I probably would never buy from CarMax but I consider them a good baromoter on prices... the HIGH side of prices. Here's an '05 C2, coupe, 27k miles, for $39,998. No negotiating down from there but still it shows you what you can do for an easy purchase.

http://www.carmax.com/enus/view-car/...8-162b61cdf422

They have a couple of '02's for sale (one coupe and one cab) for around $34k with low miles.

In my experience a person can always buy a comparable car from a private party for 10-15% less than CarMax as a general rule.

 

Hey Larry,
Thanks for your feedback. I believe you are spot on with your assessment. I am finding 02s with low miles for around $30k which would be in the 10-15% less than CarMax price range.

 

Be patient. You should not have to go to Minnesota to but a 996. And you don't want to buy any car that spent time in Minnesota period. FWIW, my 2001 C2 (no aero kit) had just under 31,000 miles on it when I bought it a year and a half ago. It was at a Honda dealership in NJ and I got them down to $22,500.

Again, be patient. And since there a lot of these cars out there, lowball, see if anyone bites, and if not, move on to the next one.

 

Be patient is the best advice you can get. I am in Raleigh as well, and early model 996's do become available locally from time to time. There are a couple of good independent mechanics around who can do the PPI, and it is VERY valuable to be able to talk to the mechanic face to face and even have a look under the car yourself, rather than just reading a report.

Also, be sure to ask whether the car has received an upgraded RMS and IMS. If not, consider planning for that expense when you replace the clutch (not a huge extra cost once the transmission is off).

One question about the car you are looking at - does it have 37k miles (per your original post) or 87k? That would make a huge difference in price point.

 

Hey,
Thanks for the advice. The car has 34,500 miles on it.

 

From my experience I'd say stick with a car that see's no less than 4500-5000 non track miles a year. More than that will probably have transmission problems soon and less than that may have leaks and seal problems.

 

I just bought an 01 996 for 25K. Has MANY upgrades that total quite a bit. I just had the car serviced and it had no codes and looked good. BUT, I don't know if the previous owner had the IMS bearing replaced? The previous owner before him is on this site as Russcan and adverised this car on this site. I found it by fluke. I can't IM him yet as the site says I don't have enough posts. I would just like to ask on the clutch, IMS upgrade and any other service questions. The car has 71,000 on it now and seems to run really smooth and fast. I would just like some back ground "mechanical" questions answered so I know what to do on my next big services. Anyone know how I can contact Russcan? Thanks very much.

 

Check south Florida prices are a bit lower based upon my experience. Aero kit cars are a but harder to find also.

 

I ended up buying the car from MN. PPI came back clear (got the PPI done by a Porsche dealership). I have been enjoying the car for a month now and it is absolutely in great condition. I was also able to get the price down (OTD) to $29,000 including shipping.

 

lets see some pics Bat.

 

Price is good for a 01 Clean w/ Aero Kit. Bought mine in late august, and I spent 4 months searching. Aero's are impossible to find, but they do look a million times better then standard cars. Spent 27000.00 from a guy in KY from Craigslist. Father & Sons here in Ma cleared w/ flying colors and a tech offered to buy it for 29& change....Pay no attention to proclaimed repair problems since they all cost an arm and leg no matter. Glad you bought on what you liked!!!!

 

Thanks Jason

 

I just picked up a Guards Red 2001 996 C2 with 49K for $22500. It is 1000 miles away. I was amazed on how much pricing fluctuated in different parts of the country.

 

Congrats Matthew. Post some pics. The car is a lot of fun to drive. Enjoy

 

I am always amazed at how many great deals there are if one is not looking. Once you start looking they seems to vanish.. What's with that