BogdanR

I find it funny when the advice calls to buy with your brain and not with your heart. Yea, right…

Let’s face it, we’re men and genetically PREDESTINED to irrationally fall in love with the objects of our desire, whatever those objects may be. Fortunately we’re quite adept at rationalizing back any purchase we make. Furthermore we’re quite adept at actually believing we did quite OK and arguing it to the bitter end.

When I’ve seen my ’06 997.1 C2 (that I yet have to pick up God willing early next week) outside the dealership, engine purring, my heart skipped not a beat but a few. I was HOOKED even before I walked in and SOLD even before I talked to the sales person! I did however manage to get a decent deal (or at least this is the story I’m sticking with) !

No emotion?… Impossible!

Good luck with your quest!

USMC_DS1

LOL... I was fortunate in that I negotiated the price prior to the test drive and clean PPI. Glad I did as I would have handed the sales rep my check book to fill in the blanks. https://rennlist.com/forums/8383618-post15.html

Volnomad

Bogdan makes a good point. We,like to tell buyers not to fall in love with a car until all the details are settled positively. Easier said than done for most of us. It is usually love at first sight!

kthung

Matt, Thanks! Lots of good info here, I'll add some of those points to the original posts.

Thanks, I'll definitely look through some of those DIYs. The major service thing isn't a deal breaker, just something nice to have that I don't have to worry about taking care of. The first thing I want to do when I get my car is go drive it, not fix a bunch of things I split it up into three sections, the first being MUST haves. The desirable options and avoid sections are just preferences, not something I would necessarily walk away from if they were missing/present. And yes, my M.S. will be in Mech. Eng.

Also your linked post regarding your first test drive brings up some other important questions. If I'm lucky enough to find a car close enough to test drive, what are some things in particular that I should be checking (shifting through every gear, down shifts, braking maneuvers etc.)?

Bogdan, you're absolutely right. As an engineer I'm preconditioned to approach everything from a logical, viewpoint. But when it comes to buying a Porsche...

kthung

For all you negotiation gurus out there:

Here are a couple cars I'm looking at:
2007 Targa 4S, 75k MI, $40k OBO
http://www.ebay.com/itm/121280206378...84.m1423.l2649

2007 C2, 65k MI, $36k
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...ngId=360010478

2007 Targa 4, 33k MI, $47k
http://www.autohans.com/web/used/Por...Texas/1437280/

First of all, do these prices seem fair?

When buying from a dealer, how much margin do they typically factor into the list price, and what's a reasonable offer to start with? 5% below list? 10%? Fixed value ($3k)? etc. Of course this is all dependent on the car and condition but from what I've read, most people start with an offer before PPI, so where do I start without having any info from the PPI?

I know this gets a little trickier to gauge from private sellers since there is typically an emotional attachment to the car but is there a reasonable starting point here too?

Buying from a private seller, are there any fees other than sales tax and registration in my state when I take it to the dmv?

idlook2

I spent the last few months looking at C2's before buying mine, I would say that 2007 C2 is priced well. I would probably start by offering ~34k.

USMC_DS1

This '07 C4S was just posted on RL... looks to have been well maintained and no stories. GL. https://rennlist.com/forums/vehicle-...c4s-coupe.html

Cbst09

I also purchased a car from out of state. One thing I found very helpful was to have my salesman FaceTime me and show me the full exterior and interior of the car. My salesperson was very upfront with me about any nicks or marks on the car and with FaceTime I was able to understand how big or small the marks actually were. I was able to view any part of the car as well as hear how it sounded on my iPad prior to traveling to see the car. Good luck with your search

kthung

Thanks USMC_DS1, looks very nice I'll check it out.

Cbst09, were you able to clearly see everything through FaceTime? I feel like quality is really hit or miss depending on how strong the network is in both areas. But that is a good suggestion though for seeing how the car sounds etc.

Anyways, posted this in the East regional forum, reposting here:
Anyone in the Philly area interested in taking a look at the Red Targa 4 for me? PM me thanks

Vape NYC

read my post in the "look at this 997" about that Texas Targa.

kthung

Thanks for the input, but the red targa I'm referencing in this thread isn't the Texas targa. It's a targa 4s in PA. Anyways regarding the Texas Targa, I'm wondering why the asking price has gone up if it hasn't sold for almost a year

Cbst09

Using FaceTime was helpful to augment the verbal description of the vehicle and was much more interactive than just looking at photos. For example if the salesperson told me there was a small stone chip on a wheel I could use FaceTime to help understand the description of "small", seeing it in reference to a tip of a pen on FaceTime was able to give me a better sense of the size and depth of the flaw. The dealer I was working with pulled the car into the showroom to get the best lighting and internet connection. Again, anything you get on FaceTime is only meant to augment the listing and not meant as a substitute for a physical inspection. Anything FaceTime can provide is certainly better than not doing it at all in my opinion so it certainly can't hurt to ask the dealer to do it.

kthung

So I was looking through the carfax on this car:
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...ngId=118583282
2006 C2, 40k MI $40k OBO but saw something strange in the carfax
http://www.carfax.com/cfm/FSBO.cfm?r...F5CA3B5A6805E4

05/18/2009 - Sold At Auction
05/20/2009 - Title Issued or Updated. Vehicle Repossesed
05/21/2009 - Online Listing - Vehicle offered for sale

07/02/2009 - Title Issued. New Owner Reported

Seems like the seller has had it since then. New clutch disc, pressure plate, release bearing and pilot bearing @ 38,021 mi; new water pump and crankshaft seals @ 38021 mi; new Sumitomo HTR ZIII tires @ 32,980 mi.

What does it mean? Stay away?