996 - only buy from a reputable dealer?
Discussion
Hi all,
Any advice would be welcome here (esp from recent experience!)
I’m in the market for a good 996 (nothing fancy, a bog standard c2 would do for me) , and a general theme to all the buyers guides I’ve read and watched is: 1) quality and evidence of well looked after is paramount and 2) hedge your bets and spend a bit more and buy from a reputable dealer.
This means private sellers are likely to be a bit of a mine field. I don’t have a huge amount of mechanical knowledge, when looking at a car I could spot an oil leak, rust on an arch or listen for a rattle at idle, but that’s as much as my mechanical vetting would go. I would look for invoices from recent work, usual ims /rms being done and full service history etc. I’d also want to get a check by an independent inspector that do through checks and look for bore scoring etc.
In your experience do you think this is enough to find a relatively good one or you think on balance reduce your risk and go with a dealer?
Cheers!
Any advice would be welcome here (esp from recent experience!)
I’m in the market for a good 996 (nothing fancy, a bog standard c2 would do for me) , and a general theme to all the buyers guides I’ve read and watched is: 1) quality and evidence of well looked after is paramount and 2) hedge your bets and spend a bit more and buy from a reputable dealer.
This means private sellers are likely to be a bit of a mine field. I don’t have a huge amount of mechanical knowledge, when looking at a car I could spot an oil leak, rust on an arch or listen for a rattle at idle, but that’s as much as my mechanical vetting would go. I would look for invoices from recent work, usual ims /rms being done and full service history etc. I’d also want to get a check by an independent inspector that do through checks and look for bore scoring etc.
In your experience do you think this is enough to find a relatively good one or you think on balance reduce your risk and go with a dealer?
Cheers!
jonny996 said:
OP do you have a indy that you are planning on using for work, perhaps you already have a relationship with one, if so have you asked if they know of anyone thinking about selling, many may be thinking but can’t be bothered, a buyer on tap might just make their mind up
That’s a good shout. I only live a few miles from portiacraft who have a great rep for the work they do but they are a dealer too. Will see if there any other local Indy workshops close by. A few in Essex I think which are not too far away. [quote=nunpuncher]I wouldn't only buy from a dealer. Despite what's said above there are many specialists still selling them, some like friends Green Porsche who almost exclusively specialise in 996s. The problem is they all charge a premium and I think given the enthusiastic following these cars have you can easily pick a very very well looked after car up off the owners groups, forums or even the 3.4 thread here for a good price. In fact, it's not uncommon for the cars in these places to be snapped up by the dealers and instantly have 3k slapped on top without having to put an oily rag near them.
It sounds like you've done your homework and a PPI by a pro is definitely the way to go even if you are mechanically minded. What I will say is that these cars also can't hide when they are mechanically tired. The engine will sound rough or even misfire, suspension will knock, the interior will creak, the gearbox will groan and the car will generally feel vague and loose. My own car has 86k miles on it, is 22 years old and the controls and handling feel tighter and sharper than every brand new car I've owned.[/]
Cheers for this. I think to go private sale it does seem like good provenance and a good mechanical check would cover it.
I keep an eye on the friends green website, they seem to be priced a little higher than other (good) dealers but it does look like they make sure their cars are good.
It sounds like you've done your homework and a PPI by a pro is definitely the way to go even if you are mechanically minded. What I will say is that these cars also can't hide when they are mechanically tired. The engine will sound rough or even misfire, suspension will knock, the interior will creak, the gearbox will groan and the car will generally feel vague and loose. My own car has 86k miles on it, is 22 years old and the controls and handling feel tighter and sharper than every brand new car I've owned.[/]
Cheers for this. I think to go private sale it does seem like good provenance and a good mechanical check would cover it.
I keep an eye on the friends green website, they seem to be priced a little higher than other (good) dealers but it does look like they make sure their cars are good.
On that point, does anyone know if there is a list of recommended dealers on PH, I feel like this would be lurking in a forum post somewhere.
I’ve jotted down the below, I know there would be loads more but currently these are the websites I keep an eye on:
Ams
Portiacraft
Friends green
Rpm
Paul stephens
Cridfords
911 virgin
I’ve jotted down the below, I know there would be loads more but currently these are the websites I keep an eye on:
Ams
Portiacraft
Friends green
Rpm
Paul stephens
Cridfords
911 virgin
ATM said:
MrC986 said:
As for your garage issue, I’d suggest you just avoid cars with an aerokit front bumper
ThisI *think* the issue will not be scraping front or rear, more bottoming out when driving over the top and in. An old e92 320, which has about 16cm of ground clearance has about 5 cm of clearance in the middle. It does have a longer wheelbase though.
I think I’m going have to source a friendly 996 owner or request a test drive to see for sure.
If it does I’ve seen another post that shows well placed speedbumps on the ramp can lift the back of the car clearing the bump. If it comes to that will wheel in the father in law who has been an engineer all his life. My career in marketing has not prepared me well for this.
I wanted to get the forums view on risk really. I’ve never owned a Porsche before and I’m now in a position where I can get a good 996 (ignoring garage and incline debacle), but I don’t have a bottomless budget. I have about £25k and like anyone getting one I want a good one with the right looking after will keep going for a long time.
I want to minimise the risk of big bills in the immediate future so wondered the best way to go about it. Finding a hartech rebuilt one would be great, but from what I’ve seen, the owners know the value it brings and they tend to be outside my price bracket. A route I haven’t done is give them a bell as I have read they might be able to know some for sale, so I might give them a bell.
I know there are cheap 996s out there - I don’t want a £16k 140kmiles cat d eBay special, as I know that’s likely a clanger - and I think I’m realistic about what I get for my budget. I wanted to get the consensus from existing owners if they thought paying the premium from a highly regarded specialist is an imperative or keep my options open.
TBH - this thread has been v useful!
I want to minimise the risk of big bills in the immediate future so wondered the best way to go about it. Finding a hartech rebuilt one would be great, but from what I’ve seen, the owners know the value it brings and they tend to be outside my price bracket. A route I haven’t done is give them a bell as I have read they might be able to know some for sale, so I might give them a bell.
I know there are cheap 996s out there - I don’t want a £16k 140kmiles cat d eBay special, as I know that’s likely a clanger - and I think I’m realistic about what I get for my budget. I wanted to get the consensus from existing owners if they thought paying the premium from a highly regarded specialist is an imperative or keep my options open.
TBH - this thread has been v useful!
MrC986 said:
The number of “cheap” 996 Carreras has generally dropped massively IMO in the last 3 years. I can remember seeing the odd 100k mile plus C4 coupe privately listed at sub 10k whereas now you’d struggle to see the bottom of the market below at least 12k (if not more).
Active dealers like FGP would, we understand from forum “chat”, almost bid to buy cars blind from private sellers and it is very much fastest finger to to the phone, but when the private buyers are more motivated they can beat the dealers to it - forum activity has also helped if people are known to be looking for cars as others will post links up.
OP, when you are actively looking, include websites such as Car and Classic as people 996s can get listed on there.
Cool, thanks, will add to the list. Active dealers like FGP would, we understand from forum “chat”, almost bid to buy cars blind from private sellers and it is very much fastest finger to to the phone, but when the private buyers are more motivated they can beat the dealers to it - forum activity has also helped if people are known to be looking for cars as others will post links up.
OP, when you are actively looking, include websites such as Car and Classic as people 996s can get listed on there.
As I started this thread and I got some great advice along the way, I thought I'd bookend it with an update - I ended up buying a 01 c2 from TWG in Peterbrough. The car was priced at the slightly higher end of the price range but it was a lower mile example (not always a good thing) but also clearly looked after. TWG had serviced it for the last 7 odd years so knew the car well. I agreed a price to include a new RMS, upgraded IMS and new clutch so was v happy with the deal. Only had it a few weeks but obvs so far think its fantastic! Even managed a few trips with my wife and 2 kids in the back - bit of a squeeze but doable.
I was worried it wouldnt get up and over the slope to my garage but it clears it with a couple of cms, so maybe changing suspension and dropping it a tiny bit in the future. For now I'm just enjoying it as is.
I was worried it wouldnt get up and over the slope to my garage but it clears it with a couple of cms, so maybe changing suspension and dropping it a tiny bit in the future. For now I'm just enjoying it as is.
Gassing Station | 911/Carrera GT | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff