Porsche 911 2001+ Under £18k Which One?

Hi,

I'm new to the site and I've been looking on autotrader and eBay for a second hand Porsche 911. I'm looking for one with under £55k miles, 2001+, 4 seats etc.

I know it won't be possible but one which is the most economical - mpg would be a bonus.
I've been told to avoid turbo's for that reason.

From what I've read 3.4 Carrera Coupe is the one to go for however is there anything further I should look for in relation to the spec, full service history etc before buying?

Thanks in advance.

G

puthsardarade said:

Hi,

I'm new to the site and I've been looking on autotrader and eBay for a second hand Porsche 911. I'm looking for one with under £55k miles, 2001+, 4 seats etc.

I know it won't be possible but one which is the most economical - mpg would be a bonus.
I've been told to avoid turbo's for that reason.

From what I've read 3.4 Carrera Coupe is the one to go for however is there anything further I should look for in relation to the spec, full service history etc before buying?

Thanks in advance.

G

Click to expand...

I'm not being funny but are you sure that a 911 is for you?

Seriously I doubt that you will find a decent 2001 car with under 55k miles and fpsh for under £18k. Any that you do find will almost certainly need some extra money spending on them soon.

If the 4 seats thing means that you want to take 2 people in the back they'd better be pretty small and if you want economy drive like a 90 year old and you might better 25mpg.

There's loads of old posts on here about what to watch out for when buying so I won't rehash anything but please be aware that the cost of buying a 911 is only the start.

Oi!

I've seen 34/35 mpg on a drive down to Devon (with the cruise control on, or gently feathering the throttle and avoiding the brakes, driving like a 90 year old, oh OK, I'll let you off this time).

T8996C4 said:

puthsardarade said:

Hi,

I'm new to the site and I've been looking on autotrader and eBay for a second hand Porsche 911. I'm looking for one with under £55k miles, 2001+, 4 seats etc.

I know it won't be possible but one which is the most economical - mpg would be a bonus.
I've been told to avoid turbo's for that reason.

From what I've read 3.4 Carrera Coupe is the one to go for however is there anything further I should look for in relation to the spec, full service history etc before buying?

Thanks in advance.

G

Click to expand...

I'm not being funny but are you sure that a 911 is for you?

Seriously I doubt that you will find a decent 2001 car with under 55k miles and fpsh for under £18k. Any that you do find will almost certainly need some extra money spending on them soon.

If the 4 seats thing means that you want to take 2 people in the back they'd better be pretty small and if you want economy drive like a 90 year old and you might better 25mpg.

There's loads of old posts on here about what to watch out for when buying so I won't rehash anything but please be aware that the cost of buying a 911 is only the start.

Click to expand...

Hi,
Yes I want a 911 and there are quite a few that appear on autotrader priced between £17-£20k which are 2000 + with under 60k miles.
I realise that servicing etc does cost a lot. I just wanted to try and find out if I should look for any particular 911's which meet the above criteria and what I should look out for when I go to view them? I came across the paid sticky guide I just want general info and I don't need detailed info.

Cheers,
G

Hi G
996 prices are well down, there not selling at the prices stated, there are 3.6's close to your price range now, its almst worth waiting till winter, seriously you could get a facelift for that budget, even if it means slightly higher on miles say 60-70.
I was offered a Targa 3.6 with 60,000 miles FPSH for 18,450 from a dealer, someone else snapped it up. There out there now, loads at 19,995, they wont sell for that.

The 3.6 is a better 911 and your just too close surely to get a 3.4? Think of resale value too.

If you do go ahead, normal checks for any car, the RMS can be a problem, you can see a 996 engine bottom underneath to check for leaks. Im sure your aware of well publicised issues on 996's> Oil in the water/water in the oil, PPI will check this.

3.6 facelift is a much improved car, interior quality well up too. Various engine improvements make probs less likely, wait a bit!

spongebob squarepants said:

Hi G
996 prices are well down, there not selling at the prices stated, there are 3.6's close to your price range now, its almst worth waiting till winter, seriously you could get a facelift for that budget, even if it means slightly higher on miles say 60-70.
I was offered a Targa 3.6 with 60,000 miles FPSH for 18,450 from a dealer, someone else snapped it up. There out there now, loads at 19,995, they wont sell for that.

The 3.6 is a better 911 and your just too close surely to get a 3.4? Think of resale value too.

If you do go ahead, normal checks for any car, the RMS can be a problem, you can see a 996 engine bottom underneath to check for leaks. Im sure your aware of well publicised issues on 996's> Oil in the water/water in the oil, PPI will check this.

3.6 facelift is a much improved car, interior quality well up too. Various engine improvements make probs less likely, wait a bit!

Click to expand...

Hi spongebob squarepants

Thanks for your advice. I'm not in a rush and I'm willing to wait until Winter, xmas. I think you right about 3.6.
So what year is does the facelift model start from?
Any particular spec of 3.6 I should look out for?
Should I avoid the hardtop roofs due to problems that occur?
Re - all the checks - would it be safe from a dealer - or should I get the car independently checked?
4 Seats would be ideal - I realise that the 2 seats will have very little room but it would be useful for short journeys etc.

Thanks,
G

puthsardarade said:

[

I'm not in a rush and I'm willing to wait until Winter, xmas. I think you right about 3.6.
So what year is does the facelift model start from?
Any particular spec of 3.6 I should look out for?
Should I avoid the hardtop roofs due to problems that occur?
Re - all the checks - would it be safe from a dealer - or should I get the car independently checked?
4 Seats would be ideal - I realise that the 2 seats will have very little room but it would be useful for short journeys etc.

Thanks,
G

Click to expand...

At the risk of sounding like a surrogate Dad, take your time choosing and don't compromise on things that shouldn't be compromised on.

It's easy to rush into buying when you've got the finance sorted and have pretty much made your mind up about what you want.

Sorry to be patronising but from your questions it would appear that you have a fair bit more research to do before finding the right car. There's loads of roadtests/features etc that will guide you, but for a kick-off .....

The 3.6 came out at the end of 2001 for the 2002 model year so look at 51 plate or newer.

All non-GT cars have seats in the rear but they are small.

All 3.6 cars have good spec. Options will increase the asking price for the car but aren't always worth having. The right mileage, history and colour combination are (imo) far more important.

I'm not sure what you mean by hardtop roof problems. I'm sure that cars with soft tops and targas have proportionately more problems than those with hard tops (even those with sunroofs).

You'd always be 'safer' buying from a dealer but will have to pay more. If you buy privately you'd be silly not to have a PPI done. Consider budgeting for a warranty.

When buying any used car you'll be lucky if you get away with making no compromises. With a car like a 911 it's safer to only compromise on things like spec and colour. If the condition, mileage and history are ok and you buy it from the right place you're pretty much there.

You might save a bit of money by going for a 'different' colour combination. External colours aren't so much of an issue but there's some interiors out there that often significantly affect value. If you don't mind those colours and take on board the fact that it might make the car more difficult to sell at a later date you could get a real bargain.

Have fun

T8

Don't forget convertibles have slightly smaller effective rear seats.

The seat backs are more vertical than the coupe, due to the hood gubbins behind.

This lack of rack means you loose a couple of inches depth at the top of the seat back.

Certainly sitting bolt upright will do you no favours on a long journey.

Also, don't forget, if you are using a child seat this may have its own fixed back recline design and hence be pushed forward, sitting closer to the front of the seat squab.