Is this a good price on an S?

[scottnh1970]

So you think something might be wrong with it?

Forgot to mention it has a carfax on it and had 4 owners with a good history of service—for what there was with 26k on it. Was originally a corporate car with 2k a year on it. The other 3 owners ranged 4-6k on it between them. Do I need to do an independent PPI since its a dealer sale? It's a well known dealer in PA. Both KKB listed it around 26k and Nada at 20K.

I originally offered $19,000 on it but only got them to $20,600. Not sure if they are going to go any lower (from $22,000). I haven't seen any dealer or private under 30k mileage on a 02-03 S going for under $18,000 around the east coast.

At the dealers current price, I'll be paying $22,000 after all is done (taxes, etc.)—$3,000 over my budget—I'm open to anymore advice. Pass because there will be another close to this one or bit the bullet.

[WhipE350]

Don't think anything is wrong, but from all the listening and reading I have done getting a PPI from an Indy makes sense. I wish I had but I also go lucky and got a good car.

How long have you been looking? If this one doesn't work out there will be others. Have you watched the 'Classifieds' on this forum for a while. Members offer great prices and almost all the time they are well cared for cars that you can't`` go wrong buying. Some even have the RMS/IMS/Clutch all fixed. I'd even pay extra in many cases for a car from another forum member. Not saying they are all perfect but some really nice ones pass through.

How much will you drive the car. If you don't mind going between 45 and 65k miles you can save a lot...and if you won't be driving it a ton it will still have decent mileage in a few years.

With low mileage and 4 owners that isn't a bad thing, a lot of these cars sit in folks garages most of the time.

[scottnh1970]

Originally Posted by WhipE350

Don't think anything is wrong, but from all the listening and reading I have done getting a PPI from an Indy makes sense. I wish I had but I also go lucky and got a good car.

How long have you been looking? If this one doesn't work out there will be others. Have you watched the 'Classifieds' on this forum for a while. Members offer great prices and almost all the time they are well cared for cars that you can't`` go wrong buying. Some even have the RMS/IMS/Clutch all fixed. I'd even pay extra in many cases for a car from another forum member. Not saying they are all perfect but some really nice ones pass through.

How much will you drive the car. If you don't mind going between 45 and 65k miles you can save a lot...and if you won't be driving it a ton it will still have decent mileage in a few years.

With low mileage and 4 owners that isn't a bad thing, a lot of these cars sit in folks garages most of the time.

I've been looking for about 4 months now Autotrader, Craigslist and this forum. Saw a few deals come and go on a few S's on this forum and dealers on the east coast. If it doesn't sound like a gotta-have it price on this one then I'm going to push for another $1,500 off and see what they say—then walk away. I just hate not knowing if I'll spend more in the future for what this one has.

The dealership is a big flagship Mazda dealership and being 150 mile away from me might be difficult to arrange a PPI since I don't know that area and Porsche certified garages. This is why I asked about getting a PPI done—not about the extra cost but logistics. Plus I thought the dealer would have to have one completed or some type of multi-inspection done. They do offer a 3 month warranty on the vehicle.

I would take an 2002-030S black or red, manual with under 50k from anyone on this forum for $18,000 but I haven't seen those prices either. What I have found are more expensive prices on the forums, but they should be since everyone is an enthusiast and want a premium on their babies—I understand that.

Seems like for what I ultimately want will be in the 20k range.