RE: How much 911 can you buy for Golf GTI cash?
Thursday 17th November 2011
Forget the price of milk - have you seen the cost of a Golf GTI? In case you haven't, the base retail price for a three-door, six-speed Golf GTI is £25,305. Go crazy on the options list with DSG, 19-inch rims, touch screen nav, Adaptive Chassis Control and so on and you can get the figure to just about nudge past £35,000. That's thirty five grand...for a Golf GTI.
This 993 Carrera 4S comes with a comprehensive service record, an equally comprehensive 12-month warranty, and what's more it's a VarioRam-engined example with a manual gearbox. It was built in 1995 and has covered a shade over 108,000 miles, which isn't an issue for a looked-after 993, but nevertheless the windscreen is starting to emulsify in one of the corners and the nose is sporting the odd stone chip. Other than that, the bodywork is spot-on and the wheels are shod with a healthy set of Toyos. It's yours for £24,995.
Bringing things a bit more up to date is this 2006 997 Carrera 2S. The nose shows some very minor chips, there are some minor marks on the base of the driver's seat and some rather more self-evident wear to the outer bolster, which could do with being sorted out because the rest of the interior is near-mint.
So, not only can you get an example of some lovely modern 911s for the price of a base-spec Golf GTi, but you could also acquire a decent one for significantly less if you look hard.
How much 911 can you buy for Golf GTI cash?
£25k won't buy you a brand-new 911, but it will get you access to some pretty cool parts of the Stuttgart party...
Of course, the Golf is a good car. But we couldn't help but wonder what kind of Porsche 911 you'd get into for 25 grand, so we went to have a look at a few...
With the 996 getting a little long-of-tooth now, values are probably about as low as they're going to get, with circa £10,000 (or even less) cars becoming increasingly common on the used market. So the fact that you could buy a modestly priced 911 instead of...well instead of the vast majority of brand new cars, isn't news. But how about a 993 or even a 997?
Despite not quite enjoying the same reputation as the 993, a good 996 is still a fine driver's car, and well within budget is this 2003 Carrera 2 Cabriolet. As with the 993 it comes with a full service record and has a high specification. It was previously owned by a lady, is well-spec'd, and wears a set of 997 Carrera wheels. Never mind coming in at under £25,000, this ragtop, 89,000 mile 911 is up for just £20,995.
Speaking of which, several trips around the car revealed no bodywork imperfections to speak of (aside from the chips to the nose). It was all ding, chip, and scratch-free and all the panels fitted perfectly, showing no signs of any repair. It's wearing a good set of Pilot Sports, too, and is a one-owner car with 86,000 recorded miles and a full history. The asking price is £24,990.
Before we sign off though, if you were thinking of buying a new specced-up-to-the-nines GTI and therefore had access to the required £35,000, you could even get yourself a bona fide 26,000-mile 996 GT3 like this. And still have a grand to spare...
Discussion
soad said:
Plenty of choices there, but 993 for me I think.
Agree with you. A manual Targa in dark blue with a black interior. Trouble is, good ones are now heading for £30k...This is a very timely article - have been thinking about chopping in my GTI for a second hand Porker (ideally a 993 or early 997). The missus is having none of it, sadly - she wants a 4x4.
Photek said:
Cassius81 said:
been thinking about chopping in my GTI for a second hand Porker (ideally a 993 or early 997). The missus is having none of it, sadly - she wants a 4x4.
Carrera 4? :-)Hardly shocking that a used performance car can be had for the same price as a new hot hatch. I very much doubt many people would cross shop a used 911 with a brand new Golf GTi. Personally i'd never spend that money on any hatchback, but i'd never buy a new car.
For those that like to buy a new car, most like the (false) sense of security of a warranty etc. Where as someone buying a used 911, will know that it will, without doubt cost them a fair amount to run. So personally i find comparing the priceof a used 911 to a new GTi rather pointless, as it has always been the case that a high end used car can be bought for the same as a decent new car.
For those that like to buy a new car, most like the (false) sense of security of a warranty etc. Where as someone buying a used 911, will know that it will, without doubt cost them a fair amount to run. So personally i find comparing the priceof a used 911 to a new GTi rather pointless, as it has always been the case that a high end used car can be bought for the same as a decent new car.
thewheelman said:
Hardly shocking that a used performance car can be had for the same price as a new hot hatch. I very much doubt many people would cross shop a used 911 with a brand new Golf GTi. Personally i'd never spend that money on any hatchback, but i'd never buy a new car.
For those that like to buy a new car, most like the (false) sense of security of a warranty etc. Where as smeone buying a used 911, will know that it will, without doubt cost them a fair amount to run. So personally i find comparing the priceof a used 911 to a new GTi rather pointless, as it has always been the case that a high end used car can be bought for the same as a decent new car.
The warranty that came with my Golf has been pretty useful actually - when things have gone wrong (stereo deciding to eat CDs for example), they've been replaced, free of charge. So not sure what you mean by a "false sense of security"For those that like to buy a new car, most like the (false) sense of security of a warranty etc. Where as smeone buying a used 911, will know that it will, without doubt cost them a fair amount to run. So personally i find comparing the priceof a used 911 to a new GTi rather pointless, as it has always been the case that a high end used car can be bought for the same as a decent new car.
And as for the article being pointless - while I take your point that you could buy virtually any high end car for £25k, provided you were willing to go old enough, surely this article is more about PH chosing the sort of car that we can all afford (and many choose to run) then seeing what exotic alternatives you could get for the money, with the aim of prompting discussion/debate among forum members.
So rather than being pointless, given the comments above, the article seems to have succeeded in its aim, no?
Yes, running costs are much higher on an old 911 than a new car BUT if bought carefully, the depreciation savings can far outway them resulting in a lower ownership cost.
Whilst some people think this stuff is boring, it enables smart buyers to get into a better car.
And that is NOT boring!
MTR
Whilst some people think this stuff is boring, it enables smart buyers to get into a better car.
And that is NOT boring!
MTR
Cassius81 said:
thewheelman said:
Hardly shocking that a used performance car can be had for the same price as a new hot hatch. I very much doubt many people would cross shop a used 911 with a brand new Golf GTi. Personally i'd never spend that money on any hatchback, but i'd never buy a new car.
For those that like to buy a new car, most like the (false) sense of security of a warranty etc. Where as smeone buying a used 911, will know that it will, without doubt cost them a fair amount to run. So personally i find comparing the priceof a used 911 to a new GTi rather pointless, as it has always been the case that a high end used car can be bought for the same as a decent new car.
The warranty that came with my Golf has been pretty useful actually - when things have gone wrong (stereo deciding to eat CDs for example), they've been replaced, free of charge. So not sure what you mean by a "false sense of security"For those that like to buy a new car, most like the (false) sense of security of a warranty etc. Where as smeone buying a used 911, will know that it will, without doubt cost them a fair amount to run. So personally i find comparing the priceof a used 911 to a new GTi rather pointless, as it has always been the case that a high end used car can be bought for the same as a decent new car.
And as for the article being pointless - while I take your point that you could buy virtually any high end car for £25k, provided you were willing to go old enough, surely this article is more about PH chosing the sort of car that we can all afford (and many choose to run) then seeing what exotic alternatives you could get for the money, with the aim of prompting discussion/debate among forum members.
So rather than being pointless, given the comments above, the article seems to have succeeded in its aim, no?
Warranties frequently are a 'false sense of security' because they are a minefield of get out clauses and other nonsense - they exist more because other companies offer them than for any meaningful reason.
If my new car were to 'go bang' inside 1-2 years, I'd expect it to be repaired under simple consumer protection (of marchantable quality and fit for the purpose for a reasonable lifetime) anyway!?
The main thing you're looking for, in a warranty, is insulation against something important going bang. When you buy a new car, where the components aren't maybe tested-to-death already, this is quite important perhaps - but it's also less likely, being a new car!?
Buy a older car (8+ years) and you know that everything has been tested-to-death and beyond - almost everything in the car is a known quantity so we move on to the topic of "wear-and-tear" and the problems it can result in. At this point warranties are pointless because every warranty absolves itself from wear-and-tear damage anyway - hardly matters on a new car either way does it?
Also, getting CDs out of a faulty headunit is NOT what I'd want a car warranty doing for me but if that's your only concern, buy a new head unit and revel in it's warranty which would provide just that!
If my new car were to 'go bang' inside 1-2 years, I'd expect it to be repaired under simple consumer protection (of marchantable quality and fit for the purpose for a reasonable lifetime) anyway!?
The main thing you're looking for, in a warranty, is insulation against something important going bang. When you buy a new car, where the components aren't maybe tested-to-death already, this is quite important perhaps - but it's also less likely, being a new car!?
Buy a older car (8+ years) and you know that everything has been tested-to-death and beyond - almost everything in the car is a known quantity so we move on to the topic of "wear-and-tear" and the problems it can result in. At this point warranties are pointless because every warranty absolves itself from wear-and-tear damage anyway - hardly matters on a new car either way does it?
Also, getting CDs out of a faulty headunit is NOT what I'd want a car warranty doing for me but if that's your only concern, buy a new head unit and revel in it's warranty which would provide just that!
Personally i could never pay that amount of money out for a run of the mill hatchback, that'll depreciate very quickly.
The smart money would go on something like this, at £19k it'll go up in value as it's a 964. And for those that require a new(ish) hatchback, you'd have £16k left to play with to buy your daily hack. That way you get the best of both worlds
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3320053.htm
The smart money would go on something like this, at £19k it'll go up in value as it's a 964. And for those that require a new(ish) hatchback, you'd have £16k left to play with to buy your daily hack. That way you get the best of both worlds
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3320053.htm
what I ment in my story above is make something like this with a fast engine.
love it, took the picture from this ad> http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3398465.htm
love it, took the picture from this ad> http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3398465.htm
mollytherocker said:
Yes, running costs are much higher on an old 911 than a new car BUT if bought carefully, the depreciation savings can far outway them resulting in a lower ownership cost.
Whilst some people think this stuff is boring, it enables smart buyers to get into a better car.
And that is NOT boring!
MTR
I've thought for the last 3 or 4 years that I could have a number of interesting cars for the same price as a brand new Golf GTi. It's a great price benchmark I think, and helped me talk myself into a 2007 Merc CLK63 recently. Yes it won't have the same running costs, but I bought it because it's quite rare, I don't do many miles - when I do I want to enjoy them, and I have the faint hope that it won't lose much more money in the next 2-3 yrs than I would have, had I bought a Golf. I'm probably wrong but I know the Merc will make me happier!Whilst some people think this stuff is boring, it enables smart buyers to get into a better car.
And that is NOT boring!
MTR
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