which 911 with approx £22k budget

[Yacht Broker]

as the title says...

clean early 996 c2 manual with sub 70k miles for around £14k
mid-mileage 996 c4s for around £19k
clean early 997 c2 manual with sub 70k miles for around £22k

my gut is telling me an early 996 is the best bet based on reliability etc, but i'm not expert.... all i know is that cars that were £10k not so long ago are now £15k, so if i continue to deliberate, the ship may have truly passed.

[EGTE]

996 C2. But I'm slightly biased :-)

Don't dismiss 996.2 C2 ; yes it may have a slightly higher risk of IMS failure/bore score, but that's a slightly increased chance of a slight chance of failure (i.e. v. small difference). It also has a good amount more grunt from the engine and PSM as a safety aid (and I prefer the headlights myself).

Buy on condition and service history; the difference in reliability between them is probably too small to measure.

Edited by EGTE on Monday 15th August 18:12

[dopsonj]

http://www.precisionporsche.co.uk/cars-for-sale/

996 C2 - Purchased this in May for just under the listed price with a few things done... All sorted, very nice car, loving it to bits!

[Roberty]

I wouldn't be looking at 997's with a budget of £22k, high mileages and potential problems at this level.

Either a very low mileage 996 gen 1, a low mileage gen 2 or with a bit of a search you should still be able to get a sub 80k mile C4S, which for me would be the pick of the bunch.

[SEE YA]

My view for what it is worth.
Buy a Boxster S bank the rest.
As you will only, buy a 911 at that price which could cost you double to put right in the end.


The S is a sleeper value wise.

Edited by SEE YA on Monday 15th August 21:50

[Budflicker]

I paid 21k for this and I can't think of much better for the money.


http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[ooid]

All the cars listed above are fantastic I think. It totally depends on which one you think you enjoy more and the condition of the car. If you are not in super-hurry, and considering to keep the car for a long time, you might wait a bit more. (I'm in a similar condition, not in a hurry)
I do not think the markets have adjusted yet, I might be totally wrong but if I'm right, in a few months late purchase might give you a much better car. (or worse but I can not see prices suddenly rising a few more grands in 3 months!)

[griffter]

Yacht Broker said:

as the title says...

clean early 996 c2 manual with sub 70k miles for around £14k
mid-mileage 996 c4s for around £19k
clean early 997 c2 manual with sub 70k miles for around £22k

my gut is telling me an early 996 is the best bet based on reliability etc, but i'm not expert.... all i know is that cars that were £10k not so long ago are now £15k, so if i continue to deliberate, the ship may have truly passed.

If you can find a manual c2 with under 70k miles for £14k buy that. But all the ones I looked at were tired and nasty, and/or had odd colours in or out. Don't dismiss the c4. Widens the choice and has an appeal of its own.

[Jibaro]

That Cayman choose posted above looks great, but if it has to be a 911, then I would be looking for the best manual C4S coupe that I could find. Have fun in your search

[g7jhp]

A manual 996 C2 at £14-16k and bank the rest for an unexpected maintenance.

The standard RWD narrow body 911 is always sought after, usually 'relatively simple' and the drivers choice.

[Sine Metu]

Perhaps something like this might be worth considering. I'd certainly be giving it a try out.

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/general-pistonhead...

[griffter]

Sine Metu said:

Perhaps something like this might be worth considering. I'd certainly be giving it a try out.

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/general-pistonhead...

That's £40k though!

But RPM do have a nicely specced ( but not CSR) 996.1 c2 in for £19k...

[Yacht Broker]

cheers for the replies.

boxster s is not an option, nor is a cayman, as i need the practicality of back seats for my 4yr old.

i actually had a 3.2s boxster a couple of years back... great cars.

missed out on a 2005 997 c2 3.6 manual today... 48k miles. all the right extras for me (sports seats, parking sensors etc etc). fpsh. rms, ims, clutch and flywheel in the last 12 months and only 1 mile from me. circa £21k... damn!!!

will keep hunting.

[IceBoy]

Yacht Broker,

£14k for a C2 Manual Coupe might be a stretch if you want a good one.

I purchased this at the beginning of the year and spent a few bob, getting up to scratch, mechanically and cosmetically.

You will need £16k for a good immaculate sub 80k car now.

This one sits next to my Turbo S.

[Fokker]

As an alternative, 996 C4S' seem to have weakened in price again. A good one can be had for mid to low 20's. ou get the wide body turbo look, turbo brakes and suspension as well.

Very nice looking cars for the money and perhaps a better investment going forward than a more cooking model.

Another option with be a 968 Sport. Superb cars for the money and cheaper to run I would think.

[Roberty]

SEE YA said:

My view for what it is worth.
Buy a Boxster S bank the rest.
As you will only, buy a 911 at that price which could cost you double to put right in the end.


The S is a sleeper value wise.

Edited by SEE YA on Monday 15th August 21:50

Why might it cost you double to put right?

It is all the same components, a Boxster is no cheaper to maintain.

I know I've had both.

[SEE YA]

Roberty said:

SEE YA said:

My view for what it is worth.
Buy a Boxster S bank the rest.
As you will only, buy a 911 at that price which could cost you double to put right in the end.


The S is a sleeper value wise.

Edited by SEE YA on Monday 15th August 21:50

Why might it cost you double to put right?

It is all the same components, a Boxster is no cheaper to maintain.

I know I've had both.

Buying the wrong car,I know someone paid 55k cost another 45k+ to good standard. As always buyer beware.

There are many worn out, 911's out on the market. As a owner has to,decide to spend money and keep it or sell it on.
A 911 can swallow up money fast.
You may not see the bills, coming until you start digging around the car once you have it.

Edited by SEE YA on Friday 19th August 12:02

[Fokker]

Maybe, if it was bought blind over the phone!
If you know what you're doing she should be fairly safe.

In my view it's always good to budget a decent amount to maintain such a car properly.

[SEE YA]

I did my research, looked at twelve so called good 911.

A nice paint job can hide many horrors, things like shocks,bushes,top end pipe work list can soon shoot up.
Kidney bowl,problems bodywork all these cost are not cheap.
Especially, if you are not handy with a set of spanners.

[supersport]

SEE YA said:

I did my research, looked at twelve so called good 911.

A nice paint job can hide many horrors, things like shocks,bushes,top end pipe work list can soon shoot up.
Kidney bowl,problems bodywork all these cost are not cheap.
Especially, if you are not handy with a set of spanners.

To be fair there is a world of difference between air cooled turbo and 996.

You would have to be some kind of unlucky fool to part with £55K and then spend almost same again on a 996. It's still quite an achievement on an air cooled unless you meant to on a something special that needed restoring.

Have to say I really disliked the 996 when it came out, the looks just weren't 911, but now they are looking pretty cool. Compared to the modern buses they are so small and seem to be a bit of a bargain, bit like 3.2s were 10 years ago.

For me it would be a C4S as I just love the wide arse.

I guess the issue, is getting one which won't go bang and ideally has all the rads/condensers done/break lines etc and hopefully suspension as these seem to be the things that are going to cost.