£20k 997 vs £15k 996

[Monsterlime]

I am looking to replace my TVR with a 911 (Carrera 2, Manual), as it will be a more usable day to day proposition than my Chimaera (firstly, it won't wake the entire street up and secondly will be much nicer in traffic).

However, I am in a quandary. My max budget is about £20k, and I have seen a few early 997's for that, but they would likely not be the finest example of 997 there is, I would assume (I haven't been to see any yet so this may be an incorrect assumption). Also, that would pretty much wipe out any pot for "omg disasters" in the short term. Whereas, if I went for a 996 at around £15k (or less), I would then have a kitty for potential issues.

I do prefer the look and interior of the 997, but I have only driven 996's (2 - 1 tip and 1 manual, and preferred the manual).

I have read a lot about all of the potential engine issues on these, and realise that the cars I am looking at in that "increased danger" range, which is why I am leaning towards the 996 over the 997.

So, for example, these are 2 cars that have caught my eye -

997 - http://www.canfieldgarage.co.uk/used-cars/porsche-...

(Annoyingly, I think this one has sold - http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p... )

996 - http://www.mr911.co.uk/cars/porsche/911/(996)3.6ca...

I have seen a few comments/opinions on Mr911 and they are positive, so would be fairly happy going there, but I have seen nothing re Canfield Garage. Obviously due to the name and shame policy, if anyone has anything negative, please PM me.

Any car I go for would be inspected prior to purchase, but I just want to set some realistic expectations right off the bat. So, if a £20k 997 is terrible idea, I'd like to know now.

[m444ttb]

I went for the 996 option with a small amount of spare funds. I may serve me well shortly! The 997 was very tempting though.

[Slickhillsy]

997 all day long... If you cant afford the 997 wait until you can...

[Steve Devaney]

Styling is a question of personal taste - I am sure you will have a favourite looker.

The sold car had the work to the engine completed so you would like to think that there will be other sorted cars on offer at your price point. This fix would be my 'must have' over any particular options especially when moving from a driver aid-less TVR.

[S5V8]

Having had the same dilemma I would and did go the 996 route. Get one that has had an engine rebuild by Hartech, there are plenty around.

Leggy 997's are likely to have scored bores and its a big bill. A well sorted 996 C4S would be a better bet.

If you can stretch or wait a bit the car to have is the 996 turbo as they are increasing in value.

[Hard-Drive]

That 997...

"Hmmm, we need a picture of the keys to help us sell it. Where shall we put the sharp metal keys for the photo? I know! The bonnet!"

[Nobbles]

C4S's are lovely as are the very early pure 996's now. A nice position to be in, make sure you have a good specialist/s nearby.

[m444ttb]

S5V8 said:

Get one that has had an engine rebuild by Hartech, there are plenty around.

Are there? I found a single car when I was looking and as it turned out the owner had as minimal a rebuild as possible and the car could still have suffered from bore scoring.

[DavidJG]

I'm having exactly the same dilemma at the moment. My current thoughts are to get the best 996 C4S I can find, and fund a good engine overhaul and preventative maintenance programme. . . The thing that puts me of later cars is the late type IMS bearing that a lot of web sites say can't be serviced.

Very few cars for sale seem to have had the standard of engine overhaul that I'd want if I had it done myself, so I figure it's best to buy the car, then do the overhaul.

[Monsterlime]

I hadn't really considered a C4S, mainly because I'm not looking for 4WD. Although now on further reading, they are potentially the better buy? I've also seen a couple of 40th Anniversary models and didn't really know why they were special until reading up. This is hard!

I did of course have option 3 in mind, which was to buy a "cheap" 996 and then just get the engine rebuilt etc with the left over funds.

[Magic919]

A good Anniversary is fun 996 to own. Some of them are a bit overpriced. C4S looks better though. It's not very AWD, so don't panic.

[Ashy2]

I sold my 98 chimaera 3 years ago for a 2004 c4s, a very different car in every way but I can get the kids in the back of the 911

[jakesmith]

S5V8 said:

Having had the same dilemma I would and did go the 996 route. Get one that has had an engine rebuild by Hartech, there are plenty around.

Leggy 997's are likely to have scored bores and its a big bill. A well sorted 996 C4S would be a better bet.

If you can stretch or wait a bit the car to have is the 996 turbo as they are increasing in value.

Likely?

[Pearcy]

In terms of feedback, steering feel etc. on the road how would people who have experience of both 996 and 997 (C2) say they compare? And do either feel special/raw enough to use as a weekend car? - M030 worth seeking out?

[hondansx]

If you are buying outright, i would be applying man maths and financing myself up for a nice 997! I just don't know how you could look at those two cars and even contemplate the 996; the 997 is so much better looking.

[Magic919]

My M030 car (40 Jahre) had a lot more feel than our C4S 996. Both 996s give more feedback than the 997s that replaced them.

[Shaoxter]

Monsterlime said:

I did of course have option 3 in mind, which was to buy a "cheap" 996 and then just get the engine rebuilt etc with the left over funds.

I think you're getting too paranoid about the engine issues... the vast majority of cars out there have never needed a rebuild.

Getting an engine rebuilt as a preventative measure is madness IMO.

[thegoose]

I was surprised to see how many 997s are for sale below £20,000. Usually the non-S 3.6 which is often seen as the poor man's choice but in reality it's a fine car (it may be 40bhp behind the 3.8 S but it's still 20bhp more than a 3.6 996). I think I'd be looking at those for late teens.

[Cayenneand996]

buy a low mileage 996 (we bought a 43k miles Cab for £12k recently

check it carefully, check all the service history and receipts (walk away its there's no history (or pay very little for the car))

have it maintained by a good Porsche specialist

Enjoy - use it until you have saved up enough to move up to a 997, you will likely find you get your money back

[jakesmith]

Cayenneand996 said:

buy a low mileage 996 (we bought a 43k miles Cab for £12k recently

check it carefully, check all the service history and receipts (walk away its there's no history (or pay very little for the car))

have it maintained by a good Porsche specialist

Enjoy - use it until you have saved up enough to move up to a 997, you will likely find you get your money back

Very poor advice in my experience, the older low-milers have been far more problematic than newer cars, and the money you might have to spend replacing radiators suspension & brakes will eat right into your savings