I had a Cayman S that was unfortunately totaled in a head on with Bambie...so now in the market for a Carrera

Found an '06 C2 with 19" wheels/Bose/heated seats/bi-xenon/6MT/autodim mirrors/wheel spacers/stainless steel exhaust/CD cahnger/a bunch of other little stuff with 35K miles, No Navi or power seats (which I don't care about). Got him down to $41000. 2 owner car. No OEM warranty left.

Does that sound like a good deal? Going for PPI at local dealer this week. What should I ask the Porsche dealer to look for? he is charging me $200 for the inspection stating it's the same as the "CPO" inspection and very thorough including DME scan.

The car has a quite a few paint chips on the lower front bumper based on the pics..but according to the seller- no accidents, clean CARFAX/Autocheck for whatever that is worth. Should I be concerned about the chips..or is it common for Porsche paint to be "soft" leading to more chips.

Also...anyone recommend an extended warranty company out there?
If all goes well....should have the car next week
Please help if you can! TIA.

 

sounds like a very fair deal to me - would recommend that you take it to a mechanic you really trust (or the local Porsche dealer) for a prepurchase inspection (cost about $300, but should be worth it)

 

Rock chips are very common as these cars sit low to the ground just like your Cayman. A good respray of the bumper cover will run ~ $750 and you might want to have a clear bra put on afterwards. A PPI inspection should be pretty thorough - definitely look in the DME scan for any over-revs above level 3. Also have the service mgr pull all history they can for vehicle to look for trouble/recurring repairs/services needed. This may point them into looking at something more completely too. Otherwise, it's the basic stuff: looking for accident damage, brake wear, paint rework, tire tread, pending codes, blah blah blah and RMS weeping. A clean carfax ONLY means nothing was REPORTED - it certainly doesn't mean nothing happened. So, take it w/ a tiny grain of salt - unless something does show up, then be suspect.

As for warranty, many aftermkt warranty companies aren't worth the paper they're written on. Might be better to just self fund. If you insist on one, do serious background checks - even if dealer is offering. Having said that, if you know the dealer service mgr well, why not see if they can run the title thru there and get the car CPO'd? You'll have a tough time (if at all possible) beating the Porsche CPO warranty w/ anything after market.

It'll usually run about $2-2.5k for the CPO plus any repairs needed (new tires, brakes, etc..) and another $1k for paperwork processing. Not all dealers will do this but I'd recommend asking very very nicely. If seller is buying a new car thru the dealer, they'll likely get a sales tax break too (depending on state).

Good luck

 

sounds like a fair deal. Even if you find a few small flaws, the price is not bad and can save you some $ for later use and repairs. You can never be 100% sure, but a good look through from a good mechanic, and a few really long drives will tell you a lot about the car.

Make sure the clutch feels smooth. All electronics work (those can be expensive to replace), parts/tools in the trunk are there, wheel lock key (don't want to be without that), spoiler movement is smooth and not noisy. Any of these should be a price negotiation point.

Even if you find a weeping RMS area (bell housing at the engine block), you might want to not pass up the deal. You could have an RMS that shows a tiny bit of oil at the transmission, but never drips on the ground for years. You never can tell if it is the IMS, but I've heard the IMS is pretty rare these days.

You can look for evidence of a ton of oil spray under the car that may have been cleaned up for sale. 35k miles is a good low-ish mileage car, and the price seem fair.

 

Thanks for the responses. How does the dealer check for IMS/RMS failures? Drop the engine!

 

The price sound right. One way to check for potential IMS is to cut the oil filter open and look for debris. You can also run a magnet through it.

 

Sorry to be a *****, but sounds high to me for a pretty basic soon to be 6 year old C2 with 35,000. For 41k I'd expect it to be PERFECT and no more than 25 on the odometer. While I'm partial to 911's I'm looking for a decent used Cayman that I can put a TPC turbo on; ever consider that?

 

I agree the price may be a bit high...I have looked everywhere and I cannot find a 997 (06+) selling for <$40K..unless it has >50K miles and a bad Carfax/accident history.
The car is "basic" but it has all the options I would like except for Sport Chrono and Sport steering wheel/seats.

There are not too many cars out there....the Porsche CPO '06 are asking for at or above $50K!! I called a lot of dealers...most don't want to negotiate at all stating it's the "sports car season" and they WILL get a buyer at their ridiculous asking prices!
I haven't signed on the dotted line yet...let's see what the PPI shows.

 

Sounds like a fair price, and a lot of car for the money. Others can chime in better than me on an after-market warranty. Good job setting up a thorough PPI; if the dealer truly "mirrors" the cpo process, then they'll confirm the lack of accident damage.

For some reason, it seems there are big differences in price between 05s and 08s, even though the models are essentially the same. I've had my 07 C2 for a couple of weeks now and paid $10k higher than your deal, but it's a year newer with a third of the mileage and 2-year CPO coverage.

Good luck with the transaction and let us know how it goes. Very exciting, isn't it!?

 

Those issues were more prevelant on the 2005s, since yours is a 2006 you should be fine. A TON of info on this site, search IMS or RMS. Good luck.

 

Price seems very competitive to me. Get a PPI and if it checks out I'm not sure I would pay for the extended unless it helps you enjoy the car better. See you at PCA Potomac events!

 

All things being equal there is a 3K difference between model years with the exception of the jump to the next version model year i.e., 997.1 to 997.2. If tires are new, then that saves you $1000 - $1500. Check for any outstanding TSBs (alternator cable, ac vents, door cable harness, exhaust tips, etc...All negotiating points downward. Keep track of the car, the car market is weak right now, especially when most are looking to finance with the dealer.You can always call the seller back after a few mos and negotiate.

 

I was very excited to buy my first Porsche, and I was looking into the 997 C2S. Now that I read all the RMS and IMS issues I don't know what to do. I've been dreaming about owning a Porsche since I was a child.

I might just go for an M3 or S4... But I will never get away from that "What if..." feeling.

 

Don't believe the hype. Sure you can find anecdotal evidence of problems, but they are increasingly rare. Based on my research, there is not much of a risk starting with the late 2005 builds (model year 2006 on). I've got no worries with my '07 C2.

To paraphrase an old-school Porsche mechanic quoted in (I think) Zimmerman's buying guide to 911s, "It's a Porsche, of course it's gonna leak oil."

Now, I'll sit back and see what my cohorts have to say ...

 

What should you do? Buy the Porsche. If you look at overall reliability ratings, P-cars are consistently near the top. The RMS and IMS issues are not an issue you should worry about. Read the below from Consumer Reports comparing P-cars vs. BMW's vs. Audi. Don't get me wrong, I love M3s and S4s but don't make your choice because of perceived reliability....http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...y-findings.htm
Most reliable cars
GM makes big strides but has a long way to go

Last reviewed: April 2011
Research Reliability Ratings for 2011 models by category (available to subscribers). Learn more about reliability and owner satisfaction.



While Honda and Toyota still dominate in reliability, General Motors has improved considerably in our latest predicted-reliability Ratings. Those are the findings of our 2010 Annual Auto Survey, based on subscribers' experiences with 1.3 million vehicles.
While some GM nameplates had been among the least reliable brands in past years, they now rank above some major European competitors. But as a company, GM is still far from tops in reliability.
Across GM brands (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC), 69 percent of models had average or better reliability. Cadillac improved the most, rising seven places from last year's ranking. Chevrolet had its best showing in years; 83 percent of models had average or better scores in predicted reliability, up from 50 percent. Also noteworthy:

• The major Asian brands are still doing well overall. All models from Acura, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Scion, and Toyota have at least average predicted reliability.
• Ford continues to be the most reliable American automaker. Ninety percent of Fords, including Lincoln models, have at least average reliability.
• Chrysler remains the lowest-ranked manufacturer in our survey. We can recommend only one of its vehicles, the four wheel-drive Dodge Ram 1500.
• While European reliability had been improving, momentum seems to have stalled. All Porsche and Volvo models are rated average or better. But Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz are among the worst automakers overall.
• The Porsche Boxster has the best predicted reliability in our survey, while the Audi A6 3.0T and Jaguar XF have the worst.