Porsche Virgin - looking to make first purchase

KA · 2 Aug 2018

Hi All

Have been looking at the forum for a little while now and would appreciate some of the useful advice I see coming out from you guys...

Looking to dip my toe into 911 ownership with budget of around 30-35k. The car will be used weekends only in the main, purchase is purely for the joy of owning one of these beautiful machines. Key requirements are 4 wheel drive and automatic. I have been looking locally at a couple of options... Plan would be to do a full PPI including borescope - Links below

1. 04 996 Turbo cabrio, 87k, full history, recent new turbos and 6k spent. £35k.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201805306990182?logcode=visc&fromSA=true

2. 07 997 C4S coupe. 33k, full history, £37k

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201805146493239?logcode=visc&fromSA=true

Any thoughts, advice, suggestions of alternatives would be very much appreciated!

Cheers,

KA

911UK · 2 Aug 2018

KA

one's a 997 Coupe and another a 996 TT Cab but around the £35k ball park

with a 911 if you're not buying private then the deal is as important

at your price point RSJ and Dove hold the biggest stock and back up their cars with a bullet proof warranty

https://www.rsjsportscars.co.uk/porsche_for_sale/
http://www.dovehousecars.com/showroom/manuafacturer/Porsche

you can buy cheaper but without this sounding like a sales pitch you wont buy better or easier

key is working out what you want, ie model generation but if you can stretch to a Turbo then always do that but they also come with slightly higher running costs

GARY S · 2 Aug 2018

You have made the right decision & joined this site before purchase. The 996 & 997 are the post 1997 "new era" for Porsche. No longer a case of designed & built regardless of cost & then "what are we going to charge for it" but built to a budget. The knowledge of people on her is invaluable. Not only about what to look for & which series to look for but where to buy from. Unlike the previous vehicles, 996 & 997's were mass produced in comparison with lots about in the private ads or "Arthur Daly" type garages masquerading as "specialists". Be guided by what people say on here & you cannot go wrong.

DynoMike · 2 Aug 2018

KA, welcome to the site.

If you are looking for a Porsche, I would definitely contact RSJ. As 91UK says above, they are brilliant dealers, who absolutely stand behind all their cars.

I bought my 996 turbo from them in 2012, still have the car to this day. I will never forget collection day from Joel and Darren, the car was prepared to such a high standard that it literally looked brand new. It is still a great car six years later.

Good luck with your search.

spongebob squarepants · 2 Aug 2018

Not sure what your after but I'd be looking here http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=129120 bargain price, with a 12 month warranty, gen 2 reliability from a well respected forum member :thumb:

Miles are high but price for a gen 2 is rock bottom. Personally I wouldn't be paying over 30k for any gen 1 997.

911UK · 2 Aug 2018

spongebob squarepants said:
Not sure what your after but I'd be looking here http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=129120 bargain price, with a 12 month warranty, gen 2 reliability from a well respected forum member :thumb:

Miles are high but price for a gen 2 is rock bottom. Personally I wouldn't be paying over 30k for any gen 1 997.

Gen 2 cab for less than 35k is a bargain when the trade would have it for much more.

That one looks good

:thumb:

HSC911 · 2 Aug 2018

:welcome:

I'd buy Les's car, see how you get on with it and THEN go for another 997 or 996 Turbo but you'll probabky end up looking for 997 Turbo's :grin:

Good luck with the search :thumb:

Counter Of Beans · 2 Aug 2018

KA, I was a 911 newbie until recently, so I have been through all this.....
Set a budget, and then decide on four key questions:
1) turbo or NA - affects the price by up to £20k!
2) body style - coupe, cab or targa?
3) drivetrain - 2 or 4 wheel??
4) transmission - manual or PDK/tip?

In my case, it was NA + coupe + 2 wheel + PDK. The fact that you are shortlisting a turbo cab and a NA coupe is a bit confusing to me. If you want a 911, any 911 then fine. Personally I'd ask the four questions above and go from there.
This is slightly controversial, but I wouldn't spend that amount of money on a gen 1 997 because of the risk of engine failure - others will disagree but it's a fifth question you need to address.
And if you decide on NA + cab + 2 wheel + PDK then Les on here will sell you his car for £29k which is the bargain of the summer!

James M-S · 2 Aug 2018

Someone has just put a 996 Turbo in the for sale forum.

Seems like a cherished car at a very reasonable price.

As the others have already said, each type of car is very different.

The Mezger engine in a Turbo is very strong, but do you have the self-restraint not to lose your license?

997.1 engine has well documented issues

At your price point I would be looking for 997 Gen2.
The base carrera has similar pace as a gen1 carrera S.

Les's car if you want auto & cab, or dove house/rsj for manual coupe.
Portiacraft have sensibly priced cars, but don't do much in the way of prep.

Monkeynutz · 3 Aug 2018

You wont regret getting any 911 you will only regret not doing sooner :grin:

My 2p worth:
You have detailed 2 very different cars. I would drive a few options and take time to define your needs. There's a lot of options with your budget.

Mileage is always a consideration. Buy a leggy car and you will likely use it and enjoy it without worrying too much about value. However, as I have found, buying a low mileage car has a very real impact on how you use it because residual values will always favour low mileage examples.

Perhaps it was merely a unique personal experience but it was certainly one I hadn't considered when I bought mine and I struggled with it for a little while. I have since put 12k miles on it in 18 months

PPI always for peace of mind. Solid service history & full maintenance/repair records are good indications of cared for cars.

T8 · 4 Aug 2018

Counter Of Beans said:
Set a budget, and then decide on four key questions:

1) turbo or NA - affects the price by up to £20k!
2) body style - coupe, cab or targa?

3) drivetrain - 2 or 4 wheel??
4) transmission - manual or PDK/tip?

:yeah:

You've answered (3) and (4) in your introductory post but (1) and (2) are even more fundamental decisions to make. Until you've established your basic requirements it's difficult for anyone to advise further.

I would say that if your budget is all the money you have then don't spend it all on buying a car. Keep at least £2k back for fettling the car once you've got it.

ps. :welcome: to 911uk

KA · 15 Aug 2018

All

Thank you for all the welcomes and gratefully received advice!

I have my key requirements down to a 997.2 C4/S or a Targa 4/S (Would consider standard or S models) automatic.

Budget is about 35k, if anyone knows of any please do let me know! In the meantime I am continuing to get as much reading done on the forum as possible as I have learned so much already!

mikeluke · 15 Aug 2018

The one thing that I would add to this is with cars of this age there will be age-related wear and tear that you need to factor in. Check what has/has not been done recently. Rads, a/c condensers just for starters - a 'cheaper' car could land you with a big bill in no-time. Again from experience - this can be worse if that car is a weekend/garage queen than if you drive it often

Good luck with the seach

T8 · 15 Aug 2018

KA said:
I have my key requirements down to a 997.2 C4/S or a Targa 4/S (Would consider standard or S models) automatic.

Budget is about 35k, if anyone knows of any please do let me know!

In the meantime I am continuing to get as much reading done on the forum as possible as I have learned so much already!

Your research by now has probably steered you towards a Gen2 car. Sadly I suspect that £35k will not be enough to get into one unless you can pick up a 3.6 privately.

Any Gen 2 'S' car at that money will be high mileage. A Gen2 '4S' will be dearer still.

If you're keen to buy asap then a late (58 onwards) Gen1 car is probably where you need to focus your search.

Happy Hunting. :thumbs:

Phil 997 · 15 Aug 2018

I agree with Terry , 35k is a bit low for a gen2 unless private or high miles or through a dealer thats had negative reviews on here (the red 3.6 on auto trader) but if you can stretch another couple of grand then your looking at a nice 3,6 with Dove house mid 40k miles and a few others at decent dealers . the gen2 3.6 is vertually the same BHP as a gen1 S and general views are the 3.6 in both gen1 and gen2 are the stronger more reliable engines . I think if your hoping for a gen2 4S or targa then your 10k-ish light on your est cost. but unless you intend to be a boy racer the gen2 3.6 is all the car most would need as the difference in performance in miniscule and you have to accept that unless you go for a turbo or GT car even with an S theres going to be someone whos faster than you so based on that go for a cheaper stronger car.

Heres a prime example of my logic I have modded my gen2 4S to quite close to Gen1 GT3 BHP so you would expect me to be able to play, but the GT3 redlines at higher revs so while I am messing around changing gear before he has to he's pulling away, do that over 6 years and he's away in the distance . on a possive he gets to the pub first so pays for the drinks :floor: :floor: :floor:

Good luck in your search and hope you soon find the right car for you . :thumb: :thumb:

Porsche Virgin - looking to make first purchase

KA

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911UK

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GARY S

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spongebob squarepants

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James M-S

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Monkeynutz

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KA

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T8

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