997 C2S/C4S

[Irri]

Hi,

I'm new to 911s and was thinking about getting one.

I want to spend about £30K. From what I've seen that would get a 2006 with about 50K on it. Is it worth spending a bit more to get something a bit newer? I plan to keep it for a year or two, then sell it.

I only seem to to be able to find dealers selling, is there a good place to look for them other than eBay/Autotrader?

I've only seen one with a tan interior, are they rare?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[sidicks]

Irri said:

Hi,

I'm new to 911s and was thinking about getting one.

I want to spend about £30K. From what I've seen that would get a 2006 with about 50K on it. Is it worth spending a bit more to get something a bit newer? I plan to keep it for a year or two, then sell it.

I only seem to to be able to find dealers selling, is there a good place to look for them other than eBay/Autotrader?

I've only seen one with a tan interior, are they rare?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Tan interiors are fairly rare.

I wouldn't get one without a Porsche warranty, given the known engine issues and potential costs.

Have you looked in the classifieds on this forum - might be able to find a car that's been owned by an enthusiast, well looked after, and with good history.

(Like the car that I sold last year - 2006 C4S, 1 owner from new, full history and warranty etc!)

[carcrazypop]

Irri said:

Hi,
Is it worth spending a bit more to get something a bit newer? I plan to keep it for a year or two, then sell it.
Thanks in advance for any help.

Hi,
Personally, I'd stump up a bit more and try and find a nice Gen.2 car to reduce chances of engine problems.
Good Luck.

[Irri]

Ah, I didn't realise there was a classifieds section. Thanks for the heads up.

What year are gen 2?

[carcrazypop]

Irri said:

Ah, I didn't realise there was a classifieds section. Thanks for the heads up.

What year are gen 2?

I think the Gen.2 cars started sometime in 2008; most adverts will say if the car is a Gen.2; with Gen.2 cars, the engines were re-designed to eliminate previous design flaws and also, the tiptronic boxes were replaced by the PDK which are a big improvement.

As well as looking on Pistonheads classifieds, you could also try the Porsche Dealer used car search; if you buy from a Porsche OPC, you will probably pay a bit more, but you will get a full 2 year Porsche warranty.

[Irri]

Thanks.

The gen 2s seem to be about £40 which is a bit much. Are the gen 1s that bad?

Maybe I should get an old Hank Moody instead.

[carcrazypop]

Irri said:

Thanks.

The gen 2s seem to be about £40 which is a bit much. Are the gen 1s that bad?

Maybe I should get an old Hank Moody instead.

Don't discount the 997 C2 rather than C2S; I think the Gen.2 C2 is as powerful as the Gen.1 C2S IIRC.

You should find a Gen.2 for mid-30's; I wouldn't buy a Gen.1 without a Porsche Warranty, but that's me and I like minimum risk.

Here's one from a very reputable dealer: http://www.williamscrawford.co.uk/yii/explore/inde...

Edited by carcrazypop on Thursday 27th March 15:37

[Irri]

Thanks again for the info.

I could stretch to mid 30s, but I forgot to mention I want cab, and it has to be black. Are cabs generally more? A non-S version is fine.

[GregorFuk]

Irri said:

Thanks.

The gen 2s seem to be about £40 which is a bit much. Are the gen 1s that bad?

Maybe I should get an old Hank Moody instead.

Don't you just love it when random people casually add thousands to you budget

In answer to your question Gen 1s are not bad cars though you'd be wise to go for a post 2006 car as there were running changes made to the engines that improved their reliability. Picking up a car that has an extended Porsche warranty also shields you from any big bills. You just have to stick with Porsche for servicing and keep it standard; worth it in my opinion. This forum is very doom and gloom regarding Gen 1 997s but people only write about the planes that crash, not the 1000's that complete their journeys incident free.

I bought a 2008 Gen 1 with 18 months of Porsche warranty last November and so far it's been a pleasure to own.

[carcrazypop]

GregorFuk said:

Irri said:

Thanks.

The gen 2s seem to be about £40 which is a bit much. Are the gen 1s that bad?

Maybe I should get an old Hank Moody instead.

Don't you just love it when random people casually add thousands to you budget

In answer to your question Gen 1s are not bad cars though you'd be wise to go for a post 2006 car as there were running changes made to the engines that improved their reliability. Picking up a car that has an extended Porsche warranty also shields you from any big bills. You just have to stick with Porsche for servicing and keep it standard; worth it in my opinion. This forum is very doom and gloom regarding Gen 1 997s but people only write about the planes that crash, not the 1000's that complete their journeys incident free.

I bought a 2008 Gen 1 with 18 months of Porsche warranty last November and so far it's been a pleasure to own.

Hey Matey, one random person here; the OP asked whether he should spend a bit more in his original post, and my reply was yes so he can get into a Gen.2.

[Irri]

It's nice to have as much input as possible

I agree about the planes, but it's nice to know about possible pitfalls.

I'm confused, were the engines changed in 2006 or 2008?

[schaeffs]

Gen 1 cars are absolutely great - I actually prefer the styling, noise and power delivery on the Gen 1 car over the Gen 2 when I test drove them last year. Gen 2 hits back with smoother engine, PDK box and better PCM... Manual all the way for me though as I prefer to heel/toe and found the PDK box hunted too much for my taste in auto.

Gen 2 cars are great but at circa 15k difference at the time I was looking for a car - that is in my view almost exactly the same - it didn't stack up.

The issue with Engine's is quite simply overblown - just speak to Hartech on it and you will get a much more balanced view than exists on here. As others say protect yourself if you are concerned at all - I am doing so for 70 pounds a month with Hartech and that includes an MOT and service by them once a year. You need to speak to them before you buy the car however as it is not as simple as turning up with a car and expecting it to be covered in this manner.

On the 2006 cars v the 2004-2005 ones - there were changes to the engine internally to protect against one of the known failures but am sure someone on here with far more knowledge will be able to let you know properly! The 2008-on cars went to a DFI engine which was a ground up rework...

[carcrazypop]

Irri said:

It's nice to have as much input as possible

I agree about the planes, but it's nice to know about possible pitfalls.

I'm confused, were the engines changed in 2006 or 2008?

A 2006 is still a Gen.1 but there were some running improvements made to the Gen.1 engines to reduce the risk so a 2006 on car is a better bet than an earlier one.

The Gen.2 car came out in late 2008 and the engines in these were a completely new design. You may struggle to get a Gen.2 cab for less than £40k unless it's high mileage; if you go for a Gen.1, I'd definitely recommend getting one with a Porsche Warranty for peace of mind. If you buy one privately which already has a Porsche Warranty, you can transfer it to yourself on a private sale.

[schaeffs]

carcrazypop said:

Don't discount the 997 C2 rather than C2S; I think the Gen.2 C2 is as powerful as the Gen.1 C2S IIRC.

You should find a Gen.2 for mid-30's; I wouldn't buy a Gen.1 without a Porsche Warranty, but that's me and I like minimum risk.

Here's one from a very reputable dealer: http://www.williamscrawford.co.uk/yii/explore/inde...

Edited by carcrazypop on Thursday 27th March 15:37

That is a lovely Gen 2 for a decent price - however one thing that IMO is essential on a Gen 2 C2 car is PSE. Night and Day driving wise for those who like to hear the engine when driving...

[FarQue]

Agreed, for me the gen 1 is a better looking car. Mine is a 53,000 mile C2S. It hasn't blown up yet. It gets serviced properly and warmed up thoroughly before I cane it... I'm really rather fond of it too!

[schaeffs]

FarQue said:

Agreed, for me the gen 1 is a better looking car. Mine is a 53,000 mile C2S. It hasn't blown up yet. It gets serviced properly and warmed up thoroughly before I cane it... I'm really rather fond of it too!

Excellent - 36k for me and going strong!

[GregorFuk]

carcrazypop said:

Hey Matey, one random person here; the OP asked whether he should spend a bit more in his original post, and my reply was yes so he can get into a Gen.2.

That's not quite what he said but fair enough. I interpreted "a bit more" with a few extra 1000 which isn't usually enough to get you in a lb for lb Gen 2.

Edited by GregorFuk on Friday 28th March 10:56

[GregorFuk]

schaeffs said:

FarQue said:

Agreed, for me the gen 1 is a better looking car. Mine is a 53,000 mile C2S. It hasn't blown up yet. It gets serviced properly and warmed up thoroughly before I cane it... I'm really rather fond of it too!

Excellent - 36k for me and going strong!

42K and no issues.

[carcrazypop]

I hope the OP has noticed that all the posters bulling up the Gen.1 cars are actually owners of those cars, so maybe a slight bias there

I've had Gen.1 and Gen.2 cars in the past and all that I'm saying is if you can stretch to a Gen.2 car, go for it; I've also said that I'm adverse to risk, and if it was me buying a Gen.1 car, I'd only get one with a Porsche Warranty IMHO

They are both brilliant cars, but if the worst happens, they can cost an awful lot to put right. Good Luck with whatever you choose.

[Gibbo205]

Irri said:

Thanks.

The gen 2s seem to be about £40 which is a bit much. Are the gen 1s that bad?

Maybe I should get an old Hank Moody instead.

Yes buy a gen1 and it will self destruct its engine.

No they are fine, yes Porsche had a design flaw, but in reality the IMS likely-hood of failing is something like less than 1% and bore scoring is higher, upto 5% car effected at sub 100k miles I'd say.

IMS seems less likely on cars which have got to 50,000 miles and bore scoring can be held back or avoided by good maintenance and improved engine cooling. They are great cars, I am in my 3rd year of ownership, plenty of track days and nearly 30,000 miles in my hands, engine still has zero signs of scoring.