RE: The £10K Porsche 911(996). Why wouldn't you?
Discussion
Without the 996 and it's ability to share some parts with it's Boxster bretheren we would not be able to enjoy the revelation which is the 997 and now the eagerly awaited 991 ...
why ....
Because without that era of Porsche , the company probably would have ceased to exist.
Granted it is not the prettiest but that does not make it any less capable ...in any guise.
why ....
Because without that era of Porsche , the company probably would have ceased to exist.
Granted it is not the prettiest but that does not make it any less capable ...in any guise.
or subject of an asset recovery, or indeed finance repo.shipley said:
Same here ! I wonder how many people posting here neither own one, nor have ever driven one.
Happy with mine thanks - and for the £10k I spent to buy it, if it explodes, I'll bin it and buy something else !!
Its a bargain supercar
I love how everyone on pistonheads has £10k to throw away. Are you a Company Director?Happy with mine thanks - and for the £10k I spent to buy it, if it explodes, I'll bin it and buy something else !!
Its a bargain supercar
Edited by shipley on Friday 5th August 21:27
sday12 said:
Q: Why wouldn't you?
A:Because you really want a 993/7 and can't.
I've just recently changed my 993 for a 996 C4, and would be delighted to enlighten you.A:Because you really want a 993/7 and can't.
Cheaper, faster, better equiped, more agile and far more sure footed. Bit more room in the back as well. Recently gave a lift to my 6'2" son who was able to squeeze into the back. I ended up with a better car and ten grand in my pocket - go figure!
Hi all - I love M3's both my son and friend have one - however trust me they can be just as expensive to run as any 996!
As far as servicing goes mine is done by an Indy and the costs are far better than when I had my BMW 3 series M sport serviced by a main dealer!!!
I've recently had an oil and filter changed for £135 plus wheel alignment for £20!!!
Mine is an 05 with 38k on the clock. To be fair I only do "weekend" mileage so admit that higher mileage users would get more ongoing cost (as would any car). So don't let servicing etc put you off - just budget for it.
As far as servicing goes mine is done by an Indy and the costs are far better than when I had my BMW 3 series M sport serviced by a main dealer!!!
I've recently had an oil and filter changed for £135 plus wheel alignment for £20!!!
Mine is an 05 with 38k on the clock. To be fair I only do "weekend" mileage so admit that higher mileage users would get more ongoing cost (as would any car). So don't let servicing etc put you off - just budget for it.
The Ferret said:
Good point, many completely overlook the cost of servicing and just see the sticker price. Looking at that history its probably due a fair amount of £ on a major service, although the last page is slightly difficult to read.
Either way, balls to buying one of these without either an extended warranty, Indy repairs policy/warranty or a £10k war chest.
When you factor that lot in against the competition (as I did when I ended up buying an E46 M3) its not such a great deal.
Yes they are cracking cars, but the purchase price is just the beginning.
Either way, balls to buying one of these without either an extended warranty, Indy repairs policy/warranty or a £10k war chest.
When you factor that lot in against the competition (as I did when I ended up buying an E46 M3) its not such a great deal.
Yes they are cracking cars, but the purchase price is just the beginning.
A £10k 911, any 911 including a 996, no thanks (unless I've actually got another £5k plus). That's the rule of thumb I use for any high performance car that's purchased at the bottom of the price ladder, purchase price plus 50% and fingers crossed. Only a brave man would just have the 10k and no more.
Why wouldn't you? Indeed why not? If I'd that sort of money I'd be tempted as it's buying a car that is truly a supercar, no question. The 0-60, the top speed, the mpg (yes this must be mentioned - Porsches - in general are much more frugal, efficient if you will, than most super car / sports cars) and the good looks, despite what people think (especially purists) all add up to make it a great car as well as being very practical as a 2+2. If you've never driven one you'll not know what your missing. And I'm not a BMW M3 basher - I love them too, such a good all round car.
But the Porsche, it's just that little bit more ................ well it makes you feel so good driving one, if that's your thing (feeling good).
As far as buying one though, seriously it's a case f realising what you're getting into. In practical terms it is actually a gamble no matter what anyone says, given the history of the cylinder problems etc. I know only 5percent fail and that 3.4's fail more than 3.6's etc etc, but that's still a gamble. I have first hand experience. I source Porsches as a hobby as well as owning some nice stuff in the past (www.countryporsche.com). About four years ago I sourced a 1998 C2 Cabriolet Tiptronic(90k I think on the clock) via a well known independent near Solihull (Porsche Shop) for a guy here in Northern Ireland. It had the history, it had a 6 months warranty from the guys at PorscheShop and yet less than a thousand miles down the road (and the car was for everyday use so that was within a month or so) the engine failed.
On this forum I'm not going to get into the blame game except I WILL state the facts of what happened when the owner contacted the dealer. Initially they weren't at all helpful and said that they could only offer a repair/replacement engine as long as the owner would cover the cost of getting it back to mainland UK AND meet the difference between the warranty limit of £2.5k (I'm not 100% on that figure but it's somewhere around that) and the actual repair/replacement cost which was estimated to be £5k - £6k. Obviously owner wasn't happy and, as his wife is a solicitor, he got together a solicitors letter stating that the garage should meet the full cost as the car had failed in such a short time from purchase - well within the 6months warranty.
To cut a long story short, after a lot of wrangling, and I must admit, ill-feeling on my part towards Porscheshop (having been dissappointed by their attitude etc whereas previous experience with them had been very good - buying parts from them, and noting their reputation within Porsche circles), the car was collected/delivered back to Porscheshop and I then went over to pick it up after it had been sorted. Cost? around £6k. And the owner? He's totally off 996's and possibly Porsches in general.
SO, that is my experience with a 996 engine failure. Not a happy one even though I wasn't financially involved.
I think what you have to set in your mind when buying a 996 is this you're buying a highly engineered supercar with a great heritage, so why shouldn't you spend £20k. If it was a ferrari you'd spend twice that. So ..................
Firstly, the windscreen price may be low, but there's a reason for that (two main reasons anyway) One, they were produced in large volume so they're not as rare as some other 911's. Two, they've got that engine failure reputation.
Secondly, don't assume that the low windscreen price is ALL you'll pay. Factor in the cost of a new engine etc at circa £6k and the price will rise to circa £19k, based on the car that is the subject of this gas.
Thirdly, if you'v followed the logics of points one and two and if you can seriously afford £19k you can then, without fear of dissappointment, go ahead and buy. And, you'll have bought a supercar still at a fraction of the cost of a Ferrari (needing garage services every few thousand miles and not as practical - I'm still a fan though!), or a Lambo, or an Aston, or a Maserati and so on.
In a nutshell, factoring in the engine replacement figure will actually give you the proper price of the vehicle, which still makes it a great bargain buy. I know the older 911's have more character and more of an appeal/purist feel to them (and I've owned a few), but the 996 incarnation of the 911 brought it truly into the 21st century.
As a footnote, a comparable issue is probably seen with most marques - low ticket price on a seemingly fantastic car. I remember being in the market for a Citroen 2CV many years ago. A "cheap one" came up for sale near to home and I bought it. What I soon learnt was that it needed a completely new chassis. Yes, that was their "weak point". The chassis was a ladder frame in a sort of a covered sandwich. When water/moisture got in, it couldn't escape so it just sat there and rotted its way through. £1500 later I had a new chassis and a "nice" 2CV - plus a leason learnt.
disco1 said:
So how can you make such stupid, dumb and unfounded comments about them then? If you haven't any experience or knowledge of them then STFU!!
I've got f
king eyez and if I don't like the way something looks I won't touch it. When 996 first came about I thought it was a joke. It turned out to be 8 years of a fking stand up world tour for Porsche. Ever wondered why 997 didn't inherit its older siblings styling cues? MrDarkBlack said:
A 996 GT3 is widely regarded as a great 911. Not a great 996 911, just a great 911. And then there's the RS version...and the 996 Turbo, and the GT2, all built during the "black hole" period, as you say...
My mates wife has great character, loves to cook, keeps the house tidy, doesn't interrupt him when he's busy and also has a great pussey - so he says. Would I be interested in hooking up with her if she was free? No, cause although she looks like Patsy Kensit she's got a monobrow and a patch of black fur underneath her nose. 
nouze said:
MrDarkBlack said:
A 996 GT3 is widely regarded as a great 911. Not a great 996 911, just a great 911. And then there's the RS version...and the 996 Turbo, and the GT2, all built during the "black hole" period, as you say...
My mates wife has great character, loves to cook, keeps the house tidy, doesn't interrupt him when he's busy and also has a great pussey - so he says. Would I be interested in hooking up with her if she was free? No, cause although she looks like Patsy Kensit she's got a monobrow and a patch of black fur underneath her nose. 
After reading up on water cooled 911s and Boxsters on PH my previous (un-educated) presumptions about Porsche's 'legendary' build quality have been pretty much blown away.
It seems their engines are no more reliable than a Triumph Stag V8 or a Rover K Series. The downside is that they cost a lot more to rebuild.
It seems their engines are no more reliable than a Triumph Stag V8 or a Rover K Series. The downside is that they cost a lot more to rebuild.
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