991.2 purchase. Financial sanity check. - Page 4 - Porsche General - PistonHeads UK

For a couple of years now I’ve been looking in the classifieds at 911s. But for one reason or another I’ve never gone beyond just looking. I think the main thing that puts me off going to have a look at some cars and having a test drive etc. is that I’m hesitant to spend the money as it feels kind of reckless, and something that someone at “my level” shouldn’t do. That said I’m not put off enough to stop the constant browsing! I thought I’d ask the internet and sound out people’s opinions on them, to see if a purchase would be a reasonable decision or end up being financially ruinous. To provide a bit of background I’ve currently got a Cayenne e-Hybrid that’s coming up to 6 years old, it’s got a few months left on the warranty provided when it was purchased through an OPC. It will be due a full set of 22” N rated tyres around the time the warranty would be up for extension. I keep the car serviced with my OPC. Rough estimate for that little lot would be £4k in the next 12-18 months. I feel like the (planned) running costs for a 911 would be not dissimilar to those for the Cayenne? As for unplanned running costs, I have read up a little on the generation of 911 I’d be looking at (991.2) and it seems that the main concern is around turbo failure. This would probably be negated by the fact that I’d likely purchase through an OPC for the warranty, or possibly purchase through an indy, setting aside the rough difference in cost between OPC and Indy’s, which would go some way towards covering the cost of turbo replacement. This is sort of balanced by the fact that I already have some worries about the high voltage battery on the Cayenne as it gets older. It is warranted for another 2 years or around 40k miles. After that I don’t believe that the Porsche extended warranty applies to the hybrid system of the vehicle. Google suggests that replacement of the battery is a similar cost to that of turbos on a 991.2. Man maths suggests that the Cayenne will depreciate quicker and further than a 991.2. I don’t really like mentioning figures but I feel it’s relevant to my question. Given the forum it’s being asked in and some of the vehicles people here have, it’s certainly not much of a brag nor ever intended as one. From an income point of view, the Mrs and I both have salaries around the 65k mark, we’re in our 40s and we don’t have kids or plan to. We both contribute reasonable amounts to pensions though our employers, me 18% combined, her around 12%. We also both make contributions to personal pensions / ISAs. We do have a fairly large mortgage payment of around £2.4k fixed for the next 5 years, but no other debt. We’re comfortable with this as we have a good amount left to live on each month after bills and savings. We feel that financing a 911 through HP or a loan would take too much of a chunk out of our monthly budget hence why I’m thinking of going down the savings route. It would be my purchase rather than ours. If I were to make a purchase I’d be using the value of the Cayenne as either sale or trade in. Online car buyers estimated its value at £35k. I’d then use some of my ISA savings to make up the difference. The portion of my savings I’d be comfortable spending means I’m looking at a budget in the region of 60-70k. This would mean I’d be left with around 50-60k savings, that I’d still be contributing a small amount (£200-£300) to each month. I guess some of what’s putting me off is that it feels like an unusual position where cash wise I feel like can afford the purchase, but if I were to do it on the “monthly” I couldn’t? I’d look forward to reading people’s responses.

The reason you can afford a cash purchase and not PCP is that you've been (and presumably continue to be) sensible enough to prioritise pensions and tax efficient investments ahead of hire purchase schemes. A model PH citizen in other words. If your wider pension planning is in order than what are your savings for? As long as you're not recklessly borrowing from your future self then avoiding the need for a loan and interest payments is a good enough reason to spend some of those savings. If your OH has a sensible car for tip runs and holidays then a 911 makes more sense than a Cayenne to me.

oddman said: If your wider pension planning is in order than what are your savings for? As long as you're not recklessly borrowing from your future self then avoiding the need for a loan and interest payments is a good enough reason to spend some of those savings. If your OH has a sensible car for tip runs and holidays then a 911 makes more sense than a Cayenne to me. I guess that it stems from me being self employed a good few years back, early into it I was out of work for 6 months during the 2008 financial crisis, I’d been sensible and had a warchest that saw me through. After that I always thought I’ll be ok if I get to ‘x’, reached that figure, then ‘x‘ just increased and I’ve never really touched the money. Took permanent employment some years back but never lost my self employed mentality. We have a 12 year old hatchback that we run as the tip / dog car. which we intend to keep till it dies. Having said that, it’s on 150k so we do have to consider its replacement in the not too distant future.

Pretty much the biggest cost with every day cars is the depreciation, not the running costs. Your current Porsche will I image cost you are very large amount in depreciation. By contrast 991.2 pricing has been very flat since coming out of covid. Especially of you look at the T, or Turbo S models. Buy one with warranty or buy independent and then get a warranty. They are not much compared to the cost of the eye watering repairs that can happen on any Porsche - personally I’d never run one without especially the 3.0 turbo based ones. I wager it will be much cheaper over the lifetime of ownership to own a 991.2 vs your Cayenne

Thanks. It’s interesting that you mention lifetime of the vehicle for a couple of reasons. The Cayenne feels like its ownership lifetime is limited due to the battery warranty expiring in a couple of years and the Porsche extended warranty not covering it. Had it been a full ICE model, the possibility of keeping it longer to offset its depreciation would be a good option. Due to my financial circumstances I suspect the ownership lifetime of the 911 would be extended somewhat by the fact that I’m probably not adding enough back to my savings to change cars as frequently as I have in the past, which is roughly 3-4 years. This is possibly offset by lower depreciation?

Just to add, I haven’t ruled out later model 991.1s, which will help avoid the potential turbo issues, but possibly add others. The only thing with that is that it reduces the amount of vehicles available in the OPC network.

One thing you mentioned is the hybrid battery. If they're not known for dying suddenly, then surely, it doesn't really need replacing unless you're holding it for another 20 years when the SOH might be around 20% (which isn't terrible or guaranteed if you learn how to look after the battery), so is it really comparable to replacing a pair of turbos (I forget but do these leak oil and fail?)? That said, you're comparing a 4x4 to a high end sports car, so which one appeals more to you and works better for your lifestyle?

Hoofy said: One thing you mentioned is the hybrid battery. If they're not known for dying suddenly, then surely, it doesn't really need replacing unless you're holding it for another 20 years when the SOH might be around 20% (which isn't terrible or guaranteed if you learn how to look after the battery), so is it really comparable to replacing a pair of turbos (I forget but do these leak oil and fail?)? That said, you're comparing a 4x4 to a high end sports car, so which one appeals more to you and works better for your lifestyle? You’re correct. The batteries typically seem to degrade over time rather than just fail. Although sudden errors with the hybrid drive system are not unheard of. It was more the perception surrounding older “EVs”, part of me feels like it’s value could take a nose dive in the next two years.

To add, I wouldn’t use ISA savings, that would tip the balance for me to using finance. Also rereading your outline, you sound like you’ve worked hard and saved hard and you are a long time dead, I’d go for it and buy yourself a 911! I’ve been a serial owner for best part of 20 years (not the posh stuff you refer to, always the base boggo models a few generations back) and while I don’t “lust” after them as such, they do get under your skin and are very competent cars at whichever level you get into them. Also worth testing a few as part of the process (older and newer if possible), taking your time and enjoying that aspect of the search. A lot have had multiple owners (people having them a short time and getting it out of their system), others will never sell once they get the right model.

996Type said: In your shoes, I d keep the savings and finance the balance after the p/ex. If you buy the right 911 and major world events aside, if you ve made the worst decision buying it, it can quickly be sold back for WBAC valuation (or higher) to a Porsche dealer. Or you can settle the finance down the line if finance was the worst decision. The classic car financing places can finance a car after you ve bought it to refill your savings if required. A 911 of this age will require money to run but its deprecation should be very gentle (maybe it will go up in value, who knows!) If you work on £500 per £50K monthly repayment, just see what the lowest rate you can achieve (car finance / ballon / personal loan / mortgage top up (?)) or other. If your savings are making 3.5% and you can get say 5%, is that interest gap you are covering better than losing the interest out of your savings etc. Psychologically you might want to own the car as part of the experience so your approach might be different, but sensible financing is always an option over emptying savings if you take the right path. I know what you’re saying, but if I’m servicing the loan from my monthly income, I feel that things would be a little tight, which was one of the reasons for my hesitation.

In your shoes, I d keep the savings and finance the balance after the p/ex. If you buy the right 911 and major world events aside, if you ve made the worst decision buying it, it can quickly be sold back for WBAC valuation (or higher) to a Porsche dealer. Or you can settle the finance down the line if finance was the worst decision. The classic car financing places can finance a car after you ve bought it to refill your savings if required. A 911 of this age will require money to run but its deprecation should be very gentle (maybe it will go up in value, who knows!) If you work on £500 per £50K monthly repayment, just see what the lowest rate you can achieve (car finance / balloon/ personal loan / mortgage top up (?)) or other. If your savings are making 3.5% and you can get say 5%, is that interest gap you are covering better than losing the interest out of your savings etc. Psychologically you might want to own the car as part of the experience so your approach might be different, but sensible financing is always an option over emptying savings if you take the right path. Edited by 996Type on Friday 29th May 12:03

I suppose I could service the loan from my savings, which is possibly what you were suggesting and I’ve not cottoned on.

Go Compare said: 996Type said: In your shoes, I d keep the savings and finance the balance after the p/ex. If you buy the right 911 and major world events aside, if you ve made the worst decision buying it, it can quickly be sold back for WBAC valuation (or higher) to a Porsche dealer. Or you can settle the finance down the line if finance was the worst decision. The classic car financing places can finance a car after you ve bought it to refill your savings if required. A 911 of this age will require money to run but its deprecation should be very gentle (maybe it will go up in value, who knows!) If you work on £500 per £50K monthly repayment, just see what the lowest rate you can achieve (car finance / ballon / personal loan / mortgage top up (?)) or other. If your savings are making 3.5% and you can get say 5%, is that interest gap you are covering better than losing the interest out of your savings etc. Psychologically you might want to own the car as part of the experience so your approach might be different, but sensible financing is always an option over emptying savings if you take the right path. I know what you re saying, but if I m servicing the loan from my monthly income, I feel that things would be a little tight, which was one of the reasons for my hesitation. In that scenario I’d still finance and use the savings pot to pay it back monthly, preserving the capital to an extent and allowing you the breathing space regards your monthly income. We are all different but £35K (your p/ex level) would get you a very nice manual 997.1 / 2 outright, there’s talk of appreciation in those. It’s a theoretical step back but in reality, 90% of the same experience with 0% drawdown from savings! I’m not an expert so take anything I read with a large pinch of salt….

I’d strongly advise against liquidating ISA savings to buy any car…the value of tax free compounding over 10 or 20 years is huge. Once that tax free shelter is gone it’s gone and there’s no guarantee ISA’s won’t be replaced with something less attractive at some stage. I know that’s not very PH but that’s the reality. I’d buy something you can afford comfortably without the finance payments feeling like they’re a burden. I am sure at some stage given how financially responsible you are you’ll be able to buy the car you want without it feeling like a financial burden.

Seems you are in a good place to make such a purchase. But I would echo the comments above regarding your ISA - it takes a long time to build up tax free savings and investments in ISAs, and they really start to work for you later in life. I would leave yours alone. If that scuppers your purchase then so be it.

Appreciate all the responses, both the do it and don’t do it opinions! The course of the thread has almost mimicked the way I’ve been mulling this over for some time. The devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other saying. “Go for it, enjoy life” vs “Be sensible and keep saving”

Go Compare said: Hoofy said: One thing you mentioned is the hybrid battery. If they're not known for dying suddenly, then surely, it doesn't really need replacing unless you're holding it for another 20 years when the SOH might be around 20% (which isn't terrible or guaranteed if you learn how to look after the battery), so is it really comparable to replacing a pair of turbos (I forget but do these leak oil and fail?)? That said, you're comparing a 4x4 to a high end sports car, so which one appeals more to you and works better for your lifestyle? You re correct. The batteries typically seem to degrade over time rather than just fail. Although sudden errors with the hybrid drive system are not unheard of. It was more the perception surrounding older EVs , part of me feels like it s value could take a nose dive in the next two years. You could probably get a SOH reading with the right scanner. (Maybe from the dealership.) I suppose you could get one once a year with the service? The drive system errors would make me think about selling before the warranty was over if you have one. Oh, you mentioned the 991.1 - I'd be tempted with that because you don't get the turbo issue plus they sound better... but then you have to pay more tax (£800+?) and there might be other common big issues that I'm unaware of. I know the GT3 of that era can have a problematic engine.

I do like the idea of the more modern PCM on the 991.2, but I’ve seen some aftermarket kits to allow you to have CarPlay etc on a 991.1. Someone mentioned removing the issue of finding the cash to purchase a 911 by looking at 997s. I must admit whilst I’m not as keen on them, I do pass a really nice one every day when out with the dog. Mrs suggested putting a note under the wiper with my details. Though, when I have looked at them in the classifieds the decent ones don’t seem to be that much cheaper than some of the 991.1s?

Do you really want the complexity of a nearly new 991.2 that realistically can t be run without a belt and braces warranty ? I think i would lower the budget, and go for a late 981 Cayman/Boxster GTS - proper value there, no turbo failure concerns and minimal impact on your savings.

Get a 991.1 3.8. no turbo issues and a howl that makes life better!

seawise said: Do you really want the complexity of a nearly new 991.2 that realistically can t be run without a belt and braces warranty ? I think i would lower the budget, and go for a late 981 Cayman/Boxster GTS - proper value there, no turbo failure concerns and minimal impact on your savings. This has entered my head and I’ve had a look. Budget creep usually sends me quickly up to 982s at which point I think that I may as well look at 911s. I do appreciate what you’re saying about 981s with regard to purchase price and reliability issues. But I think as soon as I saw the first 911 on the road, I’d have regrets. I’ve had similar thoughts with cars from other manufacturers (V8 F Types, M4s, AMGs) but for various reasons end up back to 911s

I've gone the other way and like the bargain side of 997. Good specialists charge £90+vat an hour and I'm ready for £1-2k a year in bills and no depreciation, buy one with lots of invoices already. You seem wedded to OPC who are obviously great but how much is the warranty and annual service?? If you add in financing costs it's best part of guess £5k a year to own the car, big chunk of your take home? Depends how many miles and is it a weekend toy or a daily?? I think they're all great, even the slowest is more than fast enough on UK roads, only track days warrant more power I'd keep your savings and ISA at top levels, it's good to have a solid rainy day fund, so a slightly less expensive 911 let's you have your cake and to eat it. But you've got to follow your heart!

I bought my first Porsche (a 911) 2 years ago. Whilst financially I could have done it many years earlier, the thought of spending so much on a sunny days car was quite a leap. I also had a 2nd car car that I adored that was 1/8th of the price of the 911 I wanted. I was delaying the inevitable but that was fine. It was hitting 50 that made me jump in. House was paid for, son out of uni and left home, money available without touching ISAs etc. I therefore did it (and jumped in with exactly what I wanted rather than working up a ladder - cheaper in the long run!). The Dealer quite rightly described buying a 911 as the sensible stupid decision. It sounds like you are in a position to do it but personally I would be getting that mortgage payment reduced and getting to a position where you don't need to cash in ISAs first. In terms of running, I have the Porsche warranty (protecting against big bills) and see servicing at the OPC as the cost of running one of these. I'd definately do that with a Turbo engined 911.

Cheib said: I d strongly advise against liquidating ISA savings to buy any car the value of tax free compounding over 10 or 20 years is huge. Once that tax free shelter is gone it s gone and there s no guarantee ISA s won t be replaced with something less attractive at some stage. I know that s not very PH but that s the reality. I d buy something you can afford comfortably without the finance payments feeling like they re a burden. I am sure at some stage given how financially responsible you are you ll be able to buy the car you want without it feeling like a financial burden. This^ I have owned many a new Porsche in the past and always bought wisely ie new cars at a discount and low depreciation and no finance . I haven’t owned one for a few years but over recent years have ordered a couple of new cars but ended up cancelling for one reason or another. So in the end I decided I would rather have one car to use all the time that was fun and practical instead of owning a car that gets used occasionally (which is no good mechanically for any car) and imho is financial waste(but those who do your money you do what you want) So I bought a new GR Yaris which I drive all the time and is a perfect car for me and the wife in early retirement running costs are fairly low and you get the 10 year Toyota warranty, it’s no Porsche but it is a rabid beast down a b road and many a Porsche would struggle , it’s a proper drivers car and has taken 6k miles to really gel as it wasn’t love at first drive. Do I still look at getting another Porsche? Of course I do they get under your skin but my head says no I would rather keep the GR and have lots more long holidays. But if I were to buy a 911 for modern it would have to be a late 992.1 base or S which is going to cost circa £90/100k but no big bills for a few years ( hence why I always bought new) or if buying an older car it would have to be a manual 997.2 coupe any flavour but good low miles examples at a reasonable price are hard to find now the best window of opportunity was a few years back . Imo the 997.2 is peak water cooled 911 and you can always have a modern infotainment fitted for sat nav etc

I have to agree with the above. Don't liquidate your ISA funds to purchase a car.. not good however, it may be worth reducing what you put into your ISA to offset the finance cost of your new car ie, If you put £1000pm into your ISA, reduce it to £500 and use the other £500 to use as the payment for your car. WRT 911 vs Cayster, drive them both. You may be surprised. I had a similar conundrum not so long ago. Do I trade in my 718 GTS 4.0 for a bog spec 911 C2? I spoke to my salesman about it and he agreed, it wasn't worth it. My GTS has everything I want but the C2 would be pretty much base spec. For what? To have a 911 parked on the drive? Needless to say I have stuck with my GTS and I love it. You'll get a very nicely specced 718 for £60k and if you look hard enough and not fussy on spec or miles you'll get a 4.0 for that.

Go Compare said: I do like the idea of the more modern PCM on the 991.2, but I ve seen some aftermarket kits to allow you to have CarPlay etc on a 991.1. Someone mentioned removing the issue of finding the cash to purchase a 911 by looking at 997s. I must admit whilst I m not as keen on them, I do pass a really nice one every day when out with the dog. Mrs suggested putting a note under the wiper with my details. Though, when I have looked at them in the classifieds the decent ones don t seem to be that much cheaper than some of the 991.1s? Try one. 997s and 996s have a more raw, sporty feel apparently. Depends on what you really want in a car. If you get an older one with a nice exhaust, you probably won't care about a fancy media system. I just have an old Ipod attached to my 996 and it plays background music when it's on (but I often drive with it off because of the sound of the exhaust).

Crikey it seems so complicated, I saved up and bought mine private yes off autotrader Full op history under warranty 991.2. I’ve had it three years didn’t bother renewing warranty just saved the 3 grand plus , treated the car responsibly as I’m an old codger serviced by Porsche independent on time , considerable saving ,Car has been perfect no worries 10,000 miles all good . I love driving it and have stopped worrying about excess mileage and potential faults .

Some good advice in the responses thanks. The general consensus seems to be, to not spend any more money than the Cayenne s value, on a car who s potential issues require warranting at significant cost. Ruling out a 991.2. This would leave me with two choices. Option 1. Keep the Cayenne. This still has some depreciating to do, and could also be considered to have some potential big issues which I may want to cover with a warranty at similar cost to that of a 991.2. As someone suggested early in the thread, adding both of those up, I could potentially end up spending a similar amount depending on how long I were to keep it. Option2. Get into an older 911, or possibly a Cayman (or something else entirely). Neither are exactly what I want. But the former would certainly go some way towards scratching the itch. I feel the latter would just leave me restarting this process every time I saw a 911. In a nutshell, this is basically why I m at loggerheads with myself!

What's wrong with an older 911? I struggle to find fault with my 996. Also, I can't see the headlights when I'm driving it. On longer journeys, mind, I'm of an age where I feel like a more comfy 991 Turbo might be a better option. What is it about a 991.2 that specifically draws you to it?

I’d second the idea of.a 997.2 Orator the same engine as the 997.1 and it’s easy to add Apple Carplay. You’d never actually need more performance on the road and the steering feel is excellent of course being hydraulic. I’d try verybhas nitro take anything out of ISA’s

Hoofy said: What's wrong with an older 911? I struggle to find fault with my 996. Also, I can't see the headlights when I'm driving it. On longer journeys, mind, I'm of an age where I feel like a more comfy 991 Turbo might be a better option. What is it about a 991.2 that specifically draws you to it? Nothing at all wrong with a 996. But of the modern 911 generations it’s probably the least appealing to me. That’s just my preference and to be fair I don’t dislike them as much as I used to, so maybe in time I could come round to one. I think some of the appeal of the 991.2 is the tech, and the idea it’d be somewhere near “current” for a few years to come. Probably more than that is that I’m lazy! Some of the older models like 997s or even 981s have some appeal. But finding a good one would require a good bit of leg work. I think a search for 981 GTS on autotrader brings up 7 examples, none of which are anywhere near me. I’m not sure on 997 numbers but I expect decent ones will involve a lot of traveling and potentially viewing quite a lot of cars that aren’t quite as the advert describes. I quite like the idea of the main dealer convenience, even though it comes at a premium, and there are more 991.2s in the OPC network than older models. But then again, I know that OPC cars are not perfect, and you still need to do your due diligence, and may have a couple of wasted journeys.

Go Compare said: For a couple of years now I ve been looking in the classifieds at 911s. But for one reason or another I ve never gone beyond just looking. I think the main thing that puts me off going to have a look at some cars and having a test drive etc. is that I m hesitant to spend the money as it feels kind of reckless, and something that someone at my level shouldn t do. That said I m not put off enough to stop the constant browsing! I thought I d ask the internet and sound out people s opinions on them, to see if a purchase would be a reasonable decision or end up being financially ruinous. To provide a bit of background I ve currently got a Cayenne e-Hybrid that s coming up to 6 years old, it s got a few months left on the warranty provided when it was purchased through an OPC. It will be due a full set of 22 N rated tyres around the time the warranty would be up for extension. I keep the car serviced with my OPC. Rough estimate for that little lot would be £4k in the next 12-18 months. I feel like the (planned) running costs for a 911 would be not dissimilar to those for the Cayenne? As for unplanned running costs, I have read up a little on the generation of 911 I d be looking at (991.2) and it seems that the main concern is around turbo failure. This would probably be negated by the fact that I d likely purchase through an OPC for the warranty, or possibly purchase through an indy, setting aside the rough difference in cost between OPC and Indy s, which would go some way towards covering the cost of turbo replacement. This is sort of balanced by the fact that I already have some worries about the high voltage battery on the Cayenne as it gets older. It is warranted for another 2 years or around 40k miles. After that I don t believe that the Porsche extended warranty applies to the hybrid system of the vehicle. Google suggests that replacement of the battery is a similar cost to that of turbos on a 991.2. Man maths suggests that the Cayenne will depreciate quicker and further than a 991.2. I don t really like mentioning figures but I feel it s relevant to my question. Given the forum it s being asked in and some of the vehicles people here have, it s certainly not much of a brag nor ever intended as one. From an income point of view, the Mrs and I both have salaries around the 65k mark, we re in our 40s and we don t have kids or plan to. We both contribute reasonable amounts to pensions though our employers, me 18% combined, her around 12%. We also both make contributions to personal pensions / ISAs. We do have a fairly large mortgage payment of around £2.4k fixed for the next 5 years, but no other debt. We re comfortable with this as we have a good amount left to live on each month after bills and savings. We feel that financing a 911 through HP or a loan would take too much of a chunk out of our monthly budget hence why I m thinking of going down the savings route. It would be my purchase rather than ours. If I were to make a purchase I d be using the value of the Cayenne as either sale or trade in. Online car buyers estimated its value at £35k. I d then use some of my ISA savings to make up the difference. The portion of my savings I d be comfortable spending means I m looking at a budget in the region of 60-70k. This would mean I d be left with around 50-60k savings, that I d still be contributing a small amount (£200-£300) to each month. I guess some of what s putting me off is that it feels like an unusual position where cash wise I feel like can afford the purchase, but if I were to do it on the monthly I couldn t? I d look forward to reading people s responses. Great post, and honestly the financial picture you’ve painted is pretty compelling for making the move. The “I can afford it in cash but not monthly” feeling is actually a really healthy indicator - it means you’re not stretching, you’re just deploying a lump sum of saved capital. That’s exactly how these purchases should work. On the residuals point - a 991.2 is probably one of the safest places you can park £60-70k in the used car market right now. The 991.2 GTS and Carrera S variants in particular have shown remarkable value retention, and the air-cooled mythology continues to cast a long shadow over the water-cooled cars in a way that props the whole lineage up. You’re not buying a depreciating asset in the traditional sense - you’re buying something that may well be worth a similar figure in 3-4 years if you buy sensibly and keep the mileage reasonable. Compare that to your alternatives at that budget. A Taycan at £65k is a car that was probably £95-100k new and has already absorbed a huge depreciation hit - which sounds appealing until you factor in the HV battery anxiety you’re already experiencing with the Cayenne, multiplied significantly on a full EV, with no extended warranty comfort blanket after a certain age. The EV expensive car supplement VED changes from April 2025 don’t help either. And an Aston Vantage at that budget is a beautiful car being held together with hope and Gaydon fairy dust - the running costs and reliability profile are a completely different conversation to a 911. Your man maths on the Cayenne is also right. A 6-year-old plug-in hybrid with an ageing HV battery and incoming 22” tyre bills is not a low-risk hold. The 991.2 turbo failure concern is real but manageable - buying through an OPC with warranty, or an indie with a ring-fenced fund, is exactly the right approach. You’ve done the thinking. Go drive one.

I ve often toyed with the idea of a 911, but I have no need for the rear seats in a weekend/fun car. I test drove a few recently, and have driven colleagues different vintages over the years, but (apart from a friend s 1982 SC) I never really gelled with them. I now have a 2025 Alpine A110S with buckets and full alcantara interior, and a 987 Boxster Spyder, PDK, full leather and comfort seats. I m sixty next month, so these (plus a workhorse Tesla) will probably serve me for the next decade or so. If you yearn for a 911, and anything else will feel like settling, then go for it. You seem well-organised and sensible financially, so I think you need to allow yourself the indulgence of a dream car while you can. Enjoy! Edited by Michael_B on Friday 29th May 21:04

Michael_B said: I I now have a 2025 Alpine A110S Edited by Michael_B on Friday 29th May 21:04 The Alpine A110: Renault’s Most Expensive Way to Ruin Your Life We need to talk about miserablegit. Cast your minds back. There he was, posting away on here with the barely-contained excitement of a man who’d found his perfect sports car. The Alpine A110, lightweight, driver-focused, French flair, none of that vulgar German over-engineering. He was happy. He had hope. He believed in things. Then he took delivery. What followed has been one of the finest rolling disaster diaries PistonHeads has ever witnessed. A masterclass in what happens when you hand a genuinely brilliant chassis concept to people who build Clios. And it turns out he’s not alone. Which? have looked at the numbers and concluded that the A110 manages 1 star out of 5 for reliability in the 0-4 year bracket. One. A single, solitary, embarrassed little star. Three times the fault rate you’d expect for a petrol car of this age, and 65% of cars suffered a complete breakdown. That’s not a reliability figure, that’s a coin flip with worse odds. 60% of owners reported engine problems. Engine problems. On a car with one job. Flywheel issues, turbocharger faults, cylinder head failures, complete engine failure in 12% of cases. Twelve percent. The French have managed to build a sports car where your engine has roughly the same survival odds as a minor character in a war film. And this is the standard A110 we’re talking about. Not some highly-strung S variant pushed beyond its limits, just a normal one, driven by a normal person who made the catastrophic error of trusting French build quality. miserablegit wasn’t even asking for much. The only consolation Which? could find was an average repair time of four days. Four days. They presented this like it was good news. miserablegit, we salute you. You didn’t just buy a car, you took one for the team and documented it beautifully. The posts live on as a monument to Gallic ambition colliding with Renault parts bin reality. Buy the 911. You know it makes sense.

Tarby said: <lots of anti-Alpine ranting> Can you show us on the doll where the nasty man from Renault touched you? For my part I live 10 minutes down the road from the Geneva dealer in case of any issues, and have other cars/motorbikes if my A110 spontaneously explodes into tiny fragments. And I also told the OP to buy the 911… Have a great evening!

Michael_B said: Tarby said: <lots of anti-Alpine ranting> Can you show us on the doll where the nasty man from Renault touched you? For my part I live 10 minutes down the road from the Geneva dealer in case of any issues, and have other cars/motorbikes if my A110 spontaneously explodes into tiny fragments. And I also told the OP to buy the 911 Have a great evening! Nice try with the doll, but I notice you’ve pre-positioned yourself 10 minutes from the dealer and surrounded yourself with escape vehicles. That’s not ownership confidence, that’s a contingency plan. And yes, you told the OP to buy the 911 so did I. We agree on everything except whether the A110 is a car or a lifestyle choice with a recovery truck on speed dial. Händ en schöne Abig!

Tarby said: Händ en schöne Abig! On parle français ici à Genève, pas schwyzerdütsch. Je vous souhaite quand même une excellente fin de soirée

Michael_B said: Tarby said: Händ en schöne Abig! On parle français ici à Genève, pas schwyzerdütsch. Je vous souhaite quand même une excellente fin de soirée Mea culpa, my French is about as reliable as Alpine’s warranty department. Bonne soirée quand même.

Personally I would not removing any savings from an ISA to buy any car (except perhaps in an emergency). Taxes are going up for sure over the next few years and we are going to need all the tax sheltering we can get. Once the money is removed from an ISA it can’t be put back. Your pension contribution rates, while healthy, are unlikely to be enough to fund a comfortable retirement on their own so you are going to need additional savings….. The money you’ll get out of the 4x4 (the value of which is heading to zero over time) is plenty to buy a more ‘interesting’ Porsche which ‘should’ hold it’s value better - finding the right one is part of the fun.

Tarby said: Mea culpa, my French is about as reliable as Alpine s warranty department. Bonne soirée quand même. After long periods of Ducati ownership, nothing really scares me about automotive fragility or reliability. To return to the OP’s original question, vehicle choice is one element, but there is also a lot of talk of financial sanity and whether someone of his “level” should be spending so much on and driving such a car. To which most people here have given the reassurance he was seeking.

Interesting take but I’d push back slightly. If you’re redirecting what you’d have spent on a depreciating 4x4 into a car that holds its value, you’ve effectively parked capital rather than burned it. The ISA money isn’t gone, it’s just changed shape. And the SIPP angle is actually compelling here. Salary sacrifice into a pension later is far more efficient than ISA contributions anyway. Money going in gets 40% relief on the way in, compounds in a tax free wrapper, and you’ve essentially used the car trade as a stepping stone to redirect future cash into a wrapper that gives you free money from HMRC. Net pay ISA contributions can’t compete with that maths. The other thing nobody says loudly enough is that there are plenty of ISA millionaires in the graveyard. A perfectly optimised portfolio and a great net worth number is a wonderful thing. So is actually enjoying some of it while you can. You only live once. Buy the interesting Porsche, redirect the salary into the SIPP, and let the taxman fund part of your retirement. Worst case you end up with a car you enjoyed and a pension HMRC part paid for.

Go Compare said: Hoofy said: What's wrong with an older 911? I struggle to find fault with my 996. Also, I can't see the headlights when I'm driving it. On longer journeys, mind, I'm of an age where I feel like a more comfy 991 Turbo might be a better option. What is it about a 991.2 that specifically draws you to it? Nothing at all wrong with a 996. But of the modern 911 generations it s probably the least appealing to me. That s just my preference and to be fair I don t dislike them as much as I used to, so maybe in time I could come round to one. I think some of the appeal of the 991.2 is the tech, and the idea it d be somewhere near current for a few years to come. Probably more than that is that I m lazy! Some of the older models like 997s or even 981s have some appeal. But finding a good one would require a good bit of leg work. I think a search for 981 GTS on autotrader brings up 7 examples, none of which are anywhere near me. I m not sure on 997 numbers but I expect decent ones will involve a lot of traveling and potentially viewing quite a lot of cars that aren t quite as the advert describes. I quite like the idea of the main dealer convenience, even though it comes at a premium, and there are more 991.2s in the OPC network than older models. But then again, I know that OPC cars are not perfect, and you still need to do your due diligence, and may have a couple of wasted journeys. Ah yes, I forget about the benefits of buying from an OPC.

Tarby said: Interesting take but I d push back slightly. If you re redirecting what you d have spent on a depreciating 4x4 into a car that holds its value, you ve effectively parked capital rather than burned it. The ISA money isn t gone, it s just changed shape. And the SIPP angle is actually compelling here. Salary sacrifice into a pension later is far more efficient than ISA contributions anyway. Money going in gets 40% relief on the way in, compounds in a tax free wrapper, and you ve essentially used the car trade as a stepping stone to redirect future cash into a wrapper that gives you free money from HMRC. Net pay ISA contributions can t compete with that maths. The other thing nobody says loudly enough is that there are plenty of ISA millionaires in the graveyard. A perfectly optimised portfolio and a great net worth number is a wonderful thing. So is actually enjoying some of it while you can. You only live once. Buy the interesting Porsche, redirect the salary into the SIPP, and let the taxman fund part of your retirement. Worst case you end up with a car you enjoyed and a pension HMRC part paid for. I’m not at all dismissing anyone’s posts here. There’s been good advice that leans towards both go and no go. But what you say about ISA millionaires in the graveyard does bring to mind something that a few posters earlier in the thread said about avoiding spending savings so that you don’t miss out on the compound gains and tax free wrapper. It begs the question, to what end? It’s always going to be more financially savvy / efficient to leave your money in a place like that rather than spend some of it. But surely there comes a point where you’ve got to start, otherwise what’s the point? I think the first reply in the thread asked something along the lines of “what’s the money in savings for” Possibly what those people were saying to me was that in my current position maybe I’ve not got quite enough money behind me to justify this level of purchase. If that’s the case I’ve got no ego that would be bruised by that advice, as it’s essentially the basis of my initial post, and what’s given me the doubt in the first place.

If you want a 911, buy one. It’s that simple as long as the numbers work for you. You are a long time dead.

Go Compare said: I m not at all dismissing anyone s posts here. There s been good advice that leans towards both go and no go. But what you say about ISA millionaires in the graveyard does bring to mind something that a few posters earlier in the thread said about avoiding spending savings so that you don t miss out on the compound gains and tax free wrapper. It begs the question, to what end? It s always going to be more financially savvy / efficient to leave your money in a place like that rather than spend some of it. But surely there comes a point where you ve got to start, otherwise what s the point? I think the first reply in the thread asked something along the lines of what s the money in savings for Possibly what those people were saying to me was that in my current position maybe I ve not got quite enough money behind me to justify this level of purchase. If that s the case I ve got no ego that would be bruised by that advice, as it s essentially the basis of my initial post, and what s given me the doubt in the first place. You’ve nailed the core tension here: the classic trap of optimising your life away. People hoard in ISAs like dragons on gold, whispering “compound interest” while they die with seven figures and a lifetime of “I wish I’d…” stories. The graveyard is full of ISA millionaires who never used the money for anything that actually mattered to them. You’re right – there’s always a “better” financial move on paper. Delay the purchase, add another 10-15% to the pot, chase that extra tax-free growth. But at some point that logic becomes self-defeating. What is the money actually for? If it’s just to watch the number go up while you sit in the same situation year after year, then it’s pointless. You’ve already done the sensible bit by posting and stressing about it – that shows you’re not being reckless. And you’ve openly said you have no ego about hearing you might not have quite enough yet. Respect for that. But here’s the practical truth: • You have no kids (big difference – fewer obligations, more freedom). • You’re clearly thinking it through rather than impulse-buying. • Life has a habit of throwing curveballs (health, markets, opportunities, energy levels). The “perfect” time to spend on something meaningful rarely arrives. If this purchase genuinely moves the needle on your quality of life – freedom, joy, daily happiness, experiences you actually want – then pull the trigger. Money is a tool, not a scoreboard. Compound growth is worthless if you never deploy the capital. You can always rebuild savings. You can’t rebuild missed years or energy when you’re older. Go for it. Have at it. Future You will probably thank you more than the version that stayed “responsible” and stayed put. Just my take. Ymmv of course but you’ve worked hard why not enjoy it?

One thing that I am surprised at. Is that no one has asked why a few years ago I spent more on a lightly used Cayenne than I’m currently considering spending on a car I was hankering after not long afterwards! The joys of hindsight! A lot food for thought, which is much appreciated.

Go Compare said: One thing that I am surprised at. Is that no one has asked why a few years ago I spent more on a lightly used Cayenne than I m currently considering spending on a car I was hankering after not long afterwards! The joys of hindsight! A lot food for thought, which is much appreciated. I haven't looked at the prices of a Cayenne; no interest in buying a 4x4 so no idea what the prices are like.

Given the current market for Porsche I'd have a nip down to your local OPC and see what they can offer. There are some big discounts out there (especially for new cars in stock) so it's worth a couple of hours with your OPC to discuss options. Until you actually drive the cars and ecide what you want then you'll always be second guessing. Same with the financial costs. Unfortunately my OCD means I have to research the crap out of a potential purchase and it's not until I have everything laid out in front of me, can I make a decision. Maybe this is what you should do. Drive a 997, drive a 991.1/.2 or even a 992 and see what you think. At that point you can take about numbers then make a decision as to whether thaose numbers work for you. It's easy for us to spend your money. It's not ours and we've nothing to loose BUT you must speak to your other half and get them onside. There's nothing worse than going off and splashing out on a big purchase only for it to be detrimental to your relationship. If you both agree on car, spec and financial then push the button.

Hoofy said: I haven't looked at the prices of a Cayenne; no interest in buying a 4x4 so no idea what the prices are like. Agree! Ditch the cayenne asap and find out what lightness, great engines and cornering is all about!

scrounger73 said: Given the current market for Porsche I'd have a nip down to your local OPC and see what they can offer. There are some big discounts out there (especially for new cars in stock) so it's worth a couple of hours with your OPC to discuss options. Until you actually drive the cars and ecide what you want then you'll always be second guessing. Same with the financial costs. Unfortunately my OCD means I have to research the crap out of a potential purchase and it's not until I have everything laid out in front of me, can I make a decision. Maybe this is what you should do. Drive a 997, drive a 991.1/.2 or even a 992 and see what you think. At that point you can take about numbers then make a decision as to whether thaose numbers work for you. It's easy for us to spend your money. It's not ours and we've nothing to loose BUT you must speak to your other half and get them onside. There's nothing worse than going off and splashing out on a big purchase only for it to be detrimental to your relationship. If you both agree on car, spec and financial then push the button. My local OPC has a few used 911s in, but the cheapest is a 992 which is about 20k over the budget I’m considering. The budget and the fact that I’m using savings rather than wages to fund a purchase obviously also rules out near new deals as I can’t really do it via PCP etc. Your suggestion about trying the various flavours of 911 is a good one, but quite difficult to achieve. Most of the OPCs near me are reflective of the one closest to me, in that their used inventory consists of 992s that are out of my reach. I don’t really want to test drive one only to end up liking it l, but then dealing with the disappointment that I cannot make it work. When I search on the Porsche website and keep the radius to a reasonable 100 miles, not much comes up that meets my criteria. In fact, there’s only one car that is within budget. Although there is a lovely 991.2 GTS in Hull OPC, albeit a couple of K over max budget. I am aware of a couple of independents such as Ashgood and Lakeside classics, who’s spread of 911 generations is a bit wider, which would give me chance to have a look around various models under one roof. They’re both a good few hours from me, I guess the answer would be to speak to someone like them and set aside some time for a visit.

You sound like a sensible individual whose gut feel is you shouldn’t spend that much money on a car you don’t need, and you’re looking for the forum to provide some convincing logic to allow you to do something you’re not comfortable with. Unfortunately I think your gut is right on this one. If you are saving £200-300/month, or £3,000/year, it would take a couple of decades to save up for the £60k budget you have in mind. That feels like a long time. I know you are planning to use part exchange to part-fund the purchase, so my calculation is overly simplistic, but I’m just using it to make a point. My advice would be to (1) find a £30k car that would you like, maybe not as much as a 911, but more than your current car. This might be a 981 Boxster, or something else (2) work out what financial position you would need to be in to feel really comfortable buying a £60k 911, and work towards that. This maybe when your savings have increased to X and your monthly savings to Y, or when you’ve paid the mortgage off. This way, you might find it easier to enjoy the car you buy in (1), knowing it’s a stepping stone to (2) not a final destination. You could always just buy a small cheap car whilst you’re saving up for a 911, but as others have pointed out none of us know how much time we have and you’re a long time dead. In case helpful, I’ll share my experience of buying 911s. When I was a similar age and financial position to you are now, I bought a 11 year old 996 for £17k. I was lucky I bought it when values were low, but loved it with a passion, it wasn’t a financial burden and I didn’t feel financially stupid or irresponsible buying it. I am normally Captain Sensible on all things financial. Fast forward 9 years and my financial situation had been transformed through being very fortunate in my career, and I was able to buy a new 911 for cash without using a high % of my savings. I did still mentally question if I was doing a silly thing spending so much on a car, even after buying it. My point is if you are sensible with money, and you extend yourself beyond your comfortable means unnecessarily, you’ll know and you may not enjoy the car as much as a result. Just my view - I may be completely wrong! Ultimately the decision is yours and it’s a nice problem to have to deal with.

My two pence: I have no idea why you own a Cayenne if there’s only two of you. I would avoid OPCs like the plague… because they are less pleasant than a plague!! If only two of you, I could also consider Boxster (Spyder?) or Cayman and get something a little more special.

I delayed buying any significantly expensive car till my (very) late forties and after I d paid off the mortgage. I had lots of great interesting cars, just older and cheaper, and always bought with cash. I don t feel I missed out by doing this, other than not having the latest shiny thing on my drive. If I add up the amount I would have spent on lease, interest and depreciation it s an eye watering amount. Hundred of thousands of pounds. Now I can go out and buy the sort of cars I would have liked to have had them with cash (and I have, not new, I m still against throwing money away on depreciation) There s always the risk that Ill health will stop you getting to this stage of course I get that but going a bit more conservative is always an option and it might bring real rewards later. A nice earlier 911 and not raiding your ISAs would be the prudent thing to do I d say. Even though I could easily afford to buy a new 992, I don’t want one, I’d fa prefer a slightly older one, more analogue, that really illustrates the psychology at play with car buying! Once being able to afford something stops feeling like an achievement it frees you to see it on its own merits. Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 30th May 09:36

I 8 a 4RE said: My two pence: If only two of you, I could also consider Boxster (Spyder?) or Cayman and get something a little more special. Funny I was just thinking the same thing, so here s an idea you have waited this long hold on a little longer to autumn winter and get yourself a 987 Spyder (a true classic in the making and a proper limited edition ie less than 2000 worldwide ) you should find a decent one for your budget. It s the only Porsche I regret selling. Or save a few quid and get a boxster 987.2 doesn t matter if it s a 2.9 but make sure it s a manual

Interesting topic! A few initial thoughts…. Sell the Cayenne- pointless for two people! Go and drive some cars, it’s a lot of money, you need to find exactly what you want, then consider the financials ? Personally l don’t think I’d be comfortable taking money out of the ISA wrapper unless it was for a Hum Dinger of a reason…that’s why you need to drive a few models. There’s a huge variation of 911s on the driver focused spectrum. The fact that you’re asking the question on here, perhaps alludes to you not wanting to spend the ISA money either. You don’t want to be driving around questioning the decision - unless you’ve found something that blows you away. Only you can decide what that is!

GT4P said: Funny I was just thinking the same thing, so here s an idea you have waited this long hold on a little longer to autumn winter and get yourself a 987 Spyder (a true classic in the making and a proper limited edition ie less than 2000 worldwide ) you should find a decent one for your budget. It s the only Porsche I regret selling. Or save a few quid and get a boxster 987.2 doesn t matter if it s a 2.9 but make sure it s a manual I thoroughly agree with such a suggestion. But the way prices are going, I’m not sure that waiting is such a great idea, despite weather considerations. I’ve had mine for all of eleven days now

Michael_B said: I thoroughly agree with such a suggestion. But the way prices are going, I m not sure that waiting is such a great idea, despite weather considerations. I ve had mine for all of eleven days now Prices can go down as well as up , the Uk economy is not great at the moment , property sales at an all time low and I have started receiving emails from OPC with special invitation only offers on new and used cars (never had those before or perhaps they trying to woo back all the customers they upset over recent years lol ) The 987Spyder is a fantastic car and along with my GR would be the perfect 2 car garage it s also if not paying over the odds not going to loose a wad of money. There was a chap on pistonheads who did over 120k miles as his daily with no dramas. If the OP only needs a small car perhaps a cheap small run around ie Hyundai i10 and the Spyder both not going to cost a lot to run, actually my thinking a little while ago was a new i10 at £16k for domestic duties and a SRS but for me at the moment the GR covers all bases Edited by GT4P on Saturday 30th May 12:09

I’ll pick up on Scroungers point, get out and drive what you think is your ideal model, I did and, after trying another, realised it wasn’t what I thought it would be. In my case I couldn’t gel with the naturally aspirated engine nor, to a lesser degree, the level of cabin noise. I took a swerve to a turbo charged engine to get the torque at lower revs and a convertible body shell that we had never had before. The upshot is that both my wife and I love the end result and have many trips away planned for the year ahead.

Interesting thread. Usually accepted wisdom is buying new cars is a waste of money but I did exactly this ten years ago albeit with a Cayman. Like the OP paid out of cash, no finance. What about the ISA balance! Well I figured I could make it up in SIPP contributions over the forthcoming years and get the added tax relief. Ten years on was it financial suicide? I'd have to say no. Compared to the numerous Audis and BMWs I'd previously owned the Porsche has worked out significantly cheaper despite costing a lot more. Running costs were very reasonable but the biggest difference is the residual values of the sports cars just don't depreciate at the same rate. Depreciation is your biggest cost of ownership anywhere else and particularly with some of the EVs. 911s and Caymans just aren't affected to the same extent. I'd say buy now and forget the ISA, you can always sell the car in the worst case and put up to 60k per year into a SIPP (also with 3 years carry forward if unused). Definitely not worth waiting, I liked the car so much I've still got it. Only other point is I believe the actual build costs of a 911 vs a Cayman are pretty similar despite the drastically different price points.

Tarby said: Interesting take but I d push back slightly. If you re redirecting what you d have spent on a depreciating 4x4 into a car that holds its value, you ve effectively parked capital rather than burned it. The ISA money isn t gone, it s just changed shape. And the SIPP angle is actually compelling here. Salary sacrifice into a pension later is far more efficient than ISA contributions anyway. Money going in gets 40% relief on the way in, compounds in a tax free wrapper, and you ve essentially used the car trade as a stepping stone to redirect future cash into a wrapper that gives you free money from HMRC. Net pay ISA contributions can t compete with that maths. The other thing nobody says loudly enough is that there are plenty of ISA millionaires in the graveyard. A perfectly optimised portfolio and a great net worth number is a wonderful thing. So is actually enjoying some of it while you can. You only live once. Buy the interesting Porsche, redirect the salary into the SIPP, and let the taxman fund part of your retirement. Worst case you end up with a car you enjoyed and a pension HMRC part paid for. Agree re pension versus ISA, but the point here is cashing in that ISA and losing the tax free status he has built in his pot. Shame to lose it when, if invested well, it can continue to grow tax free. I would stop paying in to an ISA t to finance a dream car, but I wouldn't cash it in til I really needed it. But each to their own.

MinchCS said: Agree re pension versus ISA, but the point here is cashing in that ISA and losing the tax free status he has built in his pot. Shame to lose it when, if invested well, it can continue to grow tax free. I would stop paying in to an ISA t to finance a dream car, but I wouldn't cash it in til I really needed it. But each to their own. Fair point, and I don't disagree on the compounding argument. Tax-free growth is genuinely valuable over a long horizon. But I think context matters here. If this bloke is already well set on pension contributions, mortgage is manageable, and the ISA isn't doing the heavy lifting in his retirement plan, then the wrapper's tax efficiency is academic if the underlying returns are mediocre. A lot of people are sat in cash ISAs or bog-standard funds earning nothing special while telling themselves they're being financially virtuous. The other thing worth saying is that a dream car has a shelf life, both practically and personally. What fires you up at 45 might not at 55, and the ability to enjoy it properly (track days, long drives, decent reactions) isn't infinite either. There's a version of financial prudence that tips into never actually living, and I'd rather someone enjoyed their money while they could than left a tax-efficient wrapper to their estate. Each to their own is right, but cashing an ISA to fund something meaningful isn't automatically the wrong call.

Tarby said: Fair point, and I don't disagree on the compounding argument. Tax-free growth is genuinely valuable over a long horizon. But I think context matters here. If this bloke is already well set on pension contributions, mortgage is manageable, and the ISA isn't doing the heavy lifting in his retirement plan, then the wrapper's tax efficiency is academic if the underlying returns are mediocre. A lot of people are sat in cash ISAs or bog-standard funds earning nothing special while telling themselves they're being financially virtuous. The other thing worth saying is that a dream car has a shelf life, both practically and personally. What fires you up at 45 might not at 55, and the ability to enjoy it properly (track days, long drives, decent reactions) isn't infinite either. There's a version of financial prudence that tips into never actually living, and I'd rather someone enjoyed their money while they could than left a tax-efficient wrapper to their estate. Each to their own is right, but cashing an ISA to fund something meaningful isn't automatically the wrong call. Good points, well made.

I agree with all that but as a counter I would caution against over-extending yourself in order to chase a dream. There are so many options for great, characterful cars that you don’t need the latest or even a very modern thing to have fun. Yes some of your hero’s will become less desirable to you and you might pass them by but there will be others. (For me that was the 993, I lusted after them and never actually got one, leapfrogging to 997 and then 991 GT3) But using borrowing to buy a sports car when you still have a large mortgage, I wouldn’t do that myself.

If you have no kids you're essentially a millionaire just go for it. What else are you going to spend it on? Cats? When I was a civilian I had a car roughly around my annual salary from age 26/27. Then kids came along but luckily so did my business. I would be a lot happier with a 911 around me than a Cayenne from a financial prudence point of view.

Thanks again for the contributions! I’ve been having a think about it over the weekend and had a more in depth browse at some 981 Cayman S/GTS. I reckon I could just about get into an S from around 2015 for the value of the Cayenne. A GTS would mean me putting up to 10K in to make up the difference. The GTS seem to be few and far between, and from what I can gather, a well specced S isn’t all that different anyway? Are there any big differences between the two models that I’m missing? I know that if I bought a Cayman I would have my head turned when I saw a 911, but to be honest I think if I had a 911, I would to some extent still have that issue when I spotted something further up the food chain such as a GT3 or Turbo etc. As a friend used to say “there’s always a bigger fish”. The positive of it is that I’d be taking the money that’s being eroded away in the Cayenne, and parking it in a Cayman which should lose a lot less. Hopefully without making a withdrawal from my ISA. If I find that after a while I’m still hankering for a 911, my financial position would probably be better than if I were to do nothing and just keep the Cayenne.

^ nice S just up for sale at Guildford. Is a Boxster tho. https://finder.porsche.com/gb/en-GB/details/porsch...

Unfortunately, soft tops just aren’t for me.

If you can push to a 981 Gts it’s worth it, there is a reason they are few and far between, manual of course but better still can’t remember budget but a better car than the 981 is as mentioned before the 987.2 and for £50k gets a very good caymanR which would be my choice over a Gts . £30k gets a very nice 987.2S

Ok it’s only the 2.9 but still a great engine, this would imho would be a great car to dip your toe into Porsche sports cars and save some cash as well it won’t cost you a lot to run over the years. https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20446351

Re Cayman vs 911 - of the modern cars (ie 991 and 992) i think the Cayman makes a better sports car, partly thanks to a smaller footprint. I am lucky to have a few special 911’s (admittedly 997 and 964 chassis) and i owned a 991.2 GT3 touring for 6 years. My son has a 987 Cayman S which was purchased for £10k in the trade - everytime i drive that car i question the point of the much more expensive cars i have. Cayman’s are not the lesser car, just different and in some respects better. Nice 981 Cayman S for similar value to your current depreciating and potentially troublesome Cayenne is a no brainer to me.

My 2p's worth I bought a 991.1 a couple of years ago. The logic was that it was the last N/A 911, so would hold it's value well. And this generation seems relatively reliable compared to the 991.2. The PCM was simple to update to add in Android Auto/Car Play. I figured that even if i kept it for a year and sold it, it wouldn't cost me much because of the low depreciation and I would have scratched that 911 itch. However almost 2 years in I still love it and have no plans to sell. I could have waited 10 more years, paid down the mortgage in the meantime, and that would have been the sensible thing to do. However in 10 years finding a good 991.1 (or 991.2 for that matter) will be much harder than it is today and that's the generation I really wanted. I could drop down dead tomorrow, so I'm glad I got the chance to own the car I really wanted. Good luck whatever you decide.

Not sure what I am about o say is helpful or not but here goes in 2020 I turned 50 and decided i really wanted a Porsche 911 I am not very rich but I can pay my small (£450 pcm ) mortgage and other bills easily I had savings ion an Isa and decided to cash them in and buy a 911. But after 3-4 months of looking at 911 bought a 2016 981 GT4 for £67,500 for cash I then fortunately , by pure chance , got a great finance deal via Lombard and financed £50,000 at 3.9% over 4 years , those were the days I drip fed the £50k in to a stock and shares isa over 4 years that turned the £50k into £70k . if you take out the £4k interest then the ISA has still prived an approx £16k profit. Even better the Gt4 is holding its value , has been very reliable and huge amount of fun to drive, so much that i bought a brand new 992 GTS in 2022 and sold it in 2024 as i never really drove it . So IMHO based on MY experience buy a Porsche that depreciates slowly , finance it as long as interest rates are low and at present Lombard are offering 6.5% i think and put your oney into a stocks and shares ISA and enjoy the car as you only live once Only proviso is that the you have enough money for the payments AFTER ALL ESSENTIAL bills are paid Hope that helps

Go Compare said: My local OPC has a few used 911s in, but the cheapest is a 992 which is about 20k over the budget I m considering. The budget and the fact that I m using savings rather than wages to fund a purchase obviously also rules out near new deals as I can t really do it via PCP etc. Your suggestion about trying the various flavours of 911 is a good one, but quite difficult to achieve. Most of the OPCs near me are reflective of the one closest to me, in that their used inventory consists of 992s that are out of my reach. I don t really want to test drive one only to end up liking it l, but then dealing with the disappointment that I cannot make it work. When I search on the Porsche website and keep the radius to a reasonable 100 miles, not much comes up that meets my criteria. In fact, there s only one car that is within budget. Although there is a lovely 991.2 GTS in Hull OPC, albeit a couple of K over max budget. I am aware of a couple of independents such as Ashgood and Lakeside classics, who s spread of 911 generations is a bit wider, which would give me chance to have a look around various models under one roof. They re both a good few hours from me, I guess the answer would be to speak to someone like them and set aside some time for a visit. Lakeside are absolutely superb to deal with and their cars which are all purchased by themselves all are spot on.

Stuart70 said: Get a 991.1 3.8. no turbo issues and a howl that makes life better! This Go and test drive a 991.1GTS I am sure you will be seduced. Edited by JurassicGTS on Thursday 11th June 08:28