D1coach

Sold my 05 C2 and am beginning to look for a 997.2. Came across a C2S with "left front minor damage reported, airbags did not deploy" on the carfax. The carfax notes that "Minor damage is usually cosmetic, including dents or scratches to the vehicle body". Assuming the PPI confirms cosmetic damage only and a quality repair, what impact would this have on your purchase decision? The asking price reflects a $5000 reduction due to this blemish on it's history.

snethss

It wouldn't impact my decision at all. I actually bought a 997 with a similar report. Keep in mind this might carry over when you try to sell the car.

I'm sure other people will chime in with paranoia. Just get it inspected, and make your decision.

Falcondrivr

That could be something as simple as a front bumper cover repair. I'd like to see the records for the repair and if it wasn't something that raised flags, buy it.

rickdogg82

I don't think the owner would automatically reduce his asking price by 5K for a minor repair.

Ben Z

A good PPI should tell the tale. Frankly I find the whole Carfax thing useless. Unless it shows a salvage title it's really unreliable. A little fenderbender someone reports to his insurance company dissuades buyers and tanks the resale, but an accident that bends the frame but doesn't get reported to insurance doesn't show up on Carfax and doesn't negatively impact the resale. I'm sure the insurance companies love Carfax for making people think twice about making a claim

Bruce In Philly

There are many folks terrified of minor damage...most are .... this works in your favor. I've known folks who repair then dump their cars for minor damage. I don't get this as I drive my cars, keep them a long time, and therefore usually bang them up a bit over time.

Just get a good PPI.

I picked up my current 2009 C2S, stickered around $110K for $53 with 26K miles on it... six months later, the going price was in the low 70s.... hahahahahhah! Carfax noted "hit a wild animal" I had a Porsche speed shop look it over and talked to the tech who said "if this car was in an accident, we see no evidence of it". He discussed this with me on the phone... one of the places they look is the tub under the frunk..... he said you can't hide it if it was bent.

Anywho...... I saved a ton. Four years later, everything is fine. You do take a gamble, but if you get a good PPI, you lower risk and the payoff can be huge as in my case.

At a maximum, you should pay the going Manheim auction price.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

voiceprint1

I would have a look at the place your buying from, you don't mention if it's at a dealer or from a person? If it's a dealer look at the feedback even if you decide to do the PPI, which may or not be a waste of time and money, some on here argue it's necessary, while others don't seem to care.

At a dealer at least you can get a warranty, you have nothing to go on except someones word if you buy from a person. If your on the fence, bail, plenty of cars out there.

go.illini

Vehicle history reports aren't useless. They're just a filter. If a buyer knows they don't want a car with accident history or that's had 5 owners with no service history it saves a lot of time. But they're no substitute for a thorough inspection.

Macster

I'm with you on this. No way a seller would leave $5K on the table just because a car required minor repair.

Heck my Turbo suffered over $25K damage in a mule deer collision. No chassis/tub damage, thankfully. I had the car repaired to Porsche standards. The car kept is CPO warranty coverage and I used the heck out of this after I got the car back.

If I sell the Turbo no way I'm discounting the Turbo by $5K or anywhere near that number just because of a mule deer accident.

Dennis C

It's hard to know the truth with Carfax reports. I had the rear bumper cover replaced on my C4S because somebody bumped into it at the airport. The damage wasn't even visible unless you were really looking for it. When I sold the car, a new Carfax was reported and it indicated "moderate damage".

Tj40

Two things - Minor damage is not a show stopper in my opinion but take a good look at the repair. Find out how much the repair was and remember just replacing the bumper can run 3-4K with paint. If it was the bumper did they replace it? If not you'll have problems with cracking and paint flaking later as a repair is not as flexible as the original - a replacement is better than a patch and most reputable shops just replace for this reason.

Secondly - 5K discount from what? Fair market value or what the seller 'thinks' it is worth? Are they anticipating you to haggle them down because of the damage so they are pre-empting you by saying the discount is already there? Assess the fair price for the vehicle and then take 5K off from there as they were so kind as to tell you the damage depreciates the car by that much they can hardly argue :-)

tomc_mets

A few adds to the good advice you have received thus far.

How long do you plan to keep this car? Accident may not scare you off, but could scare off a future buyer. If to plan on keeping it a long time, then no worries.

How many miles has three car accumulated since the accident, if you can tell from Car Fax? If it's a lot, probably minor issue. If owner is dumping it right after said accident, I'd be more concerned.

Good luck in the hunt...T

OKB

check nada prices. 5000 can be disguised in average value so you need to check real dollar prices, dont just rely on salesman doubletalk

ATSR

+1

Carfax is a complete scam. In most cases their records are incomplete, inaccurate, and the way they report previous accidents is a joke.

"Accident Reported" can mean that the bumper was scratched or all the way to the car having frame damage. I'm not exaggerating. It happened to people I know in both cases.

Even worse, they show "Clean Carfax" on a car that was crashed and poorly fixed at a cheap place to avoid reporting it. It also happened to someone I know.

Get a PPI done and if it checks out go for it. Use the Carfax accident report as a bargaining tool on your favor.

captainbaker

My car buying thought process:

Moderate or major damage on car fax....pass. Dont wanna explain it to the next guy.

Minor damage ok if it passes a good through PPI.

Im waiting to see how carfax reports my recent $4000 insurance claim for mouse damage. $154 in parts (fuel line), the rest labor to remove the front suspension, fuel tank, re install everything and alignment at Porsche.