30k Porsche - Page 3 - Porsche General - PistonHeads UK

A good friend of mine is currently waiting for a business deal to finalise. Once it has, he said he's finally going to buy himself a Porsche. Therein lies the problem. His wife has told him "no more than 30k" so that means up to 35k with a bit of man maths He is also terrible at choosing cars. He's the type of bloke who would buy an absolute lemon, spend a fortune on fixing it, before selling it, so someone else can now have trouble free motoring rather than keeping it! He wants something as new as he can get, but then newer doesn't always mean better. My initial thought are a 718 Boxter/Cayman (but then you into high mileage), I think a 911 of 30-35k vintage may be a touch temperamental at that price point. He ideally wants a convertible, so Boxter is the more obvious choice. But is the 718 (non S) worth the money over a 981 Boxter S?

The 718 non S will be a 2.0 litre, vs a 3.4 litre 981. My money would be going on the 981. Prices are higher than i expected for both, but the straight six wins out over the four pot for me.

Tough choice but I would opt for an Approved Boxster 981 even though they are c.10-12 years old. There is a nice Blue PDK one with c.33k miles for that budget on there now. Approved means for me it has been checked over and will come with a decent Porsche Approved warranty. When they go wrong they can be bloody expensive and that might ruin what appears to be a lifetime ambition ! Also it's a 6 cylinder and sound track will be great. But that would just be my bias speaking.

Snowy999 said: Tough choice but I would opt for an Approved Boxster 981 even though they are c.10-12 years old. There is a nice Blue PDK one with c.33k miles for that budget on there now. Approved means for me it has been checked over and will come with a decent Porsche Approved warranty. When they go wrong they can be bloody expensive and that might ruin what appears to be a lifetime ambition ! Also it's a 6 cylinder and sound track will be great. But that would just be my bias speaking. Looks nice. Is there much difference between the 981 Boxter and the S (I've never driven one) as there's a black one (no pics yet) being loaded for similar money, but obviously higher mileage.

Yes the key one being a bigger 3.4l engine. I am afraid I am not a Boxster/Cayman expert but people on here often speak highly of the Cayman and Boxster S as being in the sweetspot of 981. Sadly I've not driven either!

Snowy999 said: Yes the key one being a bigger 3.4l engine. I am afraid I am not a Boxster/Cayman expert but people on here often speak highly of the Cayman and Boxster S as being in the sweetspot of 981. Sadly I've not driven either! Maybe I'll post a thread on the Cayman/Boxter section.

981 Cayman PDK with nice options. Buy on condition and history not milage and you'll get a peach. Boxster if you want to win the wife over too.

Could likely get a 987.2 Boxster for well inside the £30k & would be worth looking at one of those. From how you've described your mate, it's probably unlikely he will notice much difference between the 981 & 718 etc, so the 718 could be a good shout if wanting something fairly modern.

“No more than 30k”….. she said….. That’s the deposit sorted, another 30k on credit, and your mate has a lovely car.

996 Turbo every time.

Be aware one thing. With the 718 Boxster, it’s often advertised as a 2.0T. This means 2.0 turbo engine. This is not the same as a 718 Boxster T which is a model in its own right. 718 models: 718 base- 2.0 litre 718 T (touring) 2.0 litre 718 S - 2.5 litre 718 GTS - 2.5 litre 718 GTS 4.0 litre If I was spending 30k I think I’d want the 718 base with some options and modern tech, and a warranty. Probably need a few quid more than that though.

Does the OP's friend have experience of fast cars? Why not just recommend the non-S 981? They're still pretty quick and there seems to be decent choice around the £30k budget.

Boxsters and Caymans are great but small cars, very little luggage room. Will he want luggage room? Would need a 911.

Hammersia said: Boxsters and Caymans are great but small cars, very little luggage room. Will he want luggage room? Would need a 911. That's one area that's debatable. If you want to transport a fair bit of kit around, then the 911 is fine - back seats down or up depending on the item(s). I've picked up a 32" TV and just shoved it on the parcel shelf (seats down). However, if you want to hide stuff then the Boxster (and Cayman? Not sure if it's fully covered?) has extra space behind the engine.

Hammersia said: Boxsters and Caymans are great but small cars, very little luggage room. Will he want luggage room? Would need a 911. The Cayman has more luggage room than a 911. You can even get a bike in the back under the hatch.

WeirdNeville said: Hammersia said: Boxsters and Caymans are great but small cars, very little luggage room. Will he want luggage room? Would need a 911. The Cayman has more luggage room than a 911. You can even get a bike in the back under the hatch. On view under the window, just about, scratching up the speakers etc. For discreet luggage more than a briefcase it has to be a 911.

Hammersia said: WeirdNeville said: Hammersia said: Boxsters and Caymans are great but small cars, very little luggage room. Will he want luggage room? Would need a 911. The Cayman has more luggage room than a 911. You can even get a bike in the back under the hatch. On view under the window, just about, scratching up the speakers etc. For discreet luggage more than a briefcase it has to be a 911. Having owned 3 911's and a 981 Cayman S, the 981 wins for me on space/luggage practicality. Has same size front boot, the rear boot and space above the engine cover. 911 has the rear seats where luggage can be put but is awkward to access and on view. We did several 2 week+ euro tours in the Cayman and it is ideal for this. The Boxster loses the engine cover space so carries a bit less. Getting back to the OP, my choice would be a 981 S or base 718 (driven several and is as fast as the 981 S) for £30kish.

Hammersia said: WeirdNeville said: The Cayman has more luggage room than a 911. You can even get a bike in the back under the hatch. On view under the window, just about, scratching up the speakers etc. For discreet luggage more than a briefcase it has to be a 911. If you could somehow get a bike in the back of a 911, how is it any less on view than in a Cayman?

braddo said: If you could somehow get a bike in the back of a 911, how is it any less on view than in a Cayman? Who said anything about on view? It's inside the car, ergo less drag, no impact on ability to chuck the car down a fun bit of road, not getting wet/filthy, and secure when parked and left. It was an example of how a Cayman is more practical than you might assume given the shape and drivetrain. And yes, the Cayman *still* has more 'hidden' luggage space than a 911 if your definition of luggage space somehow means 'cavities you can't see into'. Edited by WeirdNeville on Tuesday 30th May 18:09

Far better to ask for forgiveness than seek permission, tell your friend to just get what he likes and worry about it later. A nice 997 can be in budget if you buy carefully, but as someone else said lump a bit more on and the options become a lot more exciting - £40k plus is much better.

braddo said: Does the OP's friend have experience of fast cars? Why not just recommend the non-S 981? They're still pretty quick and there seems to be decent choice around the £30k budget. Define fast? He has a VW mid-size SUV thing currently that has 300+BHP. I think that's the quickest car he's had. But that's also the family car. The Porsche is for weekends, trips to Le Mans and boys stuff as opposed to taking the family away in it.

TTmonkey said: “No more than 30k”….. she said….. That’s the deposit sorted, another 30k on credit, and your mate has a lovely car. That's what I've advised. 5k deposit on a card, and then the rest is your budget. #manmaths

Geoffcapes said: braddo said: Does the OP's friend have experience of fast cars? Why not just recommend the non-S 981? They're still pretty quick and there seems to be decent choice around the £30k budget. Define fast? He has a VW mid-size SUV thing currently that has 300+BHP. I think that's the quickest car he's had. But that's also the family car. The Porsche is for weekends, trips to Le Mans and boys stuff as opposed to taking the family away in it. Is this car for you or for him?

I've just been through a similar process, I had £30k to by my first Porsche for my 30th. I looked at pretty much everything before settling on a 981 Cayman, the Cayman was everything a wanted without having to compromise. Its practical, has an na flat 6, manual box and is modern enough to not be suffering from the ailments of the older cars. To me its the perfect usable sports car that you can daily, the same applies to a Boxster to be fair. A 997 C2S was the original plan but for me it was a little to old, and finding a clean one for £30k with a decent spec was a real challenge. A 987.2 Cayman/Boxster was also high on the list, but it wasn't as spacious inside for my 6"4 stature. 986/996 were too old for a usable daily, £30k buys a lot of clean 996 C4s but the age and interior put me off. 718 look and feel fantastic, but the engine for me lets it down. Its a fantastic unit don't get me wrong, but the noise it makes isn't in the same league as a 981, i also couldn't find any with a decent spec for £30k. I've got some ramblings on my site that cover off Cayman ownership if your friend wants to know more - https://www.theoctaneaddict.com/

TheOctaneAddict said: I've just been through a similar process, I had £30k to by my first Porsche for my 30th. Similar story here. I had £55k to spend on a car for my 55th birthday. Bought a 981 GTS (for a fair bit less than 55k) I’m hoping to see my 245th birthday, so I can get a GT3 one day.

Good point on the interior. If you want an Audi interior don't get the 996. If you want an interior that stylishly matches the exterior, get a 996.

Hammersia said: Is this car for you or for him? Him. I'm getting a 992 GTS shortly.

Hammersia said: Is this car for you or for him? Him. I'm getting a 992 GTS shortly.

WeirdNeville said: braddo said: If you could somehow get a bike in the back of a 911, how is it any less on view than in a Cayman? Who said anything about on view? Hammersia did: Hammersia said: On view under the window, just about, scratching up the speakers etc. For discreet luggage more than a briefcase it has to be a 911.

Geoffcapes said: braddo said: Does the OP's friend have experience of fast cars? Why not just recommend the non-S 981? They're still pretty quick and there seems to be decent choice around the £30k budget. Define fast? He has a VW mid-size SUV thing currently that has 300+BHP. I think that's the quickest car he's had. But that's also the family car. The Porsche is for weekends, trips to Le Mans and boys stuff as opposed to taking the family away in it. Well a non-S 981 boxster does 0-60 in less than 6 secs. If that's going to feel slow to him, then I guess you would need to look at the 3.4S. Maybe if he is used to the mid-range shove of his family car, the 2.9 boxster might feel a bit flat (even if it were quicker to 60/100).

braddo said: WeirdNeville said: braddo said: If you could somehow get a bike in the back of a 911, how is it any less on view than in a Cayman? Who said anything about on view? Hammersia did: Hammersia said: On view under the window, just about, scratching up the speakers etc. For discreet luggage more than a briefcase it has to be a 911. My point stands, a thing is less on view at bench level behind the seats of a 911 than it is on the parcel shelf of a Cayman, similar to my 918.

braddo said: Geoffcapes said: braddo said: Does the OP's friend have experience of fast cars? Why not just recommend the non-S 981? They're still pretty quick and there seems to be decent choice around the £30k budget. Define fast? He has a VW mid-size SUV thing currently that has 300+BHP. I think that's the quickest car he's had. But that's also the family car. The Porsche is for weekends, trips to Le Mans and boys stuff as opposed to taking the family away in it. Well a non-S 981 boxster does 0-60 in less than 6 secs. If that's going to feel slow to him, then I guess you would need to look at the 3.4S. Maybe if he is used to the mid-range shove of his family car, the 2.9 boxster might feel a bit flat (even if it were quicker to 60/100). The 2.9 981 manual, is the pick of the bunch. Sweeter revving engine and likely to be a slightly lower price, so more toys can be added e.g. sounds etc. I miss mine...

They didn’t do a 2.9 981, it was a 2.7 or a 3.4 for the S. The 987.2 was a 2.9.

Hammersia said: My point stands, a thing is less on view at bench level behind the seats of a 911 than it is on the parcel shelf of a Cayman, similar to my 918. Just admit you’re wrong. There’s every bit as much useable luggage space (maybe more) in a Cayman than a 911. There’s lots of ‘discrete’ storage under the parcel shelf. You can hide your fanny pack in there. To the OP - I’d be looking squarely at a base 981 for 30k. But I don’t know exactly what the requirements are.

I’m gonna go totally against the grain here and say some 911s have gone through the “getting old” phase and are potentially nicely maintained modern classics. £30k would get you a good 997.1 with a Hartech rebuild. Stick the new PCCM+ infotainment in and you have a seriously nice usable car. The hard part is finding one amongst the bad examples.

abucd4 said: I’m gonna go totally against the grain here and say some 911s have gone through the “getting old” phase and are potentially nicely maintained modern classics. £30k would get you a good 997.1 with a Hartech rebuild. Stick the new PCCM+ infotainment in and you have a seriously nice usable car. The hard part is finding one amongst the bad examples. Much easier to find a good 981/718 than a good 997 imo. But as with anything it all comes down to personal choice. 981 with OPC warranty and you can’t really go wrong.

abucd4 said: I’m gonna go totally against the grain here and say some 911s have gone through the “getting old” phase and are potentially nicely maintained modern classics. £30k would get you a good 997.1 with a Hartech rebuild. Stick the new PCCM+ infotainment in and you have a seriously nice usable car. The hard part is finding one amongst the bad examples. Not seeing Hartech rebuilt 997.1 myself for 30k. Any ads for examples you seen at that price point, as I could be tempted!

For that money, I’d be getting a 981. You’d need to stretch the budget for an S.

Royal Jelly said: There’s every bit as much useable luggage space (maybe more) in a Cayman than a 911. Been away with two of us and luggage for 10 days in a Cayman R, 981 GTS & 987 Spyder. Totally fine for touring holidays, you can fit just as much as in a 997 of which I’ve had a few. For the £30-35k price band, I think for a first Porsche I’d be going the best condition 987.2 Boxster S I could find or a 981 Cayman. PDK ‘box is probably slightly better geared for the 981 and banging around the cogs is great fun. I love 997’s but at this price point a 997.2 in good condition and sensible miles is a stretch. A 997.1 with decent spec & Hartech rebuild is in reach but few and far between. Nice one here though: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/15048993 All great cars, you won’t go far wrong with any of them, but get an inspection done for peace of mind or use as a bargaining tool with the seller.

What about driving dynamics, or is he just interested in the badge and ease of maintenance? Even a 981 will feel quite different to a 718, let alone compared to a 997. Even the steering / feedback through the steering wheel is completely different, which for me is even more important than the noise (although I realise others have different priorities). The right answer, of course, is to test drive a selection. (I ruled out various Porsche models I thought I would love, and others raved about, after a fairly short test drive)

BillyB said: What about driving dynamics, or is he just interested in the badge and ease of maintenance? Even a 981 will feel quite different to a 718, let alone compared to a 997. Even the steering / feedback through the steering wheel is completely different, which for me is even more important than the noise (although I realise others have different priorities). The right answer, of course, is to test drive a selection. (I ruled out various Porsche models I thought I would love, and others raved about, after a fairly short test drive) Fair comments - the early EPAS in the 981 ruled it out for me. If you're used to getting feedback it is quite noticeable, it is better on the 718 as it uses a faster rack as well.

Jawls said: Not seeing Hartech rebuilt 997.1 myself for 30k. Any ads for examples you seen at that price point, as I could be tempted! Set up alerts on every platform. They do exist but literally appear and are gone within the hour and at most overnight usually. I missed out on a Hartech car for £27k. (ETA: look on all the relevant FB groups for nice cars being about to be sold too - lots go this way before ever being listed ). It took me about a year to find my car (not Hartech, but rebuilt nevertheless with lots of other work done). Brake lines, coolant lines, suspension and AC can add up quickly too. Am I selling it? Most of the rebuilt cars seem to have this done too however - they very much seem to fall into two camps of having been overhauled or not. Obviously not a simple point of entry, depends how much you want it vs. the other tempting options, I doubt you’d be disappointed either way. Have a photo: Edited by abucd4 on Friday 2nd June 19:05

Hi mr geoffcapes If your friend is looking for a manual 3.4 boxster 981 - I may have something in that range My email is [email removed] Please contact me at will

Jawls said: Not seeing Hartech rebuilt 997.1 myself for 30k. Any ads for examples you seen at that price point, as I could be tempted! https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1511328?fbclid=IwAR0YcTbAj6gzYvVGGV2a41N13a2S9-nKJKMN7uOZKphxA9GN6wqXF7qp9is_aem_th_AWZwAAz171ZNYW3iJqwuNhVUhHsxNlSrXHVmKmxDPYtKPi4EfF7oFUCFPPARq8mzd_4