Ridiculous question pondered many times ...

Zingari · 28 Dec 2013

If you dont get a 996 Turbo then I'd get a 997 as the quality of trim is far superior to a stock 996.

Turbo is unbelievable performance for the price plus it has the solid engine and not made out of plastic like some seem to be when bore score attacks cylinder no6 :nooo: 997.1 can suffer a similar fate so go in with your eyes open and if you want reassurance get it on a maintenance plan. Mileage is not a factor for these engine problems - its more a question of bad luck.

(For a balanced view - most don't go pop, we mainly hear about the ones that do which is enough for me if I were to buy a one it would be on a plan. But then again the only 996 for me would be turbo or GT3 :grin: )

kevinbuckley70 · 28 Dec 2013

I would probably go with a maintenance plan in any case. The one by Hartech looks pretty good although I haven't looked around yet. Location could be an issue though - my permanent base is near Oxford but I am currently full time in Edinburgh, for a few months anyway.

The 996 turbo is too close to my budget limit for comfort. Maybe that can be my next upgrade! And this car has to work reliably as it will be my workhorse, not a toy (or as well as a toy ...).

Does the trim in the bottom of the price range, early 997 exceed the quality of the trim in a late 996 at around £20k?

I heard the 996 & 997.1 engines are similar (same?) - do they have the same potential issues? Or is the late 996 (non-turbo) engine better than the 997.1 engine?

Do they have the same service/oil change schedule?

Zingari · 28 Dec 2013

AFAIK the late 996 and 997.1 engine are the same. I think 2yr service plan only came in with 997.

The quality of fittings in 996 and 997 is night and day as it was a total refresh with no obvious carry over. 997.2 is better still but then you're into big money.

I'd aim for a C4S on your budget, or if you only need two seats I'd go for a well specc'd CaymanS

kevinbuckley70 · 29 Dec 2013

I quite like the look of the 996 C4S. So I guess a big question is: is it better to get a good, late 996 near the top of the price bracket (and maybe with money to spare, just in case), or a very early 997.1 at the bottom, on the limit of my budget?

kevinbuckley70 · 29 Dec 2013

Also, I am going to be working in Edinburgh for a while - can anyone recommend an independent dealer in that region? From what I can see, they mostly seem to be in the South.

T8 · 29 Dec 2013

kevinbuckley70 said:
I quite like the look of the 996 C4S. So I guess a big question is: is it better to get a good, late 996 near the top of the price bracket (and maybe with money to spare, just in case), or a very early 997.1 at the bottom, on the limit of my budget?

How much do you actually want to spend on the car?

For £20k you have no real choice = 996C4S

Between £20k and £23k = Which do you prefer, '04 996C4S or '04/'05 997?

£23k = pick from a big choice of 997s, maybe as new as an '06.

Until you view a few nobody can really advise you any further. Although they're mechanically very similar they do look quite different.

kevinbuckley70 · 29 Dec 2013

The budget is £25k. If £23k accesses a decent selection of 997's, that would be quite interesting. Although I wonder where a 2006 997 C4S is on the depreciation curve, compared to a 2004 996.

The next step, in January, is definitely to go look/drive. Although independent dealers around Edinburgh seem few and far between.

ragpicker · 29 Dec 2013

What a lovely dilemma to have! The best bit about buying a new car is this bit, looking, pondering, test driving. Enjoy the search!

For me the 996 C4S is the best looking 911 bar none. This is a personal opinion you understand!

I would say sort your priorities out in terms of options and age, get your heart set on a 997 and then test drive a £23-25k turbo :grin:

I'd lay odds on which one you'd go for.........

MJA911 · 29 Dec 2013

kevinbuckley70 said:
Also, I am going to be working in Edinburgh for a while - can anyone recommend an independent dealer in that region? From what I can see, they mostly seem to be in the South.

I have no personal experience, but I've seen good feedback on these guys http://www.spautobahn.com/ and on this site, this thread might be relevant, it mentions George Morrison motors, I've seen them mentioned elsewhere too...

http://www.911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=53849&sid=ecd4b1149d99b98b75b49eabedd53194

kevinbuckley70 · 30 Dec 2013

ragpicker said:
For me the 996 C4S is the best looking 911 bar none. This is a personal opinion you understand!

I also like the look of the 996. But earlier in this thread I got the impression that the 997 would be more reliable due to mechanical evolution.

This will be my day to day car so reliability is important. Do you have any view about 996 reliability? I don't skimp on servicing and maintenance by the way.

MJA911 · 30 Dec 2013

I haven't picked up on there being a big difference between the 996 and gen-1 version of the 997, in that they share a similar engine and therefore the potential to fail due to bore scoring or IMS. The turbo 996/997 and I think the GT versions have a race derived engine and the DFI in the gen-2 997 are all thought to be less prone to issues.

Zingari · 30 Dec 2013

I've never had this problem. With limited research I went out and bought the first 993 I saw, sold it on after a few years for a (modest) profit and then went out and bought the second 964 I saw.

Applying this strategy my next Porker should be the third car I view :grin:

The more you ponder the issue of a 996/997.1 engine blowing up the less likely you are to purchase. You need to try both and I would expect if you base your purchase on cash spend (with some in reserve) you'll go for a 996, for quality of finish and driving you'll go 997 :dont know:

kevinbuckley70 · 30 Dec 2013

I'm only still pondering because I can't go play until January. :sad:

spongebob squarepants · 30 Dec 2013

kevinbuckley70 said:
ragpicker said:

For me the 996 C4S is the best looking 911 bar none. This is a personal opinion you understand!

Click to expand...

I also like the look of the 996. But earlier in this thread I got the impression that the 997 would be more reliable due to mechanical evolution.

This will be my day to day car so reliability is important. Do you have any view about 996 reliability? I don't skimp on servicing and maintenance by the way.

Really think about it before you purchase

there's a whole bunch of reasons 996's are cheap. For me ( and others) there are 2 - the interior is so wrong and the headlamps are hideous- even dressed up in turbo guise it's still a 996

997's can come very cheap I could of bought one for 14 k. I'd of taken that car over any 996 because of the interior issues. I pondered loads of generation 1 997's between 14-27 k. And in the end went for a generation 2 which are still coming down but out of your range. If you drop lucky you can pick up a gen 2 997 for around 32 k. If you wait they will eventually come into your range....

Putting all that aside unless it's a daily driver forget all the above a buy a 993 or 964. You really can't lose.
25 k buys a nice one that won't depreciate and you mention money available for upkeep.
Edit I see it is a daily drive lol - 997 gen 2 required :floor: Rob a bank and purchase this little cracker... http://www.pistonheads.com/classifi...i--best-value-in-uk/1947593?isexperiment=true

KP964 · 30 Dec 2013

:thumb: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V72GmoZRss

Ridiculous question pondered many times ...

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Zingari

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