HELP. Advice needed

[georgedarroch]

Good morning PCGB members of the 996 arena.
I am looking at
1. 99 996 C4 Manual convertible. No hisotory 80k miles. just had a full Porsche service.
2. 2001 C4 Manual convertible. Full history but CAT D. also had full service. 80k miles

I want a daily driver all seasons. Which one would you buy.??

Heard horror about 99 3.4 engines but have no idea if that is hype or??

Any ideas guys n gals ???

 

[georgedarroch]

I also have a couple of C4 convertible C4 with Tiptronic.
Is the TipT gearbox any good or would i miss out on the driving experience?

 

[Boxstercol]

Personally I would always steer clear of any insurance write off category vehicles. It would be my concern that the repair would be substandard, not something you would really want on a performance car or any car for that matter.

Others will undoubtedly have a different opinion. I'm sure that a 'cat D' status would impact values for resale too.

 

[porscot]

Many people will run from anything that is an insurance write off however that will be reflected in the lower asking price too. Whether it is true or not I am not sure, but I have heard insurance companies will immediately write off a car that has blown any airbag. I have seen cars with very light damage with an airbag gone but others with more damage and no airbags blown. As long as you are buying with your eyes open and maybe have some more information about what was damaged, how long ago, whether it was an official Porsche repairer that repaired it (bear in mind they give lifetime guarantees if the repair is inspected annually). Obviously what you gain in reduced buying price and improved leverage in buying will be lost when you come to sell.
Personally, I would rule out number 1 unless Porsche are able to provide a printout of the service history so filling that huge hole. It may be worth asking the seller to contact the OPC that just serviced it to see what they hold.
Good luck with the search.

Regards

 

[JuliusF]

Remember a Cat D can be a stolen recovered so not necessarily a damaged car. If you are thinking Cat D, get an Indy or RAC inspection - they will be able to tell whether any significant work has been done - I think you can also find out from an advanced HPi search as well.

J

 

[j7agy]

Between the two I would personally avoid the one without service history. I would also want to know why the other example was written off and get a decent inspection done. Good luck, John.