Monday 25th June 2012

You Know You Want To: £20K Porsche 996 Turbo

The everyday supercar, now available at an everyday price...

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You can buy a manual Porsche 911 (996) Turbo for £20,000. Yep, that sentence is now a reality. The ultimate expression of the everyday supercar and a stalwart of the 911 range since the early 1970s, the generation before last of 911 Turbo can be had at very tempting prices.

Budget a few extra quid for an interior valet...

And why wouldn’t you want one? The 996 Turbo is a 190mph car, capable of running 0-100mph in 9.4 seconds. Moreover, Porsche arguably dialled back the terror for the 996 iteration of 911, producing a more accessible, forgiving and usable Turbo than previously. Finally, the horror stories associated with some 996 engines don’t apply to the Turbo as its engines are derived from the Le Mans GT1 project.

OK, a cheap 911 Turbo is likely to have plenty of miles on it. But you would struggle to identify this car’s 110,000 miles from the photos. The paintwork still looks in decent condition and the wheels seem scuff-free.

The interior does let the side down slightly, although its tatty appearance could surely be rectified with a clean and some leather treatment.

And it isn’t even as if this 996 is some kind of personalised monstrosity no sane person would ever consider buying; it comes in a very subtle Seal Grey hue, and the manual transmission is a boon as well.

There are nine stamps in the service history (four from Porsche, five from specialist Steve Bull), the clutch was replaced last year (a circa-£1K task) and buying a 996 with two fresh tyres will certainly save you an expense.

Of course you can’t run a 420hp Porsche that is now 12 years old on a shoestring; it will cost you £600 to change the front discs and pads at a specialist and the combined fuel consumption is less than 22mpg.

Seal Grey paintwork a desirable colour

But that should hardly come as any surprise, and there can’t be many cheaper ways to achieve such all-weather performance.

So there you have it; 19 grand for what is arguably the first modern 911 supercar, from a dealer, with a service history. Whatever next? A £17K V12 Ferrari you say?

 

 

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Porsche 996 Turbo
Price:  £18,995
Why you should: It's a lot of bang for your buck
Why you shouldn’t: Not the ideal car for motoring on a shoestring

[Schermerhorn]

Want. Big Time.

Can't wait for the 997 to hit the below £30k mark too.

[kambites]

Doesn't really appeal to me, but it's interesting that they're dropping so low. Presumably the 996 is the cheapest generation of 911 by some margin? I wonder if the 997 will follow it.

[DeafMetal]

Very cool!I used to like this car.

[k-ink]

Schermerhorn said:

Can't wait for the 997 to hit the below £30k mark too.

This! I'd rather hold out for 997 prices to fall. The superior headlights and interior would make the wait worthwhile for me.

[C2james]

Can't believe it's 12 years old now.

[Zippee]

kambites said:

Doesn't really appeal to me, but it's interesting that they're dropping so low. Presumably the 996 is the cheapest generation of 911 by some margin? I wonder if the 997 will follow it.

Same here - outright speed isn't everything. A car needs soul and unfortunately it's something this car does not deliver.

[stuckmojo]

These are THE bargain at the minute. I still haven't worked out how on earth the 9964S is priced at the same level as the Turbo. It's insane (both ways).

[GTiFrank]

kambites said:

Doesn't really appeal to me, but it's interesting that they're dropping so low. Presumably the 996 is the cheapest generation of 911 by some margin? I wonder if the 997 will follow it.

Not sure if the 997 will drop quite as far as the 996, with the 996 being the 1st water cooled 911. Would be great if they did though. - similar to the will the E46 M3 go as low as what the E36 M3 EVO prices were a few years back debate.

[NickHKent]

Well well, this is good timing! I am currently considering buying one of these but with a lower mileage, ideally in black. In terms of performance and practicality for the money you can't really go wrong although I imagine some of the maintenance bills could be on the steep side.

Are the tiptronic boxes reliable?

[Devil2575]

A bargain i'm sure but 19k for a car with £110k on the clock?

If I could afford to run one i'd be able to afford to pay more and get one with less miles.

[CraigyMc]

NickHKent said:

Well well, this is good timing! I am currently considering buying one of these but with a lower mileage, ideally in black. In terms of performance and practicality for the money you can't really go wrong although I imagine some of the maintenance bills could be on the steep side.

Are the tiptronic boxes reliable?

SShhhhh!!!!

me too. I don't want others inflating the prices!!

C

[uncle tez]

k-ink said:

Schermerhorn said:

Can't wait for the 997 to hit the below £30k mark too.

This! I'd rather hold out for 997 prices to fall. The superior headlights and interior would make the wait worthwhile for me.

Thats What i say about everycar i want, but by the time its dropped to that price i find myself looking at the newer model (991 or whatever)and thinking id rather wait for that and it becomes a never ending cycle without every buying anything.

[V12 Migaloo]

Great Car, use it easily everyday, be a track day god every weekend.

[sealtt]

Wow, that is upsettingly cheap. I bought a '04 grey one of these ~18 months ago for £40k!

[Gizmoish]

uncle tez said:

k-ink said:

Schermerhorn said:

Can't wait for the 997 to hit the below £30k mark too.

This! I'd rather hold out for 997 prices to fall. The superior headlights and interior would make the wait worthwhile for me.

Thats What i say about everycar i want, but by the time its dropped to that price i find myself looking at the newer model (991 or whatever)and thinking id rather wait for that and it becomes a never ending cycle without every buying anything.

Cor, better headlights.

[Garlick]

Being a lightweight, I would be happy with a standard Carrera.

There are cheaper cars advertised on PH but they either have dodgy interiors or tiptronic boxes. This is the cheapest car with decent spec, and what a bargain it is: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3948224.htm

[TonyHetherington]

Oooo deary me. That is a LOT of car for your money.

I've always wanted one of these - ever since blasting through Germany in Rods' and Daz's cars. Now they're very accessible.

And my brother's just bought a Boxster, so it would be great to out do him

"Bro, I've just bought a Porsche too. Yeah, well no, well yeah...the headlights are the same. But it's got "TURBO" on the back"

[TonyHetherington]

sealtt said:

Wow, that is upsettingly cheap. I bought a '04 grey one of these ~18 months ago for £40k!

Yours is a full 4 years newer though, and I assume the mileage reflects that.

[K50 DEL]

If I was in the UK even slightly more than I am, this would be on my driveway already... cracking car, spec and colour at a good price.... Unless it has "history" I doubt this will hang around long at <20k

[k-ink]

Gizmoish said:

Cor, better headlights.

OCD in full effect here. But the main point is the 997 is far nicer inside. I'd pay more for one of those just for that.