Another "what would you pay?" thread...

I think its too high. Mine was 17,000 with 70,000 miles. I prefer the higher milage because the engine has been good so far, so it rules out a lot of factory defects. Plus, with the 3,500 you would "save" you could put it into mods that suit your taste, not that guys. You could buy the wheels you want, a new nav system, new suspension, and other little stuff if your a good bargain hunter. Ive put 4,000 into my car and its pretty much perfect. It will be even more perfect when I get the side skirts on next week, finally, or at least I better... or else. The difference between a 30,000 mile engine and a 100,000 mile engine is that parts on the 100,000 mile engine may need to be replaced due to wear, but the same goes for letting a 20,000 mile engine sit for 8 years.

[HIFI]

Originally Posted by boggtown

I think its too high. Mine was 17,000 with 70,000 miles. I prefer the higher milage because the engine has been good so far, so it rules out a lot of factory defects. Plus, with the 3,500 you would "save" you could put it into mods that suit your taste, not that guys. You could buy the wheels you want, a new nav system, new suspension, and other little stuff if your a good bargain hunter. Ive put 4,000 into my car and its pretty much perfect. It will be even more perfect when I get the side skirts on next week, finally, or at least I better... or else. The difference between a 30,000 mile engine and a 100,000 mile engine is that parts on the 100,000 mile engine may need to be replaced due to wear, but the same goes for letting a 20,000 mile engine sit for 8 years.

Yeah, I thought of that too... I'm also looking at a 2000 with 55k miles for $18k, which would give me more wiggle room to add rims, etc. However, it was only a 7 or 8 condition-wise and I'm assuming this is a 10 (I'll know soon enough). I will probably pass on it if it's not absolutely perfect, but I'm hoping it is.

[MNBoxster]

Originally Posted by boggtown

I think its too high. Mine was 17,000 with 70,000 miles. I prefer the higher milage because the engine has been good so far, so it rules out a lot of factory defects. Plus, with the 3,500 you would "save" you could put it into mods that suit your taste, not that guys. You could buy the wheels you want, a new nav system, new suspension, and other little stuff if your a good bargain hunter. Ive put 4,000 into my car and its pretty much perfect. It will be even more perfect when I get the side skirts on next week, finally, or at least I better... or else. The difference between a 30,000 mile engine and a 100,000 mile engine is that parts on the 100,000 mile engine may need to be replaced due to wear, but the same goes for letting a 20,000 mile engine sit for 8 years.

Hi,

Sorry, have to disagree. At 20k mi., everything is nicely sorted out. Wear patterns are established and any factory defects would have made themselves known by this mileage. This is especially true of the engine where more exacting tolerances will show up a defective parts in just a few hundred miles.

Of course, any used car can experience problems, but at 20k mi., it won't be due to low mileage. Age may be a factor in dry seals, hoses and other things, but mechanically, if it breaks, you can't blame the mileage. Modern cars have a short infancy and old age, but a much lengthened adolescence. At 20k mi., the car is well into it's stride. I would buy any 986 with 15k mi. or more and not give it a thought. Lower mileage cars will probably cost less over the 1st 5 years of ownership than a higher mileage one and retain a higher resale value in the bargain. Go for the nicest car you can afford. If the miles are relatively low, that's a bonus. Get a PPI, if it passes, never give it another thought...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[Ronzi]

I usually like to be careful about throwing around the term "garage queen", since my own '99 has only about 34k on it, but I think the one in question certainly qualifies. Old cars with very low mileage can present some issues even though they look immaculate. I don't think a '99 is an "old car" yet, just a used one, and lightly used at that, in this case.

Just remember, you are paying a premium for the low mileage, and the only way to protect your "investment" is to not drive the car, either.

[MNBoxster]

Originally Posted by Ronzi

I usually like to be careful about throwing around the term "garage queen", since my own '99 has only about 34k on it, but I think the one in question certainly qualifies. Old cars with very low mileage can present some issues even though they look immaculate. I don't think a '99 is an "old car" yet, just a used one, and lightly used at that, in this case.

Just remember, you are paying a premium for the low mileage, and the only way to protect your "investment" is to not drive the car, either.

Hi,

I agree, but you also have to look at how the mileage was accumulated. A car driven 3k mi. per year is still regularly driven (albeit lightly so). Another car driven 12k mi., then stored for 6 years and then driven another 12k mi. is likely to have more potential for issues (especially if it was improperly stored). Yet another car, dedicated to DE, Auto-X and Track events will also have a higher potential if the only miles on it are hard, infrequent ones...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[racer_d]

Looks fantastic! Love the lightweight 18" wheels, but IMHO, overpriced. For comparison, my Speed Yellow over black, 2000 2.7l, 5spd,lightly optioned with 41K miles. pd much less. $22K for a '99 with low miles seems overpriced and potentially worrisome due to "under" use

[RandallNeighbour]

I'm not sure what a fair price is for this car, but it looks like a great example of a loaded non-S to me! I love the colors.

For 22.5K, you could probably find a 2000 S though, and enjoy those extra ponies.

He's wanting a lot of extra money for stuff you really don't use much on a car like the nav system, park assist, etc. The full leather is nice, but if you use the defroster much, it will wrinkle the leather near the base of the windshield. Check that on his car when you see it in person.

[HIFI]

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

I'm not sure what a fair price is for this car, but it looks like a great example of a loaded non-S to me! I love the colors.

For 22.5K, you could probably find a 2000 S though, and enjoy those extra ponies.

He's wanting a lot of extra money for stuff you really don't use much on a car like the nav system, park assist, etc. The full leather is nice, but if you use the defroster much, it will wrinkle the leather near the base of the windshield. Check that on his car when you see it in person.

Just to clarify, he was asking $22.5, I negotiated $20.5k, which is a bit more reasonable. It's actually in the shop getting the PPI done right now. The car was obviously babied and in great cosmetic shape.

I didn't have much time to really drive it, but I did notice that it was really hard to get into third gear... I don't know if it's just because it hasn't been driven in a while or what... I told the mechanic to take a look at it... any ideas??