Too risky?

Would this be too risky even for a project https://www.marshallandsonmotors.co.uk/used-porsche-911-sutton-coldfield-west-midlands-6672872 It was previously advertised on collecting cars but didn’t sell Ideal scenario would be -address all rust issues - Hartech 3.7 coversion - new suspension and brakes But that’s probably a 30k budget

Getting any corrosion addressed and even considering an oversized rebuild hints that you're looking at this as a long-term car. On that basis I'd say get it independently inspected and see if you can then agree on a price you're comfortable with. I gather Marshalls took it as a trade from https://themodernclassiccarco.com/sales/996c2arena/salespage.html where it was also up for around £14K. It's a lovely rare spec, caught my eye when it came up on CC but the timing was wrong for me.

There’s an old thread that talks about this particular car - https://911uk.com/porsche/very-nice-early-996.128111/

We've talked about this car quite a bit already.. I have it's twin sister here but I paid half that for mine and just had the only small patch of corrosion done yesterday for £400. Here's the thread .. https://911uk.com/porsche/very-nice-early-996.128111/ Here's mine ... https://911uk.com/porsche/1998-c2-manual-rolling-restoration.125999/

Oh wow, thanks @mvoong and @Uncle Monty just read through https://911uk.com/porsche/very-nice-early-996.128111/ . Back to the drawing boards (autotrader, carandclassic, pistonheads) , I guess

....SHE REARS HER CORRODED HEAD AGAIN EH..............

Too risky..... Seems to me that life in general is a risky business....? I suspect much depends at what stage in life one is at, ones personal priorities, financial capability, imagined security of income, the likely real world value of the project during all stages of ownership, also perhaps worth consideration may be it`s cash in value (if any) in a possible distressed sale relative to how much time effort and cash it may have consumed.. More than likely it will work out to be an expensive experience, though the cost to benefit analysis, usually includes some degree of man maths, as opposed to real world considerations...? In my late 20`s I bought a rot box 912 while having a mortgage on my hoped to be forever home, in employment that seemed pretty secure, and with the ability to perform the majority of the tasks which the rot box required to drag it through an MOT... eventually...! Had I required to pay others to perform any of the restoration tasks, or if it required a considerable number of Porsche parts to get it up and running, it would have been a very costly experience indeed... I think in time I it for circa £2k, I could not begin to assess the losses in terms of time relative to the hourly rate I was paid when at work, given I spent year or so I spent working on it in my shed, the cost of materials were never counted, and fortunately never held up progress to ownership of my first Porsche...I expected my hobby to cost me in many ways that were bound to be costly.....Was it worth it... You bet.. (-: Best of luck in your decision making, as luck seems to be the ultimate defining factor ...? As ever each to their own.

Sound advice as always Luddite I wouldn’t say it’s a risky car but I’d want to see the state of it underneath, the gearbox and the engine If you want a project, and this one is , you could get one for a lot less money like I did

@Luddite Thanks so much. Very valuable advise indeed. I am not mechanically inclined so would have to outsource all the work, which then would be a very expensive endeavour. My aim with my first Porsche, in addition to being a 35 year old dream, is to first and foremost enjoy the "me" time, which we all appreciate in our busy lives and can't get enough of. Secondly would be to be a part of this amazing community and have the opportunity to meet like minded enthusiasts. I have slightly alluded to this in another post. My heart is set on an air cooled (SC or 3.2) but affordability is a concern. My head is saying water cooled. I think with what could cost to buy an SC or an early 3.2, I could easily get into a very well specced 997.2

My advice would be to budget £30k, irrespective of how you apportion that between initial purchase and remedial works. I bought one for £14k which had already had some engine work. Suspension rebuild took about £7k and bodywork has taken about £5k. From what you say, I would probably be looking to spend low-20s on the car and then find an Indy you trust.

I have typed a quite a bit on my personal perspectives relative to Porsche ownership, and shared quite a bit of my own experiences over time. If an air cooled Porsche is your ideal target then there are advantages in that. I suspect pre 964 an definitely pre water cooled, 911`s were considerably simpler machines to repair and maintain, and if you can find a good one, not perfect and one which may have had reasonable repairs for inevitable corrosion carried out over the years, that may be a reasonable target for you. Prior to buying my 991, I spent circa two years contemplating "which Porsche" while having my Porsche education brought up to date by the kind folk on this forum... I am an air-cooled type at heart, but circa £60k for the type of Porsche similar to my own which I had been welding in patch repairs circa 30 years previously. Hmm..? for that and other personal reasons re PDK availability and diminishing capability in terms of maintenance, I spent my cash on a 991. Today... life has changed much, and I think the 991 was the right decision at the time, however, I do wonder if I would make more use and derive more pleasure out of ownership of the SC I owned back in time, were one such still available today in the condition it was back then.... The 991 C4S is a beautiful example of Porsche engineering.... BUT..? Over to you tttc... (-:

I should add that I don’t regret spending £30k on mine. I won’t hesitate to keep spending on it. I don’t plan to sell it, or at least I’m not spending with a view to selling. Would I have preferred to do it with a better base car? Maybe, but the more I put into it the better it gets, the further away from the grotty base car and the closer to what I want it becomes. Ultimately anything you buy will cost to keep; it comes down to how many miles you put on it, the cost of the parts, the cost of labour, and depreciation. The 996 is at a reasonably sweet spot for all of that. I should also add that, beyond the necessary, you can take it as far as you want. An engine rebuild doesn’t have to be done by Hartech, or taken out to 4 litres. You don’t need to replace your dampers with Ohlins when a top mount fails. You can splice in new jacking points without painting the roof. Etc.

That one has featured quite a bit and everyone has done the right thing in avoiding it as it looks like it will need money spending on it. It’s gone from one auction site to another and still doesn’t sell that probably tells you it’s overpriced and just really doesn’t stack up