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

[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??

[RandallNeighbour]

1-2 and 2-1 on my car when it's cold out and the engine is cold is really tough. However, when the engine is up to temp and I've driven it and shifted gears for a couple of minutes, it's quite smooth.

This may be the case with the car you are looking at now. Driving it when the tranny oil is hot could be the difference.

[Sammy]

Originally Posted by HIFI

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??

For what its worth I didn't take delivery of my 02 S until after they fixed the shift from 1 to 2. They ended up replacing the whole transmission. Whatever you do make sure it shifts well into each gear before you sign any papers. I've never had trouble shifting in cold weather. It may be a little "notchier" when its cold out but nothing out of the ordinary.

[jinijazz]

The true average value on 99 prabably around 15k. That said, as long as the car has the exact color combo and options you want, 5k can be justified. It's much better than buying the car with color and options you are not in love with and regret later.

A few things;
I never herad about 3rd gear problem. This is the must-fix.
Ask the seller if the wheels are OEM or aftermarket.
RMS check.

Btw, that is one awesome looking car.
Good luck.

[HIFI]

The PPI checked out okay, with 2 exceptions. It has had some minor body work... mechanic said there was no worry of frame damage, looked like someone had scratched it deep and had to fix it (speculation of course). This didn't show on the carfax of course. He said that the body shop did a great job and he had a tough time even spotting it. Said he wouldn't worry about it.

The shifting problem is probably bad bushings... it basically doesn't spring back into the center when it comes out of gear. Mechanic said that it would cost about $80 to fix for the hour of labor, no big deal.

Overall, he gave it a clean bill of health, checked the RMS, tranny, etc. said it looked great. Checked the Carerra light rims and they are OEM.

I anticipate that some people are going to doubt the mechanic's advice. I will say that I am inclined to trust him. He's been working on one of my friend's Porsches for over 10 years and did this inspection at no charge. He's been racing and working on Porsches for close to 40 years (started with 356, 914, 968s). He's been in business here for well over 20 years and this is a town with a LOT of 911's.

I think I'm going to see if the seller will reduce the price to an even $20k for the 2 issues above. Thoughts?