Best 911 for £20k ? - Page 3 - 911/Carrera GT - PistonHeads UK

That’s it... opinions guys?

An early 996 c2 manual and a wedge in the bank in case it needs a rebuild!!

Early (99-2000) manual C2 with Aero kit. Guards red if you can find it. And keep the gingers.

I sold my beautiful and loaded manual 90k miles 997 Carrera S last August for £18k. I wanted a quick sale but realised later it was priced too low, but the sale was all done remotely without any issues. I'd paid £19k for it 6 months previously. A friend then bought a slightly earlier 70k miles car with the Aero kit for £18k and an auto box which is now up for £24k. It's still for sale. I suspect the going rate is somewhere between the two, as neither car has had an engine rebuild, which was the number one question potential buyers had. I've noticed prices for 996 911s rise steadily over the past year and there's much much more general chatter on their increased desirability, as "a good 996 is better than a cheaper 997". You'll get a decent 997 for £20k if the person selling isn't that hung up on beating the market and seeing it as an investment.

I recently sold my 996 C2 (Aero kit, M030 etc) for £21k. I bought it 8 months previous for £17k and ended up spending probably in the region of about £6k on it including engine out for new IMS, RMS, water pump, AoS, clutch. I also replaced pads and discs, full suspension refresh including bushes, all the control arms, drop links, shocks and springs, radiators. If it'd kept it I think I'd probably have spent another £5k on it in the next 12 months sorting cometic stuff and 'nice to haves'. But I decided to move on a go with a 991. £20k should get you a decent and well looked after 996, or you could get a cheap £15k car and spend the money where you think it is most appropriate, but either way you'll be spending the same.

I don't think there's a correct answer in terms of the model to go for. At that price it will be a 996 of any age or a very early 997. The fact a 996.1 can be valued at near enough the same as a very early 997 is an indicator of how important condition and evidence of recent big jobs is with these cars.

nunpuncher said: I don't think there's a correct answer in terms of the model to go for. At that price it will be a 996 of any age or a very early 997. The fact a 996.1 can be valued at near enough the same as a very early 997 is an indicator of how important condition and evidence of recent big jobs is with these cars. So... buy the cheapest 996 in the PH classifieds, save the rest in a fighting fund.... Wonder who's selling the cheapest 996 in the classifieds right now.

If you are feeling brave an air-cooled one! I imported a 1976 911S last summer/autumn and it currently owes me £21k. It is scruffy and runs well (for how long who knows!) but I love it. Sold a nice 996.2 C2 to part fund the purchase, very different gravy but the air-cooled is an itch I just couldn't shift!

Very interesting, do you have an ownership thread running? How deep have you dug for rot? Looks incredible and has caught my attention!

As several posters above have allured to, "getting a 911 for £20k" is not really realistic if 20k is all you can afford, because very soon you will need to start throwing significant money at it. There are many cheap Porsches (and indeed {insert performance brand here}) out there but they still cost Porsche maintenance. If I could not go over 20k in the first year I'm not sure I would risk a 911 and would be looking at a 987 instead, depends on your appetite for risk I guess.

It does have some rust but nothing structural or too scary, will get patched as funds allow. It spent most of it's time in a dry state and was left to die in the desert for years before the owner found it and rescued it (long story involving a divorce, angry ex, etc!) I mainly keep my instagram updated with progress sunburnt_lobster_911 however there is an older thread on PH readers cars. £20k is only the start of this adventure, I just hope it doesn't escalate too quickly! Fortunately I like the patina / survivor look so at least that is one expense I won't have to worry about (it is fair weather, garaged and kept protected with Renaissance Wax)

an early 3.4 996 as some others have mentioned is where i'd suggest........ I had been on that hunt for a long time, but in the end saved a little more and bought a Gen 2 997

icekay said: As several posters above have allured to, "getting a 911 for £20k" is not really realistic if 20k is all you can afford, because very soon you will need to start throwing significant money at it. I don't think that's necessarily true or that helpful as a generalisation. The key is to go in with your eyes open, aware of the potential pitfalls and do your research and due diligence. Not all cheap 996 and 997 have a story, not all are ticking time bombs, not all of them have the suspension wobbling to bits, not all of them need coolant systems and exhausts overhauling. Yes, some will do and it would be perfectly possible to buy a rotter and spend £10k bringing it up to scratch without even touching the engine but equally the value of these cars are low because people have an aversion to them which if you're sensible about it you can use it to your advantage. My manual 2006 997.1 3.6 with <70k miles is in this category, it's immaculate, been pampered by previous owners and I don't go to sleep at night worrying about it blowing up. I had a 987.1 before and if you don't need the rear space, (or it to be a 911), they are absolutely fantastic.

Look for an early 996 that's had a rebuilt engine by Hartech, they come up reasonably often, at least you know the motor will be good for another 100k or more. The glitzy bits can be done in time along with supension refresh etc but get the important bit right first.

Thanks for all the replies guys, a 911 is a box I'd like to tick one day my post was to have an understanding of what's possible on a 20k budget, but I confess I'm not about to buy one soon, I have too many cars at the moment, my future SIL however is on the look out, but I don't think that'll happen until Spring or early summer, all dependent on you know what.. Thanks again, Richard.

I don't see the point of buying a 987 instead of a 996/7 unless that's what you really want. The running costs are near identical. The alternative view is to buy a broken one and have it rebuilt. There's a guy on the 996 forum currently asking what he could get for his broken C4S. Estimates are ranging from around £6k - £10k

nunpuncher said: I don't see the point of buying a 987 instead of a 996/7 unless that's what you really want. The running costs are near identical. This 100%. Unless you particularly crave a boxster, then the running costs are the same, so if you can afford the extra purchase costs, then try the "more special" 911 experience

olv said: I don't think that's necessarily true or that helpful as a generalisation. The key is to go in with your eyes open, aware of the potential pitfalls and do your research and due diligence. Not all cheap 996 and 997 have a story, not all are ticking time bombs, not all of them have the suspension wobbling to bits, not all of them need coolant systems and exhausts overhauling. Yes, some will do and it would be perfectly possible to buy a rotter and spend £10k bringing it up to scratch without even touching the engine but equally the value of these cars are low because people have an aversion to them which if you're sensible about it you can use it to your advantage. My manual 2006 997.1 3.6 with <70k miles is in this category, it's immaculate, been pampered by previous owners and I don't go to sleep at night worrying about it blowing up. I had a 987.1 before and if you don't need the rear space, (or it to be a 911), they are absolutely fantastic. I think the comment was true to be honest, and a car doesn't have to have a 'story' to require plenty of money to be spent on it. I don't think anybody is suggesting they are ticking time bombs either. Its more about being aware that these are NOT cheap cars to run and maintain, and if previous owners haven't done the work to keep on top of it, then it'll be the cost of the next owner to not only make up for the lack of maintenance from previous years, but also the cost of the next few years. It can rack up into many thousands very easily.

They can potentially be expensive to maintain but it's not guaranteed. Normal consumables aren't THAT expensive even compared to something like a Mk7 Golf GTi. By the same token the depreciation has been tiny/totally non existent on 996/997 the last few years. To me that offsets the maintenance cost. I figured that even the engine went pop and I went for a full rebuild it would still only cost me about the same over 4 years as owning a new or nearly new 320d or leasing another fast hatchback. Edited by nunpuncher on Tuesday 9th February 13:27

^^^ I do chuckle when lads spot my Porsche and they do the deep intake of breath and go..."That most cost alot to keep" Meanwhile they've rocked up in a new BMW or Audi that's depreciating by the day...

Say with a 30 grand budget, Something like this ? https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011206... Pitfalls ? Edited by J4CKO on Tuesday 9th February 13:43

Andyoz said: ^^^ I do chuckle when lads spot my Porsche and they do the deep intake of breath and go..."That most cost alot to keep" Meanwhile they've rocked up in a new BMW or Audi that's depreciating by the day... Yeah, I bought a 350Z for 7 grand, and people I worked with marveled at the 3.4 litre engine and £545 VED, yet paid £350 a month to lease a diesel Mercedes to do 500 miles a month, sold the 350Z for what I paid for it two years later. Can do bits myself, know a specialist locally who did bits on my 944 S2, its about avoiding buying something that needs a load of deferred maintenance attending to and potentially an engine rebuild, i.e. paying decent money for someone elses enjoyment and neglect. I dont mind paying a couple of grand to keep one on the road per year, but its spending 25/30 plus and then getting lumbered with a massive bill that scares me a bit. Buying one with a rebuild seems more sensible, also lower mileage ones dont seem like they are worth the premium over a well kept one with more usage.

Some fair points in response to my earlier comment so maybe I should cover some. I'm not suggesting 996s or 997.1s are ticking time bombs, just that you have to have some extra money on the side to cover maintenance, consumables and labour are both expensive on these cars. The 987 may not be hugely cheaper to maintain but it's much cheaper entry price, if I had 20k to spend I'd consider leaving some room. There is no right or wrong and this is just my personal opinion. Not quite sure why it's not a helpful comment to make, it's great if you're fortunate enough to have a 20k budget with a mysterious extra 2-3k lying around under the sofa, but if you're on a set limit then getting a 12+yo Porsche is indeed something to go into with your eyes open.

J4CKO said: Yeah, I bought a 350Z for 7 grand, and people I worked with marveled at the 3.4 litre engine and £545 VED, yet paid £350 a month to lease a diesel Mercedes to do 500 miles a month, And doing a hell of alot less mileage than that in the last year yet the payments haven't dropped, paused maybe but the debts still on their head...

icekay said: Some fair points in response to my earlier comment so maybe I should cover some. I'm not suggesting 996s or 997.1s are ticking time bombs, just that you have to have some extra money on the side to cover maintenance, consumables and labour are both expensive on these cars. The 987 may not be hugely cheaper to maintain but it's much cheaper entry price, if I had 20k to spend I'd consider leaving some room. There is no right or wrong and this is just my personal opinion. Not quite sure why it's not a helpful comment to make, it's great if you're fortunate enough to have a 20k budget with a mysterious extra 2-3k lying around under the sofa, but if you're on a set limit then getting a 12+yo Porsche is indeed something to go into with your eyes open. You're totally right, and if you've got a hard limit and spend every penny of it on a car with some potentially big costs then that is not a sensible idea

Would say buying that blue one at 28 grand, with a 5 grand emergency fund work do you think ? Its got Ceramic brakes is that a worry ?

Another TVR owner planning to come across to the other side....am I right in thinking you used to be chilliman? I swapped my mildly modified 5.3 Chim for this a year of so back and don’t regret it. I would check out a good local independent person before going to much further. These cars can make trip to the top end of the ACT website seem like a bargain.. Drop me a message on here or via Peter or Anthony when you are ready to get one and I might even be interested in selling! It’s a GT3 factory lookalike. Didn’t realise that when I swapped it but lots of subtle things I have found out about.

I have a perception that a Cayman may be cheaper to run, but thinking about it, still six cylinders, same basic engine, layout etc, so not so sure it would be particularly less expensive ? Not all about cost but need to go in eyes open.

You might want to take a look at Wheeler Dealers series 15 episode 10. I think it dates from 2018, although it is a bit hard to tell. It is one of the Californian ones. They buy a very decent looking 2000 996 Carrera Cabriolet and then Ant spends the majority of the show swapping out the IMS bearing for an aftermarket unit. Interesting to get an understanding of what the part actually does, why it goes wrong, and to watch what work is involved in replacing it. He replaces the flywheel and clutch at the same time. Once everything is put back together and after some cosmetic improvements, the car subsequently sells within your £20k budget. Of course this is the US market and maybe a couple of years ago, so not sure how prices compare with the UK and whether they have hardened since then. I watched it on Discovery using Sky Q, but no doubt there are other ways to watch.

For £20k you can get yourself into a gen2 987 Cayman these days and that starts to minimise risk of scary engine bills considerably over 996/986 and 987/997.1. That’s probably where my £20k would go now if I was looking for Pork at that price point.

beanoir said: For £20k you can get yourself into a gen2 987 Cayman these days and that starts to minimise risk of scary engine bills considerably over 996/986 and 987/997.1. That’s probably where my £20k would go now if I was looking for Pork at that price point. That was my thinking, and lovely though they are, I didnt grow up dreaming of a Cayman, that and manual gen 2's are thin on the ground, especially S models. For me, will look for a 997 that has had a rebuild by Hartech or one of the other respected rebuilders or just pay whatever is required to get a prospective purchase vetted before actually handing the cash over, and preferably a warranty from the dealer that is actually worth the paper its written on. I think its easy to get fixated on the IMS/Bore score thing and terrify yourself, funny thing is plenty of people just buy one and drive it happily and dont ever think of it. Avoiding the stuff for sale because it is knackered is the key thing. Other than that, they seem pretty robust otherwise, clutches, radiators and coil packs seem to be the other issues. My thinking would be do my due diligence, pay to get it inspected and be prepared to walk away even if it means losing some money, have bought a car before that all the signs said to leave and take the hit on the deposit but ignored my instincts/gut feel and ended up with a woofer. If the engine is ok, can do plenty of other stuff myself and keep on top of things.

J4CKO said: I think its easy to get fixated on the IMS/Bore score thing and terrify yourself, funny thing is plenty of people just buy one and drive it happily and don't ever think of it. Avoiding the stuff for sale because it is knackered is the key thing. Other than that, they seem pretty robust otherwise, clutches, radiators and coil packs seem to be the other issues. Indeed. If I believed everything I read on t'internet, I'd've never bought my 997 10 years ago. I went in eyes open, and drive her happily every time, usually for long road trips with Missus or Hoons alone or with mates. I never open her up beyond 4k rpm until the oils up to 90deg, and never floor it in a high gear. She gets fresh oil and filter every year regardless, and every year my Indy examines the oil for metal particles - so far nothing whatsoever. She never wants for anything and is just coming up on 110k miles. I'll have to move her on in the next year. I'll be gutted, but it's time for the next stage of our lives. I have no doubt that the next owner will have as much trouble as I've had - which is none.

nunpuncher said: I don't see the point of buying a 987 instead of a 996/7 unless that's what you really want. The running costs are near identical. The alternative view is to buy a broken one and have it rebuilt. There's a guy on the 996 forum currently asking what he could get for his broken C4S. Estimates are ranging from around £6k - £10k Have you a link for that? Looking for a project at the moment.

baconsarney said: Thanks for all the replies guys, a 911 is a box I'd like to tick one day my post was to have an understanding of what's possible on a 20k budget, but I confess I'm not about to buy one soon, I have too many cars at the moment, my future SIL however is on the look out, but I don't think that'll happen until Spring or early summer, all dependent on you know what.. Thanks again, Richard. Are you sure it's not for you Richard?

phazed said: Are you sure it's not for you Richard? To be honest Peter, I was hooked on Porsche (despite never having owned one) from 1971 when the opening shots of Le Mans with Steve McQueen driving one appeared... and the 917 sealed the deal for me Nearly bought a 996 turbo in early 2014 but house purchase had to come first... next opportunity (financially) came in late 2016, but the voices in my head kept saying Aston Spoke to my future SIL (you met my youngest at Snetterton a few years ago) and looks like he’s going with a new Cayman or Boxster now... I did send him a pic of your Porsche back end of last year and he was very impressed! I remember Clarkson’s comment about not being a true petrolhead if you’ve never owned an Alpha Romeo, and I kind of feel the same about a 911... (not that I’d sell the Aston to get one) so, that’s me fessed up

Nice answer! I'm extremely happy with my 987 RS60. Beautifully built, (compared to my previous TVRs) and does everything so well. Have been tempted to track it, 'cause you know I like a good TD but can't bring myself to use it on track as it is too good, (hence preparing another vRS). I look forward to hearing how the SIL gets on.

J4CKO said: That was my thinking, and lovely though they are, I didnt grow up dreaming of a Cayman, that and manual gen 2's are thin on the ground, especially S models. That’s a valid point, and I never dreamed of a Cayman, but then they never existed in the 80s and 90s, but you’re right the 911 is just the Porsche to have I guess. That said, I’ve had more fun in both my Caymans than I have in my 911s to be honest. Depends what you value more. I can’t say there’s a right or wrong way, and I’m in a 911 right now so I won’t argue! Edited by beanoir on Thursday 11th February 20:06

TV8 said: Another TVR owner planning to come across to the other side....am I right in thinking you used to be chilliman? I swapped my mildly modified 5.3 Chim for this a year of so back and don’t regret it. I would check out a good local independent person before going to much further. These cars can make trip to the top end of the ACT website seem like a bargain.. Drop me a message on here or via Peter or Anthony when you are ready to get one and I might even be interested in selling! It’s a GT3 factory lookalike. Didn’t realise that when I swapped it but lots of subtle things I have found out about. Hi Graham, only just seen your post! Yes you are quite correct! Hope you are keeping well.... Not likely to be buying soon, I've got more cars than I use at the moment, but will keep it in mind! Looks like a lovely example to.... Cheers, Richard

What Roca has done is the best imho...

With my 996 I tried not to worry excessively and chose a non-invasive approach by getting the oil checked by Millers.

beanoir said: J4CKO said: That was my thinking, and lovely though they are, I didnt grow up dreaming of a Cayman, that and manual gen 2's are thin on the ground, especially S models. That’s a valid point, and I never dreamed of a Cayman, but then they never existed in the 80s and 90s, but you’re right the 911 is just the Porsche to have I guess. That said, I’ve had more fun in both my Caymans than I have in my 911s to be honest. Depends what you value more. I can’t say there’s a right or wrong way, and I’m in a 911 right now so I won’t argue! Edited by beanoir on Thursday 11th February 20:06 Need to drive one of each I guess, wont be yet with lockdown anyway and my youngest needing to practice in my car for his test, that and the heting system needing replacing. Prob be later in the summer.

J4CKO said: That was my thinking, and lovely though they are, I didnt grow up dreaming of a Cayman, that and manual gen 2's are thin on the ground, especially S models. For me, will look for a 997 that has had a rebuild by Hartech or one of the other respected rebuilders or just pay whatever is required to get a prospective purchase vetted before actually handing the cash over, and preferably a warranty from the dealer that is actually worth the paper its written on. I think its easy to get fixated on the IMS/Bore score thing and terrify yourself, [b]funny thing is plenty of people just buy one and drive it happily and dont ever think of it. [/b[ Avoiding the stuff for sale because it is knackered is the key thing. Other than that, they seem pretty robust otherwise, clutches, radiators and coil packs seem to be the other issues. My thinking would be do my due diligence, pay to get it inspected and be prepared to walk away even if it means losing some money, have bought a car before that all the signs said to leave and take the hit on the deposit but ignored my instincts/gut feel and ended up with a woofer. If the engine is ok, can do plenty of other stuff myself and keep on top of things. From being around the forums and owners groups for a few years now I think you just need to take that approach. I've read "engine failure" threads and posts of all generations of 996/997 (yes, even 997.2 and even some rebuilt engines) for all sorts of reasons. Dropped valves, spun bearing, cracked heads... Despite it being mentioned the most, IMS failure is probably the one I've seen least. In fact, the only one I remember reading about in the last year was an IMS that had been replaced then failed several years later. There are no guarantees with any of these cars. You've got to just work out the cost of the worst case scenario and decide if you can suck that up. If you are then it means you are a "Porsche guy".

OP if you are in the market to transact i know of a VERY well priced 997.2 (mine) that is being traded in the next week or so........ i haven't bothered advertising it as i don't have time for 101 queries & questions... but it will be the cheapest sub 100K 997.2K car there has been & its a good un !!

Im an ex TVR owner (Cerbera) and now own a 996 C4S with a 3.9 Hartech engine. We started to look at 911's as its one of the few viable sports cars with useable back seats for kids. Had a look at £17k c4s about a year ago and got an professional inspection done on it which gave a huge list of things that needed doing. Off the back of this decided there was no point getting a cheap one and so paid £26k for one that had about £25k spent on it over the past few years including the new engine. Although I have only owned it a year its been a great car and when I put it in for a major service in December it was given a clean bill of health. It is so much better to drive than the cerbera, more composed, obviously better build quality, great noise and its a nice looking thing. Downsides are that its not as fast as the cerb in a straight line or as much of an event however with wife and soon to be two children in it that's no bad thing.

Just purely out of idle curiosity, (with a small pinch of window shopping), I have a few questions. With a £20-£25k manual 996, how many guys work on their vehicles themselves? What’s workshop data like to come by, in regards to torque settings etc? Having previously been in the TVR world where many service parts are cheap, (for RV8 cars), roughly how much would it cost for the parts to do fluids, filters and belts on one of these, and could it all be done on your driveway over a weekend? Thanks in advance

Worked on my 997, fluids and filters all easy enough

105.4 said: Just purely out of idle curiosity, (with a small pinch of window shopping), I have a few questions. With a £20-£25k manual 996, how many guys work on their vehicles themselves? What’s workshop data like to come by, in regards to torque settings etc? Having previously been in the TVR world where many service parts are cheap, (for RV8 cars), roughly how much would it cost for the parts to do fluids, filters and belts on one of these, and could it all be done on your driveway over a weekend? Thanks in advance Personally I do all my own work on my 996. From your standard servicing to new clutch flywheel, RMS, IMS to wheel bearings and then to full dash out to replace the A/C evaporator. I'd happily tackle a engine out job if needed as well, I'd just take my time. I use the Bentley Workshop manual for the torque values. There is also a book as well with them in one place, not sure if this is sold in the UK / outside of the US - https://lnengineering.com/996-torque-book-fastenin... Approximately 9L of engine oil with a filter change Approximately 19L of coolant (vacuum coolant tool required to do a proper job) Approximately 2L of brake fluid for brake/clutch fluid refresh -(pressure bleeder helps to do proper job). Aux belt is easy, 10 mins job. Edited by Rich_ on Tuesday 22 August 03:53

quote=markiii]Worked on my 997, fluids and filters all easy enough [/quote] [quote=Rich_] Personally I do all my own work on my 996. From your standard servicing to new clutch flywheel, RMS, IMS to wheel bearings and then to full dash out to replace the A/C evaporator. I'd happily tackle a engine out job if needed as well, I'd just take my time. I use the Bentley Workshop manual for the torque values. There is also a book as well with them in one place, not sure if this is sold in the UK / outside of the US - https://lnengineering.com/996-torque-book-fastenin... Approximately 9L of engine oil with a filter change Approximately 19L of coolant (vacuum coolant tool required to do a proper job) Approximately 2L of brake fluid for brake/clutch fluid refresh -(pressure bleeder helps to do proper job). Aux belt is easy, 10 mins job. [/quote] Thank you both. As a rough, ball-park figure, what are parts prices like? Is it Main Dealer parts dept every time, or are there decent OEM spec parts available? To give an example, for my old Land Rover, I found that Main Dealer servicing parts, (filters, belts etc), were usually only 10% or less more expensive than pattern parts. Is it the same for Porsche parts? To give an example, my Wife made suggestions about swapping ‘her’ Jag XJ for a Maserati Quattroporte. One look at the price of parts was enough to instantly put me off that idea.

105.4 said: As a rough, ball-park figure, what are parts prices like? Is it Main Dealer parts dept every time, or are there decent OEM spec parts available? For basic servicing its just fluids and filters. I've never bought parts through main dealers. Recently I've been tinkering with alternator and starter and again not used main dealers. These are just generic bosch parts. Other jobs I've done which use pattern parts are door locks / latches and ignition switch mechanism. I think these are shared with other cars like original TT. So even genuine P are just made by other companies. P borrowed these parts from other cars. I did have a bad experience with a cheapo window regulator. It only lasted around 12 months so I switched to genuine OEM but purchased through Euro Car Parts. These are Porsche model specific and not shared. I think pattern part was 80 quid and OEM 200. Also changed some suspension arms and again avoided main dealers. For some parts the general advice I have read online is main dealers are cheaper but not tried this myself just yet but I will do. I want to change the positive power lead which feeds both the starter and the alternator and will investigate what P charge for this before considering fabricating my own with thick copper wire. I believe P have lowered pricing on these older cars but the one part I'd like has tripled in price recently and that's the centre console delete kit. I read somewhere that P were offering cheap inspections on these older cars. Not sure why they would do this. Would anyone really care if their 25 year old 911 passed a P inspection? Maybe they realise that the only reason people use them for services is to maintain warranty on newer models.

ATM said: For basic servicing its just fluids and filters. I've never bought parts through main dealers. Recently I've been tinkering with alternator and starter and again not used main dealers. These are just generic bosch parts. Other jobs I've done which use pattern parts are door locks / latches and ignition switch mechanism. I think these are shared with other cars like original TT. So even genuine P are just made by other companies. P borrowed these parts from other cars. I did have a bad experience with a cheapo window regulator. It only lasted around 12 months so I switched to genuine OEM but purchased through Euro Car Parts. These are Porsche model specific and not shared. I think pattern part was 80 quid and OEM 200. Also changed some suspension arms and again avoided main dealers. For some parts the general advice I have read online is main dealers are cheaper but not tried this myself just yet but I will do. I want to change the positive power lead which feeds both the starter and the alternator and will investigate what P charge for this before considering fabricating my own with thick copper wire. I believe P have lowered pricing on these older cars but the one part I'd like has tripled in price recently and that's the centre console delete kit. I read somewhere that P were offering cheap inspections on these older cars. Not sure why they would do this. Would anyone really care if their 25 year old 911 passed a P inspection? Maybe they realise that the only reason people use them for services is to maintain warranty on newer models. Thanks ATM. You’ve pre-emptively answered a couple more questions that I was going to ask. Regarding the cheap inspections on older models, I guess it’s a way of try to get enthusiastic owners into the Porsche family and drumming up business. Just like with Alfa Romeo, the Porsche itch is one that I’ve never had the opportunity to scratch, and with the greatest of respect, for me it would be a 911 or nothing. I can only assume that if I didn’t make a catastrophic purchase at the £20k mark, I’d be unlikely to lose my shirt on it over a couple of years and 10’000 miles? Although there’s also a modified Holden Commodore that isn’t yet officially for sale by its owner that I’ve also got my eye on. All of this really depends on whether or not I change jobs next year to something predominantly home based, so for the moment I’m just researching a little and window shopping. Thanks all for your advice

In the current market there are some absolutely lovely 996s within £20k. There is also a lot of highly polished dross, much of which has been on the market for months with asking price slowly reducing! As ever, it's about finding the right car, and I think the concept of buying the owner as much as buying the car applies here, hence if you can I'd suggest buying privately from a long term enthusiastic owner. They are mostly nice cars to work on, and there is lots of online support and advice around working on the more common issues, which makes things easier as an amateur spanner holder. A good one is amazing to drive, a rough one is less amazing!

105.4 said: I can only assume that if I didn’t make a catastrophic purchase at the £20k mark, I’d be unlikely to lose my shirt on it over a couple of years and 10’000 miles? If you buy well you should be fine. I'd push you towards an earlier 3.4 so 1997, 98 and maybe 99. These engines have a slightly better reputation. Porsche changed the 3.4 slightly after this and then came the 3.6 which is perhaps less robust. The very early 3.4 cars are also the lightest 911 ever made. We have an active little community over here which is packed full of knowledge and enthusiasm - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

ATM said: The very early 3.4 cars are also the lightest 911 ever made. We have an active little community over here which is packed full of knowledge and enthusiasm - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... Is that right about the early 996's? Mines a Feb 1998 Carrera which I love for how light it feels

ATM said: If you buy well you should be fine. I'd push you towards an earlier 3.4 so 1997, 98 and maybe 99. These engines have a slightly better reputation. Porsche changed the 3.4 slightly after this and then came the 3.6 which is perhaps less robust. The very early 3.4 cars are also the lightest 911 ever made. We have an active little community over here which is packed full of knowledge and enthusiasm - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... Tell that to my old 911 2.2 s which is at least 200kg lighter. Or a 3.2 which is 150+ kg lighter.

Discombobulate said: ATM said: If you buy well you should be fine. I'd push you towards an earlier 3.4 so 1997, 98 and maybe 99. These engines have a slightly better reputation. Porsche changed the 3.4 slightly after this and then came the 3.6 which is perhaps less robust. The very early 3.4 cars are also the lightest 911 ever made. We have an active little community over here which is packed full of knowledge and enthusiasm - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... Tell that to my old 911 2.2 s which is at least 200kg lighter. Or a 3.2 which is 150+ kg lighter. OK so... The very early 3.4 cars are also the lightest 911 made .. in last X years Insert your number here

ATM said: OK so... The very early 3.4 cars are also the lightest 911 made .. in last X years Insert your number here Since less halfway through the 911’s life