what do you think it is worth?

[ericinboca]

I took a look at a 2003 996 C4S at the local mercedes dealer this morning. The car only has 5600 miles on it, and is new to their lot. They haven;t even washed it since they got it from previous owner. Previous owner traded it in for a Benz. I hope to talk to the previous owner to understand his/her expereince.

I went through the car in excrutiating detail, and am skilled enough from maintaining and fixing my 986S race car to feel confindent in assessing it as mechanically sound.

I could only find two problems:

* the black paint has light swirl marks from a buffer

* there is a minor alignment issue - toe I believe, as it pulls slightly to the right - I am comfortable it is alignment and not something broken in the suspension

With these two exceptions, the car is like it is brand new. It was pretty amazing.

They are listing it at $45901.

Edmunds, with the options added, is coming in for dealer retail in outstanding condition, $38386; and clean at $36175.

Anyone have recent experience? Interested in opinions on how much you guys think it is worth.

[Irishjohn74]

I don't know if its the same car but there is one on EBAY in pompano FL with the same mileage (being sold from a M-benz dealer). The car looks clean in the ebay listing Item number: 370314121378. Current bid is up to $36087

I bought an 03 C4S a couple of months ago. 40K miles with 1 previous owner for $36000. Car came with PCCB installed, GT techno wheels, navigation, Bose, CD changer, heated seats, Xenons, sports seats, factory sports exhaust. i have put about 3K miles on it and love it.

[phillipj]

03's are plentiful in the used market. Take a look at private parties. You should be able to find a perfect example of an 03 4S for less.

:cheers:

Wow sorry Eric... I just saw how few miles are on it... This could be a bad thing or a good thing...As you know these M96 engines like to be driven. It seems that many engine issues come from cars that were rarely driven (like this example.)

Has the oil ever been changed? :rolleyes:

Does it have a warranty?. If not will they offer one?

The prices of 2006 997 S Carrera's are falling quite a bit. You can find a low mileage example for around $50k. If you're into that...

Edited January 5, 2010 by phillipj

[ericinboca]

I don't know if its the same car but there is one on EBAY in pompano FL with the same mileage (being sold from a M-benz dealer). The car looks clean in the ebay listing Item number: 370314121378. Current bid is up to $36087

I bought an 03 C4S a couple of months ago. 40K miles with 1 previous owner for $36000. Car came with PCCB installed, GT techno wheels, navigation, Bose, CD changer, heated seats, Xenons, sports seats, factory sports exhaust. i have put about 3K miles on it and love it.

Good eye - that is indeed the car I looked at.

[rockjock]

Funny-I traded in my Benz (C55) for an 04 C4S-local owner-30k miles on it-stored it every winter. Blew up 5 days after I took it-got a new motor in 3 weeks-the one thing I've learned with a 996 (so far) is that if it hasnt been driven-I'd walk....but def a low mile find!

[carrera3.2]

I bought my pristine 2003 C2 in August with less than 36K miles on it for $32K. It was out of warranty, but had had both the IMS and RMS replaced under warranty with the latest updates. I imagine a C4 with such low mileage would be worth more.

However, unless it comes with a warranty, I would be a little anxious because many of these seal issues seem not to show up on these cars until they have 20-30K miles on them.

[phillipj]

I bought my pristine 2003 C2 in August with less than 36K miles on it for $32K. It was out of warranty, but had had both the IMS and RMS replaced under warranty with the latest updates. I imagine a C4 with such low mileage would be worth more.

However, unless it comes with a warranty, I would be a little anxious because many of these seal issues seem not to show up on these cars until they have 20-30K miles on them.

+1 on the warranty!

[Ross1]

I could only find two problems:

* the black paint has light swirl marks from a buffer

* there is a minor alignment issue - toe I believe, as it pulls slightly to the right - I am comfortable it is alignment and not something broken in the suspension

Hmmm! I'd take a closer look at the front end for possible collision repair. It seems like pretty low miles to have alignment problems. Also, why would they run a buffer on a car that has been used so little unless the body shop did it. I would definitely try to talk with the previous owner. You don't want a crooked car!

[carrera3.2]

I could only find two problems:

* the black paint has light swirl marks from a buffer

* there is a minor alignment issue - toe I believe, as it pulls slightly to the right - I am comfortable it is alignment and not something broken in the suspension

Hmmm! I'd take a closer look at the front end for possible collision repair. It seems like pretty low miles to have alignment problems. Also, why would they run a buffer on a car that has been used so little unless the body shop did it. I would definitely try to talk with the previous owner. You don't want a crooked car!

That is a good idea! I had a PPI run on my car before I bought it. It was performed by the Chair of the National Technical Committee of the PCA. It was the best $250 insurance policy inverstment I made. Be sure to run a Carfax on this car and have all of the fault codes read out (using something more advanced than what is available at Autozone). You also want all of the historical service records you can get on this car. If the previous owner doesn't have them, then ask the seller where they are.

[rrspikemarty]

I took a look at a 2003 996 C4S at the local mercedes dealer this morning. The car only has 5600 miles on it, and is new to their lot. They haven;t even washed it since they got it from previous owner. Previous owner traded it in for a Benz. I hope to talk to the previous owner to understand his/her expereince.

I went through the car in excrutiating detail, and am skilled enough from maintaining and fixing my 986S race car to feel confindent in assessing it as mechanically sound.

I could only find two problems:

* the black paint has light swirl marks from a buffer

* there is a minor alignment issue - toe I believe, as it pulls slightly to the right - I am comfortable it is alignment and not something broken in the suspension

With these two exceptions, the car is like it is brand new. It was pretty amazing.

They are listing it at $45901.

Edmunds, with the options added, is coming in for dealer retail in outstanding condition, $38386; and clean at $36175.

Anyone have recent experience? Interested in opinions on how much you guys think it is worth.

might be worth checking to make sure all numbers are in synch - engine number with chassis number and VIN, etc. Do the tyres show the wear pattern you would expect from steering that pulls to the right?

Might also be good to know if the 5,600 miles are track miles, or "trips to the corner store". Get the read-out from the OBC for stage 1 and 2 ignitions. I would also zero in on the 'hours driven' reported by the OBC for this car. The low mileage may be a total red herring, if the hours driven is 60-65 or less, for example.

If a bona fide car, sounds like a steal for the ebay current bid, not such a steal for the dealer listing price. If everything checks out on the car/previous owner opens up, you should be able to negotiate the price to close to Edmunds dealer. I would imagine the Merc dealer has no use for a 7 year-old p-car taking up space on his lot. Why would a dealer show a luxury car with a misaligned front-end and obvious to anyone who drives it? It's pretty clear they are looking to move it without putting in any investment to clean it up (e.g. detailing, alignment, etc), and are prepared to drop the price.

[01vdpsc]

For that kind of money I would go buy a turbo with some miles and be glad to have the power and engine with a history of being reliable.

[vette67]

I was on autotrader.com last night. If I remember correctly, there are 9 2003 Carreras advertised in autotrader in Atlanta currently. Average asking price is $35K. Average mileage is 45K.

I wouldnt pay a 10K premium for a car with low mileage.

PS. I thought the RMS issue was resolved before the MY2003 cars were built?

Edited January 16, 2010 by vette67

[fpb111]

My 2003 cab has had the RMS issue "resolved" 2 times and we are heading for a third.

[ratdog33!]

Hey guys. Just joined and am learning a lot for all the posts. I just bought a 2003 C4 6 speed cab with 68000 miles for $25k. It had most of the records and a recent mechanical inspection. I hope this turns out to a great experience. so far so good.