£15-20k - Which 911?

[Daaaveee]

Its been far too long since the E60 M5 went so I'd like to get back into something a bit faster than the 330i we have at the moment.

My budget is going to be around £20k max and for this I have been eyeing up the 996 C4S, however looking at 997 prices they are now starting to drop to around the 20k mark.

Should I really be considering a 997 for this price to begin with? And am I even going to find a good 996 C4S within budget? I'm not really a fan of the earlier blobby eyed 996 unfortunately.

I haven't viewed any at the moment, however will put some time aside this weekend to try and find some locally.

Additionally, I'm based in the East Mids, are there any recommended specialists in the area? Higher mileage examples don't scare me so long as they have been looked after and I could get them checked out at a specialist beforehand.

Thanks for any help!

[chj]

They are all great cars, so go for the one in the best condition you can find that you like and if you are lucky enough to find one in your price range with a Hartech engine then don't hesitate.

[andy97]

Daaaveee said:

........

Additionally, I'm based in the East Mids, are there any recommended specialists in the area? Higher mileage examples don't scare me so long as they have been looked after and I could get them checked out at a specialist beforehand.

Thanks for any help!

Try PH Sportscars at The British Waterways Yard, Cavendish Bridge, Shardlow. They usually have a few in stock.

[mollytherocker]

996.2 facelift C2 with Hartech engine.

[Shaoxter]

996 C4S or 997 C2/C2S are all good choices, values have been very firm. Good news from a depreciation standpoint but you'll do well to get a decent one for £20k max.

From a performance standpoint I don't think they'd be massively quicker than your 330i in a straight line, certainly nowhere near an E60 M5. If outright speed is what you're after why not get back into an E60 M5! Or an E63 M6 if you want a different body shape...

[Magic919]

You should get a 996 C4S for about £20k. Avoid any tiptronics.

A 997 is not so easy and I'd give them a miss.

[j44esd]

PCT in Coventry are a worth while visit in terms of a dealer - they were fantastic to deal with when I bought my 996.1. In terms of what car, it's a tough one - obviously you'll have specific wants/needs and some people will discuss engines failures/tiptronic hatred like their life depends on it - I started out with a cast iron list of what I wanted and went to view a few cars (about 30) and ended up buying 'the best car I could for my budget' which meant sacrificing on a few spec items but bought a very nice example with a full and receipted history from Porsche and a few caring owners.

Also, although everyone one will disagree with me I like my Tiptronic with paddle conversion

The poster above is probably on the money - a nice 996.2 C4S is a beautiful car for £20k and if you're lucky may even retain a fair percentage of its purchase price!

Edited by j44esd on Tuesday 19th January 19:30

[Budflicker]

At your budget a nice 996 C2 or C4 is well within range with some change for tweeks if needed, I managed to pick up my 996 C4S from 911 Virgin late last year at a little bit more than your budget but i suspect if they put it up now it would be more like £24-25k as all prices on good cars are climbing steadily. A tiptronic will be easier to find in your price range but it depends if you like the gearbox or not.

A 997 C2 might be in range with the 3.6 engine as well which seems a bit more reliable than the early C2s 3.8 lumps.

Good cars though all of them, I'm over the moon with mine.

[j44esd]

Well if we're picture whoring to wet the OP's appetite - here's a narrow body for comparison

[Shaoxter]

And here's the wide body again...
How can you say no to that ass and those wide tyres

[PGNCerbera]

996.1
And spend the rest on a sports exhaust, uprated suspension and lightweight clutch/flywheel.

Gold, lightweight alloys optional

[PGNCerbera]

Shaoxter said:

And here's the wide body again...
How can you say no to that ass and those wide tyres

Beauty

[LotusAlfaV6bloke]

I went from a 330i (5 years) into a 996 3.6 (now done my first year).

The 911 will feel like an absolute rocket ship compared to your 3 Series!

Oddly, they get very similar fuel economy though.

The only thing you'll miss is the braking power(dons flamesuit regarding brake feel and over-servoed systems).

[LordHaveMurci]

A good 996 C4S may be over budget, I'd be looking for the best C2 manual coupe I could find, even better if you can find a Hartech rebuilt car but they don't seem to be that common despite the naysayers...

You'll probably find one under budget & that leaves room for suspension refresh & geo setup which will make for a great driving car

[j44esd]

PGNCerbera said:

996.1
And spend the rest on a sports exhaust, uprated suspension and lightweight clutch/flywheel.

Gold, lightweight alloys optional

That looks amazing! What suspension is that running?

[PGNCerbera]

Cheers buddy.

Just M030 currently.

camber at rear is -1.5 so might make it look lower.

[Budflicker]

I know i've just stretched your budget a bit but this looks a lot of car for the money;

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p...

[PGNCerbera]

Will be a sorted car from them too

[EGTE]

996.2 C2 (Hartech rebuild would be nice, but not vital)

150 Kgs lighter than a C4S.

Love mine way more than my old 996TT; a proper sports car.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=154...

[bigkeeko]

Some of those 996s look brilliant. Really getting to like the look of them now, and to think they were `slated` because of a slightly different shaped headlight arrangement. I have a friend with a Cayman R that genuinely misses his 1999 996 so there must be something about them.