Help and advice sought

[Shoe Man]

OK. I am currently and unfortunately stricken by Prostate Cancer which has screwed up my back and legs to such an extent that I am now unable to get in and out of my weekend/fun drive - a TVR Chimaera 500, which I love. I have no problems with my daily drive a BMW 330d M Sport. So after much thought and heartache I have decided to sell both of them and replace with one car that can do the daily drive and put a smile on my face almost like the TVR.

The solution I've come up with is a 996 C4S. Its a classic, iconic vehicle, and it should fulfil my needs of being both fast and also up for the weekly run to Tesco/Sainsburys or wherever.

I reckon on getting around 15k for the 2 and then adding around £5k to do a fair deal at @ £20k. Any comments or advice from experienced Porsche owners would be appreciated.

Thanks. Shoe Man.

[rog007]

That's a huge knock to take; but congrats on the outlook (which car is best!!). A 911 can also be a tad of a challenge to get in and out of; best advice is to go and try it at a forecourt. Good luck!

[monthefish]

rog007 said:

That's a huge knock to take; but congrats on the outlook (which car is best!!). A 911 can also be a tad of a challenge to get in and out of; best advice is to go and try it at a forecourt. Good luck!

Good post rog.

A C4S is a great car, and you should be able to find a good one for 20k.
Keep us updated with the progress of your search.

Have you decided whether to go for a tiptronic (auto) or manual transmission?

[slodge]

Sorry to hear about that Shoeman, but like your thinking! I'd agree that 911s aren't the easiest to get in and out of. I hate to say it as I'm a Porsche man through and through, but if a 3 series is OK for you then have you considered an M3? If the 911 is OK on a test drive though I can thoroughly recommend a C4S. I would personally search out one with Porsche Sports Exhaust (PSE) and don't worry about the Sav Nat, I had a Tom Tom in mine as the factory built in one was rubbish and rather antiquated compared to what you get in more modern machinery!

Let us know how it all pans out.

Cheers

Slodge

[mollytherocker]

Sorry to hear that, it certainly puts things in perspective.

You should get plenty of good advice regarding the 996 on here. If you are not aware of the engine issues, just do some research so that you can go in with your eyes open and limit the risks to a minimum so that you can enjoy your car!

[Shoe Man]

Thanks for your good wishes and advice. I can get in and out of a 996 (it's similar to the 3 series in terms of access) and am thinking about tiptronic over manual just in case my legs get worse. I am aware of the issues surrounding the M96 engine but thought this was mainly down to the early 3.4 cars, I'm aiming at as late a 3.6 as I can get - am I right in this ? Cheers. Shoeman.

[monthefish]

Shoe Man said:

Thanks for your good wishes and advice. I can get in and out of a 996 (it's similar to the 3 series in terms of access) and am thinking about tiptronic over manual just in case my legs get worse. I am aware of the issues surrounding the M96 engine but thought this was mainly down to the early 3.4 cars, I'm aiming at as late a 3.6 as I can get - am I right in this ? Cheers. Shoeman.

c4s only came in 3.6 (as did all 996 mk2), and I don't think the 3.6 was any less prone to issues than the 3.4.
To illustrate, there are plenty of 997s with engine issues around.

Have you considered a turbo?
No such engine worries, and the extra performance will help offset the dulling effect of the tiptronic box. If you don't mind high miles and aren't too fussy about spec, you could probably get into one with 20k

[thegoose]

The engine issues affect them all, including 997's. To avoid that risk I'd suggest looking at Turbos as an alternative, different engine, pretty much bombproof. Oh, and quite fast too

[marky911]

Good call Goose.

Hi Shoeman, not much to add apart good luck with everything and well done on carrying on enjoying your car habit.

As Goose says, ALL pre-2009 watercooled engines 996/997/Boxster/Cayman engines are at risk of going pop.
Turbos and GT2/3 are pretty bulletproof though the GT cars are £30k+
Even a nice Turbo is mid £20k's minimum really but they do pop up around £20k sometimes so you could get lucky.

Anyway, like I said good luck.

[mollytherocker]

Given your requirement for something easy to get in and out of and I guess an easy driving position etc, would an air cooled car be out fo the question?

You could get a lovely 3.2, 964 or 993 for 20k (With care of course).

MTR

[Hungrymc]

Shoe Man said:

OK. I am currently and unfortunately stricken by Prostate Cancer which has screwed up my back and legs to such an extent that I am now unable to get in and out of my weekend/fun drive - a TVR Chimaera 500, which I love. I have no problems with my daily drive a BMW 330d M Sport. So after much thought and heartache I have decided to sell both of them and replace with one car that can do the daily drive and put a smile on my face almost like the TVR.

The solution I've come up with is a 996 C4S. Its a classic, iconic vehicle, and it should fulfil my needs of being both fast and also up for the weekly run to Tesco/Sainsburys or wherever.

I reckon on getting around 15k for the 2 and then adding around £5k to do a fair deal at @ £20k. Any comments or advice from experienced Porsche owners would be appreciated.

Thanks. Shoe Man.

As the rest have said, fabulous outlook - I hope all goes well for you.

I've not been on PH long, but I was wondering how long it would take to turn this into a thread about IMS and D-Chunking. The issues are real, no one can really give you the percentages of failures, but its enough to upset a good few people. If you're worried about it, there are the specialist warranties available. if you can stomachs the thought of maybe needing to pay for a rebuild at some point, that's also fine (and is the basis I bought my C4S - had it under warranty initially and now I live with the risk, it's a 2003 car which I've put 45k miles on in the last 2 1/2 years with no probs). It really has to be one or the other if you go for one of these cars.

Turbos are very different cars, and to be honest, anything in the mid 20s and below tends to be utterly horrible (a good one is a very fine car). GT3s are a price level up again, so I think both these suggestions are not really suitable. The 993 is totaly different kettle of fish, it brings more a 'classic' feel (but is a very competent car), you'll be very unlucky to have a major engine issue but you'll be spending money on corrosion etc.

Good luck with your search, they're all very rewarding cars.

[Shoe Man]

Thanks to everyone for the good wishes and helpful advice. Well, after numerous dealer visits and test drives up and down the country I've bought the car!! Pick it up Wednesday from Lawton Brook in Knaresborough. 04 plate, 50k miles, FPSH, immaculate condition inside and out. A 996 C4 (not the S), midnight blue with grey leather interior - and well within budget!! Comes with 12 month all inclusive warranty so engine problems, if they come, will be covered.

Wish me luck and lots of happy motoring. Cheers. Shoe Man

[rob.kellock]

Very best of luck, hope you really enjoy the car. My previous car was a 996 C4, a great all weather everyday supercar.

[911p]

Hi Shoe Man, very best of luck to you, you'll be back to full health in good time. Have fun with the car - sounds like a good'un, the narrow body Carreras are quicker anyway!

All we need now is pics

[monthefish]

Great stuff Shoe Man - you're gonna love it!

Shoe Man said:

Comes with 12 month all inclusive warranty so engine problems, if they come, will be covered.

Can I just make a suggestion that you read through the warranty documents thoroughly, and if it's not absolutely certain that the engine would be covered, get the dealer to confirm that it is in writing. If you do this prior to paying the balance/picking up the car, then it should be easier to get confirmation.

[Angelus]

Shoe Man said:

Thanks to everyone for the good wishes and helpful advice. Well, after numerous dealer visits and test drives up and down the country I've bought the car!! Pick it up Wednesday from Lawton Brook in Knaresborough. 04 plate, 50k miles, FPSH, immaculate condition inside and out. A 996 C4 (not the S), midnight blue with grey leather interior - and well within budget!! Comes with 12 month all inclusive warranty so engine problems, if they come, will be covered.

Wish me luck and lots of happy motoring. Cheers. Shoe Man

Congratulations, I got my 996 from there and they are very trustworthy. I liked them so much I went back 2 weeks later and bought a Focus ST-3 too. Stood by everything they promised and I had no problems at all. Time to just drive the car and enjoy it.

Get well soon.

[marky911]

Great result Shoeman!

Excellent cars. Enjoy it!

All the best for 2013 and a speedy recovery.

[DanoS4]

Well done great car ( I have one too )

Hope you have a speedy recovery

DanoC4