John, you're all set. Lets see you out on the road with the P. And see if you get bitten by the mod bug. She has an infectious venom!!

 

After a lot of additional research indicating I'm definitely going to have to purchase an extended warranty, I probably now need to limit my purchase price to no more than $37-38k. That will bring me a mint 2004, but likely won't get me into a 2005-2006. Are there significant reasons why I need to target those years?

John

 

I did a search on Auto trader using Detroit zip code with decent sized radius . I found two 997C2 cars with a CPO and under 30K miles asking in the mid 40's which would place you at your max .

My advice is to spend the money right out of the gate or else save it altogether because to go into hoc and drive around worrying or throwing away money on an extended warranty makes no sense to me .

Inspect the car , get a full DME scan to detect engine over rev history and inspect paint and body work . 05 cars and below look for regional issues like hurricane , flood things which may not show up ina carfax .

I don't know if this is the right car for you . I would tend to agree with the emotional reasoning but the logical side of refinancing a home and plunking money on a Porsche sounds expensive enough to be stressful . You need to weigh the cost /benefit but if you are going to buy the car you must get the right one from day one . That means a reliable car with minimal worry that you can enjoy .

good luck.

 

[quote][My quandary is that having looked through well over a hundred listings recently online in Autotrader, Cars.com. Craigslist, etc. I have seen exactly one listing for a C2s. They can't be that rare can they?/QUOTE]

What they ask for vs the closing price can be very significant . If you are accustomed to shopping for other types of cars a 45K ask price may close at 41.5 but not with used Porsches . Not with new ones either .

That's why you have to search higher and make the offer for much lower .
If you are sitting in front of car with a checkbook ... you'd be amazed at the percentage drop with a closing price.

 

The 2005+'s are 997's (most current model) 2004's are 996 passe'.

I'd make a few offers on 997's especially since 998's are just around the corner.

 

2005+ are 997's (the most current models) whereas, 2004's are 996's and are passe'.

I'd make a few offers on the 997's especially since 998's are just around the corner.

 

I appreciate the information that the asking prices on these used 911's may be more negotiable than I had previously thought. I'm still not sure that I can pull off a truly nice 99y within my budget. I don't think I would consider a car that had mileage higher than 15-17k, and would prefer less. Everything I see in 997's that fits that bill is in the mid to upper $40's. I also have to consider sales tax of 6% into the equation. Even if I could find a 997 for 41-42k, with tax, that's nearly a 43-44k total cost, and I can't manage that. Especially as I will also have to purchase an extended warranty, in addition.


John

 

A really great option for you would be to search on carmax.com. They have an option for getting the vehicle you want shipped to one of there many dealers nationwide. I'm not lying when I say they have a dealership in nearly every state and always have 997's and 996's forsale.

 

Thanks for the tip, Spec. I honestly would not have realized that option was out there.


John

 

Just checked Carmax.com. Unfortunately, at least at the moment, they only had a total of five 911's, and three were 2007 or later models. The other issue is that they no longer have a dealer in Michigan. The closest one to me is quite a ways away in Columbus, Ohio. They apparently will transfer a car there for $750.00. I honestly don't know if that is a good deal ot not. I've never tried to have a car shipped.

Still, I appreciated the suggestion. Thanks.


John

 

have you test drove the e46 M3 yet?

 

Yes, I have. Very nice car, and it is better equipped with comfort components and simply, plusher, for lack of a better term, than the E36. But honestly, I find myself in agreement with the many experts in the field that consider the E36 the superior "drivers" car.


John

 

John,

Please check your PM.

Thanks,

///Michael