Well I don't think it's a screaming deal, but the price seems appropriate, if not a little low... It's a 2007 C2 with 24K miles. Atlas gray with stone gray interior. Lightly optioned. MSRP in 2007 was less than $80K. Seller is looking for $46,900. With all of that info, I might as well hand over the link too:
http://goo.gl/d2VKx .

Again, seller seems like an honest guy, indy shop (automasters in VT) corroborates his character... If any of the above reply's bets are correct (i.e. water damage or accident) I'm betting the current owner doesn't know about them. That's not to say, of course, that it didn't happen...

I'm finding it tough to find 2007 cars under $50K and for some reason I'm skittish on 2006. I'd have to make sure the build date is late enough to not have IMS worries. I feel like I wouldn't be able to sleep at night wondering if tomorrow might be the day...

If I do end up doing the PPI, I'll make sure we look for the signs mentioned above. Is there any way to be 100% sure it hasn't been in an accident? A good PPI should tell the tale, should it not?

 

The PPI results and findings really depend on the expertise of the person performing the PPI. To date I have only had a PPI performed on one car (Mercedes 500E) and that was a very thorough and accurate. I spoke to the dealer which handled the PPI and told them specifically to look for bodywork and other known problem areas on the car I was purchasing. It wasn't cheap ($325 11 years ago) but it was worth it.

 

I'm not sure what others see to worry about. The car has had three real owners. The one you list as the second owner clearly is the dealer who bought it at auction. As someone said, state laws vary. Sometimes a dealer ends up as an owner of record, sometimes they don't. But Carfax is making the distinction and not counting Expo Motorcars. Owner 3 wouldn't worry me for two reasons. First, a great many people buy a Porsche strictly as a fun personal car while they think of their Mercedes 280E as the serious family car. Then they drive it every weekend for a while, then once a month, and then it seems like too much trouble to get it out the garage, check this, check that, remember how a stick shift is supposed to work, yada yada yada. So the second summer, it gets driven twice and then goes to the Acura dealer when they pick up that new RL. I've seen ten-year-old Ferraris with 3000 miles. Most of us here want to drive our cars; some people just enjoy saying they own one.

The second reason I wouldn't worry about that owner is he or she comes in between a guy reported to have died, hence the auction sale (as is often required with an estate item whose value must be shared out) and the latest owner. And this owner has put most of the miles on it. I doubt anything shady happened back around 4,000 miles, but if it did the car has had 19,000 miles to reveal any hidden cancer. If you can't find it, best to assume it isn't there.

Finding bad information using the internet is a boon to informed buying. Finding nothing much and then worrying about it anyway is a detriment in my opinion. I would recommend an inspection, because it's always a good idea if you don't have some sort of warranty, but don't obsess about that either. If you can't find a Porsche dealer within reasonable driving distance... (You can't find a Porsche dealer within a hundred miles or so?) Anyway, if you can't then you can't. Find a reliable German car mechanic and have him read the relevant parts of any used Porsche buyers guide before inspecting your car. Zimmerman's "The Used 911 Story" seemed pretty good to me when I bought our Porsche. Pay the mechanic for a thorough job because he'll need more time than someone who works on new Porsches regularly and time spent inspecting is always cheaper than time spent fixing stuff.

Gary

 

Thanks Gary. I've contacted Automasters, where the car's been maintained, and they're going to send me copies of their records. Seller has given them permission to do so. I'll take those records, along with the carfax info, to my guy - Gene at Autohaus in Chatham, NJ - and see if he can divine anything from those tea leaves.

If a PPI is eventually done, I'll let you all know the results.

The nearest P dealer is in Schenectady, NY - 50 miles, but 90 minutes away. Seller says he takes the car off his insurance for the winter, so he'd either flatbed it to the location or reinstate the insurance for the day to get it there. Not sure he'd be amenable to a 50 mile trip... But we'll deal with that if/when the time comes.

 

I will throw down fifty $ to call but I want to see the hand. Please report back your findings as I have noticed quite a bit of unscrupulous endeavors in Georgia. On a side note, cars are bought wrecked and immediately reported to car fax with additional miles as a for sale item even though the car is in the shop and no ads have been placed. When the car is actually offered for sale it appears on the car fax as having been for sale for months when in actuality it has been setting in a body shop for months. Beware of cars that have odometer readings that jump drastically in a short period. The new "scam" is to leverage clean car fax's on refurbished cars. Just because a car is reported to car fax as being offered for sale at a predetermined odometer reading on a specified date is not necessarily true. That is info that is submitted by the car dealership selling the car. Sorry to rant but high dollars = high margins especially in Porsches . Caveat emptor ?!

 

I like your plan, and the more you say, the more comfortable it sounds to be dealing with that owner. Releasing the maintenance records to you and being willing to get the car to a distant dealer (ours is about the same, so I sympathize) are indications the guy has nothing he's worried about hiding. And as I said, I don't think you need to worry about anything that happened before this guy owned the car.

Shifting to his perspective, he is right to worry about the car being off his insurance, even for an overnight trip to the dealer. Our cars are significant capital assets, and I'd recommend to both of you that you get a statement of coverage from one of your companies before it's moved, even by flatbed. Hell, I won't even go to a track, where my fate is in my control... mostly, without making sure I have insurance coverage.

Other than that reasonable precaution, I like his attitude in being willing for you to have the car inspected at the dealer. It wouldn't be unusual for a seller to refuse to have the car moved that far for an inspection that only benefits the buyer. Not for any nefarious reason, just... well, because.

Good luck, Gordon,

Gary

 

I only buy used cars as one owner with CPO from a dealer.

 

Two points:
First, Carfax is misunderstood (deliberately on Carfax's part). Carfax simply compiles public records on a VIN. That's it. In other words, it's just a multi-state DMV report. Unless a car is registered in a state that tells you about door dings and rust, it's not going to be on the Carfax. What will be on the Carfax report? Items recorded by DMV car titles, mainly title changes, title categories (flood, salvage, theft recovery). A fender bender that doesn't involve the DMV? Not a blip on Carfax.

Second, the car's brief stop at Expo motorcars in Houston raises an alarm bell. I live in Houston. In my line of work, I've been aligned with just about every auto manufacturer's finance division. I may be irrational, but that's just my opinion on how I would spend my money.

I'd limit my search to CPO or single owner, preferably enthusiast.

 

A small update:

I received the service records from Automasters this morning. Seems like minor/normal stuff for the most part: check the brakes, minor 2-year maintenance, replaced power steering pump due to vibration in the power steering line, etc.

One item that caught my attention from 1 week after seller purchased the car:
Customer states: Water leak into passengers compartment on both sides -- Lower by door
Correction: Water ingress at base of door panels. Panels previously removed and refitted poorly. Clips damaged, seals are integral to clips sealing. Replaced damaged clips and corrected door panel installation.
Door panel in area of right door speaker loose from door panel structure, could cause buzzing noise from speaker, reglued panel.
Sealing plugs missing from left door unit carrier, not direct cause of water leak but need replacement.

I'm starting to get "the ick" on this car. I'm trying to think of reasons the door panels might have been taken off - maybe the speakers needed adjustment.

Harumph.

 

There's plenty of these cars on the market. I'd keep looking

 

I can understand the CPO and single owner, but buying from a dealer doesn't seem any better than a private seller. If anything, I'd assume a dealer is specifically out to hide problems and rip me off - and they're good at it. A private seller might actually be honest. Dealer prices are also often stupidly inflated.

I'm just looking for the best deal I can find on a clean, tight, gorgeous car. Dealer or private - either are fine by me as long as the car and price are right.

 

Well, with the high frequency of mods on this forum, you can probably find 15% of the cars we own have had the door panels removed for one reason or another. Somebody was just talking about removing the bloody dashboard the other day for a reason that escapes me. Wanted to add some leather or something I think. People 'fix' the audio, add sound-proofing foam, or the dealer installs a Lo-Jack unit...

That's not my cup of tea these days, but back in the sixties we nearly stripped our MG to bare metal before putting it back together the way we wanted it. For some people at some times it is part of the sports car experience. If I wanted that car, I wouldn't let it bother me because too many benign reasons suggest themselves and it was done 19,000 miles ago.

On the other hand and nevertheless... I never buy any car that makes me feel uneasy. Or 'ick'.

Gary

 

Regardless of what make or model of used vehicle you buy, the #1 reason bad cars are purchased is the buyers’ inability to properly determine the true condition of the vehicle. A pre-purchase inspection is the most important part of the buying process. A history report cannot tell the buyer the actual condition of every component and system or accurately tell the vehicle true history.

When getting a pre-purchase inspection, most buyers don’t know the difference between an "ASE Technician" and an "ASE Master Technician". The difference will affect the quality of a pre-purchase inspection and the differences are explained in depth at “UsedCarInspections.ORG”. This consumer site is filled with helpful tips and information on how to select an automotive technician and what type of information you should receive from a pre-purchase inspection.

To properly inspect today's used vehicles, you need an ASE Certified Master Technician to examine ALL mechanical & electrical components and systems, and a Body & Frame Specialist to determine existing and previous accident damage.

Carfax does not report all accidents and cannot tell you the extent of any accident damage or the quality of any repairs. Know the 7 problems with a Carfax or any Vehicle History report at www.usedcarinspections.org/carfax.htm.

Be sure you also read the “Top 10 Used Car Buying Myths, Mistakes, and Pitfalls” at www.UsedCarInspections.ORG/top10.htm.

 

Great. A spammer... I love spam. My favorite thing.

 

I bought a BMW and Porsche both used with low miles from dealers, both with free CPO's thrown in and both at good prices. I just feel more comfortable dealing with an established business. I also make sure the dealers rate highly with BBB, but I realize this doesn't always amount to much.

Also, private sellers tend to have inflated egos and prices to match. Many of them are in denial as to the true market value of their vehicles.