£25k - 996 or 997?
Discussion
Hi gents,
First time posting in the Porsche section
To keep it short and sweet, for ~ £25k where would your money go, 996 or 997...
I've had my eyes on a manual 996 C4S for years and now that it's becoming a reality I've seen a few 997s dropping into this bracket. Should I stick with my gut and try to find a decent 996 C4S, although the prices are on the rise.
I intend on keeping it for a good few years, with limited mileage so I'm hoping I won't suffer much if anything on depreciation which would be a bonus.
First time posting in the Porsche section
To keep it short and sweet, for ~ £25k where would your money go, 996 or 997...
I've had my eyes on a manual 996 C4S for years and now that it's becoming a reality I've seen a few 997s dropping into this bracket. Should I stick with my gut and try to find a decent 996 C4S, although the prices are on the rise.
I intend on keeping it for a good few years, with limited mileage so I'm hoping I won't suffer much if anything on depreciation which would be a bonus.
Maxeh said:
Hi gents,
First time posting in the Porsche section
To keep it short and sweet, for ~ £25k where would your money go, 996 or 997...
I've had my eyes on a manual 996 C4S for years and now that it's becoming a reality I've seen a few 997s dropping into this bracket. Should I stick with my gut and try to find a decent 996 C4S, although the prices are on the rise.
I intend on keeping it for a good few years, with limited mileage so I'm hoping I won't suffer much if anything on depreciation which would be a bonus.
I think you just need to decide based on which you prefer the looks of. 996 C4S in silver looks pretty sweet to me but the 997 is way more modern inside and out to my eyes.First time posting in the Porsche section
To keep it short and sweet, for ~ £25k where would your money go, 996 or 997...
I've had my eyes on a manual 996 C4S for years and now that it's becoming a reality I've seen a few 997s dropping into this bracket. Should I stick with my gut and try to find a decent 996 C4S, although the prices are on the rise.
I intend on keeping it for a good few years, with limited mileage so I'm hoping I won't suffer much if anything on depreciation which would be a bonus.
Are looks of the 996 headlamps putting you off a little? I ask as I hated them until very recently when, for whatever reason, they started to take on a "classic" appearance.
When it first came out the headlamps were enough on their own to be a reason for me not to buy a 996 and subsequently the 997 looked fantastic with its clean lines at the front. But does the 997 now look a little too bland? Does it take years for an older 911 to grow into its looks? Do later versions all morph into a sameness which makes the 996 stand out from the crowd so that ugly becomes characterful?
I'm only discussing looks here. There may be more practical or emotive driving considerations which make you choose one based on something other than looks.
When it first came out the headlamps were enough on their own to be a reason for me not to buy a 996 and subsequently the 997 looked fantastic with its clean lines at the front. But does the 997 now look a little too bland? Does it take years for an older 911 to grow into its looks? Do later versions all morph into a sameness which makes the 996 stand out from the crowd so that ugly becomes characterful?
I'm only discussing looks here. There may be more practical or emotive driving considerations which make you choose one based on something other than looks.
For me the 996 C4S wins on the looks, just finding it hard to grab a nice spec for the budget.
This is where the 997 in Carrera form for me looks nicer than the 996 counterpart hence sparking my interest.
I've got a test drive in a 996 C4S and a 997 Carrera this month so I'll report back with my findings!
This is where the 997 in Carrera form for me looks nicer than the 996 counterpart hence sparking my interest.
I've got a test drive in a 996 C4S and a 997 Carrera this month so I'll report back with my findings!
I'm biased as I have a 996 but that's where my money would go, a C4S. I think you'd be looking towards the bottom end of 997 but mid to good 996.
As for the interior of the 997 yes it's newer but imo has not aged as well - the centre console is just massively cluttered. There are something like 40 buttons, switches, dials etc. It's the main thing putting me off upgrading to a 997 C2S (as I consider the rest of it to be better than my lowly C4) - well that and the high relative risk of bore score compared to my M96 3.4. The gen 2 is much nicer to me but a hefty premium with it.
As for the interior of the 997 yes it's newer but imo has not aged as well - the centre console is just massively cluttered. There are something like 40 buttons, switches, dials etc. It's the main thing putting me off upgrading to a 997 C2S (as I consider the rest of it to be better than my lowly C4) - well that and the high relative risk of bore score compared to my M96 3.4. The gen 2 is much nicer to me but a hefty premium with it.
Edited by skinny on Monday 9th April 13:58
I’m biased as I’ve got a 996, but as you are thinking of keeping the miles low I would go for a 996. Expect to pay £17 to £20 for a good C2 or C4, or £25 for a good C4S.
The benefit with a 997.1 would be a newer car which should be inherently more reliable. Eg clutch, brake lines, suspension bushes etc are all likely to need less work. So this would be the one to go for if you were after a daily driver imho.
The benefit with a 997.1 would be a newer car which should be inherently more reliable. Eg clutch, brake lines, suspension bushes etc are all likely to need less work. So this would be the one to go for if you were after a daily driver imho.
One thing to think about is if say you did buy the 997 instead of the 996 C4S which you’ve lusted after for years - imagine if prices went so out of reach you’d never be able to afford/justify the £ to get it. Or what if when you finally do go for a 996 C2S after this 997 then it’s in reality too old a car / to run it frequently.
Then again the 997 newer - personally I much prefer the 997 looks though I’ll never forget a wonderful track day in a 996 Turbo X50 what a day what a car.
Then again the 997 newer - personally I much prefer the 997 looks though I’ll never forget a wonderful track day in a 996 Turbo X50 what a day what a car.
Maxeh said:
The search is continuing...like a needle in a haystack!
Have a word with Maundrells near Wantage - they have some nice stock which changes regularly and they prep their cars to a very high standard. I recently purchased a 987.2 from them and service has been excellent. The after service has also been 100% when the sat nav decided not to play with the satellites anymore.The have a nice looking 997.1 Carerra 2 in stock under your budget or a 997.1 C4S cab slightly over budget at the moment
If they know what you are looking for they may be able to source it quicker than you can
www.maundrells.co.uk
So I went and had a look at this example today:
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
What a stunner, it lived up to my hopes however the silver might not be enough to sway it!
I also drove an early 2.7 Cayman and an E90 M3 but still think the 996 is for me.
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
What a stunner, it lived up to my hopes however the silver might not be enough to sway it!
I also drove an early 2.7 Cayman and an E90 M3 but still think the 996 is for me.
Another biased opinion here! I'd go for the 996 C4S for the following reasons:
1. 997s are fairly common. I see loads on the road. I also see plenty 996s, however on the rare occasion I see a 996 C4S it genuinely makes me smile at how pretty it is. I'd echo the thoughts that the front lights have somehow become a nicer, classic look than when they first appeared. IMO the rear is only equalled by the 993 C2S & C4S.
2. The 996 is appreciating in value. When selling mine the phone didn't stop, they're in such high demand. Some dealers won't even take 997.1s as they're so difficult to shift.
3. Noise. A 996 C4S with PSE or Gundo is a sonorous thing.
1. 997s are fairly common. I see loads on the road. I also see plenty 996s, however on the rare occasion I see a 996 C4S it genuinely makes me smile at how pretty it is. I'd echo the thoughts that the front lights have somehow become a nicer, classic look than when they first appeared. IMO the rear is only equalled by the 993 C2S & C4S.
2. The 996 is appreciating in value. When selling mine the phone didn't stop, they're in such high demand. Some dealers won't even take 997.1s as they're so difficult to shift.
3. Noise. A 996 C4S with PSE or Gundo is a sonorous thing.
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