Gah! I can't decide!

I'm officially car-less and I'm on the lookout for a decent 996. My budget tops out at £18,000, and ideally I'd like to spend less than that. I plan on owning the car for 3 years, but as I don't need a car for work I'll realistically only end up covering 15,000 miles in it, so I'm not really too fussed about the milage on any prospective car, more concerned about it's general condition. I've found three possible deals near me which look very appealing: The first is here: http://www.promusvehicles.co.uk/20154/stocklist.htm The second is here: http://www.hartech.org/cars.html And the third is being sold by a private seller on autotrader http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...page/1&anchor=advert200942344062775&logcode=p My favourite is the one being sold by Hartech, not least because of their reputation. My only concerns are the colour (silver, it's ok, just not very exciting - I've got personal preference for a darker colour (blue or black)), and the price - yes it's being sold by Hartech, so I've got some peace of mind, but it is a fair bit (£2000+) dearer than other similar specced cars sold by other dealers/private sales. So whilst I get peace of mind, I'll also be making more of a loss when I come to sell it. I've spoken Promus regarding their C4 - and they sounded ok. It's certainly better colour in my eyes, and is slightly better specced, newer with less miles all for the same money - but... it doesn't have the Hartech assurance, it's Tip when I'd prefer manual (but not *too* fussed as my last car was also an auto), and it's at the top of my budget, so I don't even have that much room left to pay the £500 to get it on the Hartech plan. The one sold by the private seller is probably the nicest looking, it has the lowest miles, but it does seem a bit dearer than other models available from private sellers. At £16,750, I'd have to pay £100 for an inspection, plus £500 to get it on the Hartech plan, which really doesn't make it much cheaper than buying direct from Hartech - and then at least I get an engine with a warranty. Gah - it's no easy decision! I realise this is a long post, but does anyone have any sort of tips/advice to help point me in the right direction?[/url]

Hi Storm, I'm not going to tell you which one to go for, but what I would say is that with the private car on autotrader, I would get an HPI check done if you're considering it, because whenever I see a conversion on front or rear only, it screams damage repair to me, maybe Cat C or D. Of course it may just be that someone preferred the facelift look over the original fried eggs (??!!) but that coupled with the low mileage and relatively low price, I would definitely be asking the question. Just something to bear in mind, happy hunting!! Clivejive.

First one, you may find resale difficult because of the interior colour - not my opinion, but most don't go for the tan. Second, 17" alloys and no mileage, so I assume high. Third, as already posted I would be asking why mark II bumper and lights? I'm also not a great fan of tiptronic ATM, what with just being told I'm facing a 2k bill for a tiptronic rebuild today, so perhaps I'm biased towards manuals ATM? LOL Looks like all the prices have shot up a grand or 2 since I was looking a few months ago. Phew

Clive - I take your point about getting an HPI check, I'd do this as a matter of course. However, I'm confused that you seem surprised that someone prefered the facelift look to the fried egg look. Or was your surprise simply that someone disliked the old style so much that they paid for a body conversion? Also - I'm new to Porsche, obviously, so I'm not sure what you mean about the car only having rear and front conversion - is it not a full conversion as stated on the advert? J90RDN - Thanks for the tips. My last car was black and cream, which I quite liked, but I've never seen the Porsche tan leather, and thanks for the heads up about the potential tricky re-sale. The second had 81,000 on the clock, which didn't bother me too much as it had very good history. Of course, hitting the 100,000 mark would affect resale I guess. Anyway, it looks like my decision is (unfortunately) easier as the one being sold by Hartech appears to have gone. That didn't last long... Gutted. Oh, and I'd prefer a manual too - I'm not overly offended by the thought of a tip, so I'd consider it if the right car came along.

Mk 2 996's have different rear bumpers to the Mk 1. It's difficult to tell, but it looks like they didn't change the rear one. To me, it looks like a half-ar$ed conversion. Why go to the trouble of putting a Turbo front end on (which is different to the Carrera), a pair of side skirts, and no rear spoiler or updated rear bumper? Under the circumstances, I think I'd be suspicious. Oh yes, and what kind of area is it kept in that it needs a bl**dy great disk-lok like that?

Loads and loads to look at on PistonHeads http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/li...t=&px=&xsl=list&pagesize=15&filter=TP&o=q&pc= I hope that you have a lot of fun looking - if buying privately all the usual warnings apply and it's probably well worth having any such car professionally checked over.

Hmm... what about this one: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...age/4&anchor=advert200938341886594&logcode=p# Is it just badged as a 4S or is it actually a 4S? Seems to be fairly well specced, but it's the kind of dealer that normally sets alarm bells ringing for me.

I personally would avoid that. I don't know if the previous owner has just stuck an S on a Carrera 4 car, or a 4S on a Carrera car. You can tell (generally) from the wheels. This has silver brake discs, so I suspect it is the 4WD variant. It will normally say on the wheel caps (if it's 4WD), unless they've been changed. Looking at the number plate and the fact he's stuck a 4S on a car that clearly isn't a 4S shouts out c**k. Although, it's a bit unfair to draw a parallel between this and the car being abused I agree. The interior is reflected in the price and FYI, 4S means wide body and didn't become available until 2001 on the facelift cars, so I think the earliest is on a 51-plate.

I noticed that as well! Haven't seen one of those for a few years. I thought an immobiliser meant that you didn't need one!

Well, for what it's worth, I brought 3 months ago and these are the things I would have done differently ; Brought a manual - Tip is good, but when pushing really hard it's just not quite as good as a manual. Brought one with lower mileage - mine is 88k, and selling post 100k is likely to put some people off (it shouldn't, but it does). and the things I would not change ; The colour - silver. Looks sooooo cool and sooo easy to keep clean. The interior colour - grey. More up beat than black or blue. C2 - Not offended by 4WD, but glad I got a C2. Full service history - Goes without saying.

Thanks again for your advice. It doesn't feel quite right. I'll give it a miss. Who knows, if I hang about long enough there may be some real bargains to have over the Christmas period. :dont know:

Yeah, I'd agree with most of that. I really don't need tip, because it's not a daily runner, so hopefully I won't be sitting in traffic with it. Not overly fussed about mileage, but would prefer to go for one which meant I wouldn't pass the 100k mark when I came to sell (I know this is perception only, but it does translate to lost £s). The silver does look good on a Porsche, I've got a preference for darker colours, but if a good silver one came up again then I'd go for it. Then again, my idea of a great colour could be quite different to other peoples. For example, I think this looks great! http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...page/2&anchor=advert200940342831307&logcode=p

FWIW if I were buying again I would only consider a vehicle from someone like Hartech, I reckon the 2k extra is small beer because you will easily spend that otherwise on another car and without the warranty. also any one on these forums will buy more readily when they know the car came from someone like Hartech. I really cannot over stress the importance of buying one of these great cars from any one other than a 100% sure bet supplier,Mike

That's my ideal colur combo, but most people would be put off by the red leather. If its a long term keeper than go fot it, otherwise think of the resale figure and time to sell. Also seems very expensive for a T reg. I would have thought 2k less would be about right.

Time to kick myself again, hard, for missing out on that Hartech car...