So this was originally posted on PH but I have serious issues with the way Haymarket are operating and the place isn't what it used to be so I thought I would stick everything on here.
Sometimes you just know. For me, that day was on the 5th September 2015 as I pulled up the driveway of the local Porsche OPC and saw the midnight blue 2003 C4S I knew. I had to have it. It looked great. Smaller than all the cars on the forecourt but just right.
What got me to this point? Some background first.
One of the few posters I had, when I was a kid, was a Porsche. The 959 (silver) one. 917s developed my love of Gulf colours and the brand and the 911 during the 80's and 90's seemed to belong to another world of speed and noise and success.
But life conspires against you. I would love to say how I bought my first car at 16 and fettled it constantly. But I didn't. Although I have always loved cars I'm typically extremely risk adverse. I always wanted to buy the best I could and would save, but that normally meant I never ended up buying anything because I didn't have enough money to spend to get what I wanted. After passing my test in a SEAT Malaga I was still on my Raleigh bike rather than in a car. I would borrow an old Austin van with decorating materials thrown around in the back from my soon to be Father in Law. A relative's Fiesta was borrowed on occasion with a gear stick that seemed to stir porridge rather than change gear.
My first car was a Ford Escort 1.4. My first car and first company car. It was in dreadful condition when I picked it up but it was mine. I was on my way and now I was married it meant that we had some freedom. The career was finally starting. I cleaned and polished and waxed that car to the point that when it went back after about 9 months it was immaculate. The fleet manager was gobsmacked. From then on all my cars were company cars. Three Peugeot 306's, Cavaliers including a SRI, Vectra (worst car ever), Audi A3, A4 and A6. Lots of nice cars as temp cars, mainly Audis and Vauxhalls. After opting out of company cars it got more interesting BMW 320d, 330d, Merc C220d and finally a BMW535d.
But then my risk adversity was thrown to the wind. I walked out of my well paid job. I had enough of working for others. Armed with a credit card I set up as a one man band with my wife sorting admin. I kept hold of the 535d and it nearly bankrupted me. It had to go. So back to a Merc 220d, then a Nissan Kumquat as we thought we may be leaving the UK (but didn't) so to a 3ltr Nissan Navarra (epic, one of my fav cars), then a Merc 250d. During this time I had decided that a change was needed. I wanted to build a business. So my wife and I did.
Which brings us to 2015. We wanted a better work life balance. We sold the business. It was satisfying that we had gone from zero to a decent small business that was nicely profitable within the 4 year business plan we had written. I wanted to treat myself as a well done. In the middle of trying to run a business, we were in the process of selling and renovating our house to the extent the neighbours thought we had been victims of a missile strike. I started looking around. I didn't want to pay more than £30K. The costs of my 535d when I was earning next to nothing still haunted me. But something nice could be found for that.
What better than a Porsche?
I hadn't driven them (never on the many driving/track days I had been on) but I wanted a 911 and specifically, the 996 C4S because it just looks right imo. It was at a cost I could justify with my inner risk adverse self. I didn't think it would depreciate and would rise in value because being slightly arrogant and suffering from a little confirmation bias my hunch was that sooner or later people would realise the 996 is a gem. I didn't want to pay more on a 997 as I just don't click with the design (fussy interior and lights are an affectation) and I couldn't justify buying a 964 or 993 (plus they scare me slightly).
I had seen a few 996's but service histories were patchy, looked dreadful or I got the feeling of massive bills on the way.
The 996 now in front of me seemed perfect even before a test drive. "That. Is. Gorgeous" my understanding wife said. That was it then. I hadn't got out the car before I knew it would be mine.
Not the best way to enter negotiation......
[url=https://flic.kr/p/xiPYHu]https://flic.kr/p/xiPYHu
Sometimes you just know. For me, that day was on the 5th September 2015 as I pulled up the driveway of the local Porsche OPC and saw the midnight blue 2003 C4S I knew. I had to have it. It looked great. Smaller than all the cars on the forecourt but just right.
What got me to this point? Some background first.
One of the few posters I had, when I was a kid, was a Porsche. The 959 (silver) one. 917s developed my love of Gulf colours and the brand and the 911 during the 80's and 90's seemed to belong to another world of speed and noise and success.
But life conspires against you. I would love to say how I bought my first car at 16 and fettled it constantly. But I didn't. Although I have always loved cars I'm typically extremely risk adverse. I always wanted to buy the best I could and would save, but that normally meant I never ended up buying anything because I didn't have enough money to spend to get what I wanted. After passing my test in a SEAT Malaga I was still on my Raleigh bike rather than in a car. I would borrow an old Austin van with decorating materials thrown around in the back from my soon to be Father in Law. A relative's Fiesta was borrowed on occasion with a gear stick that seemed to stir porridge rather than change gear.
My first car was a Ford Escort 1.4. My first car and first company car. It was in dreadful condition when I picked it up but it was mine. I was on my way and now I was married it meant that we had some freedom. The career was finally starting. I cleaned and polished and waxed that car to the point that when it went back after about 9 months it was immaculate. The fleet manager was gobsmacked. From then on all my cars were company cars. Three Peugeot 306's, Cavaliers including a SRI, Vectra (worst car ever), Audi A3, A4 and A6. Lots of nice cars as temp cars, mainly Audis and Vauxhalls. After opting out of company cars it got more interesting BMW 320d, 330d, Merc C220d and finally a BMW535d.
But then my risk adversity was thrown to the wind. I walked out of my well paid job. I had enough of working for others. Armed with a credit card I set up as a one man band with my wife sorting admin. I kept hold of the 535d and it nearly bankrupted me. It had to go. So back to a Merc 220d, then a Nissan Kumquat as we thought we may be leaving the UK (but didn't) so to a 3ltr Nissan Navarra (epic, one of my fav cars), then a Merc 250d. During this time I had decided that a change was needed. I wanted to build a business. So my wife and I did.
Which brings us to 2015. We wanted a better work life balance. We sold the business. It was satisfying that we had gone from zero to a decent small business that was nicely profitable within the 4 year business plan we had written. I wanted to treat myself as a well done. In the middle of trying to run a business, we were in the process of selling and renovating our house to the extent the neighbours thought we had been victims of a missile strike. I started looking around. I didn't want to pay more than £30K. The costs of my 535d when I was earning next to nothing still haunted me. But something nice could be found for that.
What better than a Porsche?
I hadn't driven them (never on the many driving/track days I had been on) but I wanted a 911 and specifically, the 996 C4S because it just looks right imo. It was at a cost I could justify with my inner risk adverse self. I didn't think it would depreciate and would rise in value because being slightly arrogant and suffering from a little confirmation bias my hunch was that sooner or later people would realise the 996 is a gem. I didn't want to pay more on a 997 as I just don't click with the design (fussy interior and lights are an affectation) and I couldn't justify buying a 964 or 993 (plus they scare me slightly).
I had seen a few 996's but service histories were patchy, looked dreadful or I got the feeling of massive bills on the way.
The 996 now in front of me seemed perfect even before a test drive. "That. Is. Gorgeous" my understanding wife said. That was it then. I hadn't got out the car before I knew it would be mine.
Not the best way to enter negotiation......
[url=https://flic.kr/p/xiPYHu]https://flic.kr/p/xiPYHu