Hoppy

Very tempted by 911s going for Golf money these days. 2000-ish reg with 50-80k miles for sub £20k

High mileage doesn't seem to phase these wonderful machines, but buying is one thing, running it is another. Fuel at 23mpg isn't great (about the same as the Scoob then ) and tyres are around £800 a set. Some small consolation is low road tax for pre-Aug 2001 cars I think, and insurance is, unbelievably, a lot less than I pay for my modded Scoob.

But assuming I don't ding it, are there any major servicing surprises I should know about? All advice very welcome, before I do something I might soon regret

Thanks,

Richard.

stilover

I'd be interested in this myself. Promised myself a decent 911 before I'm 40.

From what I've read in the past. Servicing is cheaper if done at a specialist rather than a dealer.

If I was buying one, I'd buy a warranty from Porsche. But I think you have to buy the car from a dealer and go through their 101 point check to qualify. (please someone correct me if I'm wrong there).

I want a Turbo, but 997 Carrera S's are going for under £40k now.

Hoppy

Me too! And I'm now 55

Agree about the warranty. Very desirable on summat like this. But there's nothing for sale at official Porsche dealers for under £30k, so £20k cars from non-franchised dealers obviously carry more risk. But for me, this is the difference between affording one, and not. Is this a risk worth taking?

I'm not worried about filling the service book with Porsche stamps as I think this is more for resale value than anything else, and I'd be looking to keep the car for a long time.

Richard.

austinwrx

check out Porsche Sales, New Porsche for Sale, Used Porsche for Sale, Porsche 911, Porsche Boxster, Porsche Cayman, Porsche Turbo, Porsche Cayenne, 928/968/944, New & Used Porsche

had a friend purchase from there- very impressed.

billythekid

Speak to Hartech in Bolton, they offer cars with warranty and then offer a "life time" warranty which you can pay monthly. They only cover the 996 at the mo but the 997 is coming soon.

Its safe to say you should NOT buy anything of this ilk and not have a warranty, running gear is mega money and failures tend to be of the main parts which are very expensive. Budget £1000 for this.

Insurance, anyone over 30 with no points should be able to get insured for under £1000, unless its a turbo or GT3/2 etc.

Service, basic service will cost you £400 - £600 depending on OPC/Indi. Major service will set you back about double that.

Tyres should last about 10k ish miles on the rear, maybe a bit longer on the front. Less if you drive hard, more if you take it easy. I would budget £800 - maybe a bit less if you go non "N" and have smaller wheels.

So, assuming you do "normal" miles and buy a car with good brakes / clutch etc then you should be looking at about £3000 - £4000 per year, before fuel.

If you plan on keeping the car for 3 years, or doing more than 30 - 40k in it you need to budget for a brake change, and maybe a clutch change too. Which are not cheap. See the Hartech warranty as this can cover a lot of bases with 1 payment..

B0DSKI

iTrader: (17)

Look into the problems associated with the RMS (rear main seal) a very common problem on 996s and i belive 997s

billythekid

RMS is a niggle really TBH and unless it fails it wont cause any damage per say, and it would be sorted under warranty. If the car is an older car then its almost certain that its been changed - probably more than once. The only car it does not effect is the turbo or GTs as these have the GT1 engines, 986,987,987C,996,997 all suffer.

Hoppy

Thanks guys. Scoobynet never disappoints

Frankly, it doesn't look any worse than my modded Scoob, provided I get a genuine car with some worthwhile warranty to cover disasters.

Off to look at a C4 S Tiptronic now

Richard.

Allan

iTrader: (1)

I've also set myself a target of owning a 993 C4S/C2S at some point. The prices are dropping faster on the later 996/997's, and it's geting harder to justify buying an 11 year old car over say a 3 year old one.

993 would probably still be my choice though.

Hoppy

Drove that C4 today, a 3.4l Tiptronic. Despite being 2000 reg with nearly 80k miles, it's a damn-near perfect car. Tons better than the similar motor I saw yesterday, for more money. I'm on the brink...

What would be a bargain price for a car like this, with 6 months full warranty (not official Porsche) tax, MOT, full service record etc etc.

Frankly, my only hesitation is the mileage, but if the price is right

Cheers,

Richard.

hodgy0_2

a friend of my brothers bought a G reg 911 in 1996 for 18K ran it for 4 years (i think he had 1 big bill) but sold it for 16k -- bought a 16k RR 4.6 HSE sold that 2 years later for 8k

ouch

Allan

iTrader: (1)

What's the colours ?

Just going by a quick scan of Pistonheads, a bargain price would be sub 15K, but suspect your looking more around the 17-19K mark.

DaveMiddleton

I have been a 911 fanatic since I was 18 (early 70's) and got my first one (2nd hand 911E) when I was 22 . Only 2 other 911's in Aberdeen then- now there are 2 in every street!
I have owned 6 along the way including late 70's Carrera 2, early 3.3 turbo, C4,993TT and my current 996TT (have also owned loads of other fast cars along the way). I have had very few problems with any of my 911's. And always had them as everyday cars. Obviously you could be unlucky, but all the ones I have owned or known have been wonderful driving machines.
With current prices they are an absolute steal.

Hoppy

Thanks Allan. It's silver.

That's my guess too, also based on Pistonheads/Top Marques advertised prices. Thing is, I don't know what these cars are actually selling for. Dealer I spoke to knocked £500 off and full year's tax without my even asking. How much margin does he have to play with? I'm guessing at £3k-ish - got to be at least that to keep them in business.

I've got a couple of other cars to see (there are plenty about) with lower mileage, but I won't find a cleaner one, or one closer to my ideal spec. I might offer £1,500 off the asking price for cash and see what happens

Richard.

stilover

Keep us posted.

GC8

I wouldnt entertain a 3.4 litre car unless it was warranted. PCGB clearly dont want to cover these cars any more, so Id look closely at Hartech's fixed price warranty/service programme.

996 prices are in freefall at the moment so Id wait and see what happens, but avoid Tiptronic and dodgy trim colours at all costs...

Simon

HankScorpio

I've never been able to walk away from a car I wanted. Would love to be able to offer two grand less than they wanted and then say "call me in a month when you still have it" but just can't do it! Once I've driven it and want it, I'm a salesmans dream customer!

Allan

iTrader: (1)

Hartech's plans do look very good, however there're a bit far away for me.

Do any other independants offer anything similar ?

Do indeed keep us posted Richard, will be interesting to know what cars are going for.

Allan

Hoppy

OK. Here's the latest. I guess it's more about the state of the used car market than buying a 911 but you did ask! I'm not in a hurry to buy. I'm not going to be rushed. Honest

Had two phone calls this afternoon. First was from the Porsche sales guy I saw yesterday. Did I want to buy his 911 now because there was somebody else looking at it? Maybe there was, and if it's not sold I'll prolly make him an offer, but I'll risk it for now. Funnily enough, I've now had three calls like this, about cars that I know have been around for a few weeks or more. And suddenly there are buyers hot to trot the moment I turn my back. I'm not worried, as there are plenty of nice cars about, prices are only going one way at the moment, and since I'm having a hip op next month I won't be able to drive the thing much until the New Year anyway. That's what I'm telling myself, but I know how HankS feels about walking away from a car you really want, and it's not easy. However, I've waited decades to get a 911 and I'm not going to be pushed. No, not me with the famous iron will TBH, I can't friggin wait

Second call was from an Audi sales guy I saw a couple of weeks ago when I was looking at a TT for the missus, a 3.2 DSG which I was assured was at a rock-bottom price because they'd just had an 'open day' and repriced everything 'to sell'. (Erm, how were they priced previously then ) He now wanted to tell me that they still had the car I was interested in (actually I wasn't and never pretended to be) but it had now been reduced by another grand to £12,990. There are absolutely loads of V6 TTs around at the mo. You can be really picky about the spec and still have plenty of choice.

I'm not giving my number to salespeople any more. They have nothing to tell me that I don't already know, or can find out from their websites, or by calling them. And their bull5hit is a bit embarrassing, frankly. I really feel sorry for people trying to sell highly 'discretionary' purchases right now. Utterly thankless task. Sales have simply stopped, and nobody actually needs a TT or 911 at the best of times. I certainly don't, and will only buy a real bargain because of the state of the market now. Humility is not a common charcteristic of upmarket car sales peeps; not my strongest suit when I've got the cheque book either LOL

I also had a good chat with the boss of a small local Porsche specialist dealer that a few people have recommended me. If I buy, he'll be servicing it. Good bloke he is He sells a few cars alongside servicing, but assured me he wasn't taking in any new stock until further notice. Full stop. But he was reassuring about reliability of high-mileage cars. He knows and speaks well of the dealership I've been to. Says they should have no problem letting him do a pre-purchase check for £150 and that the fact they are offering a 6-month warranty is a very good sign. His reassurance is the best reason I've heard so far for buying a well-used 911. More good news came from the local ICE emporium who said there's no problem getting good sounds fitted in the front boot of a 911 That's surround sound for you - music in the front and music in the back

GC8, what's wrong with Tiptronic? It's not the most popular choice maybe, which helps with the price, I'm old and I like it, and (deciding factor ) it means the missus will enjoy driving it which is the only card I've got to play in that vital department so far. I'm not worried about resale value as I'll drive this car until it drops, just as I have done with my Classic Scoob (9 yrs and 140k miles).

If the C4 Tipto I drove is still around, and I don't see anything significantly better meanwhile, I'll make an offer at the end of the week.

Thanks for listening,

Richard.

hodgy0_2

nice writeup

i,m thinking of taking advantage of the current malaise in the used car market

looking at Landcruiser Amazons -- if a dealer has it on the forecourt at £9750.00 what do you reckon is a good opening bid

billythekid

Was speaking to a dealer last week, they had a car I was interested in... I wanted some money off... they refused saying "this is as low as we can go - we will make a loss on the car"... on Monday they took £2000 off the screen price...

Makes me wonder sometimes how much BS they do come out with.

StickyMicky

used car salesmen are definably made from a different cut of cloth IMO

i hate the *******

billythekid

Well, just put my money where my mouth is... bought a 997 S.. Now I have to wait a week for it... nnnnngh!

NACRO

Regarding their bull**** I always find a good tactic is to tell them I don't appreciate their lies and it would be in their best interest not to try to use lame sales techniques on me as I find them a turn off and will go elsewhere out of principle.
Tiptronic- in my opinion it negates part of the reason for owning a 911. The pleasure of driving and one of the finest drivetrains ever made. It's a bit like getting a fine vintage champagne and then putting cordial in it.

I mean this in the least condescending way possible so please take it that way- perhaps a SL55 AMG would be more up your street?

Hoppy

Agreed nacro. But for every mile I spend hooning around exploring vehicle dynamics, I spend another hundred shuffling up and down the gearbox in a train of traffic. That is the reality of everyday driving for all of us, isn't it, and I don't live in the city? I just want a change. If I wanted a pure driving experience that's relatively affordable, I wouldn't look further than an Elise, but having enjoyed one of those for a weekend a while ago, I know I'd get fed up pretty soon. I might put up with it a bit longer in a Noble M400 (what a fab, utterly fab, fabulously fab car I borrowed for a day ) but they are out of reach. A 911 Tipto is just another set of compromises that sound quite irresistably appealing right now.

Then again, I've just spotted a DB9 Volante, 35k miles on an 06 plate for, can you believe £11k It's in Autotrader - sorry this stupid PC won't let me post a link. Surely it's been dinged...? Looks well nice though

Richard.

HankScorpio

This one?
Auto Trader UK - ASTON MARTIN DB9 V12 2dr Volante Touchtronic Auto Convertible

No mention of anything bad but seems very underpriced. DB7 I'd understand but not a 9 surely?

NACRO

How about one of these for a third to half the price of a 911?

1999 MASERATI 3200 FH (private)

* 26,680 miles
* Automatic
* Blue
* Petrol

1999, 26680 Miles, 2 Door Coupe, Blue, Petrol, Automatic, ABS, Air conditioning, Alloy wheels, Central locking, Climate control, Drivers airbag. £11,500. ono. beechwood.ltd@ntlworld.com

Much better suited to an auto box like the SL55AMG I mentioned and Maserati ownership has to be on any true car lovers want to own list. I'm just waiting for the quattroporte to drop below 20K and I'll have one.

I don't believe that Aston for a second either.

Hoppy

That's it Hank. I don't care how bad the market is, that price isn't quite credible, is it? Surely to God. A clean Aston at that price is somehow immoral. Thankfully it's not a coupe or curiosity might have got the better of me.

On the 911 front, that car I was after has been sold today. And not to me. Fact. It's actually left the building. And I guess it must have gone at close to the screen price or the dealer would have called me again, I'm sure. This was not part of my cunning negotiation plan

I'll just have to start looking again, but three other very similar cars I'd shortlisted are still available, and a couple more have appeared in the last week. The good news is that I wasn't the only person to think this car was well worth owning, at the asking price, so maybe the market hasn't got miles more to fall. And it's kinda nice to know that this particular sales guy wasn't pulling my pi55er when he told me somebody else was interested.

My op is only two weeks away now, so maybe I'll wait until the New Year. Then again, there's another very nice looking 911 C4 within about an hour's drive... Hmm

Richard.

NACRO

Always another car on the horizon. Maybe the other buyer got caught up in the moment and did something foolish. Either way the longer you wait and look the cheaper the cars become.

stilover

That must be a scam surely?

This thread has really got me thinking, as well as all the press on Performance cars dropping in price. In the new year, I'm going to have a look around and see what 911's are available. Ideally I'd like a 996 Turbo (think 997 Turbos will be too much) or maybe a 997 CS or C4S.

I know a few high milage 996 Turbos are going for just above £30k, but if I could find a low milage one (preferable in Cobalt Blue) with full service history I think it'd be stupid not to buy one.

The thought of owning what is probably one of the fastest cars point to point on the Planet for about £30k..............

Christ, in a couple of years if the market picks up again I might get my money back.