997S Convertible opinions - replacing Maserati 4200 & Elise
Discussion
In the very near future I need to re-jig my cars. At the moment I have a 2002 Maserati 4200 (flappy paddle) and a 2005 Lotus Elise 111R. I have had the Maserati for 2 years and the Lotus for four.
I need to change to one nice car, and one cheapo school run/station car park heap.
I love both of my cars - the Maserati because I still think its a looker and it really goes, and the Elise because it is so much fun at any speed and the roof comes off.
SO for the nice car option I was thinking Lotus Evora S (used) but actually maybe for me there's a better solution and it could be the 997 S convertible manual.
For me the appeal of power (but not stupid amounts), convertible and still, in this age of humongous cars, a reasonable chuckable size, appeals.
What do you reckon? Budget is probably mid £30ks.
Thanks
edited to add: 2 back seats would be useful now and again, hence 911 not Boxster.
I need to change to one nice car, and one cheapo school run/station car park heap.
I love both of my cars - the Maserati because I still think its a looker and it really goes, and the Elise because it is so much fun at any speed and the roof comes off.
SO for the nice car option I was thinking Lotus Evora S (used) but actually maybe for me there's a better solution and it could be the 997 S convertible manual.
For me the appeal of power (but not stupid amounts), convertible and still, in this age of humongous cars, a reasonable chuckable size, appeals.
What do you reckon? Budget is probably mid £30ks.
Thanks
edited to add: 2 back seats would be useful now and again, hence 911 not Boxster.
I was going to suggest a Gen.2 997 C2S convertible, but I've noticed your budget, and that really is'nt going to be enough.
Another option is a 996 turbo convertible; PCT at Coventry have one in at present at just under £40k, but it might be worth a haggle. One advantage of PCT is they give their own warranty.
911Virgin also are showing one due in, but no price shown as yet.
Epic cars & worth consideration IMHO
Good Luck.
PS: Just noticed that both the cars above have a tip. box raher than manual; would'nt be a problem for me, but you mentioned manual above.
Another option is a 996 turbo convertible; PCT at Coventry have one in at present at just under £40k, but it might be worth a haggle. One advantage of PCT is they give their own warranty.
911Virgin also are showing one due in, but no price shown as yet.
Epic cars & worth consideration IMHO
Good Luck.
PS: Just noticed that both the cars above have a tip. box raher than manual; would'nt be a problem for me, but you mentioned manual above.
Edited by carcrazypop on Monday 9th July 11:07
justin220 said:
Have you driven the Evora? I would suggest you do before buying either 
I had a test drive last summer and I loved it. It is still on the list but I think I might postpone it a year or two, hence a 911 now.By the way I have bee following the threads on yours and yours is a fantastic looking car.
carcrazypop said:
PS: Just noticed that both the cars above have a tip. box raher than manual; would'nt be a problem for me, but you mentioned manual above.
Thanks for your thoughts on the 996 turbo. It's not ruled out if the price is right.I do really fancy a manual - but I did feel that way before getting my Maserati and now I do really enjoy the semi automatic box even though on the earlier ones like mine it's less than perfect. I think I should try both in the Porsche to see
Afternoon - a great time to buy, plenty of choice in your price band..for example...
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3987643.htm
interior colour scheme may not be to everyones taste, but comes with the warm reassuring glow of an OPC warranty.
Good luck with hunt..btw love the masa!
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3987643.htm
interior colour scheme may not be to everyones taste, but comes with the warm reassuring glow of an OPC warranty.
Good luck with hunt..btw love the masa!
MrBurns said:
Afternoon - a great time to buy, plenty of choice in your price band..for example...
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3987643.htm
interior colour scheme may not be to everyones taste, but comes with the warm reassuring glow of an OPC warranty.
Good luck with hunt..btw love the masa!
Thanks for that one - there is a lot of choice and budget creep is already starting...http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3987643.htm
interior colour scheme may not be to everyones taste, but comes with the warm reassuring glow of an OPC warranty.
Good luck with hunt..btw love the masa!
Next I need to get my head around all this PCM, PASM stuff...
limpsfield said:
Thanks for that one - there is a lot of choice and budget creep is already starting...
Next I need to get my head around all this PCM, PASM stuff...
..been there myself..funny how quickly mid 30s become mid 40s...Next I need to get my head around all this PCM, PASM stuff...
Youre in the right place, top line
PASM - Porsche Active Suspension Management - standard on the S, adjustable damping - normal (use most of the time - best for road use), sport (mostly for track or v smooth roads).
PCM - Porsche Communications Management, Radio / CD - I think on Gen 1, the sat nav and phone prep were options..so make sure you have these,Sat nav aint great by modern standards but does the job, phone prep - you need to insert a SIM card into the PCM, goodies like Bluetooth /aux audio in for Gen 2 997 s only..after market options available though.
Also look out for PSE - switchable sports exhaust
limpsfield said:
Nice! Actually you might be able to help. How do you find the 911 compared to the 4200? I am guessing better handling, but not as much character? What do you think.
Give me a few more days. I've not even run a tank of petrol through the porker yet! Only had it since Sat 
limpsfield said:
Carl_Docklands said:
Trade the maser for a 997 3.6 coupe and keep the Elise.
Would love to but I need at least one cheap and sensible don't-care-if-it-gets-scratched/dinged-car to leave at station and do school run etc.One thing for sure, you will regret selling the Elise.
limpsfield said:
Nice! Actually you might be able to help. How do you find the 911 compared to the 4200? I am guessing better handling, but not as much character? What do you think.
OK...Maser - it's a Maserati, it makes a glorious noise (with Tubi), its plenty fast enough, it has acres of proper italian leather, it's cool in an old money way, it's and you are a bit eccentric, flappy paddles are fun, engine blippling is fun, its not massively grippy for the speed but that makes each drive more fun as you only have to go fast not mega fast to make it challenging.
911T - It's bonkers fast and bonkers grippy. It has leather (mine has leather everything) but its a bit german. It makes a good noise but by that time you're into 3 figures, by god it grips - unnaturally so and PCCBs make it stop too! roof is quick and can be done on the move, Tiptronic is ok, not great compared to flappy paddles but its only been 2 weeks - in auto mode its very good.
In short:
Maser = Italian class, passion, flair.
Porker = German engineering.
Maser is for sunny fridays now, Porker is for commuting.
HTH
Dave
Not driven a Maserati, but we had an Elise and I recently bought a 997 2S Gen 1 convertible at around your budget (manual with sports exhaust and shift).
It is lovely! My husband hasn't driven it yet but we think it feels similar to the Elise at the front end (light and likes to follow the road a little), but it sounds awesome - having not really considered the sports exhaust when I was looking, now I have one I would not look at a car without one!
I managed to get one with a lot of options; the sat nav (a bit old fashioned but seems to work well and has traffic updates/rerouting), phone module (useless), no bluetooth unfortunately, electric memory heated seats (YUM), sports exhaust (mandatory!!!), and sports shift (I like it but haven't really drive one without). Only luxuries I would have liked were auto dim mirrors and cruise control, but that's no biggie really.
The weather's been poo since I got it so haven't really been able to properly drive it, still a bit scared of it, but it is nice and puts agrin on your face - big engine is totally different to drive than the Elise (or the Subaru or S2000 I had before). Doesn't feel quick but it is - just effortless. Got very lazy changing gear as you don't have to do it much, in comparison to the scoob or elise where you constantly want to keep changing to keep in the power band.
I also have the wind deflector which is so good I can wear my long-ish hair down without getting ruffled, but actually I prefer it without, otherwise it feels abit like driving a hard top car if you don't have that wind in your hair feeling!
It is lovely! My husband hasn't driven it yet but we think it feels similar to the Elise at the front end (light and likes to follow the road a little), but it sounds awesome - having not really considered the sports exhaust when I was looking, now I have one I would not look at a car without one!
I managed to get one with a lot of options; the sat nav (a bit old fashioned but seems to work well and has traffic updates/rerouting), phone module (useless), no bluetooth unfortunately, electric memory heated seats (YUM), sports exhaust (mandatory!!!), and sports shift (I like it but haven't really drive one without). Only luxuries I would have liked were auto dim mirrors and cruise control, but that's no biggie really.
The weather's been poo since I got it so haven't really been able to properly drive it, still a bit scared of it, but it is nice and puts agrin on your face - big engine is totally different to drive than the Elise (or the Subaru or S2000 I had before). Doesn't feel quick but it is - just effortless. Got very lazy changing gear as you don't have to do it much, in comparison to the scoob or elise where you constantly want to keep changing to keep in the power band.
I also have the wind deflector which is so good I can wear my long-ish hair down without getting ruffled, but actually I prefer it without, otherwise it feels abit like driving a hard top car if you don't have that wind in your hair feeling!
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