoyment of the car. I think the process for picking / justifying a car, or any other object for that matter can be whatever you need it to be. Some guys are data driven, some are emotional or gut feelings. Just do what you need to, do what works for you.

I scatter plot to get a feel for the market for buying and selling, for me it's fun to pull and plot the data. But it's just part of it. I also fell in love after test driving a semi-local car from a good seller, pulled the trigger because it was a good fit for me based on my understanding of the overall market.

So plot away, or don't, do what works for you, take in comments you like, ignore the ones you don't

HardHitter

Exactly, I've been keeping the data to myself now that people don't really care, but here is an executive summary.

The cars I'm targeting are complete bolt on cars (turbos, IC, fueling, tuning, clutch, wheels, etc.) and owners asking pricing for mid range mile car 30-40k mile range are $50-52K.

With this data, I can see where cars fall in/around these. If there is a tune/exhaust car in that mileage and he is asking $55k, I'm not even going to consider it.

Again, to each their own, I'm looking for a more modified car where some will pay premiums for a totally stock car.

kmagnuss

I have to chuckle when I see a 12-15 year old car with 30-40k miles considered 'mid range mileage'.

autobonrun

I understand. I bought my SC almost 33 years ago with 68k miles on it. Almost at 215k now and engine has never been touched. I think mid range for it was around 175k. My 993 is giving every indication it's just as robust. It's got 74k. Just hit 30k on the turbo. Maintained, Porsches will last several 100k miles. Turbo's are more complicated but on the other hand the parts are stronger to handle the power.

911mhawk

You should update your data at some point, maybe after you buy?
Soimds like you have found some candidates that fit your desired car, are you getting close?

A stock car could be one that has factory parts reinstalled and a modded one may or may not have been done properly. Good records either way would be nice. Any of the modded ones offering up log files to support condition, track timeline so you know a little more?

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HardHitter

Attached is what my spreadsheet looks like right now as of 12/30. After getting more population of cars, I started deleting cars that were just out of the picture and way out of price range (e.g. stock cars with 60k miles asking high 50's).

You can see I've added a few columns and modified some. In the mods columns, I've added estimated cost associated with them (please correct me if wrong) so when comparing a car that has everything vs a car that doesn't have anything, I can tell an estimated cost in parts to bring it up to that car.

I've also added a "My Ranking" column which is me ranking the cars. Top 2 are fairly similar in mods. You can see my #1 ranked car has everything except brakes and is the cheapest/one of the lower mileage cars.

I haven't taken any true actions yet, still sitting back and waiting for that perfect black on black car but should any of these guys drop their prices, I am ready to buy. I'm getting all my logistics squared away (how much is shipping if I need to ship and how much is a plane flight to the car, etc.) so when the time comes, I don't waste anyone's time.

clsund1

I think you're doing it the right way. For some people, money isn't a consideration so they can go with whatever suits them. Some people may have the money but like the data to make an educated decision. These kind of debates happen all the time here. some people like to use objective data to reach their decision. others are more subjective. It's funny when some try to convince others that their way is the best when each person has a way that suits them best.

HardHitter

Don't get me wrong, if someone is looking at a car, they have the money for it (you'd hope) but everyone (buyer and seller) wants to feel as though they got a deal. The buyer and seller aren't going to know what a "deal" is without research and seeing what each car has to offer and at what price point they are listed/selling for. I'm now easily able to look at a price and say "this is what I'd expect it to have" based upon my research. Helps me focus my time on those cars that are actually worth my time.

Add into the fact that I am a accountant/consultant for a living, I live in numbers and what it tells me, so doing these spreadsheets are an enjoyment for me as nerdy as that sounds hah.

"02996ttx50

fully agree with your assessment. I've had several 911's ( also incl an SC ) and the last one showroom fresh was my 993. i ( stupidly ) gave it up for adoption at just over 100k miles. never ONE issue with the motor or even running gear.

..and i *know* it wasn't really "broken in" until the odo hit 30k. my current tt has 138k and while it's been driven hard and put away wet countless times, i have no doubt that it will go another 138k miles without major engine issue. ( fingers crossed lol )

i find in reading of others anecdotals, that some of the owners of these are *seemingly* more delicate than the cars are. gt1 motor and the 996 turbo: a direct descendant of a le mans winner anyone?

i say baby it... or keep it parked - - and it'll bite you lol