911 or XK or Vantage - £25-30K - Page 1 - 911/Carrera GT - PistonHeads UK

I am looking to treat myself I was originally looking at an old Porsche 944 S2 coupe, as my budget was about £10K (£6K car and then allowing for spare cash for a couple of years maintenance), however it looks like my budget (to my nice surprise!) could be up to £30K, although it would need to be The One for me to part of £30K. My Requirements are: - Everyday car to work (about 10 miles each way) with a total of about 7K miles a year. - 2 door coupe, but to fit a passenger and a couple of kids in back (Might consider convertible, but only hard top, and would still require 2 box seats in back). - Manageable running costs, ideally £2-3K pa for service/maintenance/repair - is this realistic - how much should I be sensibly be considering - reliable. - sensible MPG (for this type of car) Considering 911 CS4 or an XK (thought an Aston would be too much for an everyday car - happy to be persuaded for a Vantage though!) NOT considering a sporty saloon - ie M3, etc, already have a family car. Current thoughts are that I would prefer to wake up in the morning and see a Porsche on my driveway and have to pinch myself - so much so I might still get the 944. Help?

For that budget/running costs you could well consider a 996 turbo. More reliable engine than any C4S (996 or 997), quicker, and currently edging up in value, so grab one whilst you can.

Having had an XK, XKR then 3 porsche 997's (997.1 C2S, 997.1 Turbo, 997.2 Turbo). The Jags and Porsches are not really comparable. All 3 Porsche cars were a more involved drive. The Jaguars however were very accomplished Grand Tourers (Especially the R) Horses for courses.

Cheers for the feedback, had a look at the 996 turbo's. Nice. I also imagined the jag being more refined in its driving, but this could the one opportunity that I own The One car of my dreams, and I don't want to be driving along and pass a porsche and think of regrets. Is £2-3k realistic for maintenance/repairs? - I am including servicing, tyres for the year, and any routine repairs. Trying to be sensible and have a budget plan in mind

Aston's 2 seats only. XK's always have a whiff of old folks' home to me...trying too hard design wise, and not sporty enough. Which only leaves one choice out of those you've noted...

Thanks for the feedback - looks like it'll have to be the Porsche 911 966 Turbo http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/imgs/10.gif From what I have read the Carrera has more technical/mechanical faults compared to the Turbo and the GT2/3 is more stripped down (and more expensive!). I'm aware that there will be horror stories with every car, but I haven't really seen a bad word about the Turbo - is it as good as it seems when compared to the Carrera - Is it a case of the Carrera getting some bad press, or is it actually still a good car? Also seen the hardtop versions for the 911 - almost tempted, but how much space do you lose in the back seats for the convertible, when the hardtop is on?