Compromising on colour to get the right car?

[RWD cossie wil]

Sorry, sure this question has been asked a thousand times already, but how many of you compromised/would compromise on the colour/ spec of your wishlist to get the "right" car?

I have been hankering after a 996 turbo for a couple of years now, & hopefully early in the new year I will be in a position to buy, with a budget of 25k, possibly stretching towards 30k for a gem. The car will be a second car so will be getting used weekends, evenings etc so not a real drama on the milage front.

My ideal car is as follows:

MUSTS:
Manual
black interior+ Sports seats
aluminium pack dails
non aero kit
Standard wheels (ideally original colour)
Coup
Facelift model (02 on?)
HPI clear

Be nice to have:
X50 pack
Parking sensors
Good quality exhaust/remap
Below 80k miles

Colour:
1/2) Basalt Black /Speed Yellow
3) Seal Grey
4) Arctic Silver


Now as you can imagine, finding a car to fit the perfect spec is almost impossible, to the point of obsession, but it seems almost every car on the market at the moment has a deal breaker of some sort! The main problem seems to be the bleeding "tip" gearbox (sorry tip owners!), or comfort seats.

This car is almost perfect for me, http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p... except the seats are comforts not sports


Now, the thing is one of my friends has a great turbo, that is not really for sale, but he would sell it to me for a very sensible price. It has a really good spec & history, it's totally std & non X50, but the price I would get it for would leave me change to do the exhaust/remap. The only real problem I have is that the car is Arctic Silver, a nice colour, but a fair way down my list of colour choices?

So, buy the car with the "wrong" seats etc, or buy the right car but in the "wrong" colour?

[thegoose]

With a Musts list that long you could fall into the trap of buying a car that's not actually very good but ticks your boxes. I wouldn't be bothered by the facelift as it's only a cup holder & glovebox on a turbo, nor about the wheels which can be changed anytime, as can the seats (I've had and driven both and can't say I'd be bothered either way). Focus on getting the right car condition & provenance wise above all else.

[Pistom]

When you are trying to buy a premium car on a low budget like this, you have to accept that beggars can't be choosers.

Having said that, it is you hard earned money so don't spend it on something you don't like.

[LeoSayer]

I don't rate the comfort seats on 993s or 996s.

Get some GT3 buckets in there.

[csmith319]

If you think the colour will bother you don't do it, it's one of the most difficult things to change and the most obvious to you!

The car you want will come up, your spec list isn't outrageous though I'd compromise on the things that can easily be put right for condition.

[Rockster]

Generally used car buyers are focused on price and condition, condition and price.

This doesn't mean that someone has to take an ugly car or make that a car in an ugly color.

What it does mean is as I think you are finding out is the longer one's list of must have's is the harder it is find *the* car.

Only you can decide what you can live with and cannot live without when it comes to a car. If you can't pare your list down without having to accept the auto equivalent of a bad of nails I think you are going to be looking a long long time.

All you can do is keep looking.

[mr pg]

LeoSayer said:

I don't rate the comfort seats on 993s or 996s.

Get some GT3 buckets in there.

I wouldn't get hung up on 996 sports seats, as they really aren't sporty. I personally find them uncomfortable (they seem to push into my back), and no better than my comfort seats. Not a patch on the sports seats I had in my 964.

[KPE]

You can also retro fit the aluminium dials I believe.

[g7jhp]

I compromised on colour and seats - slate grey and comfort (rather than seal and sports), but I did get an X50.

The comfort seats are very good and the sports seats don't fit all. I have toyed with fitting GT3 buckets, but don't think it's worth the cost.

Focus on getting a manual car in great condition in a colour you like.

[FarQue]

So you're looking for a ten year old car in a specific specification that you would have chosen new in a dealership? When you find it, be sure to double check the cigarette lighter (older readers will get this joke!)

[RWD cossie wil]

FarQue said:

So you're looking for a ten year old car in a specific specification that you would have chosen new in a dealership? When you find it, be sure to double check the cigarette lighter (older readers will get this joke!)

I get the joke! Surely it's not too hard to find a manual with black sports seats & Ali dials in decent condition?

[anonymous-user]

RWD cossie wil said:

The only real problem I have is that the car is Arctic Silver, a nice colour, but a fair way down my list of colour choices?

So, buy the car with the "wrong" seats etc, or buy the right car but in the "wrong" colour?

When I was looking for mine, the absolute, written in stone, immutable deal breaker was that it had to be seal grey.

I ended up with arctic silver, and loved it.

In non pork, I've had one black car, which was a giant PITA to keep clean. 30 mins max after cleaning, it looked dusty. Never again, I vowed.

Until the RR came along. That's black too (although to be fair I quite like that in "grubby" mode).

Colour preferences are odd things, it turns out.

[mollytherocker]

RWD cossie wil said:

So, buy the car with the "wrong" seats etc, or buy the right car but in the "wrong" colour?

I dont know how we can answer this for you, its your choice!

Trying to buy a relatively rare circa 10 year old car in an exact spec is probably going to be a frustrating exercise.

I sort of do it the other way around. I decide on what I definetly dont want, and then concentrate on finding a car in good condition.

The more you look at, the more you realise that you actually like some of the colours you had a prejudice against.

[adbett]

I'm in the market for a 996 GT3 at the moment so in a similar position in trying the find the 'perfect for me' car. Anything that can easily be replaced or added (buckets, harnesses, cages, wheels...) is simply a cost - so if the price is right buy the car then buy the parts and fit them.

Colour can't be changed but a silver car that has been well looked after, professionally detailed with a perfect resprayed bumper and sills to remove stone chips etc might suddenly look a lot more appealing than you first thought?

[ClarkPB]

When I was looking for a 996 GT3 it HAD to be red or yellow.

I ended up with a cobalt blue one as the car was too good to miss and in hindsight I actually prefer the cobalt as it's a bit rarer than red and I'm not sure if I'd have eventually got a bit fed up of a yellow one!

My dad is currently on the look out for a 997.2 GT3 RS and he insists it has to be blue with the light gold wheels and decals. He's missed out on 2 or 3 really good cars in different colour schemes which I'm convinced he'd have loved after about 5 minutes but he's sticking to his guns. I'm sure the right car will come along for him but it could take a year or two - it just depends how long you want to wait I guess as everyone is different.

[CGJJ]

I've just bought a second hand 997 Turbo and compromised on colour to get a Porsche Warranty.

i could have gone Specialist for the same price and same mileage in my preferred colour,or OPC with warranty.

This was a real world decision i have just made and i chose to make the colour compromise for the warranty.

[Angelus]

mr pg said:

I wouldn't get hung up on 996 sports seats, as they really aren't sporty. I personally find them uncomfortable (they seem to push into my back), and no better than my comfort seats. Not a patch on the sports seats I had in my 964.

After driving from Reims to Glasgow in one day, stopping only for the tunnel and fuel, I can honestly say the sports seats are the best I've driven in. I guess they're different for different people, best try them out and see how they feel after a test drive.

As for the car, you need to live with it so it's really a personal choice. in my case I found that the right car came up with all the right options/spec. If it doesn't feel right, don't do it.

[jakesmith]

I wouldn't compromise on colour too much you have to look at it all the time
I personally like dull colours, like black silver grey, they suit the more subtle nature of a Porsche. I like red and white on F cars etc as it suits them better

[DKL]

Angelus said:

After driving from Reims to Glasgow in one day, stopping only for the tunnel and fuel, I can honestly say the sports seats are the best I've driven in. I guess they're different for different people, best try them out and see how they feel after a test drive.

As for the car, you need to live with it so it's really a personal choice. in my case I found that the right car came up with all the right options/spec. If it doesn't feel right, don't do it.

Another anti sports seats here - I find them properly uncomfortable. It does seem to divide opinion.
OP just make sure you have tried them before you buy. If they're ok then fine.
I wanted a colour and 3 basic options and comfort seats. I got the colour and the seats but none of the options.
Black should be easier but even then it could be a long wait for all on the want list.

[g7jhp]

The hard backed sports seats are the same in the 993 and 996. Some broader shouldered people will find then hard to get comfortable in.