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Ridiculous question pondered many times ...

kevinbuckley70

Well-known member
Joined
27 Dec 2013
Messages
64
Yes, I know, I know ...

Never owned a Porsche. Middle age crisis looming. £25k to waste. Ongoing costs not a problem.

Want a 911, not a cabriolet. Must look cool. Red. Younger than 2005.

Has to be reliable though.

What?
 
That will be one of these then. :D
Porsche%20996%20Turbo%202.jpg
 
That is certainly very pretty! I read on here that the 996 (and others) are considered to be 'real' Porches, whereas the Cayman is not. Why is that?
 
kevinbuckley70 said:
£25k to waste. Ongoing costs not a problem.

Don't get a 993.

It will always be worth more than you paid for it, and it won't have any ongoing costs or nasty surprises.
:nooo:
 
kevinbuckley70 said:
That is certainly very pretty! I read on here that the 996 (and others) are considered to be 'real' Porches, whereas the Cayman is not. Why is that?

:welcome: Kevin,

The Cayman IS a real Porsche but it's not a 911.

If you want a Porsche, £25k will get you into some really nice Caymans or an early 997 with good provenance.

There are very few 2005 996s around and a Turbo of that age will be a bit over your £25k budget.

Happy Hunting. :bye:
 
Really dumb question I'm sure, but ...

So is a Cayman not a 911 simply because Porsche say so on the badge?

Or is there a fundamental difference between, say, a 996 and a Cayman?

More so than the difference between a 993 and a 996 for example.
 
kevinbuckley70 said:
Really dumb question I'm sure, but ...

So is a Cayman not a 911 simply because Porsche say so on the badge?

Or is there a fundamental difference between, say, a 996 and a Cayman?

More so than the difference between a 993 and a 996 for example.

Dumb :?: ................. probably

The Porsche 911 has always had its engine in the rear and can be 2wd or 4wd, Coupe or Cabriolet, normally aspirated or turbocharged. It also has rear seats. A 993 and a 996 are just different model incarnations of the 911.

The Cayman is a mid-engined, 2wd, 2-seater, normally aspirated Coupe also made by Porsche.

Asking why a Cayman isn't a 911 is like asking why a Ford Fiesta isn't a Ford Focus. In fact, it's worse as the Fiesta and Focus both have 4/5 seats, have their engines in the same place and, iirc, even share the same engines.
 
Thanks, that was helpful, as was your earlier response.

I am wondering if it might be better not to spend right up to the budget, and get something like a well maintained 2003 C4S which, it seems, I can do for around £17k - £21k, and keep something in the bank to fix issues.

I just sold my 2001, Mercedes E320, which I had for many years, and kept well serviced and maintained. However, latterly, it was falling to pieces and rusting faster than I was prepared to fix it, so it had to go (although that variant is well known for certain issues).

Whilst managing maintenance costs is not such a problem, I don't want a car which is forever in the shop, or lets me down. So a question is: is a 2003 996 likely to be much (or any) less reliable than an early 997?

Does the 996 have any well known body/corrosion issues which are going to become a major problem in a 10yr old car?
 
You should get into a very good 996 C4S for under £20k. An early 997 with similar miles would cost you a few £k more.

As with any car age hurts consumable components so like-for-like a car 2 or 3 years newer will probably cost a bit less to get up to scratch/maintain. The engines in the 996C4S and the early 997s are fundamentally the same but both have known potential issues. Neither will give any concerns re body rust - unless they've been pranged and repaired.

Take your time. Decide whether you'd prefer to spend a bit more for the newer 997 and then the exciting bit really starts. :thumb:
 
T8 said:
You should get into a very good 996 C4S for under £20k. An early 997 with similar miles would cost you a few £k more.

Would I have to compromise anything in terms of interior spec. if I went for a 997 which, at around £25k, seems to be the very bottom of the price range, compared with spending £20k on a 996?

When I bought the Merc., the first thing I did was give it to a specialist independent guy I know very well, who spent a week fixing or replacing everything which was dubious. I am inclined to think I should do the same thing with this purchase.
 
kevinbuckley70 said:
Would I have to compromise anything in terms of interior spec. if I went for a 997 which, at around £25k, seems to be the very bottom of the price range, compared with spending £20k on a 996?

It very much depends on how much of your budget you want to spend and how much you prefer the 997 over the 996.

For £20k-£23k I'd want a late (early 04) 996, well spec'd and with lowish miles and with a dealer warranty.

These days £23k would get a 997 (04-06 according to spec and miles) from a dealer. There seem to be a lot of that age with sensible mileage (60k ish) around at the moment. Decide what options you particularly want and it shouldn't be difficult to narrow the field a bit.

With a full £25k you'd be really spoilt for choice. :thumb:

Unfortunately you'd then also start seeing the odd 'S' with the 3.8 engine and a whole new quandary would begin. :grin:
 
T8 said:
... 996, well spec'd and with lowish miles and with a dealer warranty.

I assume you mean independent dealers? If I went down the dealer route, would you recommend also getting a separate independent inspection? Or are dealers to be trusted?
 
kevinbuckley70 said:
T8 said:
... 996, well spec'd and with lowish miles and with a dealer warranty.

I assume you mean independent dealers? If I went down the dealer route, would you recommend also getting a separate independent inspection? Or are dealers to be trusted?

Yes, sorry. You wouldn't find a £25k car at an OPC.

If buying from a non-Porsche dealer or one claiming to be a 'specialist' I'd definitely get a PPI and look very carefully at any restrictions in the wording of their warranty.

If buying from one of the specialists that advertise on here (& a few that don't) the car and the warranty should both be ok.
 
That's great, thanks. I think it's time to go look & drive!

I actually quite like the look of the 996. But I guess until you see/drive for real, it's hard to tell.

:)
 

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