996 for £10k? Am i dreaming...

Hi guys... Newbie here, so forgive me if i'm not 100% clued on at the moment. I'm currently in the market for a new car. I've been looking at e46 m3's and recently i've been thinking about a 996. I've seen the odd one with high mileage, a little tatty and needing a bit of tlc for 10-12k.. Could you guys share some tips, advice and experiances please. Do you think i could get a 'decent' 996 for 10k? Im a huge fan of the aero/gt3 look.. So i'd even consider something that needs a bit of work.. Are gt3 kits/spoilers available on the market, are they straight swaps etc what would i be looking at cost wise? Any help would be much appreciated! Tia :thumbs:

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What he said! £10k will get you a tatty / leggy 996; that's not to say it won't be a good buy, it could well be, but you will probably need to spend more maintaining it as various parts need replacing. That said, 996s seem to run better if used regularly, so you may get away with just having the usual consumable costs (tyres, servicing, maybe brakes etc.). Depends if you're happy running one that already has 130k+ on the clock? GT3 / Carrera aero kits are costly to retro-fit; easy enough to do but be prepared to spend some serious money (up to £5k including painting / fitting). I know you probably want a 911 but you could get a really nice Boxster for £10k, that might be a more sensible buy...? :?:

Hi, My advice would be not to purchase a 10K car if you are expecting years of trouble free motoring from the start. You should pay the average price at least, a cheap car is just that, be very careful. If you can, save a little more and buy a bit later. Owning a Porsche should be a pleasure, buying a sub standard one will only tarnish that dream. Regards Vinny

+1 :agree: Remember that these cars started off costing in excess of £50,000 so just because it's £10,000 now doesn't mean the maintenace costs have depreciated along with the value of the car

Thanks for the replies guys! I hear what you guys are saying.. What are these cars like in general, i understand there are no gurantees with cars, but in general how these hold upafter 110k+ miles? Im confident i can maintain the car in general, but will a 1998/1999 be problematic? Its probably more sensible for me to get an e46 m3. A well speccd one will set me back apprx 12k and is less likely to give me problems as it'll probably have less than 80k on the clock and will be 2003+... I've always wanted a 993 turbo, but when i stumbled upon a 996 on ebay for 12k, it got me thinking lol!

Not necessarily; if it's been looked after properly, there's no reason it won't be a good buy, it's just that your annual service may well set you back a couple of grand because things will start perishing, you'll be replacing items that will maybe only crop up at a certain age etc. Agreed, and an E46 M3 is a damn good car (a few mates have had them / still got them), you won't be disappointed with one. Might be best putting the 911 on hold for a year or two - 996 prices are still falling and good ones will probably be £10k in a year or two. Depressing thought for all of us who paid a lot more than that for our cars, not long ago! :nooo: Happy hunting whatever you choose; it's a great buzz getting a new car... :thumb:

I'd be wary of cheap E-46 M3's too,Ive known a few friends to have been burned financially running them as daily's

Not wanting to put you off, and you might find a gem with one mature owner and no expense spared in its upkeep. Sadly, more likely at that price, someone is moving on a headache which you could drop £4k on and still have gremlins. In some ways it depends what you can do to maintain the car yourself or repair faults, and how well you can spot them at point of sale. At the end of the day it is always Condition, Condition, Condition. And that doesn't mean how shiny it is either. A PPI is a must unless you happen to be a Porsche Technician. As for Aerokit, you are far better to find a model with it on already. It just isn't economic to retrofit, in either parts or labour. If you really want an OEM kit, you may want to sit down. Just checked Design911 and PorscheShop and they charge between £2,460 and £3,180 for the front PU and splitter, sill extensions and rear spoiler. You may wish to add the rear GT side fins at between £411 - £470. Then add painting and fitting, so probably the best part of another £1,000 if you pay someone. You can get replica parts for perhaps 1/3 to 1/2 price for parts (or even scrappies?).

Are you red/green colour blind Mr bigee12345? Black and Boxster Red is probably acceptable, Black and Flamenco is probably an acquired taste. But that is NEPHRITE!

For example, muggins here paid 15K and have spent about £1600 in the last 5 months - most of the work done myself. And it's not a tatty example..they just east cash when they need work doing...and it will. The whole Porsche reliablity myth is precisely that. Couldn't agree more with the above, but you will LOVE it when it's running right :thumb:

Oh god...Black and nephrite green! Who lets people order these things in the first place!

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:grin: not exactly a thing of beauty i grant you!! But,10k?

I suppose you might pick up a second hand interior somewhere for 2-3k so you could sit in it.