Looking at first 996

T8 · 21 Feb 2019

heed said:
The long and short of it was when I said I would be looking to get an indy PPI the dealer was borderline angry and literally banged his desk, muttering "right well the car is as good as sold now". It put me right off. I was also accused of "treating it like too much of a science" by looking to get an inspection.

I walked away and the car was sold to someone sight unseen later in the day. I think I did the right thing.

I think you did the right thing too. There's plenty of other cars out there. :thumb:

sportsandclassic · 21 Feb 2019

You say you are after a 4s.....

We have one for sale.. http://sportsandclassic.com/cars-for-sale/

Alex · 21 Feb 2019

sportsandclassic said:
You say you are after a 4s.....

We have one for sale.. http://sportsandclassic.com/cars-for-sale/

That's a seriously nice example Mike. :thumbs:

HSC911 · 22 Feb 2019

heed said:
I went to look at a 40th Anniversary 996 this morning. I'm actually on the hunt for a C4S but the 40th car piqued my interest for sure

Nice!

heed said:
The long and short of it was when I said I would be looking to get an indy PPI the dealer was borderline angry and literally banged his desk, muttering "right well the car is as good as sold now". It put me right off. I was also accused of "treating it like too much of a science" by looking to get an inspection

:bandit:

Who was the dealer :dont know:

And :welcome:

:thumb:

Steve Gom · 22 Feb 2019

Heed - exhausts are a consumable. Those Top Gear units mentioned by Alex are good value and made by a company with a good reputation. They do a switchable set for £950 which are similar to the hugely expensive PSE.

Good luck with your search, the availability of stock is like to increase as we move into Spring. Just be patient to ensure you get the car for you want but don't be put off by a car needing some work, as long at its not a full engine rebuild.

Griffter · 22 Feb 2019

That 40th Anniversary presents as disappointingly typical of an unloved car. That's not to say it's bad per se, but my guess is it's only had money spent when needed, out of necessity, rather than preventatively out of interest.

It's surprising that the dealer hasn't spent a bit of time prepping the car better, but maybe he's good at what he does - he's sold it after all. Generally though, that reaction to requesting a PPI suggests he's hiding something, or he doesn't understand what he's selling.

Anyway you've looked at the right things and asked the right questions. Your second and subsequent viewings will establish benchmarks which will increase your confidence as pointed out above. You've used your phone well; the one thing I use when looking at a car is a torch. Can reveal a multitude of sins!

paulstevens64 · 22 Feb 2019

Hi Heed,

If you are looking for a C4S mine is currently for sale at Portiacraft. Silver with Boxter Leather. Have a look is has been a great car, and been well looked after.

New switchable Top Gear 2018 and £3k suspension refresh 2018.

Paul

Hooner · 22 Feb 2019

Hi Heed, I'd like to echo just what Griffter has said on that one, i can't see why people buy cars blind but it seems thats why it's sold. Roll on the next viewing :thumb:

Dammit · 22 Feb 2019

Depends on what the buyer is prepared for I think- they might just want an anniversary model/X51 and are prepared to throw 5-10k at whatever they find.

Of course, using a PPI to both gain an understanding of what tasks are required and to beat the dealer down a little would be what I'd do.

heed · 22 Feb 2019

Thanks for the updates.

Alex - everything you said makes sense. Yeah must be just a grommit.

You say you are after a 4s.....

Too far away I'm afraid. Gonna be patient and stay relatively local to the south.

Heed - exhausts are a consumable. Those Top Gear units mentioned by Alex are good value and made by a company with a good reputation. They do a switchable set for £950 which are similar to the hugely expensive PSE.

Yep. Now I know to try and wangle £££ off if I see similar exhaust boxes on another one.

That 40th Anniversary presents as disappointingly typical of an unloved car. That's not to say it's bad per se, but my guess is it's only had money spent when needed, out of necessity, rather than preventatively out of interest.

Funnily enough I was told on the phone the exact opposite by the dealer"”that it was probably the best example of an anniversary I would find :?:

Hi Heed,

If you are looking for a C4S mine is currently for sale at Portiacraft. Silver with Boxter Leather.

Hi Paul, yes I have looked at that one a few times online recently. I don't think I can get on with the Boxter interior though! If it had a dark interior I would already have taken it for a drive by now

wasz · 22 Feb 2019

heed said:
Here is something else I'd like to understand better... These bolts look suspiciously clean and new. What work was likely done here? Or maybe they're just away from the elements?

These new bolts are a good thing, unless you enjoy spending 12 hours on your back with a drill getting swarf in your eyes.

It means the manifolds have been off, would be nice to know why, usually head work or engine rebuild but may just have been a fastidious owner.

These cars must be a nightmare to sell, buyers umming and aahing and then faff dealing with PPI etc. that are just setup to find a long list of faults to chip you down with.

If I was a dealer I would only sell cars that want for nothing at top price.

And on reflection those are probably the best cars to buy unless you enjoy crawling around under cars as a hobby, or are best friends with a mechanic.

Robertb · 22 Feb 2019

That 4S at S&C looks well worth considering... lovely colour combo, peace of mind from the engine work, clutch, top mounts, brake lines... big plus.

Maybe one of the local Northern members could do a recce for you, see if its worth a trip?

sportsandclassic · 22 Feb 2019

wasz said:
These cars must be a nightmare to sell, buyers umming and aahing and then faff dealing with PPI etc. that are just setup to find a long list of faults to chip you down with.

If I was a dealer I would only sell cars that want for nothing at top price.

We have just started to sell a few cars and will ONLY sell the best examples.
The 4S we have has had an engine rebuild due to liner damage. This has got to be a huge benefit to the next owner. No silly steel liners or experimental liner. The work as always with our liner work is sub-contracted to Hartech and we build the engine.

When buying a car from us we have no showroom or fancy customer facilities we have a very clean well run Porsche workshop and would rather someone wanted to poke around on a ramp for an hour and take a look where all their hard earned cash is going.

Anyone that has bought a Porsche from me personally would know they had a well sorted and maintained car as I over prepare them as its how I would want to find a car and very few "dealers" meet this high standard.

As for cars being too far away - you can spend so long looking at cars that you waste a lot of time and money. Ideally finding a local car is easier and quicker all round but I would drive to the other side of the country for the right car.

sportsandclassic · 22 Feb 2019

Robertb said:
That 4S at S&C looks well worth considering... lovely colour combo, peace of mind from the engine work, clutch, top mounts, brake lines... big plus.

Maybe one of the local Northern members could do a recce for you, see if its worth a trip?

We have no problem with anyone viewing the car and reporting back.

GMG · 22 Feb 2019

...I am not going to rise to the 'silly steel liners' comment ....but would say to the OP that these cars ,even really nice,clean, well serviced ones, cost a bit to run...

Having spent considerably more than £10k on an engine rebuild in November last year...I have replaced an awkward air con seal in the position that Alex highlighted,both condensers and drier....then a broken coil spring picked up at the MOT last week requiring new springs, top mounts etc from my OPC ! Oh...plus a new exhaust system...

Now I can do my own spannering but even then we are into hundreds...just to bear in mind really....

If you can't do your own work then the bills,as has been discussed on this forum, can be sobering even for basic repairs such as those that I have highlighted above...

Looking at first 996

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