Help with buying a 996
Discussion
My next car is to be a 996.
I visited 911 Virgin a couple of weeks ago who impressed me very much. However they do not have car meeting my requirements in stock.
I keep being drawn to this:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3151882.htm
which I like very much.
I have a sub £20,000 budget. The car will be used every day and I am attracted by the low miles which should mean that I can run it for 2/3 years and then sell it still with a sensible mileage.
However, the car is situated a long way from where I live, it also has a Savannah interior. I happen to quite like it as I am a bit bored with black interiors. Come re-sale time I assume it will be a bit of an issue.
I would welcome any comments regarding the price of the car above. If buying privately I would commission an inspection by Peter Morgan who seems to be well thought of. Am I mad to negotiate a figure with the owner over the phone and then rely on Peter's inspection or am I being a lazy old git who should drive up to see the car? The trouble is I know I will like it and I still would want to have it inspected.
Any advice or any other suggestions gratefully received....
I visited 911 Virgin a couple of weeks ago who impressed me very much. However they do not have car meeting my requirements in stock.
I keep being drawn to this:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3151882.htm
which I like very much.
I have a sub £20,000 budget. The car will be used every day and I am attracted by the low miles which should mean that I can run it for 2/3 years and then sell it still with a sensible mileage.
However, the car is situated a long way from where I live, it also has a Savannah interior. I happen to quite like it as I am a bit bored with black interiors. Come re-sale time I assume it will be a bit of an issue.
I would welcome any comments regarding the price of the car above. If buying privately I would commission an inspection by Peter Morgan who seems to be well thought of. Am I mad to negotiate a figure with the owner over the phone and then rely on Peter's inspection or am I being a lazy old git who should drive up to see the car? The trouble is I know I will like it and I still would want to have it inspected.
Any advice or any other suggestions gratefully received....
Hi there Jules. Thanks for the kind words.
Yes, you would be mad to buy blind based on a 3rd party inspection. First things first you need to see the car to make sure you like it and there is nothing obviously wrong.
Then and only then do you throw quite a few hundred pounds at an inspection.
Otherwise you're potentially going to end up hundreds or thousands of pounds out of pocket without a car to show for your money if you end up getting 2 or 3 car's inspected. You also need to see it to put it into perspective overall condition wise. You've seen a few car's now, how does this (or any other for that matter) compare?
Good luck
Henry
Yes, you would be mad to buy blind based on a 3rd party inspection. First things first you need to see the car to make sure you like it and there is nothing obviously wrong.
Then and only then do you throw quite a few hundred pounds at an inspection.
Otherwise you're potentially going to end up hundreds or thousands of pounds out of pocket without a car to show for your money if you end up getting 2 or 3 car's inspected. You also need to see it to put it into perspective overall condition wise. You've seen a few car's now, how does this (or any other for that matter) compare?
Good luck
Henry
I always go and inspect myself first (Following an indepth phone call to confirm the basics). Its an emotional purchase after all, so you need to like it.
Go and look at a few private cars and you will see a big variance in condition. Pictures in an advert can hide a multitude of sins.
I actually find it fun but it can be frustrating travelling 200 miles to ANOTHER shed.
I should take a dictionary with me to show them the definition of excellent.
MTR
Go and look at a few private cars and you will see a big variance in condition. Pictures in an advert can hide a multitude of sins.
I actually find it fun but it can be frustrating travelling 200 miles to ANOTHER shed.
I should take a dictionary with me to show them the definition of excellent.
MTR
JulesV said:
Its a Stevie wonder specced car, Why would anyone want to drive around in a car with an interior thats the same colour as the Angel Delight your mum had in the cupboard that stayed there for years cos it looked yucky.
You will have difficulty punting it on when the times comes.
Vixpy1 said:
JulesV said:
Its a Stevie wonder specced car, Why would anyone want to drive around in a car with an interior thats the same colour as the Angel Delight your mum had in the cupboard that stayed there for years cos it looked yucky.
You will have difficulty punting it on when the times comes.
I like it but I accept that other will not. Like everything, it is all down to price. If it could be bought for less then I don't mind selling it for less. But, I am not convinced that I would be buying it for less, hence my original question as to whether it seemed a fair price or not. My last umpteen cars have had a black interior. I thought this might make a change.
mollytherocker said:
I always go and inspect myself first (Following an indepth phone call to confirm the basics). Its an emotional purchase after all, so you need to like it.
Go and look at a few private cars and you will see a big variance in condition. Pictures in an advert can hide a multitude of sins.
I actually find it fun but it can be frustrating travelling 200 miles to ANOTHER shed.
I should take a dictionary with me to show them the definition of excellent.
MTR
Thank you for the advice. I am sure that you are right, it is though a 500 mile round trip for me.Go and look at a few private cars and you will see a big variance in condition. Pictures in an advert can hide a multitude of sins.
I actually find it fun but it can be frustrating travelling 200 miles to ANOTHER shed.
I should take a dictionary with me to show them the definition of excellent.
MTR
JulesV said:
Funnily enough my business partner also mentioned Stevie Wonder when I showed him the ad.
I like it but I accept that other will not. Like everything, it is all down to price. If it could be bought for less then I don't mind selling it for less. But, I am not convinced that I would be buying it for less, hence my original question as to whether it seemed a fair price or not. My last umpteen cars have had a black interior. I thought this might make a change.
The actual car looks tidy, but the advert is poor. I like it but I accept that other will not. Like everything, it is all down to price. If it could be bought for less then I don't mind selling it for less. But, I am not convinced that I would be buying it for less, hence my original question as to whether it seemed a fair price or not. My last umpteen cars have had a black interior. I thought this might make a change.
Henry-F said:
Hi there Jules. Thanks for the kind words.
Yes, you would be mad to buy blind based on a 3rd party inspection. First things first you need to see the car to make sure you like it and there is nothing obviously wrong.
Then and only then do you throw quite a few hundred pounds at an inspection.
Otherwise you're potentially going to end up hundreds or thousands of pounds out of pocket without a car to show for your money if you end up getting 2 or 3 car's inspected. You also need to see it to put it into perspective overall condition wise.
Hmmm, the above depends on the individual:Yes, you would be mad to buy blind based on a 3rd party inspection. First things first you need to see the car to make sure you like it and there is nothing obviously wrong.
Then and only then do you throw quite a few hundred pounds at an inspection.
Otherwise you're potentially going to end up hundreds or thousands of pounds out of pocket without a car to show for your money if you end up getting 2 or 3 car's inspected. You also need to see it to put it into perspective overall condition wise.
When I was in the market, I was cash
Plus, I don't mind admitting that Peter Morgan could do a far better job of assessing a Porsche than I could.
JulesV said:
Am I mad to negotiate a figure with the owner over the phone and then rely on Peter's inspection or am I being a lazy old git who should drive up to see the car? The trouble is I know I will like it and I still would want to have it inspected.
What do you mean by negotiate? If you haven't seen the car, then you're not really in a good position to do any negotiating.That's not to say you can't make him an offer over the phone based on the cars value compared to similar specc'd cars (which may be what he is selling it for) subject to the inspection not bringing up any issues (which it almost certainly will - this is when you can actually negotiate).
All the best with the search and please keep us updated - it's always interesting to follow the progress of a prospective buyer.
We inspect quite a few cars for clients who don't have the time to see the car first or who are abroad. We take a lot of photos in this situation, but what we can't provide is your very important first impression about the car when you see it in the metal.
The ideal procedure for buying a Porsche is to do your homework on the various specs first, so you've got a rough idea of what you want. Then, if you have the time, go and see a few cars. The independent dealers are the best place to start because you will be able to look at several cars together and get a better feel for what you want.
Seeing the car yourself can answer so many basic questions that you will have. For some just driving a Porsche for the first time also reveals that it isn't actually what they were hoping for, either from a practicality or driving viewpoint.
A simple walk around can give you negatives that you don't need an expert to tell you (colour, scruffy body or wheels, worn/dirty interior, no service history, etc) and that can save you further time and money.
When you've found a car you think is the one for you, that's the point to call in an expert with the right diagnostic equipment and model experience to do a full technical check. That should reveal any fundamental showstoppers or issues that could consume immediate and unexpected cash.
You shouldn't have to travel across the country to find the right 996. At the present time I would also add that it is a strong buyers' market, so now's the time to find that Porsche you've always promised yourself!
The ideal procedure for buying a Porsche is to do your homework on the various specs first, so you've got a rough idea of what you want. Then, if you have the time, go and see a few cars. The independent dealers are the best place to start because you will be able to look at several cars together and get a better feel for what you want.
Seeing the car yourself can answer so many basic questions that you will have. For some just driving a Porsche for the first time also reveals that it isn't actually what they were hoping for, either from a practicality or driving viewpoint.
A simple walk around can give you negatives that you don't need an expert to tell you (colour, scruffy body or wheels, worn/dirty interior, no service history, etc) and that can save you further time and money.
When you've found a car you think is the one for you, that's the point to call in an expert with the right diagnostic equipment and model experience to do a full technical check. That should reveal any fundamental showstoppers or issues that could consume immediate and unexpected cash.
You shouldn't have to travel across the country to find the right 996. At the present time I would also add that it is a strong buyers' market, so now's the time to find that Porsche you've always promised yourself!
In order:
- view
- drive (if possible)
- have inspection
- negotiate price.
Alternatively:
- have inspection
- view and be prepared to walk away and write off the inspection costs before even opening negotiations.
That's not a Savannah interior. Savannah is more yellow. I think Porticraft have a savannah interior 996 on their website atm. That may be cinnamon. It's certainly one of those colours that is difficult to photograph accurately with a digital camera. You'd want to look at it in person.
- view
- drive (if possible)
- have inspection
- negotiate price.
Alternatively:
- have inspection
- view and be prepared to walk away and write off the inspection costs before even opening negotiations.
That's not a Savannah interior. Savannah is more yellow. I think Porticraft have a savannah interior 996 on their website atm. That may be cinnamon. It's certainly one of those colours that is difficult to photograph accurately with a digital camera. You'd want to look at it in person.
Some great advice already in this thread. As a fellow buyer who's been watching the market for a while I'd say it's quite pricey considering the interior colour and no satnav (people apparently do care about this!). The only thing going for it is the ultra low mileage and presumably matching showroom condition (not a given though, just an assumption without viewing). Advert is poor which suggests the owner couldn't be arsed making an effort to write a proper ad. Not a good sign in my book but not a show stopper on its own.
Have you valued it on Parkers, What Car, Glasses etc yet with mileage correction (as a very rough guide every 10K miles drops approx £1K off book prices) and options spec? It's worth a few quid to get the trade/retail values etc and then knock off at least another £1,500 for the interior colour choice (which looks considerably darker than Savannah in the photos). What else is being offered for sale at this price privately? You've been to 911V so you must know what Indy dealers are asking for similar cars.
Have you valued it on Parkers, What Car, Glasses etc yet with mileage correction (as a very rough guide every 10K miles drops approx £1K off book prices) and options spec? It's worth a few quid to get the trade/retail values etc and then knock off at least another £1,500 for the interior colour choice (which looks considerably darker than Savannah in the photos). What else is being offered for sale at this price privately? You've been to 911V so you must know what Indy dealers are asking for similar cars.
Greg66 said:
In order:
- view
- drive (if possible)
- have inspection
- negotiate price.
I would add at the very start:-- view
- drive (if possible)
- have inspection
- negotiate price.
- work out the maximum price that you are prepared to pay for the car if everything turns out to be as good as it looks. If this max figure is less than the asking price then you may as well be upfront with the owner to avoid a load of time wasting. Then follow on as above with a final negotiation at the end when you have all the relevant info.
I couldn't live with that interior. Obviously the fact that the car exists means there's at least one person who thought it looked good but if you're worried about resale, it might be hard to shift. Don't get me wrong, I think black/black is pretty boring but it is popular so you know you can get rid easily as and when you feel like a change.
I've lost touch with prices since I sold mine but what about something like this:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3210965.htm
It's a popular spec, has the reassurance of a Hartech rebuild and doesn't have excessively high mileage. No idea if it represents good value for money but given the choice of the car with the terracotta interior or the one in the link above, I'd take the latter.
There's a C4S in budget here too:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3240320.htm
I've lost touch with prices since I sold mine but what about something like this:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3210965.htm
It's a popular spec, has the reassurance of a Hartech rebuild and doesn't have excessively high mileage. No idea if it represents good value for money but given the choice of the car with the terracotta interior or the one in the link above, I'd take the latter.
There's a C4S in budget here too:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3240320.htm
Edited by Risotto on Wednesday 21st September 13:07
Risotto said:
Looks good value that one, especially as he's open to offers. Also advertised on the PCGB website so the owner is likely to be a proper enthusiast. Don't think this car will be around for long.Gassing Station | Porsche General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff