My guess is that this Starting Bid price is his payoff amount.

If he gets his starting bid he gets out from under a payment; anything over that is a bonus.

If I lived close enough, I'd arrange to meet for an inspection, drive over, assuming all checks out, offer his starting bid price on the spot. Could be one heck of a way to turn someone else's misfortune in to a phenomenal deal.

 

It sickens me to know that my 2006 Carrera S has dropped over $60k in value in < 3 years! Wow! I am going to have to keep it until its doors fall off as it won't taste good to sell it at such a discount.

 

I found that the price is always a little lower for a person with 0 rating. It usually limits the bidding to someone who lives within driving distance as you can verify that the seller is real . i have seen many scams on 356's but the fact this fellow has his telephone number etc usually indicates it is a person who is sincere. Also most of the scams are centered around "buy it now" at a unbelievable price. Could be a great deal for someone close by.

 

He's been a member of eBay since Feb 6, 2009. Thats...ummm...last week.

so:

Either he had bad feedback and made a new identity or

He is a simple scammer (less likely) or

He figured he'd run the ad, see if he could get good money and if not simply not respond to the winner, he'd have nothing to lose by that (abandon the eBay acct and get a new one for the next try).

Anyway you cut it, it's not on the up and up.

 

I'll bet anyone it doesn't get over $52K. Not a lot of people will buy a car off a 0-feedback seller, plus we're in the Great Depression...

 

I think it is a valid auction.

Granted, no one will buy this car without seeing it in person. But I think he wants to sell it and has decided ebay is worth a try...and hence he's a new member.

I think he has to be careful he is not scammed by a potential buyer.

 

One potential warning sign - I emailed the guy a few normal questions this morning just before I started this thread and so far no response. I'll post if he gets back to me.

Frankly if anyone lives nearby I'd buy you many cases of beer (or some bottles of wine) if you'd go check this car out for me.

 

looks too good to be true. Agree with Brandx, the odd number for the starting price and the fact, according to him, that the higher bid takes it points to trying to get out of a lease but, why not turning it in to the dealership, my guess is they would gladly take it more so if he is getting a more expensive 997TT... anyways is so tempting...

 

Might be a scam or might not...

Here's a somewhat comparable car...

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...eadExists=true

2006 997 C2S
8700 miles
CPO
X51 Power Kit
Original sticker of $107K
asking $59,900

Another good deal?

 

I agree . When a seller gives his phone number and states he encourages local inspection it usually is real. I also believe it is a valid auction. The scammers are usually off shore or the car is etc.

 

He gave his phone number . why not try phoning him. I have bought and sold plenty of times on ebay and sometimes emails are only looked at every few days...

 

He will NEVER get that car (if clean) at or near 46K . No way .
High 50's .

 

First thing you want to do when your buying a Porsche that is not CPO, is take it to a dealer and get a DME scan to check engine for over revs and have a body shop look for any body work. I learned this here on 6speed. It's good peace of mind when about to drop about 50K+ on a car.

E-mail the guy and ask if him if he is willing to take it Beverly Hills Porsche. I work about a mile from there and would be willing to meet him there to see the car and check out the scan. Also you'll want a full maintenance log from the dealer. Plus they can run the VIN to see all the options on it.

Another option is, you might try calling the dealer in Woodlands Hills, as this is where he probably had it serviced. Only about 10 miles from Sherman Oaks. I almost bought a car private party and was going to have CPO'd there. Basically the dealer was going to buy the car and resell it to me for $500 over + the cost of the CPO, which it think was 2-3K. Ofcourse this assumes the car will pass the CPO tests. I ended up passing on the car.

My guess is that this is a real auction, and the reason for it is, the dealer offered about 42K - 45K on a trade. He probably is taking a stab at getting a couple of extra K from ebay. I think it's a smart move. PM me if you need my help.

 

+1 This looks like a great deal. you probably could get it for about 55K - 57K. CPO takes all the worry out of buying a car unseen.

 

my C2S's OEM dials make it ricey? wtf