Life after air cooled ??

[Alexthorpe]

Is there life after aircooled???

I loved my 964 and 993. Loved everything about them. The ride, noise, smell, sound, feel of the door closing....

I’ve tried newer 911’s, but they just don’t feel the same.

Like many i’m sure, I just can’t justify £50k now on what would have only cost £25k a few years ago, so am looking at alternatives to a similar thrill.

Any ideas/suggestions of an alternative with a similar driving experience, for say £up to 30k? So many porsche enthusiasts seem to love the BMW 2002, so I guess I need to look into it.

Any others? feedback appreciated.
(Currently abroad, so won’t be able to reply until afternoon tomorrow)

.

Edited by Alexthorpe on Monday 18th March 00:36

[IMI A]

Are 993 and 964 tips expensive?If not buy a tip and see how you get on with it. If you don't like it stick in a manual box

[PGNSagaris]

Alex, try a TVR.

[jonny996]

Have you actually tried a early 996

[griffter]

M635CSi

[Slippydiff]

IMI A said:

Are 993 and 964 tips expensive?If not buy a tip and see how you get on with it. If you don't like it stick in a manual box

Morning I, I hope you're well ?
Manual 'boxes aren't exactly thick on the ground, neither are they cheap ...

[n12maser]

30k would get you into an early (4.3) Aston Vantage. Something like this:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2019...

Have not driven one personally, but remember reading once that certain aspects of an owner's car reminded him of his air-cooled 911.

That said, many have criticised the car as feeling quite lethargic despite it's numbers on paper...something to do with the throttle-mapping to the pedal, fixed in later cars along with the bump up to 4.7L which added some mid-range power. I suspect some of those complaining weren't thrashing the car high up in the revs to extract the power...something you will be used to I imagine!

[Alexthorpe]

IMI A said:

Are 993 and 964 tips expensive?If not buy a tip and see how you get on with it. If you don't like it stick in a manual box

Always would have to be manual for me. Good thought though.

[Alexthorpe]

PGNSagaris said:

Alex, try a TVR.

Love TVR’s. It just everyone always complains about reliability

[Alexthorpe]

jonny996 said:

Have you actually tried a early 996

Not an early one. Assume you mean 98/99? Do they have a different feel to a later one?

[Alexthorpe]

n12maser said:

30k would get you into an early (4.3) Aston Vantage. Something like this:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2019...

Have not driven one personally, but remember reading once that certain aspects of an owner's car reminded him of his air-cooled 911.

That said, many have criticised the car as feeling quite lethargic despite it's numbers on paper...something to do with the throttle-mapping to the pedal, fixed in later cars along with the bump up to 4.7L which added some mid-range power. I suspect some of those complaining weren't thrashing the car high up in the revs to extract the power...something you will be used to I imagine!

Yes I think I’ve read advice that points to the larger 4.7. It’s an incredibly good looking car!

[supersport]

You will surprised how good these modern(ish) kettles can be after air-cooled.

Try a 996/987 Boxster/Cayman you will be surprised - I was.

[Slippydiff]

n12maser said:

30k would get you into an early (4.3) Aston Vantage. Something like this:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2019...

Have not driven one personally, but remember reading once that certain aspects of an owner's car reminded him of his air-cooled 911.

That said, many have criticised the car as feeling quite lethargic despite it's numbers on paper...something to do with the throttle-mapping to the pedal, fixed in later cars along with the bump up to 4.7L which added some mid-range power. I suspect some of those complaining weren't thrashing the car high up in the revs to extract the power...something you will be used to I imagine!

I thought I'd give the AM Vantage "thing" a go. As I was going from a Zanzibar 996 GT3, it seemed fitting to try one of these :



https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-reviews/aston-ma...

with the added attraction that it was supposed to be more sporty (being an N400).

Nice looking things that sound lovely, but dynamically a complete joke. Headline power figure promises much, but the reality was it couldn't punch its way out of wet paper bag. Hopeless apart from the looks and cachet of "driving an Aston". Snaps knicker elastic at 100 paces mind....

[Alexthorpe]

Slippydiff said:

I thought I'd give the AM Vantage "thing" a go. As I was going from a Zanzibar 996 GT3, it seemed fitting to try one of these :



https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-reviews/aston-ma...

with the added attraction that it was supposed to be more sporty (being an N400).

Nice looking things that sound lovely, but dynamically a complete joke. Headline power figure promises much, but the reality was it couldn't punch its way out of wet paper bag. Hopeless apart from the looks and cachet of "driving an Aston". Snaps knicker elastic at 100 paces mind....

What a shame hey! They look SO good

[boxsey]

supersport said:

You will surprised how good these modern(ish) kettles can be after air-cooled.

Try a 996/987 Boxster/Cayman you will be surprised - I was.

Yep, lots of 964 owners (including me) went into a Cayman R. None of us were disappointed*. Some even kept their 964 and have a Cayman R and like them equally. Unfortunately they're a bit more than £30K though.

• well maybe Slippy was a bit but he's owned a lot more Pork than most of us!

[Slippydiff]

boxsey said:

Yep, lots of 964 owners (including me) went into a Cayman R. None of us were disappointed*. Some even kept their 964 and have a Cayman R and like them equally. Unfortunately they're a bit more than £30K though.

• well maybe Slippy was a bit but he's owned a lot more Pork than most of us!

Hi Steve, I hope you're well ?
I really couldn't fault the numbers or its ability Steve, and all joking aside, out of the box it was a phenomenal piece of kit (I even thought the brakes were ok once I'd fitted new front discs, pads GT3 master cylinder (shush, don't say a word) and some decent fluid)
The real problem lay in the fact it was just too competent to be fun for me. I found both my 997 GT3s to be exactly the same.
The 996 GT3 really is the sweet spot (for me) or a decently upgraded 964/993 C2, but neither of the latter are good VFM currently (and probably never will be again).

[kevs 172]

Alexthorpe said:

Is there life after aircooled???

I loved my 964 and 993. Loved everything about them. The ride, noise, smell, sound, feel of the door closing....

I’ve tried newer 911’s, but they just don’t feel the same.

Like many i’m sure, I just can’t justify £50k now on what would have only cost £25k a few years ago, so am looking at alternatives to a similar thrill.

Any ideas/suggestions of an alternative with a similar driving experience, for say £up to 30k? So many porsche enthusiasts seem to love the BMW 2002, so I guess I need to look into it.

Any others? feedback appreciated.
(Currently abroad, so won’t be able to reply until afternoon tomorrow)

.

Edited by Alexthorpe on Monday 18th March 00:36

Hi Alex,
The BMW 2002 really are great cars and were well ahead of their time. They can be turned into real weapons with some mods,and seem to be becoming more and more sought after so be quick!
Cheers
Kevin

Edited by kevs 172 on Monday 18th March 18:29

[bgunn]

Alexthorpe said:

Not an early one. Assume you mean 98/99? Do they have a different feel to a later one?

More like a 993 than you think, except more precise steering, pendant pedals, and a more muscular engine (if you get a properly early one like a 98, then it'll be pretty reliable too).

You will lose the heavy/solid thunk of the door shutting and the feeling of brushing elbows with your passenger, though! It'll probably feel 'tinny' and light compared to the air cooled cars of old you had, but that doesn't mean it's not well engineered. Just that the interior trim is a tad flimsy feeling!

Seriously - 996s are great, albeit imperfect. Early ones are better because they're simpler. (IMO)

Edited by bgunn on Monday 18th March 18:40

[Alexthorpe]

Slippydiff said:

I thought I'd give the AM Vantage "thing" a go. As I was going from a Zanzibar 996 GT3, it seemed fitting to try one of these :



https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-reviews/aston-ma...

with the added attraction that it was supposed to be more sporty (being an N400).

Nice looking things that sound lovely, but dynamically a complete joke. Headline power figure promises much, but the reality was it couldn't punch its way out of wet paper bag. Hopeless apart from the looks and cachet of "driving an Aston". Snaps knicker elastic at 100 paces mind....

What a shame hey! They look SO good

[Alexthorpe]

kevs 172 said:

Hi Alex,
The BMW 2002 really are great cars and were well ahead of their time. They can be turned into real weapons with some mods,and seem to be becoming more and more sought after so be quick!
Cheers
Kevin

Edited by kevs 172 on Monday 18th March 18:29