3.4S - Portiacraft - Page 2 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Quality Porsche expert from a Specialist Porsche dealer...what a w ker walk away.

Looking for some advice from those with experience.....I am after a 3.4S Manual. Just viewed this car at Portiacraft - quite the experience. https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/11293698?c... - On first impression its a lovely car with great spec and crazy mileage (31k) - Matt finish to paint on rear drivers arch put me off - Minor touch up to left rear alloy to fix - Few small cosmetic marks. But otherwise seemed really good - Seems to be well priced, includes the plate which could be sold for £400... ...but Harry the owner is about the rudest man I have ever met. There's grumpy and there is being an ass. - He got angry with me for not buying it within 15 minutes of meeting 'because its perfect, if you can't decide, maybe you shouldn't be buying old cars'. - Said 3.4 Boxsters don't suffer from from bore scoring and PPIs are a waste of time. - Clutch felt a little heavy, but he said 'it was light for one of these'. - Last service was at a local garage, he said 'Boxsters don't need full Porsche specialist stamps, its not a 911'. - Said if 'anything is wrong with it, bring it back and he will fix it'. - Told me to 'forget it then' and walked off when I said I wanted to think about it. ...am I missing out on a great buy here? Not excited to do business with them. Always another out there. Edited by MD707 on Wednesday 24th February 11:46

It's too expensive imo for a gen 1 3.4. For that price it would need to be perfect which by your description it isn't. The plate is not worth 400, try selling it. 3.4 gen 1 engines do bore score. I couldn't buy it from someone who was that rude to me when looking to buy, i know you buy the car not the seller however imagine his rudeness if you took it back to get something fixed. They are not rare cars, find one you are happy with.

Thanks guys, now the dust has settled it's definitely a walk. Plenty more out there.

I have often look at their site as they regularly have well priced cars (at least on the surface they look well priced). From what you have said that it's the last time I would consider them. From what you are saying, I personally would walk away as sounds like it may be hiding something that he knows a PPI could expose. But that aside - with an attitude like that I wouldn't buy the car out of principle even if it were perfect.

jimmy p said: It's too expensive imo for a gen 1 3.4. For that price it would need to be perfect which by your description it isn't. It looked 'cheap' next to this one.... https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/11284372

Not cheap at all, could you try and stretch to a gen 2, dealer sounds horrid, WALK AWAY

Roof down said: Not cheap at all, could you try and stretch to a gen 2, dealer sounds horrid, WALK AWAY Most certainly - but can only find PDK examples or Black Editions for lots and lots of money at the minute.... Wondering whether a nice, late 3.2S could be a good buy as well now. Not much in it performance wise, better value perhaps?

MD707 said: Roof down said: Not cheap at all, could you try and stretch to a gen 2, dealer sounds horrid, WALK AWAY Most certainly - but can only find PDK examples or Black Editions for lots and lots of money at the minute.... Wondering whether a nice, late 3.2S could be a good buy as well now. Not much in it performance wise, better value perhaps? Either go up a few $$$ to a 987.2 all the issues are sorted on the gen 2 cars, or grab the nicest 3.2S you can find. With a 3.2, I'd recommend that with fitment of the LN Ceramic IMS upgrade you'll have a nicely sorted car. For reference, when I bought mine I did: - LN IMS Bearing - New engine mounts - New Clutch - AOS and a few other things that I can't quite recall, but while the engine's being dropped out to do the IMS upgrade, the other bits just made sense.

You should be able to get a nice gen2 987 3.4 for 20k, that's where my money would be, patience and the right one will come along

Hmmm, my dad is eyeing up a 996 they're selling at the moment, sounds like he may have to reconsider (he's not visited them yet)

Thanks chaps! jimmy p said: You should be able to get a nice gen2 987 3.4 for 20k, that's where my money would be, patience and the right one will come along That would be ideal. Haven’t seen one tho. Currently only 1-2 gen2 manuals, and they’re £23k+ with basic specs. Will be patient!

I would certainly need a PPI at that money. The DME needs checking for true mileage and over Rev report. Would also want the bores scoped to check for scoring. At that mileage the clutch should still be fairly light. Don’t discount a mid to late 2005 987.1 S which should have the bigger ims bearing and lower VED.

MD707 said: Thanks chaps! jimmy p said: You should be able to get a nice gen2 987 3.4 for 20k, that's where my money would be, patience and the right one will come along That would be ideal. Haven’t seen one tho. Currently only 1-2 gen2 manuals, and they’re £23k+ with basic specs. Will be patient! There's a 73k mile Gen 2 Boxster S on AT for £18k. Sure others will come up in the next few months.

If their attitude is poor when they’re selling, imagine what it’d be like after you’d bought and have an issue

Mark-ri571 said: . Don’t discount a mid to late 2005 987.1 S which should have the bigger ims bearing and lower VED. That’s great info thank you. I’ll check it out jimmy p said: There's a 73k mile Gen 2 Boxster S on AT for £18k. Sure others will come up in the next few months. The brown one? Wife having none of it

Odd. Portiacraft have got a reasonably good reputation, and they've been around quite some time. However, 3.4 987s most definitely do bore-score. That's why I bought a 3.2, cause they don't bore-score and can have IMS replacements done easily. Maybe Harry was having an 'off day'?? Edited by Magnum 475 on Wednesday 24th February 21:24

I'd have told him to shove the car up his arse. Look for a gen 2 with more miles. And he's a liar...bore score... Edited by Andyoz on Wednesday 24th February 21:51

Harry is okay. Have not seen him for a while. He has been in the game for a very long time. I have friends that have bought and sold to him over the years and he has always been very fair and has always stood by any warranty work. Perhaps he was just having a bad day

The one I was referring to is £19975 on autotrader, 53k Miles 3.4 gen 2 in black with dark red roof

SRT Hellcat said: Harry is okay. Have not seen him for a while. He has been in the game for a very long time. I have friends that have bought and sold to him over the years and he has always been very fair and has always stood by any warranty work. Perhaps he was just having a bad day Regardless of a person's mood or attitude - if you think motor traders should be honest, he would be one to avoid. Do 3.4s bore-score? Are PPIs a waste of time?

they bought one of my old cars and were easy to deal with. were actually recommended to me by 911virgin. just a sample of one...

I bought my first 3.2 Carrera from Harry at Portiacraft. They're a no frills Independent Porsche dealer who've been around for years. Just check the individual car over and if you're not happy more on to the next plenty of 3.4S will come up as the weather picks up and lockdowns relax.

I don’t know the OP or Harry or Portiacraft, although I have driven past the dealership many times over very many years. However, the difficulty with any post like this is we are only hearing one side of the story.

The no frills part definitely appeals. I don’t want a coffee - I want a good car at a good price. But I think there’s a limit. Plenty of Porsche specialists around in my area who don’t treat me like they’re doing me a favour. Benrad said: Hmmm, my dad is eyeing up a 996 they're selling at the moment, sounds like he may have to reconsider (he's not visited them yet) I will say the younger guy there seemed a perfectly decent chap. Though he backed up Harry on the ‘3.4 Boxsters don’t bore score’ thing. But I didn’t think to ask to deal with him instead. Edited by MD707 on Thursday 25th February 21:15 Edited by MD707 on Thursday 25th February 21:16

I bought a 3.4s 981 from them 2019, car was as described, apart from alloys needed redoing, I paid deposit unseen, travelled from Glasgow to collect with a trailer, they are a no-frills outfit, but yes, definately not a polite experience or one I would choose to go back to unless the car was right / right price, fairly hassle free purchase though and have had zero issues with the car, 987 boxster (have had two - one from 11 months old - as a daily for three years - no probs) wife had another as a daily, no probs, then had a gen 2 spyder with no problems, but they can suffer ims, rms, bore score, etc, etc, gen 2 safer purchase but then gen 1 are much cheaper and more car for you money, worth watching the pcgb for sale as often club owned cars are more cherished, good luck with the search, scott

Scott Laurie said: worth watching the pcgb for sale as often club owned cars are more cherished, good luck with the search, scott Thank you, I'll check that out

Why are you asking the question? You surely need to move on, regardless of the car.

Jazzer said: Why are you asking the question? You surely need to move on, regardless of the car. Well, I liked the car quite a bit. And he’s been there a long time. On reflection, happy with the decision...

Anyone who tries to dissuade you from a PPI is worrying. It's not like you're asking them to pay for it...

At that mileage, it is the start of when bore scoring becomes visible. Low mileages, if this has been aided by short journeys is perhaps the worst use type for bore scoring so you would certainly need to do your due diligence. PDK gearboxes are pretty good and worth having a go with if you haven’t used one before.

Move on. Their response to a PPI would put them out of the running. They’ve also told you an outright lie. I spoke to a couple of well-respected Yorkshire specialists during my hunt, and they couldn’t have been more helpful. When it became apparent they wouldn’t be selling me anything Speaking about both their stock and outside cars I’d seen, they were still full of advice - despite having nothing to gain (other than my trust). Whilst Caymans are robust things, as these once-pricey cars (by general standards) become very affordable, there is the inherent risk that they are maintained on a shoestring budget by one or more previous owners - which will throw up some very Porsche-esque bills. Aside from the well-documented (if over-egged) IMS & bore-scoring issues, a decent PPI is the only way to be confident of condition. As you say, I don’t need a latte and a plush office - just a good car from people that come across as guys & girls I want to do a deal with. 987.1 cars aren’t hard to find, so the right one will come up. Edited by Royal Jelly on Sunday 28th February 08:32

Bought my first 911 from Harry back in 2010. Straightforward, fuss free and zero issues. I quite like him but it sounds like he had an off day. The car I bought had a Peter Morgan inspection on it so it does happen.

Suggests he’s hiding something in that case.

SRT Hellcat said: Harry is okay. Have not seen him for a while. He has been in the game for a very long time. I have friends that have bought and sold to him over the years and he has always been very fair and has always stood by any warranty work. Perhaps he was just having a bad day My experience too, they looked after my flatnose for several years and the only reason they don't now is because I found a specialist a few miles away. He's a suffer no fools type of guy and I suspect someone had worn him thin before you got to him. I'd happily buy from them,

I’ve purchased a couple of cars from Harry. First was a 964 Wide Body Cab and then a few years later a 997 Turbo. Found him very straightforward to deal with and would have no hesitation dealing with him again. Both vehicles were exactly as described, did have an issue with the 964 after collection which he rectified with no drama. Don’t be expecting coffee and frills as per OPC as your obviously not paying OPC prices.

Royal Jelly said: Suggests he’s hiding something in that case. To be honest, I didn't get the feeling he was hiding anything. Just didn’t give a **** Seeing more Gen2 cars popping up now so everything happens for a reason Edited by MD707 on Sunday 28th February 14:56

For the cost of a PPI and massive peace of mind, I would always have one done. If they stand by the car then they have nothing to worry about. I nearly lost an older 911 because of the PPI. Got the sales director very grumpy (not Portiacraft) did not realise the company doing the PPI hated the dealer the report was pretty comprehensive.. G

Yes I think a PPI is essential on any car with expensive repairs - for peace of mind alone - unless you’re getting a warranty. You learn a lot from them, too. I particularly liked Revolution Porsche (Leeds area) because on top of the written report, you got a series of videos of things of note, with the guy explaining things clearly. This added context to the written report. They then were happy to chat in an informal way over the phone about it. Just like surveying a house, there is probably a level of arse-covering on the official reports, but a chat with the guy on the phone allowed him to me an honest assessment overall. After all, they have to show you all that is wrong, but they are the ones who can then tell you if that’s out of the ordinary/ought to put you off/points to a certain type of previous owner, etc. I ended up having 2 Caymans PPI’d that I didn’t buy for various reasons. I still think it was money well-spent, as I learned a lot (about the cars and about the garages). One was a bit of a dog and would’ve cost me a lot. One had a fairly long list of fairly ordinary wear items - as he said, nothing of concern. My issue was I live abroad and didn’t have the inclination to spend my next few trips back with the car on a ramp getting little jobs done. Interestingly both sellers were very reasonable about the outcomes of the inspections. Goes to show that most folks aren’t trying to pull the wool over your eyes, so if you get the feeling that something is off, it probably is. In the end I was lucky enough to get one with most of an OPC 2 year warranty left. Didn’t bother PPI’ing that - the peace of mind was built-in. Edited by Royal Jelly on Monday 1st March 20:06