Porsche Ownership - sway me!
Discussion
Hi,
Another of the million "which car" threads that must fly around this place... But, here is my situation..
Looks like I will be moving jobs in the next couple of months. This could mean that I lose my company car (Golf diesel), but gain a car allowance. Therefore looking at which car to get if that is the case, which is most likely.
Willing to spend a little more than the car allowance to get a car I really like. Ideally don't really want to spend more than about £800 per month for the total cost of the ownership/running of said vehicle. This needs to include financing the car also (May throw £2-3k deposit money at it). Obviously if I can spend less the better, but this is what I can comfortably afford I think.
Commute is 10 miles each way to work, 5 days a week. Dont do massive amounts of mileages outside of this. Aiming at keeping total annual mileage below 10k miles.
The cars I am considering...
Started out as a straight shoot out between a Z4 Coupe 3.0 and a 2.7 Cayman. Not looking at M or S variants due to the hope of keeping running costs down...
As I've started to look into things a can of worms seems to have opened and I am now looking at the S and M variants, as well as Boxsters and even found myself pondering a 996/997 eariler today.
Can somebody talk me out of the above S and M variants or 911's?! Would running costs be much higher?
As for looking between the Coupe's and Boxsters. MUCH prefer the looks of the coupes, but I could get a higher spec and have the luxury of a convertable with the Boxster. So it is difficult to prioritise!
Aaaaarrrghh. Maybe I should stick to a Golf Diesel!!
Anyway, sorry for the essay as didnt really know where to get a unbiased opinion. Although that may be hard in a Porsche sub-forum it is more likely than on an owners website. Also, this place is more likely to be frequented by more experienced petrol heads.
Anyway, any advice would be appreciated.
Martin
Another of the million "which car" threads that must fly around this place... But, here is my situation..
Looks like I will be moving jobs in the next couple of months. This could mean that I lose my company car (Golf diesel), but gain a car allowance. Therefore looking at which car to get if that is the case, which is most likely.
Willing to spend a little more than the car allowance to get a car I really like. Ideally don't really want to spend more than about £800 per month for the total cost of the ownership/running of said vehicle. This needs to include financing the car also (May throw £2-3k deposit money at it). Obviously if I can spend less the better, but this is what I can comfortably afford I think.
Commute is 10 miles each way to work, 5 days a week. Dont do massive amounts of mileages outside of this. Aiming at keeping total annual mileage below 10k miles.
The cars I am considering...
Started out as a straight shoot out between a Z4 Coupe 3.0 and a 2.7 Cayman. Not looking at M or S variants due to the hope of keeping running costs down...
As I've started to look into things a can of worms seems to have opened and I am now looking at the S and M variants, as well as Boxsters and even found myself pondering a 996/997 eariler today.
Can somebody talk me out of the above S and M variants or 911's?! Would running costs be much higher?
As for looking between the Coupe's and Boxsters. MUCH prefer the looks of the coupes, but I could get a higher spec and have the luxury of a convertable with the Boxster. So it is difficult to prioritise!
Aaaaarrrghh. Maybe I should stick to a Golf Diesel!!
Anyway, sorry for the essay as didnt really know where to get a unbiased opinion. Although that may be hard in a Porsche sub-forum it is more likely than on an owners website. Also, this place is more likely to be frequented by more experienced petrol heads.
Anyway, any advice would be appreciated.
Martin
Also,
Does anyone know what specific model this is?!
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p...
Does anyone know what specific model this is?!
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p...
You are in the Porsche forum, so the answers will be biased around Porsche ownership.
That said, you really need to drive them and see what you like. They are all different.
Do you want lots of toys and a convertible? Answer: Boxster is a great introduction to the Porsche Marque.
Do you want 2 seats, hardtop, sublime handling? Answer: Cayman.
Do you crave a nine-eleven or need back seats? Answer: 911.
Are you a speed or stats-in-the-pub nutter? Answer: "S" variants. Otherwise, 2.7's are ace.
If you can afford the running costs on a Boxster, a 997 won't hurt you much more. Things wear at the same rate (tyres, brakes etc), they just cost a bit more. Everything else is about the same.
That said, you really need to drive them and see what you like. They are all different.
Do you want lots of toys and a convertible? Answer: Boxster is a great introduction to the Porsche Marque.
Do you want 2 seats, hardtop, sublime handling? Answer: Cayman.
Do you crave a nine-eleven or need back seats? Answer: 911.
Are you a speed or stats-in-the-pub nutter? Answer: "S" variants. Otherwise, 2.7's are ace.
If you can afford the running costs on a Boxster, a 997 won't hurt you much more. Things wear at the same rate (tyres, brakes etc), they just cost a bit more. Everything else is about the same.
94Tegsi said:
Also,
Does anyone know what specific model this is?!
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p...
Looks like a 996 mk2. I don't think it has a specific 'model' other than that.Does anyone know what specific model this is?!
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p...
Paul O said:
You are in the Porsche forum, so the answers will be biased around Porsche ownership.
That said, you really need to drive them and see what you like. They are all different.
Do you want lots of toys and a convertible? Answer: Boxster is a great introduction to the Porsche Marque.
Do you want 2 seats, hardtop, sublime handling? Answer: Cayman.
Do you crave a nine-eleven or need back seats? Answer: 911.
Are you a speed or stats-in-the-pub nutter? Answer: "S" variants. Otherwise, 2.7's are ace.
If you can afford the running costs on a Boxster, a 997 won't hurt you much more. Things wear at the same rate (tyres, brakes etc), they just cost a bit more. Everything else is about the same.
Thanks for taking the time to reply...That said, you really need to drive them and see what you like. They are all different.
Do you want lots of toys and a convertible? Answer: Boxster is a great introduction to the Porsche Marque.
Do you want 2 seats, hardtop, sublime handling? Answer: Cayman.
Do you crave a nine-eleven or need back seats? Answer: 911.
Are you a speed or stats-in-the-pub nutter? Answer: "S" variants. Otherwise, 2.7's are ace.
If you can afford the running costs on a Boxster, a 997 won't hurt you much more. Things wear at the same rate (tyres, brakes etc), they just cost a bit more. Everything else is about the same.
Toys. Want Sat Nav, good stereo, heated seats. So nothing that any of the above cant do.
Convertible. MUCH prefer the looks of the hard tops coupes. So not desperate for a drop top, so not a deal breaker. Always nice during our short summers though.
Not craving a 911 or back seats either. Just saw some at similar prices and wondered if Id be missing out on too much. Although, this will be my first rear wheel drived car, so maybe a mid engine would be a better first step on the ladder...
Speed etc. Well coming from a Diesel Golf for the last 3 years whatever I get will be a massive step up.
I'd go for a Cayman then. Sounds like you prefer the hard top and not too fussed about mega speed and don't want to bin it on the first day.
I had a Cayman 2.7 - absolutely loved it. My running report here if you fancy a neb: http://motorcloud.net/category/cayman-diaries/
They aren't rapid, but they aren't slow and you can always upgrade to an S in the future if you want to.
The 9x7 models (Boxster/911) are much nicer inside than the old 9x6 models (such as the 911 you linked to earlier), so stretch to these if you can (in my opinion). plus 2-year servicing rather than annual and the sat nav is better!
Cayman and 911 are both different beasts to drive. Have a go in each, you might prefer one over the other.
Also - budget a few hundred quid to go to Porsche Silverstone and use their cars on an instructer-led day. They really give you a feel for how the cars drive and you'll have a better idea of the limits (and a curt reminder how crap all cars really are in the wet!!)
I had a Cayman 2.7 - absolutely loved it. My running report here if you fancy a neb: http://motorcloud.net/category/cayman-diaries/
They aren't rapid, but they aren't slow and you can always upgrade to an S in the future if you want to.
The 9x7 models (Boxster/911) are much nicer inside than the old 9x6 models (such as the 911 you linked to earlier), so stretch to these if you can (in my opinion). plus 2-year servicing rather than annual and the sat nav is better!

Cayman and 911 are both different beasts to drive. Have a go in each, you might prefer one over the other.
Also - budget a few hundred quid to go to Porsche Silverstone and use their cars on an instructer-led day. They really give you a feel for how the cars drive and you'll have a better idea of the limits (and a curt reminder how crap all cars really are in the wet!!)
Edited by Paul O on Wednesday 6th February 14:35
94Tegsi said:
Hi,
Another of the million "which car" threads that must fly around this place... But, here is my situation..
Looks like I will be moving jobs in the next couple of months. This could mean that I lose my company car (Golf diesel), but gain a car allowance. Therefore looking at which car to get if that is the case, which is most likely.
Willing to spend a little more than the car allowance to get a car I really like. Ideally don't really want to spend more than about £800 per month for the total cost of the ownership/running of said vehicle. This needs to include financing the car also (May throw £2-3k deposit money at it). Obviously if I can spend less the better, but this is what I can comfortably afford I think.
Commute is 10 miles each way to work, 5 days a week. Dont do massive amounts of mileages outside of this. Aiming at keeping total annual mileage below 10k miles.
The cars I am considering...
Started out as a straight shoot out between a Z4 Coupe 3.0 and a 2.7 Cayman. Not looking at M or S variants due to the hope of keeping running costs down...
As I've started to look into things a can of worms seems to have opened and I am now looking at the S and M variants, as well as Boxsters and even found myself pondering a 996/997 eariler today.
Can somebody talk me out of the above S and M variants or 911's?! Would running costs be much higher?
As for looking between the Coupe's and Boxsters. MUCH prefer the looks of the coupes, but I could get a higher spec and have the luxury of a convertable with the Boxster. So it is difficult to prioritise!
Aaaaarrrghh. Maybe I should stick to a Golf Diesel!!
Anyway, sorry for the essay as didnt really know where to get a unbiased opinion. Although that may be hard in a Porsche sub-forum it is more likely than on an owners website. Also, this place is more likely to be frequented by more experienced petrol heads.
Anyway, any advice would be appreciated.
Martin
Another of the million "which car" threads that must fly around this place... But, here is my situation..
Looks like I will be moving jobs in the next couple of months. This could mean that I lose my company car (Golf diesel), but gain a car allowance. Therefore looking at which car to get if that is the case, which is most likely.
Willing to spend a little more than the car allowance to get a car I really like. Ideally don't really want to spend more than about £800 per month for the total cost of the ownership/running of said vehicle. This needs to include financing the car also (May throw £2-3k deposit money at it). Obviously if I can spend less the better, but this is what I can comfortably afford I think.
Commute is 10 miles each way to work, 5 days a week. Dont do massive amounts of mileages outside of this. Aiming at keeping total annual mileage below 10k miles.
The cars I am considering...
Started out as a straight shoot out between a Z4 Coupe 3.0 and a 2.7 Cayman. Not looking at M or S variants due to the hope of keeping running costs down...
As I've started to look into things a can of worms seems to have opened and I am now looking at the S and M variants, as well as Boxsters and even found myself pondering a 996/997 eariler today.
Can somebody talk me out of the above S and M variants or 911's?! Would running costs be much higher?
As for looking between the Coupe's and Boxsters. MUCH prefer the looks of the coupes, but I could get a higher spec and have the luxury of a convertable with the Boxster. So it is difficult to prioritise!
Aaaaarrrghh. Maybe I should stick to a Golf Diesel!!
Anyway, sorry for the essay as didnt really know where to get a unbiased opinion. Although that may be hard in a Porsche sub-forum it is more likely than on an owners website. Also, this place is more likely to be frequented by more experienced petrol heads.
Anyway, any advice would be appreciated.
Martin
Paul O said:
I'd go for a Cayman then. Sounds like you prefer the hard top and not too fussed about mega speed and don't want to bin it on the first day.
I had a Cayman 2.7 - absolutely loved it. My running report here if you fancy a neb: http://motorcloud.net/category/cayman-diaries/
They aren't rapid, but they aren't slow and you can always upgrade to an S in the future if you want to.
The 9x7 models (Boxster/911) are much nicer inside than the old 9x6 models (such as the 911 you linked to earlier), so stretch to these if you can (in my opinion). plus 2-year servicing rather than annual and the sat nav is better!
Cayman and 911 are both different beasts to drive. Have a go in each, you might prefer one over the other.
Also - budget a few hundred quid to go to Porsche Silverstone and use their cars on an instructer-led day. They really give you a feel for how the cars drive and you'll have a better idea of the limits (and a curt reminder how crap all cars really are in the wet!!)
Cayman sounds like a good suggestion. I had a Cayman 2.7 - absolutely loved it. My running report here if you fancy a neb: http://motorcloud.net/category/cayman-diaries/
They aren't rapid, but they aren't slow and you can always upgrade to an S in the future if you want to.
The 9x7 models (Boxster/911) are much nicer inside than the old 9x6 models (such as the 911 you linked to earlier), so stretch to these if you can (in my opinion). plus 2-year servicing rather than annual and the sat nav is better!

Cayman and 911 are both different beasts to drive. Have a go in each, you might prefer one over the other.
Also - budget a few hundred quid to go to Porsche Silverstone and use their cars on an instructer-led day. They really give you a feel for how the cars drive and you'll have a better idea of the limits (and a curt reminder how crap all cars really are in the wet!!)
Edited by Paul O on Wednesday 6th February 14:35
I'd also add that if you can, try to go for a 2009-on 987 'Facelift' car (also known as the 987.2). The facelift cars have a number of improvements over the earlier models.
Most importantly it will have the 2.9 litre 9A1 engine rather than the 2.7 litre M97. The 2.9 is essentially the same as the DFI lumps in the S models and 911s (i.e. no intermediate shaft to fail and a closed-deck, Alusil block with improved cooling to counter other occasional engine issues the earlier cars could suffer from). Unlike the larger capacity engines, the 2.9 has in-port, rather than direct (into combustion chamber) fuel injection. Power and torque are up by about 20BHP/20lb-ft over the 2.7 so the engine performs well, fuel consumption & emissions are lower and it also sounds absolutely bl**dy marvellous (if my girlfriend's 2.9 Boxster is typical)!
The later cars also have the PCM-3 in-dash unit that has a touch-screen and improved Nav, iPhone connectivity, USB etc. etc.
HTH
Ian
If you are interested in the Cayman then you may find this link interesting which tells you about all the changes and when it happenned
http://caymanregister.org/faq.php?faq=models
http://caymanregister.org/faq.php?faq=models
sootyvrs said:
If you are interested in the Cayman then you may find this link interesting which tells you about all the changes and when it happenned
http://caymanregister.org/faq.php?faq=models
This puts it a million times better than I did! http://caymanregister.org/faq.php?faq=models
94Tegsi said:
Hi,
Another of the million "which car" threads that must fly around this place... But, here is my situation..
Looks like I will be moving jobs in the next couple of months. This could mean that I lose my company car (Golf diesel), but gain a car allowance. Therefore looking at which car to get if that is the case, which is most likely.
Willing to spend a little more than the car allowance to get a car I really like. Ideally don't really want to spend more than about £800 per month for the total cost of the ownership/running of said vehicle. This needs to include financing the car also (May throw £2-3k deposit money at it). Obviously if I can spend less the better, but this is what I can comfortably afford I think.
Commute is 10 miles each way to work, 5 days a week. Dont do massive amounts of mileages outside of this. Aiming at keeping total annual mileage below 10k miles.
The cars I am considering...
Started out as a straight shoot out between a Z4 Coupe 3.0 and a 2.7 Cayman. Not looking at M or S variants due to the hope of keeping running costs down...
As I've started to look into things a can of worms seems to have opened and I am now looking at the S and M variants, as well as Boxsters and even found myself pondering a 996/997 eariler today.
Can somebody talk me out of the above S and M variants or 911's?! Would running costs be much higher?
As for looking between the Coupe's and Boxsters. MUCH prefer the looks of the coupes, but I could get a higher spec and have the luxury of a convertable with the Boxster. So it is difficult to prioritise!
Aaaaarrrghh. Maybe I should stick to a Golf Diesel!!
Anyway, sorry for the essay as didnt really know where to get a unbiased opinion. Although that may be hard in a Porsche sub-forum it is more likely than on an owners website. Also, this place is more likely to be frequented by more experienced petrol heads.
Anyway, any advice would be appreciated.
Martin
go and drive some and find out ... they are all so differentAnother of the million "which car" threads that must fly around this place... But, here is my situation..
Looks like I will be moving jobs in the next couple of months. This could mean that I lose my company car (Golf diesel), but gain a car allowance. Therefore looking at which car to get if that is the case, which is most likely.
Willing to spend a little more than the car allowance to get a car I really like. Ideally don't really want to spend more than about £800 per month for the total cost of the ownership/running of said vehicle. This needs to include financing the car also (May throw £2-3k deposit money at it). Obviously if I can spend less the better, but this is what I can comfortably afford I think.
Commute is 10 miles each way to work, 5 days a week. Dont do massive amounts of mileages outside of this. Aiming at keeping total annual mileage below 10k miles.
The cars I am considering...
Started out as a straight shoot out between a Z4 Coupe 3.0 and a 2.7 Cayman. Not looking at M or S variants due to the hope of keeping running costs down...
As I've started to look into things a can of worms seems to have opened and I am now looking at the S and M variants, as well as Boxsters and even found myself pondering a 996/997 eariler today.
Can somebody talk me out of the above S and M variants or 911's?! Would running costs be much higher?
As for looking between the Coupe's and Boxsters. MUCH prefer the looks of the coupes, but I could get a higher spec and have the luxury of a convertable with the Boxster. So it is difficult to prioritise!
Aaaaarrrghh. Maybe I should stick to a Golf Diesel!!
Anyway, sorry for the essay as didnt really know where to get a unbiased opinion. Although that may be hard in a Porsche sub-forum it is more likely than on an owners website. Also, this place is more likely to be frequented by more experienced petrol heads.
Anyway, any advice would be appreciated.
Martin
From experience your budget is fine for a finance deal with an Official Porsche Centre (OPC).
I bought my first Porsche Cayman mk ii 2.9 from Bristol in Nov 2009. £2250 deposit and £501 per month on a 3 year Hire Purchase (so no guaranteed future value). Added bonus is it comes with a 2 year warranty and will not need servicing for at least 18 months. The one I bought was only 9 months old and had 900 miles on the clock..
You will be surprised at the deal that can be struck. The right car, the right age etc means they can do very competitive finance. It all depends on the depreciation, Cayman keep their value quite well.
I bought my first Porsche Cayman mk ii 2.9 from Bristol in Nov 2009. £2250 deposit and £501 per month on a 3 year Hire Purchase (so no guaranteed future value). Added bonus is it comes with a 2 year warranty and will not need servicing for at least 18 months. The one I bought was only 9 months old and had 900 miles on the clock..
You will be surprised at the deal that can be struck. The right car, the right age etc means they can do very competitive finance. It all depends on the depreciation, Cayman keep their value quite well.
jackliebling said:
From experience your budget is fine for a finance deal with an Official Porsche Centre (OPC).
I bought my first Porsche Cayman mk ii 2.9 from Bristol in Nov 2009. £2250 deposit and £501 per month on a 3 year Hire Purchase (so no guaranteed future value). Added bonus is it comes with a 2 year warranty and will not need servicing for at least 18 months. The one I bought was only 9 months old and had 900 miles on the clock..
You will be surprised at the deal that can be struck. The right car, the right age etc means they can do very competitive finance. It all depends on the depreciation, Cayman keep their value quite well.
Hmmmm that is interesting!! Although I think I'd prefer to have a paid off asset after 3/4 years!I bought my first Porsche Cayman mk ii 2.9 from Bristol in Nov 2009. £2250 deposit and £501 per month on a 3 year Hire Purchase (so no guaranteed future value). Added bonus is it comes with a 2 year warranty and will not need servicing for at least 18 months. The one I bought was only 9 months old and had 900 miles on the clock..
You will be surprised at the deal that can be struck. The right car, the right age etc means they can do very competitive finance. It all depends on the depreciation, Cayman keep their value quite well.
This may make you think; my friend just send me the history file of his C4 i'm thinking of buying, total bills (service, fixing broken things NO modifications options extras etc) at Porsche dealership 2005 to present = £24,950. So the comments you read on the forums of budget at least £2K a year sound a bit optimistic / reliant on you having "a good one".
Herman Toothrot said:
This may make you think; my friend just send me the history file of his C4 i'm thinking of buying, total bills (service, fixing broken things NO modifications options extras etc) at Porsche dealership 2005 to present = £24,950. So the comments you read on the forums of budget at least £2K a year sound a bit optimistic / reliant on you having "a good one".
Now that definitely is something to ponder, thanks!On the financing issue. Over the life of the car the total repayments for the purchase will be more than funding through a 5.1% loan though will they not?!
Not sure I'd want to end up paying a £10k balloon payment at the end of the agreement to own the car.
For example it looks like I could get a £15k loan over 4 years paying pack a total of circa £16.5k..... Then I'd potentially just have to add £2-3k of my own money in up front.
Is a PCP or the like likely to match that!?
Edited by 94Tegsi on Wednesday 6th February 23:13
Gassing Station | Porsche General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff




