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I sold my 996 C2 in '10 after 7 terrific years if ownership. I was picky when I bought it, looked for 15 months before I found the perfect for me car. It paid off. I still see the guy that bought it from me, and after 5 years of ownership, he still thinks it's perfect. It had 29 options and over 20 were from the Exclusive Program. It was the most highly optioned 996 the dealer here had ever seen.
I looked for a Turbo for nearly a year, cash wasn't an issue, I wanted a 996, not 997. I wanted a low miler, mint condition in every respect, stock or very nearly stock, a Cab, '04 or '05 it had to be. I preferred a 6 speed but would even take a Tip. We've owned a Tip Boxster going on 13 years and it's fun and my wife drives it, it's still a mint garage queen with 26K miles, looks, smells, drives like brand new.
Early on in the search I thought X50 was a must until my brother bought one and I drove it in the canyon twisties a few times. It was nice but spooled slower than the smaller turbo cars in this application, at least in my experience. So, now no X-50. I really wanted sports seats bad. My first color choices were Signal Green or Riveria Blue (both PTS) Silvers, Whites, Guards Red, Speed Yellow, Dark Blues and last Blacks.
So after nearly a year of looking and not finding any car that had it "all" like my previous C2, I realized I had to give in. They only made so many '04 and 05 Turbo Cabs 6 speeds without X50, and there were not that many for sale when I was looking, and fewer with ultra low miles, and fewer totally stock, and fewer "no stories" cars with all service records, books and manuals. So I did find 6 cars that I would possibly buy. I had PPIs done and the first 5 failed, not miserably but the expert highly reputable shop owners that I discussed the results with, thought I could do better if I was patient. Hard to do when you have been looking 10 months and found 5 cars that you would maybe buy.
Luckily, I did find what looked like a perfect car on Ebay, 17K miles, less than 500 miles away. The description was lacking a lot of of info and there were only about 4 pictures. The only real problem was the color, my least favorite. My Jag XKE was black and looked like a stunning black pearl for the first few minutes after it was washed and dried. The rest of the time it looked like it needed a wash or at least dusted which is difficult to do without scratching it. This car did have Natural Brown leather which I did find attractive. I immediately emailed the seller and he called me the next day.
The car may already be sold I was told. It was owned by a developer in Las Vegas and the sale was being handled by a guy that takes care of personal business for him. I told him I was very interested and to call me immediately if the car is available. I got a call the next day and found the sale fell through because the owner would not fit new tires as they were at less than 50% on the rear. I was forwarded by fax a very thorough PPI done the previous day by Gaudin Porsche in Vegas using a CPO 125 point checklist. Everything passed 100%.
It looked like I found the perfect car for someone that likes or loves black. I felt I may never find exactly what I want in a Turbo so I'd drive down on the weekend with my wife and see it in the flesh. The gentleman selling the car was nice enough to give me first right of refusal without a cash deposit that I offered to wire him. I was pretty excited, would I like the car? Would the car being my last color choice stop me from handing over a check?
We drove to Vegas after my half day work shift on Saturday and got there early evening and had a nice dinner. Our appointment to see the car was at 1:00 PM the following day. It was stored in a plush single garage off the owners magnificent office like I'd never seen. The car looked mint in absolutely every detail. Not even a finger print any where on anything. My wife and I were totally blown away. I had told my wife I may not like it because of the color, she kept nudging me to commit before even looking inside or hearing it run. I did a walk around, looked at the owner and said, lets go inside and do the paperwork. The owner had the key in hand and offered to let me take it for a drive or at least start it. I refused.
I was given a file with all the service records, 4 keys, lojack and sirus stuff, the title, original PPI. I loved everything about the car as it was just like I had bought it off a dealers showroom. I must admit the Basalt Black with the sparkly flecks of blue, purple, greens and browns did look pretty incredible in the bright sunlight. The drive home was a great time for me to spend several hours with my new car and explore all the functions and get comfortable with it.
Now I'm just into my fifth year of ownership and I feel I can say, I think I made the right decision to buy black, Basalt Black. I now know why there are so many Porsche's that color. Black is hot right now. It seems to be "the" color. I custom build motorcycles for a living and customize them. For a couple of years now, everyone wants black. Black everything, Shiny, Metallic, Matt and Flat. Black is the "new" Candy Apple and the "new" Chrome. "Paint it Black" was one of my favorite songs by the Rolling Stones in 1966. Now 49 years later, I'm doing just that.
I used to hate black and only bought white cars, then had a green car, dark blue and now 3 black cars... great in a cold climate like NY... as I from one of the hottest places on earth and also lived in 5 other very hot places, white was the go there
i had ONE black 911. it was dirty right after washing it lol. but to each their own. it seems fair to point out that my extremely rare arctic sliver has black accented bits from front to rear. anything to mix it up!
black 911's are classic and never clean for more than a cpl minutes
I used to have 3 silver cars. Meticulously and regularly cleaned. They always looks good, but never amazing even after their annual clay/wax.
Now I have 3 black cars. Not basalt black, just plain black. After even a normal wash they look amazing. Are they more work? Absolutely. Is it worth it? To me, it certainly is!
Awesome story NICK49!! Glad to hear after 5 years of ownership you are still excited about the car! I hope I'm the same way...so far I am! And I was in the same boat...didn't want black! But I tell you what... the black in 996 is one of the BEST looking colors IMO. No regrets here and never will be!
I still love looking at this picture of my beauty!!!!
I had a basalt black C2 and loved that color. As with all black cars, a PITA to keep clean however.
My buddy usually say a black car only looks best right after you wash it
What do you do to keep it from water spotting after wash? My midnight blue is hell trying to dry it before spots set in.
One product that is good for removing water spots if you do it immediately after a wash is instant detailer. My current favorite is Meguiars Ultimate Quik detailer, available at your local auto parts store or even Wally World. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Meguiar-s-...ailer/16550246
I also use this for spot detailing when birds use my cars for target practice
With the water restrictions we have in California right now, our carwash choices are very limited. I dislike letting others wash my cars and don't trust the filtration of the DIY carwash places with the high pressure wands.
I initially was worried that it would cause micro scratches, so I tried it first on my black Boxster. The results were spectacular. Beautiful shine with no visible damage to the paint.
I'll post some pics next time I wash my car, but here is a random phone pic of my Boxster after a wash. Nothing special, I was just taken aback by the reflections in the paint as I walked up to it...
has black accented bits from front to rear. anything to mix it up!
No regrets here and never will be!
