what is an 'early' 3.4 996?

[richthebike]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I'm totally with you here cmoose. I'm back in an early 996 because I think it's the sweet spot - long may they continue to be cheap and unloved

[Dammit]

richthebike said:

Can't make up my mind on whether the grey GT3 style wheels work on a silver car with ambers (or as Mrs Thebike said, one that is "crying orange tears")

Here's my Arctic Silver car on GT Silver wheels:

[NJH]

That's the thing though, they aren't really cheap and unloved any more. When the PCGB championship started allowing the 996 in the race car preparers had no problems at all picking up half decent condition running cars in the £7k to £8k range. I was offered one myself, high miles but FSH and full working order for £9k by one of those outfits (it was actually pretty decent car, 99 c2 manual, black interior, turbo wheels). ISTR they were keeping it as a spare car for Peter Morris. Those cars seem to have disappeared and frankly the higher miles cars tarted up by the likes of FGP look expensive in comparison but reflect where the market is now, there is a clear demand for really nice condition 996 C2s, manual gearbox in particular.

[Gunk]

ATM said:

I'm liking those bad boys 964 gt2 arch extensions a lot

It was the 993 GT2 that had the bolt on arches.

[Greggy69]

porkey said:

I'd be looking at this.
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
I inquired about it a while ago when it was up for £20k but never went to see it due the asking price. It has good main dealer history and appears to be a cherished car. Well worth a look I'd say.

Thanks. Was this on Autotrader as well? Certainly I remember seeing it advertised before. Could be a contender but is towards top of my budget. It's been around for a while so I guess it depends if the seller is prepared to move a bit more....

[porkey]

jimmy p said:

3 years between last two services isnt what i would expect of a cherished car though

My old 964T went 4 years and about 2000 miles between a service and it made no difference at all when I came to sell the car.
Condition is everything. I think it is priced about right assuming it is as nice in the flesh as it sounds and having looked at loads of cars recently, most are very average and need plenty spending.
Good cars needing nothing are virtually non existent. Buying a cheap 996 will be expensive in the long run....

[ATM]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Rich you have this the wrong way round.

Now that we are owners we need them to become expensive and loved.

[porkey]

Greggy69 said:

Thanks. Was this on Autotrader as well? Certainly I remember seeing it advertised before. Could be a contender but is towards top of my budget. It's been around for a while so I guess it depends if the seller is prepared to move a bit more....

This might be worth a look as well.

http://911uk.com/ads_item.php?id=7495

[porkey]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Very true.
I was in exactly the same position. Lovely car, but in the end it became more and more unusable.

[ATM]

porkey said:

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Very true.
I was in exactly the same position. Lovely car, but in the end it became more and more unusable.

Its a nice problem to have, which I'd welcome.

[Fast Bug]

At what point does a car start to become unusable? £30k? £50k? £100k? As long as it's insured for it's market value, then drive the thing!

[ATM]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I cant see early 996 prices going crazy if I am honest. The difference between the earlier cars and the later cars and then again the 996.2 is too subtle. I think the whole market is stronger. Its making any plans of adding to my collection seem a bit daft.

[richthebike]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Once again, I'm with cmoose. I've been in the values game with the GT3 and it ruined it for me. Simply not why I have this type of car - I'd rather have a ready supply.

On a previous point, I was lucky with my last one to get in at 10k when values were down there. I sold up to support my house buying so have been without a 996 for 18 months. Whilst the % increase of the point of entry is high at 50%, the quantum isn't, in the grand scheme of things.

Anyway, let there be no more mentions of assets, values, mile limits etc!

I like the look of this one over on AT. Love the purple.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

[Fast Bug]

I think if you become afraid to use the car because of its value, then that's the time to sell it and buy something you're not afraid to use. I've never seen the point of having a car that you won't drive, it becomes an ornament then. I've had friends with show winning Cal Look Beetles that have driven them across Europe for shows, stone chips can be fixed, if it breaks down it can be fixed. I guess it's in the mind set of owners

[51mes]

Been thinking of one of these to run as my fair weather daily for say 6-8K a year (S2000 in garage, and a 5 year old diesel V40 on the drive) as a bit of fun thinking if I find one that's reasonable miles and decent condition - provided it doesn't go too pear shaped all will be well. It's not getting the garage so will share the drive outside the house with the volvo.

Have the cash burning a hole in my bank account at the moment - but really can't see myself doing anything this week having that extra liquidity may be needed to cushion the blow of a poor result come Friday Morning, it's a shame really as a couple of really nice looking cars have come and gone in the past 4-5 weeks.

Was looking for fairly base car pre2000, no bodykit - otherwise that Somerset car would be perfect, red/blue would be nice (not keen on black) with sunroof and a lighter interior, C4 or C2, manual, 17" preferred or 18" acceptable wheels.

My biggest problem is the fact I live in the arse end of nowhere (West Cumbria) and all the cars seem to be in Yorkshire or points south. I'm thinking of a roadtrip out to go and see a few dealer cars to get my eye in though there seems to be a firm hardening on prices atm ..

[porkey]

Greggy69 said:

Thanks. Was this on Autotrader as well? Certainly I remember seeing it advertised before. Could be a contender but is towards top of my budget. It's been around for a while so I guess it depends if the seller is prepared to move a bit more....

I'd give the owner a call. He sent me some invoices for recent work. Rads, condensers, coil packs, brakes etc. All done at the main dealer.
Had I not bought something now, I would be going to see the car. FGP seem to be asking similar money for much higher mile cars.
Just my 2p.

[skinny]

The high milers (996) are never going to be an investment.

Therefore if you have a low miler and are worried about affecting it's value but you still want to drive it, just sell it for a premium, buy a high miler, and spend the change on fuel

[rubystone]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

They're not selling though.

In any market, the last to rise are the first to fall. Anyone investing that much in a high mileage car is a fool.

Too many 996s were built to make them a cast iron investment. Think about them as a cost-neutral asset but factor in the costs of putting right a car that has been starved of investment; brakes, radiators, exhaust can all add up to big bills.

[LordHaveMurci]

What qualifies as high mileage on a 15-20yr old car?

[richthebike]

• Man maths alert*

1. Running a 996 requires a slush fund.
2. I like to budget for the worst, say 10 to 12 for a rebuild (unlikely but I'd not want to be looking at a dead car whilst finding the cash).
3. The cars aren't going to lose much value, if any. They probably cover theirs costs, in my experience.
4. Keeping the miles down but the car in regular use supports point 3.
5. Having more cars spreads the miles out a bit, reducing insurance, wear and tear etc.
6. Money in the bank gives naff all return unless you get lucky on the NSI. More importantly, in the bank the temptation to turn it into soft furnishings or double glazing is high.
7. I have a space on my drive.
8. Therefore I need another early 996 as collateral.

Makes perfect sense to me

You could argue that variety is the spice of life and I should get an early Elise or an SL or something, which I'd take as valid feedback.