Run a 996 for my 40th year only - Yay or Nay?
Discussion
OK - 40th next year and i want to have a "proper" sports car - a mid life crisis in effect.
It does need to be a daily and be at least 2+2 for occasional kid ferrying. Budget is around 12-14k looking to purchase in the new year before any sunny day price increases.
I would love a 911 of the 996 variety, perhaps even a cab, but keep finding horror stories of 7-10k engine rebuilds, so much so that after looking at lots of other options - Cayenne, 3200GT, 944, 928, Impreza, Evo, etc that I'd sort of made my mind up to get a 645 or 650.
But another "idea" crept into my head last night - buy a 996 with sensible miles (less than 90k) and not too many owners that has had a recent service and run it for a year before selling on - ticking the porker box for me.
Unless i'm very lucky in the purchase price, I'm not expecting to make money from this exercise or even come out even, but do you think this is even going to work or am I more likely to get burnt badly?
I notice many 996's of these price ranges have a relatively hefty number of owners, is this from others doing the same? and having a car that goes from 7 to 8 owners and sold within a year going to be a nightmare to sell?
Or would i be better off with a pre-89 (have a thing for black coupes, black fuch, whale tail after watching condorman as a kid - don't ask)
Appreciate your thoughts and experiences if anyone has done similar
It does need to be a daily and be at least 2+2 for occasional kid ferrying. Budget is around 12-14k looking to purchase in the new year before any sunny day price increases.
I would love a 911 of the 996 variety, perhaps even a cab, but keep finding horror stories of 7-10k engine rebuilds, so much so that after looking at lots of other options - Cayenne, 3200GT, 944, 928, Impreza, Evo, etc that I'd sort of made my mind up to get a 645 or 650.
But another "idea" crept into my head last night - buy a 996 with sensible miles (less than 90k) and not too many owners that has had a recent service and run it for a year before selling on - ticking the porker box for me.
Unless i'm very lucky in the purchase price, I'm not expecting to make money from this exercise or even come out even, but do you think this is even going to work or am I more likely to get burnt badly?
I notice many 996's of these price ranges have a relatively hefty number of owners, is this from others doing the same? and having a car that goes from 7 to 8 owners and sold within a year going to be a nightmare to sell?
Or would i be better off with a pre-89 (have a thing for black coupes, black fuch, whale tail after watching condorman as a kid - don't ask)
Appreciate your thoughts and experiences if anyone has done similar
mattman said:
OK - 40th next year and i want to have a "proper" sports car - a mid life crisis in effect.
It does need to be a daily and be at least 2+2 for occasional kid ferrying. Budget is around 12-14k looking to purchase in the new year before any sunny day price increases.
I would love a 911 of the 996 variety, perhaps even a cab, but keep finding horror stories of 7-10k engine rebuilds, so much so that after looking at lots of other options - Cayenne, 3200GT, 944, 928, Impreza, Evo, etc that I'd sort of made my mind up to get a 645 or 650.
But another "idea" crept into my head last night - buy a 996 with sensible miles (less than 90k) and not too many owners that has had a recent service and run it for a year before selling on - ticking the porker box for me.
Unless i'm very lucky in the purchase price, I'm not expecting to make money from this exercise or even come out even, but do you think this is even going to work or am I more likely to get burnt badly?
I notice many 996's of these price ranges have a relatively hefty number of owners, is this from others doing the same? and having a car that goes from 7 to 8 owners and sold within a year going to be a nightmare to sell?
Or would i be better off with a pre-89 (have a thing for black coupes, black fuch, whale tail after watching condorman as a kid - don't ask)
Appreciate your thoughts and experiences if anyone has done similar
Overall, the answer is a resounding 'Yay'.It does need to be a daily and be at least 2+2 for occasional kid ferrying. Budget is around 12-14k looking to purchase in the new year before any sunny day price increases.
I would love a 911 of the 996 variety, perhaps even a cab, but keep finding horror stories of 7-10k engine rebuilds, so much so that after looking at lots of other options - Cayenne, 3200GT, 944, 928, Impreza, Evo, etc that I'd sort of made my mind up to get a 645 or 650.
But another "idea" crept into my head last night - buy a 996 with sensible miles (less than 90k) and not too many owners that has had a recent service and run it for a year before selling on - ticking the porker box for me.
Unless i'm very lucky in the purchase price, I'm not expecting to make money from this exercise or even come out even, but do you think this is even going to work or am I more likely to get burnt badly?
I notice many 996's of these price ranges have a relatively hefty number of owners, is this from others doing the same? and having a car that goes from 7 to 8 owners and sold within a year going to be a nightmare to sell?
Or would i be better off with a pre-89 (have a thing for black coupes, black fuch, whale tail after watching condorman as a kid - don't ask)
Appreciate your thoughts and experiences if anyone has done similar
These cars offer such good value for money that it'd be silly not to. Yes, there are some horror stories around, but at the prices these cars are, it's not enough to make buying one of these cars a bad idea. The engine rebuild really is a worst case scenario (unlikely to be as high as 7k), and even if it did happen, you could take the opportunity to have it rebuilt by Hartech/Autofarm, which would make the car more desireable. (Autofarm can rebuild engines as a 3.9, which'd be pretty cool, and probably quite sellable).
Buy wisely, and you shouldn't lose too much over a year.
p.s. Don't discount higher mileage cars - keeping your selection below 90k miles won't protect you from anything.
Edited by monthefish on Thursday 25th October 09:22
monthefish said:
GT Glee said:
A 40 Jahre seems fitting.
Except that it blows the budget spectacularly, is is hugely overpriced for what it is.There was a thread about these a while ago and I was shocked at how much they still cost.
quick look on fleabay and these fit the bill quite nicely
C4S cab with barnacle parking sensors and 45k for 12495
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PORSCHE-911-3-4-S-CARRER...
or a black on black coupe with 60k for 12995
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Porsche-911-automatic-co...
any thoughts on these?
C4S cab with barnacle parking sensors and 45k for 12495
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PORSCHE-911-3-4-S-CARRER...
or a black on black coupe with 60k for 12995
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Porsche-911-automatic-co...
any thoughts on these?
mattman said:
quick look on fleabay and these fit the bill quite nicely
C4S cab with barnacle parking sensors and 45k for 12495
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PORSCHE-911-3-4-S-CARRER...
or a black on black coupe with 60k for 12995
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Porsche-911-automatic-co...
any thoughts on these?
Top one isn't a C4S. C4S was the widebody model and only available as a facelift 996 (the non fried-egg headlights), so post 2001.C4S cab with barnacle parking sensors and 45k for 12495
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PORSCHE-911-3-4-S-CARRER...
or a black on black coupe with 60k for 12995
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Porsche-911-automatic-co...
any thoughts on these?
The 'Tiptronic' is sometimes known as 'Tipronic S', and a lot of naughty/ignorant sellers like to misplace the S to make it look like the car is an 'S' rather than the transmission. (You won't get a C4S for 12k)
Go for it. I did exactly the same thing a month ago. Bought a 996 C2 '99 with 49k miles and FPSH. Cost £12.5k plus a major service and three tyres, so say £13.5k all in. Beautiful car to drive, feels really compact on the road and corners like it's on rails. Plenty fast enough as a road car as long as you keep it in the power band. I can't comment on the tiptronic gearbox as i havent tried one.
If it was me, i'd be looking for one with 50-70k miles, FSH, evidence of a recent clutch and RMS (rear main seal) change, new or recent front disks, no signs of leaks from the aircon condensors and decent tyres. Should be able to find one within your budget fairly easily, and shouldn't lose too much in 12 months.
Enjoy it!
If it was me, i'd be looking for one with 50-70k miles, FSH, evidence of a recent clutch and RMS (rear main seal) change, new or recent front disks, no signs of leaks from the aircon condensors and decent tyres. Should be able to find one within your budget fairly easily, and shouldn't lose too much in 12 months.
Enjoy it!
mattman said:
But another "idea" crept into my head last night - buy a 996 with sensible miles (less than 90k) and not too many owners that has had a recent service and run it for a year before selling on - ticking the porker box for me.
Unless i'm very lucky in the purchase price, I'm not expecting to make money from this exercise or even come out even, but do you think this is even going to work or am I more likely to get burnt badly?
This is the main flaw in your plan. Once you tick the Porker box it has a habit of grabbing hold of you and can become an addiction that is very difficult to shake off. Many of us keep coming back for more and like all addictions it gets very expensive. Few can walk away. I know I've not been able to!Unless i'm very lucky in the purchase price, I'm not expecting to make money from this exercise or even come out even, but do you think this is even going to work or am I more likely to get burnt badly?
p.s. "Hello, my name is Boxsey and I'm a Porschaholic"!
theres alot of horror stories about the 996 but bear in mind years ago we didnt have the internet so any issues werent ranted about like nowdays.also bear in mind every car has its issues.we wouldnt buy any car if we listened to all the probs.
996,bores,head lifting,ims seals etc
bmw m3 vanos units.
range rover sort diesel,turbos and manifolds,gearboxes
new shape discoveries,air suspension and gearboxes
range rover suspension and headunits
mgf,head gaskets
scoobys,chocolate engines
evos, turbo actuators and ayc units
i could go on.
i have had cossies for the last 7 years and before that rs turbos and a nissan pulsar gtir. i stuck to cossies for years as i knew them and thought i couldnt afford a porsche 911 and was worried about repairs etc(which i have wanted since i could crawl)
last month i threw away the doubt and bought an 03 carrera 4s.i love it(although only driven it about 8 times so far)
it needs a few bits doing and is highish miles at 115k but its had clutch,ims,rms,2 exhausts,new brakes all round,new tyres all round and a load of other bits.its full porsche service and has always gone to porsche for any little thing it needed
dont regret it at all and if im honest i shouldve done it years ago before my escort cosworth.
i say go for it bud.you only live once!
996,bores,head lifting,ims seals etc
bmw m3 vanos units.
range rover sort diesel,turbos and manifolds,gearboxes
new shape discoveries,air suspension and gearboxes
range rover suspension and headunits
mgf,head gaskets
scoobys,chocolate engines
evos, turbo actuators and ayc units
i could go on.
i have had cossies for the last 7 years and before that rs turbos and a nissan pulsar gtir. i stuck to cossies for years as i knew them and thought i couldnt afford a porsche 911 and was worried about repairs etc(which i have wanted since i could crawl)
last month i threw away the doubt and bought an 03 carrera 4s.i love it(although only driven it about 8 times so far)
it needs a few bits doing and is highish miles at 115k but its had clutch,ims,rms,2 exhausts,new brakes all round,new tyres all round and a load of other bits.its full porsche service and has always gone to porsche for any little thing it needed
dont regret it at all and if im honest i shouldve done it years ago before my escort cosworth.
i say go for it bud.you only live once!
boxsey said:
This is the main flaw in your plan. Once you tick the Porker box it has a habit of grabbing hold of you and can become an addiction that is very difficult to shake off. Many of us keep coming back for more and like all addictions it gets very expensive. Few can walk away. I know I've not been able to!
p.s. "Hello, my name is Boxsey and I'm a Porschaholic"!
With you on that. Bloomn annoying aint it. They do get under your skin.p.s. "Hello, my name is Boxsey and I'm a Porschaholic"!
996 sound like a good idea. Budget £3k for maintainence, that shoud keep you going for a year or two. Doubt you'll be selling after a year
I had looked at 911s for years wishing I could own one,thinking that I would never be able to afford to buy or run one.
In April I just thought f
k it I really have to have one,so bought a 2002 996 with facelift model with factory aero kit IMS bearing,RMS and new clutch just fitted,only paid 17k and to be honest I now wish that I had bought one 10 years ago.
So in short just do it you are not going to lose too much on one all the money was lost in it's first 8 years or so.Don't regret not buying one ,if you are like me you will love the experience of owning one .
mike
In April I just thought f
k it I really have to have one,so bought a 2002 996 with facelift model with factory aero kit IMS bearing,RMS and new clutch just fitted,only paid 17k and to be honest I now wish that I had bought one 10 years ago.So in short just do it you are not going to lose too much on one all the money was lost in it's first 8 years or so.Don't regret not buying one ,if you are like me you will love the experience of owning one .
mike
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