First porsche purchase

[dufusmuppet]

Help please..

Ive wanted a 911 since a young age but the usual things (house,wife,kids) always came first preventing me buying my dream car but now semi-retired and kids grown up (im 47yrs old) its time to do it...

So with up to 20k to spend on my dream do i buy cheaper (10-13k) and have enough for any work that may arise or do i go for newer higher priced cars and hope for no issues in the near future (i know we cant predict the future) or do i go for a cayman?? which i also like a lot..i dont plan to do to many miles as it will be a second/third car so weekends mainly.

What do i need to look out for on both the 911 and the cayman??

Thanks in advance

[LordHaveMurci]

A Cayman, great though they are, isn't a 911. You may find yourself still wanting a 911.
I also wanted a 911 from a young age, bought my 996 5.5yrs ago just before my 40th, Caymans never entered the equation for me. The 996 is everything & more I always dreamed of & is the longest I' ve ever owned a car for!

[Crimp]

Good luck on the hunt, great feeling.
With 20k in your pocket opt for a nice 996 C4S with a switchable exhaust on sound and look lovely.
You'd be struggling to get a nice turbo for that sort of money.
Also as mentioned earlier Cayman is a great Porsche, lovely handling car but only 2 seats.

[LordHaveMurci]

If you do a search on here or Google for M96/97 engines you'll hear all sorts of horror stories, in reality they have issues which IF they occur are serious & expensive, the likelyhood seems about 5% though, a risk many of us are happy to take.

There is always the option of seeking a sorted Hartech car to avoid these issues. There are othe issues such as rads, condensors etc but buy from a reputable dealer or have the car PPI'd & you should be fine

Have fun & good luck

[dufusmuppet]

Thanks for the advice so far guys...i really like the look of the early 996 (pre facelift) cars and am leaning towards the tiptronic seeing many low mileage examples for around 12k which leaves me sufficent in the kitty to address any niggles,new tyres,service etc...

Any more advice appreciated....thanks

[g7jhp]

I'd suggest buying a RWD manual coupe as these always retain their value best. There are less manual cars being made so they appeal to enthusiasts and newer automatic gearbox make tips feel very old tech.

I'd have gone for one of these:

996 Carrera 2 coupe manual - facelift 84k (2002)




996 Carrera 2 coupe manual - facelift 84k (2001)



Although this early car with aerokit looks interesting:

996 Carrera 2 coupe manual - pre-facelift + GT3 aerokit 66k (2001)

[Shaoxter]

dufusmuppet said:

Thanks for the advice so far guys...i really like the look of the early 996 (pre facelift) cars and am leaning towards the tiptronic

Seriously??

g7jhp said:

Although this early car with aerokit looks interesting:

996 Carrera 2 coupe manual - pre-facelift + GT3 aerokit 66k (2001)

Dunno if it's the aerokit or wheels but that looks awesome, even with the fried eggs!

[Bieldside]

http://www.millenniumheroes.com/cars/porsche-996-c...

Nice 9964S here - think these cars are on a SOR basis so price negotiable

But I think manual for fun AND resale

Find a nice one and you will enjoy. Buy a bad one and you will cry for a long time

[dufusmuppet]

The tiptronic appeals as i had a motorcycle accident a few years back tearing off my kneecap,it was re attached and i can walk but its the main reason im semi retired...i do sometimes have pain and i often have my left leg strapped,anyways enough about me medically...off to hunt the classifieds

[Bieldside]

Try Simon Abbott cars in Eastbourne
They have a 2004 4S tiptronic with great history
A bit more expensive than the normal dealer but have great low mileage cars
Might tick the boxes