40th Birthday £40,000 help
Discussion
So I turn 40 this year have always wanted a porsche and have 40k to spend (so not 911R money).
I want a coupe and would prefer manual or pdk (but willing to be educated).
So should I go for a pre 2012 911 (seems to be my budget) or a new nearly new Cayman.
Last perfomance car was pre kids im 2014 when I had my 2007 subaru wrx a car I had from new an did just 22k but they were fun miles.
Any advice much appreciated I am based in herts not far from Hatfield OPC so again any specialists within 40 I should consider (portia craft is not far but a friend once gave negative feedback on them can't recall why so may not be accurate).
Advice sought an appreciated
I want a coupe and would prefer manual or pdk (but willing to be educated).
So should I go for a pre 2012 911 (seems to be my budget) or a new nearly new Cayman.
Last perfomance car was pre kids im 2014 when I had my 2007 subaru wrx a car I had from new an did just 22k but they were fun miles.
Any advice much appreciated I am based in herts not far from Hatfield OPC so again any specialists within 40 I should consider (portia craft is not far but a friend once gave negative feedback on them can't recall why so may not be accurate).
Advice sought an appreciated
Do you want an every day car or a weekend car? How many miles/year? Do you want something that is still depreciating or want something modern? 911 or Cayman/Boxster? Cab or Coupe?
£40k will buy you a 3.2 Carrera, a 964, a nice 996 turbo, 997 gen 2 or a 981 Coxster. What are you fancying?
£40k will buy you a 3.2 Carrera, a 964, a nice 996 turbo, 997 gen 2 or a 981 Coxster. What are you fancying?
mileage will be 5k a year. I would like maintenance to be minimal. I would expect to do 1 trip to nurbergring so I would like to drive there an back without issue (not expecting to set a fast lap lol).
Car will be purely a fun weekend toy. key will be warrenty an after sales from the dealer. coupe as stated and I note a base cayman is 45k which i could stretch too but feel I would likely feel underwhelmed (feel free to correct me).
Car will be purely a fun weekend toy. key will be warrenty an after sales from the dealer. coupe as stated and I note a base cayman is 45k which i could stretch too but feel I would likely feel underwhelmed (feel free to correct me).
Edited by Gecko1978 on Sunday 13th May 18:46
Yep, if you want minimal maintenance then don't go older than the 2009-2012 997.2
I'd search out one of those in manual as it's a weekend driver's car. Not many about at any one time mind, so you need to move quick. Carrera or S, although if you care about looks then the base Carrera will need to be lowered as it comes from factory on stilts, looks ridiculous
I'd search out one of those in manual as it's a weekend driver's car. Not many about at any one time mind, so you need to move quick. Carrera or S, although if you care about looks then the base Carrera will need to be lowered as it comes from factory on stilts, looks ridiculous
Phooey said:
MDL111 said:
I would go for a 997.2 manual - the best modern car in the price bracket imo
+1. Cayman a great drive but looks s
tIMO
).I guess I'll be the first advocate for either something classic (3.2 or 964) or the 996t.
If you're covering fun miles only and keeping the car in a garage, looked after etc then I'd personally go for a classic. They're a joy to drive, very rare on the roads, plenty of thrills and enjoyment without having to go silly fast...perfect fun car imo! They would require some maintenance, as they're nearing 30-40 years old, but the money you put in will reflect on the car itself.. If you do sell down the future than you'd have to be unlucky to come out down much.
The 996t is a proper performance car, it feels silly quick to drive and still relatively raw (something the 997 and newer lack imo).. The downside is they're aging and can be relatively expensive to maintain. They're still quite a heavy car and are much more suited to touring than trips around the Nurburgring. I don't think a 997 Carrera is at all special and I think you'll always kick yourself not getting something different than a 'normal' 911. 40k should bag you a relatively good mileage manual example. Bonus is they seem to be creeping up slowly in price which may offset the money you spend maintaining it (budget of around £2k/y). Imo a future classic.
If you're covering fun miles only and keeping the car in a garage, looked after etc then I'd personally go for a classic. They're a joy to drive, very rare on the roads, plenty of thrills and enjoyment without having to go silly fast...perfect fun car imo! They would require some maintenance, as they're nearing 30-40 years old, but the money you put in will reflect on the car itself.. If you do sell down the future than you'd have to be unlucky to come out down much.
The 996t is a proper performance car, it feels silly quick to drive and still relatively raw (something the 997 and newer lack imo).. The downside is they're aging and can be relatively expensive to maintain. They're still quite a heavy car and are much more suited to touring than trips around the Nurburgring. I don't think a 997 Carrera is at all special and I think you'll always kick yourself not getting something different than a 'normal' 911. 40k should bag you a relatively good mileage manual example. Bonus is they seem to be creeping up slowly in price which may offset the money you spend maintaining it (budget of around £2k/y). Imo a future classic.
We shared the same dilemma. Also turning 40 this year.
My childhood dream and my heart were set on a naturally aspirated 911 C2 S preferably manual... Having read many reviews, watched a ton of YouTube videos and test driven many sports cars (11 on total) from different brands, and many within the Porsche line up, I was sold on the 981 Cayman S as the best all-round sports car for me. After a few let downs from my local OPC, and when I was giving up on the sports car idea, a good friend encouraged me to carry on. Cutting a long story short, I decided to test drive a 981 Boxster S (this was the only Porsche sports car I had discounted as it was not a ‘driver’s car’, ‘less rigidity than Cayman’, etc...). What a pleasant surprise it was ! You had all the amazingness of the Cayman S, but could put the roof down, and costs £10k less than an equivalent Cayman S setup ! It felt like a no-brainer, and I’m glad I bought it. It gives me a smile every mile I get a chance to enjoy driving it !
In short, my advice is, go and test drive as many cars as you can with an open mind as the least you expect it, your dream car will appear !
Sorry for the long comment, but it’s passion driven !
Good luck !
Ps: I’m touring my Boxster to the Nurburing in September, so I can update you then, or if you got one beforehand, join us !
My childhood dream and my heart were set on a naturally aspirated 911 C2 S preferably manual... Having read many reviews, watched a ton of YouTube videos and test driven many sports cars (11 on total) from different brands, and many within the Porsche line up, I was sold on the 981 Cayman S as the best all-round sports car for me. After a few let downs from my local OPC, and when I was giving up on the sports car idea, a good friend encouraged me to carry on. Cutting a long story short, I decided to test drive a 981 Boxster S (this was the only Porsche sports car I had discounted as it was not a ‘driver’s car’, ‘less rigidity than Cayman’, etc...). What a pleasant surprise it was ! You had all the amazingness of the Cayman S, but could put the roof down, and costs £10k less than an equivalent Cayman S setup ! It felt like a no-brainer, and I’m glad I bought it. It gives me a smile every mile I get a chance to enjoy driving it !
In short, my advice is, go and test drive as many cars as you can with an open mind as the least you expect it, your dream car will appear !
Sorry for the long comment, but it’s passion driven !
Good luck !
Ps: I’m touring my Boxster to the Nurburing in September, so I can update you then, or if you got one beforehand, join us !
Edited by Boxster_racer on Sunday 13th May 22:15
Boxster_racer said:
We shared the same dilemma. Also turning 40 this year.
My childhood dream and my heart were set on a naturally aspirated 911 C2 S preferably manual... Having read many reviews, watched a ton of YouTube videos and test driven many sports cars (11 on total) from different brands, and many within the Porsche line up, I was sold on the 981 Cayman S as the best all-round sports car for me. After a few let downs from my local OPC, and when I was giving up on the sports car idea, a good friend encouraged me to carry on. Cutting a long story short, I decided to test drive a 981 Boxster S (this was the only Porsche sports car I had discounted as it was not a ‘driver’s car’, ‘less rigidity than Cayman’, etc...). What a pleasant surprise it was ! You had all the amazingness of the Cayman S, but could put the roof down, and costs £10k less than an equivalent Cayman S setup ! It felt like a no-brainer, and I’m glad I bought it. It gives me a smile every mile I get a chance to enjoy driving it !
In short, my advice is, go and test drive as many cars as you can with an open mind as the least you expect it, your dream car will appear !
Sorry for the long comment, but it’s passion driven !
Good luck !
What he said My childhood dream and my heart were set on a naturally aspirated 911 C2 S preferably manual... Having read many reviews, watched a ton of YouTube videos and test driven many sports cars (11 on total) from different brands, and many within the Porsche line up, I was sold on the 981 Cayman S as the best all-round sports car for me. After a few let downs from my local OPC, and when I was giving up on the sports car idea, a good friend encouraged me to carry on. Cutting a long story short, I decided to test drive a 981 Boxster S (this was the only Porsche sports car I had discounted as it was not a ‘driver’s car’, ‘less rigidity than Cayman’, etc...). What a pleasant surprise it was ! You had all the amazingness of the Cayman S, but could put the roof down, and costs £10k less than an equivalent Cayman S setup ! It felt like a no-brainer, and I’m glad I bought it. It gives me a smile every mile I get a chance to enjoy driving it !
In short, my advice is, go and test drive as many cars as you can with an open mind as the least you expect it, your dream car will appear !
Sorry for the long comment, but it’s passion driven !
Good luck !
Morning!
997.2 is the obvious answer, as above.
I'm very near Hatfield OPC too. If you want a ride in a 996.1 with no sound proofing then let me know!
I wouldn't, and in fact didn't, discount the 996. An early car is well under half your budget, they're fast enough, they've done their depreciating, most are proving solid, and they cater for a pretty broad spectrum of use.
Just because you have the 40, doesn't mean you need to spend it all. There's also a very good argument for a 986.
Also, we've got some great specialists who are pretty local. I work in WGC, and Matt from Porschacare takes all the pain out of servicing by collecting and dropping off my car at the office.
To be honest, if you get a good 996, 997, 986, 987, 981 in whatever flavour, you're got an awesome toy for your intended use.
997.2 is the obvious answer, as above.
I'm very near Hatfield OPC too. If you want a ride in a 996.1 with no sound proofing then let me know!
I wouldn't, and in fact didn't, discount the 996. An early car is well under half your budget, they're fast enough, they've done their depreciating, most are proving solid, and they cater for a pretty broad spectrum of use.
Just because you have the 40, doesn't mean you need to spend it all. There's also a very good argument for a 986.
Also, we've got some great specialists who are pretty local. I work in WGC, and Matt from Porschacare takes all the pain out of servicing by collecting and dropping off my car at the office.
To be honest, if you get a good 996, 997, 986, 987, 981 in whatever flavour, you're got an awesome toy for your intended use.
MrVert said:
MDL111 said:
I would go for a 997.2 manual - the best modern car in the price bracket imo
/\ what he said 
OP - I would also agree with others, 981 Cayman. Hatfield have some stock, as popped in there the other day. Not sure if they have any Cayman S, or whether a base Cayman is what you would prefer? Personally you are paying a premium at this OPC, however you do get piece of mind as well as nice coffee and biscuits
G
G
v8ksn said:
Agree with these guys. The 997 is a great car, with a Manual gearbox its one of the best contemporary 911's out there. Make sure you go for a 'gen 2' which is (i think) 2008 onwards.
Yes, I meant to specify Gen 2. I wouldn't touch a Gen 1 - engine issues and terribly dated-looking infotainment. Gen 2 cabin a nicer place to be.Gecko1978 said:
Many thanks for all of the advice. It was pleasing to know my vague thoughts aligned broadly with the advice I have been given.
Cayman is my wifes preference I would prefer 2009 onwards 997 so we shall see.
Thanks again and when we finally make our minds up I will share the result.
Let us know when you buy the Cayman Cayman is my wifes preference I would prefer 2009 onwards 997 so we shall see.
Thanks again and when we finally make our minds up I will share the result.
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