Not another novice kicking the tires!

[peterbrown77]

KBB puts it at $17,950 in 'excellent' shape w/60k miles; $16,800 in 'good' condition. Private party values of course.

[kpm]

I paid $15,500 for a 2001 S last year with a ton of service records. And still had to put a grand into it to pass inspection in Md.

[gschotland]

You can find experienced local mechanics through PCA regional clubs (http://pca.org/). There are at least two that cover or are within reasonable distance of CT. Many regions have back issues of their magazines on their websites. Scan them for ads, search additional forums (Pelican, Renntech), and consider emailing officers of the regional clubs. You'll get a clear picture of who "the ones" are pretty quickly.

When my dad was considering a Cayenne in Providence last fall, I was able to find a number of PPI capable options through the club. He ended up getting one in NC and had a PPI done by a Porsche specialist for $100; I expect the CT area to be a bit higher. I also found that guy through the Porsche Club. Membership is well worth the ~$60/yr. I just saved my dad $110 on his 30k service (dealer gives 10% off parts/labor to club members).

The 60k service you can easily do yourself for a ~$300 in parts, but it's good to get a big number for that from the mechanic for negotiating purposes.

Your target price of $16.7k sounds about right for a really clean, well maintained car if the PPI shows no major issues. I paid $16k for my very clean, nicely optioned '02 S a year and a half ago.