Ok. A couple of things.. I have the same triple black with a manual trans. I LOVE it. I get a lot of compliments on the car especially since I changed out the front and rear lights for LED's. They look awesome,, check out my pics. ON to this car. A PPI is a must. Not a dealer PPI but an Indy shop. Second, I suspect that this individual is selling the car as a "flip". That level of detailing is too good for the average guy to do on a car that he is selling for market value. There is not a spec of dust anywhere which is, IMHO unrealistic or at the very least uncommon for a 17k car. That makes me nervous. He made some comment like "The only issue with the car that I know of ..." which makes me wonder because it implies that he is not familiar with the cars history. Also, the bumper was probably resprayed to deal with an accident and NOT to cover up rock chips. Think about it. Check to see if it's HIS name on the receipts for recent service. If you can, track down that previous owner and do some due diligence. A CARFAX report has saved me on one other occasion. Lastly, broaden your search. I'm down here in the OC and there are several good buys on CL right now. It wouldn't suck to save $1 or 2k and have a nice time bringing it home.... case in point http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/4612335781.html or http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/4593052602.html Also, the new stereo does not scare me nor do the 19" rims. I'm 48 and I'm about to install the same head unit with door subs. I also would have gone with 19's but I got such a good deal on factory 5 stars that I had done up in matt black that I couldn't resist. Just remember, beware the flipper. "inspect what you expect".

 

Wellll....that didn't go as expected. Red flags as follows:


1. Several dings and deep scratches
2. Oil residue on the bottom of the engine - RMS issue I'm presuming
3. Dashboard was warped from sun exposure
4. Owner has owned it....wait for it.....less than a month


Wow! I still took it for a drive - seemed to drive OK. But....no way. Onward and upward. Next


Thanks for all the advice guys, but this was an easy one to walk away from.

 

Definitely the right decision IMHO.

 

+1 Agreed. Plenty out to there to choose from, just take your time and get the exactly what you want. It sounds like you already know what to look out for. What's your budget? Good luck in the search.

 

I would love to have heard the explanation for him owning it less than a month and already selling it. Did he admit it was a flip?

 

Maybe the owner bought the car first then looked on the forums and got scared of the IMS and decided to cut his losses. Who knows...

 

Close call and good decision. What a dbag for that guy to try to dump and run. I agree with Alan, many to choose from out there. I held out for a turbo for 15 months until I found the "perfect" one for us, casting a wide net along the east coast (even midwest Ohio). Hope the right one comes along for you.

 

This one just came up and seems more in my wheel house. Just wish it was priced lower. This is a good $4K above book and it doesn't sound like he's willing to budge. I might take a look anyway....seems to be well cared for with low miles....your thoughts gang?


http://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/4627755375.html

 

by no means am i saying i got a good deal, but i just paid 22K for the same car to include the hard top, new tires, and front brakes. I am overseas and couldn't find anything cheaper. They guy started off at 24k and i got him down to 22K no strings attached. I would say since its taken care of, go for it!

 

No way is that car over priced. It is a cabriolet which commands $5000 more than the saloon. Low miles but not too low. Double race IMSB. Wind deflector with it. Red flags IMHO but only for me ARE:- De-badged rear. Nothing like enough detail in the photos and not enough of them. Terrible description for a 3.4 flat six engine. Hard top???????? Not showing the roof closed. Does this guy really know about the car? From the reading of his advert, I think not. Ask him for more photo's of the inside, close ups of the wheels all round. Engine with lid open. Roof closed. at least 2 keys? Tools? Handbook? For him to make a statement of cash sale with no wiggle room stinks in my opinion and should be the red flag. . Does the convertible top really work 100% every time? From the toggle on the dash and the door key? Only an indy ppi would reveal that part of the deal. Read everything about the 99 cab and get the ppi to address everything. For him to make a statement as he did about not wasting his time, this car should be 100% perfect. You can bet your **** that it is not. Good luck but tread very warily with this one.

 

Congrats on your purchase and thanks for your thoughts

 

That's some really solid information and insight and I appreciate it. He's only a few miles away from me so I think I'll go take a look at it. I did notice it was debadged and that had me curious. In terms of price, I was just going off of blue book which is about $17k private party. I know KBB is just a starting point, so again, I appreciate your thoughts. We shall see