Year: 1996
Make: Porsche
Model: 911
Price: $73000
Mileage: 29700
Color: Midnight Blue Metallic
Private or Dealer Listing: Private Listing
Location (State): CA
Transmission: Manual
Drivetrain: 4WD & AWD

mjsporsche,

I doubt very much that the seller would consider any type of settlement, if that were the case from day one of the issues coming to light that option would have been discussed. It is all my problem now; not his because I failed to protect myself from something like this happening. I should have known better, and I did, but still trusted his firm judgment and assurance that the car was original and untouched. Thank you for your opinion, regards, FJN.

 

I have received several private messages, I can not respond to them as I do not have enough posts, I need 15 posts or more to answer PM's, I will return all PM's as soon as I have 15 posts, thank you. FJN.

 

I would fix any mechanicals, drive and enjoy a beautiful vehicle in a unique color. Why would you need to sell because of some paint work? If the paint work was missed by so many it is either a great job or very minor.

I can totally understand your frustration but the reality is you have a beautiful car that maybe you overpaid a bit for. As long as the body and frame are straight there is no reason you cannot enjoy this vehicle.

If you are a true car enthusiast you will and probably have blown far more than $20K on cars. These are not investments. Buying a low mile car like this really gives you two options anyway: Drive it and lower the value or do not drive and keep the value high and then sell one day. I would choose option number one – drive it.

 

Have you specifically asked for some price adjustment? If the car was delivered to you and there was a mechanical issue not disclosed, an ethical seller would usually step up to the plate and offer some reimbursement for the repair. If the car was delivered with paint work and showing rear damage (not just a bumper respray), I see the same principle applies as well.

If you have asked, and no offer was made, it speaks loudly about the seller.

 

mjsporsche,

Im affraid that if I start digging any deeper into the rear of the car I will find more than I want to. I will not persue any price adjustment due to no written contract and/or car was sold "AS IS". Furthermore, the blame and this debacle stops with me, as I should have had the car inspected. If I get a decent offer for the car, buyer knowing the car has a re-spray and possible rear end damage, then I will consider taking a loss, as it stands know I will just drive it and enjoy it for what it is...FJN

 

Truble10,

The idea behind an untouched low mile car was to drive it 1000 miles a year or less, to shows, weekends, car club meetings etc, while still holding a good portion of the value of the car in todays market due to its low miles and original condition. Once the truth has come to light then it becomes just another car to drive anytime any place, value goes out the door...FJN

 

There is no downside to just ask. Give the seller a chance to ease your pain. Sure..you should have had a PPI done by respected indy. And seeing it in person is even better. But if the seller was really unaware of the defect, and he understands the value adjustment he would have made if the repaint was evident, he MIGHT try to share YOUR financial consequence. This is not about a legal contract but about doing the right thing.

As everyone said, enjoy the car and drive it hard. But you should think about giving the seller a chance.

 

Let's just put aside the fact that the seller told you it had not been resprayed. So you have a 1996 low mileage 993 Turbo. That makes it 16 years old. Most 16 year old cars have had some minor cosmetic work done to them. Until you can determine exactly what the damage was, which could be anywhere from scratches to replacing quarter panels, it will be hard to place a negative value on the respray. If you pull the rear bumper and wheel well fender liners, you should be able to see any damage repair. If it were as simple as some scratches being repaired it's no big deal, if the quarter panel were replaced then its a different story. Have the car inspected to determine the exact damage.

I am a long time 993 Turbo owner and as some have said on here, cars are not an investment. The oil filter problem is not uncommon with these cars and the fix is simple. Get out and enjoy the car or just sell it if you can't enjoy it knowing that part of it has been resprayed. Unless it has a salvage title, you should still be able to get good money for it. Good luck

 

i had the same midnight blue color except mine was an 07 with black interior, you have to see it in person to appreciate the true beauty. wish i kept it, GLWS

 

Wow, this is a first for me. Have bought and sold a number of cars throughout the years, met so many cool savvy enthusiasts and never had an issue.

It's a tough situation.

In many ways, I'm actually in the same situation as Fernando. I too bought the car and assumed the $4k of work done at the dealer is a great thing. I didnt go in to check to make sure the oil filters were actually torque'd correctly but who would do that??

Car drove fine when I had it with NO smoke. If it did, believe me, it would of been brought right back. It seems Fernando too had it for a bit of time and it didn't smoke. When I first heard of any mechanical issues, it really made me mad that things weren't done right at the dealer especially w/ the hefty bill but he stated his mechanic has already remedied it all and didn't bring up any discussion about what our options were towards the dealers work. I just figured he's so far, maybe he doesnt think it's worth the hassle...

It seems obvious now that Fernando thought he was buying an investment and not really a car to just enjoy/drive. Who is to say what is top dollar on these cars? I've seen many low mileage cars go $80+.. all depends on what it's worth to the buyer.

I had local interested parties who would of made this deal a lot easier. They've seen the car, would of performed a PPI and when the dealer mistakes would of arose, we could come together and go right back to the dealer to remedy what mistakes were made.

For someone who seems pretty particular, the phone call inquiry to purchase from Fernando was literally ~10 minutes. Not many detailed questions excepts comments of how beautiful it was and no request for an independant PPI. I was a bit surprised but I thought, who knows, some rich guy who just wants the car. None of my business. I'm sure he remembers my disclosure of the front bumper rash which is the worst part of this car cosmetically that I know of and I disclosed that.

I never knew of any paintwork and that is my word. If I did, I would of gave the gree light to repaint that front bumper to make it even more beautiful but I just couldn't thinking it's an original car. Every other car I've sold which has had paintwork has always been disclosed.

I'd be happy to work with Fernando to go after the dealer for some compensation but it's also been a lot of time that has past and Fernando is across the country in FL. I did not pull his leg to buy it sight unseen and w/ no PPI. I described the car the best that I knew. Ad states what I knew but I guess to be safe every comment needs to follow "that I know of". it's just an ad and from there, people call to inquire and confirm and do their due diligence. Cant buy a car based just on a sales ad. Many have even seen it and state it's one of the cleanest they've seen but I guess that's just a opinion.

Fernando, email or call me if you'd like to discuss this further. I'm not sure this discussion is really getting anywhere even though I do appreciate everyone's feedback.

Andy

 

It's funny. I've even had a few PM's from this thread recently with inquiries to buy this even after all this talk thinking I'm still the owner. I guess to some, even with the possible paintwork, it's worth something...

 

Yes, except he is holding the bag, and you're in the clear.

Plenty of people don't read the post in the threads.. they just PM asking if it's for sale. Happens all the time here.. people resurrecting years old for sale ads when cars had been sold years ago

 

Andy,

Enjoy the $71K you got from me. I will not be calling you or e-mailing you. Car sold "AS-IS", I learned my lesson. The more I read your posts, the more I get a bad taste in my mouth so I will just let it go and accept that it is my fault as you so elegantly pass the blame to me on your posts. I will repeat myself one more time then I am done, I purchased the car based only on your description of the vehicle that it had NO RE-SPRAYS or ANY ACCIDENTS. PERIOD...Yes conversations were brief as I felt comfortable enough to trust your word. I trusted your word and made the choice of purchasing it. Turn out to be the wrong one. Thats it end of story. Will not EVER happen again. Enjoy the cash, take care.

 

For what it's worth, I bought a brand new 08 Turbo cab from a Porsche dealer in So. Cal. About 2 years later I was having a Tubi system installed on the car at a shop and I got a call from the shop owner telling me that the right rear lower fender had been repainted and blended. You couldn't tell except when it was up on a lift. I called the dealer and asked if the car had been damaged by them before my purchase. They said no however, if the car is damaged in shipping from the factory to the US, it is repaired at the entry point by Porsche before shipping to the dealer. No recourse because the dealer is not told of the repairs and the car is still new.
Moral of the story is to thoroughly check out ALL cars even new ones before purchasing. How would you like to spend $140K and find out the car has been damaged and repaired and it was new!!!! I did!!
Move on.

 

Your advice to "move on" is very good. I think the buyer just does not want to open up a can of worms even though the seller has now said to lets discuss. Seems a bit odd to me but I am not emotionally attached to the situation.

Regarding your situation, there are state laws that require any repairs at the port to be reported to the dealer if it exceeds a nominal amount. A repaired scratch or ding seems nominal. A crunched fender is not. So yours was likely very minor.

BTW, a Porsche owner in Connecticut has the same situation as you did. However, he was likely a bit more upset than you and his Porsche dealer took back the car after a few months and credited his purchase price towards another Porsche.