Porsche 911 997 - where do dealers get 20k cars from....

[YoungMD]

So this is my question for a Monday morning, I am in a real dilemma as I would like a 997 however by budget for cars this year struggles to get a lot past 15k, although probably I could get up to 18k.

I was resigned to a 996, thinking better to get a good one than a bad 997, however now I see a lot of dealers with 20k 3.6 997 with reasonable mileage 70k ish, which I would be very happy with.

So my question is this ....... What is the trade in/ very good price for a 997 3.6 with 70k miles ish and a low spec?

And my next question is where do traders get there cars from? They must be paying 15k to 18k, auction?

I don't mind taking a risk and cutting out the middle man, just never loved traders, although virgin911 are pretty straight and never pretend they don't make 5k on each car (which is fair enough)

Thanks indeed in advance all comments welcome ...........

[chrisbill86]

I would buy what you could afford.

Can you afford the £3k worth of bills once it goes into it's first service as it's falling apart?

If I was you I would go for 996 and find a garage that will throw in a years warranty.

Auctions never really cut the mustard these days especially on premium cars, if you fend of the dealers there will be 5 people there with the same agenda. Make sure you research all fees etc before you go with a wad of cash.

[Magic919]

Some of them are buying cars they are offered by the public or by other dealers. I've seen examples that had been bought from Autotrader.

[alfaspiderman2]

buy a nice 996

[YoungMD]

Buying a nice 996 does seem to make sense, although I do think early 997's seem to be falling fast, even the good ones, and with gen 2 cars getting cheaper i guess it has to continue, I just find t amazing that dealers must be picking up 997's for less than 18k, I wonder if any 911over the last few generations has been as cheap at 10 years old as a 997.

[KungFuPanda]

I was in the same boat as you 4 months ago with a similar budget. I could have pushed for an early 997 but they were all pretty rough.

Instead, I got a nice 996 C4S. It also had the benefit of a full engine rebuild by Hartech which included upgraded IMS, low temp thermostat and cylinder liners.

[YoungMD]

That's what I see as the real benefit of the 996, if you do have engine issues (as long as you catch it in time, or do it anyway) you can get a clutch change with a rms and ims for about £2k and all should then be fine. But with a 997 you could get a bore score and that's probably £5k + and I guess that's why they are getting cheap. I guess most porsche owners can accept a £2k bill but when you start getting north of £5k in one go that's not really playing by the rules - if you want £5k bills you buy a red horse'y!!