Posted the same question on another forum. Promised myself I'd get serious about a P-car purchase once I was back back on my feet financially after 4 years of unemployment.

Anyway, I've been amongst the "employed" again for two years now and even though Oahu is not the optimal locale to buy, nor drive, a sports car, I can't help but check out the limited options that occasionally pop up on da Island.

The 2008 997 below has been on the market for about two months at a Ford dealership that recently dropped the price by about $9k. Plenty of good info on Rennlist about how to check out the vehicle (much appreciated), but why would an owner badge a "Non-S" as an "S"? Tried a search but did not find any related posts. Might not be a big deal, but just curious and wanted to see if anyone had any thoughts. Any thoughts on the car would be a bonus.

Aloha...and thanks in advance.

http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/ctd/4898793056.html

 

The car is not an "S" model, has wood trim, after market schnell exhaust tail pipes. Look clean and pricing is very very reasonable. Take it to German Auto Specialist by Nimitz Hwy for PPI and DME report, I think he charge $300 for an hour of inspection and test drive. Good luck

 

Mahalo. I didn't catch the exhaust mod but did see the wood trim. Other than ego, just couldn't figure why someone would add an "S" to the rear badge of the car...and wanted to see if anyone thought it was a red flag.

The drop in price is substantial. If a PPI doesn't turn up anything alarming, the $9k would help pay for a few mods, the additional insurance, extra parking stall, etc.

 

Personally I would strip the S off the car, it doesn't belong there. If PPI and DME check out, go for it. I just sold my 2008 C2S Cab for mid $50s, I think it is a good deal.

 

Same reason people put AMG on non AMG Mercs and a M badge on non-M cars...

It's the "cooler" version of the car that they have and want other people to think they have it.

 

I can't tell for sure from the photos, but it looks like the "S" was just added right next to the original "Carrera" badge (without removing it completely to realign the whole "Carrera S"), which makes it the whole thing look off centre?!

But hopefully all you have to do is to just remove the "S" and it will revert it back to normal! and centre.

 

Maybe they added the "S" to try and trick the Ford dealer into giving them more on the trade in? Maybe there are engine mods that the original owner felt made the car "S" worthy? Looks like a good price though if everything checks out.

Ken

 

maybe they are also missing the "S" in Peni*.. and trying to over-compensate ?

 

Makes it look bad, like an unconformed wannabe, but lots of signs it's not an s, black calipers, black dials, after mkt exhaust to mimic the s model, wood trim, but if you don't care if you buy an s or not just take the s off, 997's are great cars, s or no s

 

I like the car on paper for 35K with those lower miles. I also like its an 08...the last year of the .1 cars. I do not like the fake badging of the "S", but easy enough to take off.


The wood interior is Makassor (Sp?), and is an expensive option.
If you don't like it, it may be possible to trade someone for their black/Alu set like most have plus cash to you on their end... but your not stateside...so not a lot of cars to swap.


Black interior is nice, but this car, imo, was just a driver....A to B car... leather looks dry and cracked, lots of heel marks on the door sill.


A PPI is a great idea for you for $300 out of pocket...at least you will know where the state of the car is presently so you can haggle on price, or not, accordingly.


When I saw that price, I was thinking it would have 60k plus miles on it... nice miles. Just remember, at 36K miles, a fairly major service is due...plugs,filter,and other items.... easy to do yourself if your halfway decent mechanically.


Good luck! Nice car.

 

Back in 2009 I looked at a Carrera 996 with that wood package. I loved the interior the color of the wood. The rest of the car was ok, in good shape, with a dark green exterior color IIRC but with a Tip. I was not against a Tip but decided to keep looking and instead found and bought a new 2008 Cayman S.

But I still remember that green 911's interior...

However, since then I have heard that the wood trim can split and loosen (this applies to the carbon fiber trim too) and in general just kind of turn ratty looking.

I would not reject an other wise good car for having this wood (or carbon fiber) interior treatment but I'd be aware of it possibly degrading over time. The techs tell me that the wood/CF pieces can be replaced with just the plain old interior pieces which means I guess over time one slowly reverts his car's interior to that of just another plain old 911 interior.

 

Sometimes I put a number on the side of my doors, I know it makes me drive faster.....usually not better though. Funny how that works.

 

Not a bad looking example, but all of the images have been 'cleaned up' so be sure you see this in person, and drive it for a good bit to be sure, beyond the usual PPI mentioned earlier. One of the biggest wear areas is the driver entry side - the side seat bolster gets beat to hell over time, as does 'scuff' plate on the lower interior door sill area (trunk release).

The wood usually starts to go about as fast as the factory carbon fiber - peeling, yellowing, cracking. BUT on this example, they minimized the wood (the worst piece you can do is the defroster sections). To my eye, they did smaller bits, other than the steering wheel, and the ashtray may have been done at a later date - the console is either all wood, or no wood.

The emblem change was simply that - someone 'wishing' for more.

Good luck either way. Clear sidemarkers are a must (we stock 'em).

 

Just to close the loop on the charade and provide a few giggles...

Monday: Pulled up dealership website to send email for an appointment to see the car and noticed price was again listed at $46k. Sent inquiry about price... $36k vs. $46k... and was told "someone" had made a mistake in posting the lower price to various websites. However, dealership would honor the lower price if I brought a copy of the lower price ad. Scheduled appointment to see the car for Tuesday after work.

Tuesday: Received an email that "Management" had made a mistake with the $35k ad, but would honor it for ONE DAY ONLY. Sent reply that at a minimum, I would need 2 test drives and a PPI from a qualified Porsche mechanic and that no way that could happen in a day. Thanked them for their time but I was no longer interested.

Wednesday: Received reply that a Product Specialist would like my phone number to talk about the car. I replied that I'd be more than happy to correspond with the PS via email. Received reply asking when I could come and see the car. Replied Thursday after work ONLY if the price was $36k. Received reply that dealership will honor the lower price if I bring the ad showing the lower price and that I would be meeting so and so. I replied great...see you Thursday at 5:15.

Thursday: At 12:15, received email stating that car had sold.
And even better..."Was I interested in any of their other used inventory?" Replied "No thanks". Received reply (and this is great) "We will keep you on our list and inform you when we get another 911 into our inventory". What could I say to that?

A bit disappointed that I never saw the car and perhaps I played my cards wrong. My last dealership negotiation was very easy and pleasant...this one was like dealing with 5th graders. On the positive side, my desire for a Porsche has been rekindled through the experience...as effed up as it was. The selection here is just so limited. I'll be in SoCal for a week soon and might take a look around for something to ship back. Kind of a PITA, but perhaps worth the effort.

Again, mahalo for all of the responses. The knowledge and experience here is incredible.