RaceCarDriver

After 6 months of searching, I've narrowed it down to three cars. Of course I will do ppi when I decide on one. they are all coupes.

they are in no particular order:

1. 2002 911 - CPO car, 23k miles, $50k. very few options, no leather, no bose, but my favorite color.

2. 2002 911 - No warranty, 35k miles, fully loaded with all the options I want (full leather, bose, cd changer) but my second favorite color (a distant second to my favorite color above). Price $46k, I think I could nego down to $45k, and buy a aftermarket warranty for about 3k for a total of $48k.

3. 2002 911 C4S - No warranty, 48k miles, $52k, my favorite color. Would have to buy an afermarket warranty for about $4-5k making total cost $56-57k.

Which would you choose and why?

All seem like great cars, of course I want the best car for the least $$$

thanks

Glenn

SANDOVAL

If it is within your budget C4S. C2's are cool but the C4S is SEXY!

djantlive

will you drive it in winter? if so, you should get awd. otherwise, i'd go with first one since it's your fav color and lowest mileage car with warranty. you can upgrade stereo etc. price on c4s seems high for a higher mileage car which tells me it's driven in winter.

phwang20

If you'll be satisfied w/ the C4S and drive it for many, many years then get it. If you're like me and wish you had a TT or GT2, then don't spend the extra on C4S. Save the $10K and buy the car you want after you get tired of the one you're thinking of buying now.

I'm not sure if that makes sense. If you'll be happy with C4S, then the extra $10 is worth happiness and I'd recommend getting the C4S. If that happiness lasts 8 months and turns into..."should've saved up and gotten a TT..." then don't buy the C4S. =)

lowside67

the first car doesn't even have LEATHER?!? that'd be a dealkiller for me.

djantlive

most carerra do not have full leather. standard leather covers seats, door inserts, shift ***** and brake handle.

Palting

Remember that the 4S comes standard with items that would be optional is a C2. These include full leather, sport suspension, upgraded brakes, wider 18" wheels and tires. Then there are the things that make a 4s a 4s: AWD, wider track, wide body, turbo front/rear.

Are these worth the price difference for you? They were for me when I bought mine new.

washington dc porsche

+1

No Leather = No way!

Phil G.

I love the C4S for the reasons Palting pointed out. I have an '04 C4S coupe, so I'm biased. You're talking about significant $$ for any of these cars, and it doesn't sound like you're really in love with any of them. Be patient, keep searching - when you find the one that is really right for you - model/color/options/price, you'll know it. Good luck.

Phil

pongobaz

C4S all the way! Full leather, turbo brakes & suspension, AWD, wide hips, etc... It's one of the most desirable 996's and that will certainly help out with values down the road. I don't know about buying an aftermarket warranty since most don't cover seals and the main problem you (might) have is a leaky RMS. IMHO, put the extra $4-5K in the bank as a self-warranty fund should you need it.

TT Surgeon

Hell, I'll sell you mine!

Dutchie in NC

Don't compromise... it's a lot of money, so get the color and options that you want.

- I wouldn't buy the first car, since it doesn't have the options you want
- Definitely wouldn't buy the 2nd car, since it's not the color you want (and you mentioned it's a distant second color wise)
- Third car has too many miles and you're paying for something you don't realy need/want (being a C4S)

All in all, I would wait until the car that you really want comes by. Took me a good 4+ months as well, and there were many times I was frustrated and almost bought a car that was not perfect. I'm really happy I waited until the (in my mind) perfect car came by... the long wait/search was totally worth it!

smackboy1

The prices seem pretty close (factoring in options) so I would ignore that for now. If I were you, make a list of which options are important to you in order of priority. Consider which options can be added aftermarket e.g. suspension, stereo, and which cannot e.g. AWD. Then make your decision.

Some good aftermarket warranties cover seals (my RMS is being replaced courtesy of Warranty Direct as we speak). Keep in mind some things are never covered by any warranty e.g. bad paint, prior crash damage, wear and tear.

For the coin you are about to drop, buy the car you want, not the best deal on the car you hate the least. Good luck, and post pictures!

RaceCarDriver

I have an 2005 Audi S4 as a daily driver, this would just be a weekend car

RaceCarDriver

I usually only keep a car for about 2 yrs (that's why I buy used) so resale value 2 yrs from now would be important to me. Don't want to over pay and take a big loss when I sell. For example, i bought my 2002 Z06 three years ago for $32k with 12k miles on it and sold it last week, three years later for $29k with 32k miles on it. I know the 996 will depreciate more.