Thoughts on this 996? First time buyer

Hello all, I am looking to buy my first 911 and have decided the 996 turbo is the way to go. I drove it 20 years ago and it blew my mind back then and have always wanted one. Have been searching the internet for one, my criteria is Manual Black / seal / atlas grey or lapis blue X50 What is everyone’s view on this car from lakeside and has anyone dealt with them before are they a trusted specialist? Are there any glaring drawbacks with this car that i am missing? I told myself no more black cars but as it seems to meet most of my criteria I would be willing to see past that. Does the service history look decent? And the spec? And does the price seem fair given It has 37k on the clock so is low mileage. Thanks all for any help given Used 2002 PORSCHE 911 for sale Check out this Porsche 911 3.6 996 Turbo for sale on PistonHeads. Get in touch for more information or to take a test drive today! www.pistonheads.com

I've heard they're decent enough and their cars are generally high quality, that's as specific as I can get as I haven't personally bought a car from them. Their google rating looks good and these days anyone with a complaint makes it known. However, in general I'd always advocate taking someone (paying them if need be) to do a proper inspection and satisfying yourself that it meets your standards and idea of what it should be. I'm super picky and if I was buying that car I'd be giving it to my mate at his Indy garage and telling him to drop the engine, refresh everything and make sure everything is good to go for the next couple of years, I'd expect a £5-10k bill from that, I'm really big on preventative maintenance. A dealer wouldn't do that, he'll only replace what really needs replacing and to be fair that's all you can expect, unless you go to somewhere like Paragon that give you a full 12 month unlimited warranty on anything that it needs - I haven't bought anything from them either but their warranty does seem worth decent piece of mind, and without something like that I'd factor that into my budget. You're buying a 22yr old car and personally I'd buy any car of that age with a decent bit of extra budget in hand to bring it to my standards

There is a super turbo for sale from one of the techs at https://www.weissachuk.com/ - check their instagram and give them a call. Looks like they have done all the preventative work HarryBlue references. Best of luck

Yes I saw someone link to that earlier on another site, again I don’t know the seller personally but plenty do and apparently he’s well recommended. That car has more miles but it’s c£20k cheaper. Personally though I’d still end up having it thoroughly checked out. The Lakeside one seems to be towards the higher price range but to be fair the advert does state a lot of work done recently, so it might be a good buy. For self preservation I’m a pessimist, unless it’s new or newish then I assume I’ll need to spend money.

I can vouch for the car at Weissach UK, it's had a lot of work done! I was very tempted but decided c2 was better suited for what i wanted.

Lakeside example looks good but pricey compared, say, to this (albeit higher mileage): https://911virgin.com/listings/996-turbo-x50-manual-2004/

Spec and miles makes this car what it is - with those low miles there will not be many cars to choose from, and for those that value low miles (I personally do, not everyone does) finding another for significantly less money may be tricky. I'm no expert and have only recently ticked a life long bucket list buying my first 996 this year, but thanks to the great guidance and advice from the members here, was not steered wrong. The difference between a good car and a not so good car could easily be £10k, so comparing one car advert against another might not be productive as the ultimate value proposition is subject to so many condition and preference based caveats. If you like the car in question, it appeals and ticks the right boxes and is affordable with some change, get it inspected if you don't feel confident yourself and go from there. Best of luck!

The lakeside car is seriously toppy in the current marketplace IMO. Not to say it’s not a nice car but there are plenty of them about so no need to rush. They are great cars with a great engine..but athey are a heavy lump and I found it a bit unengaging..I had a lovely low mileage one but please do drive a properly sorted C2 or a Boxster/Cayman before you decide to buy. Much more poised ,balanced and fun for the money on our roads.

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Lakeside in general are rich on price - the eagle eye viewer would note they don't reduce their prices. I'm guessing the guy has deep pockets and can afford to wait out a sale.....

As others have said, you should have it inspected - it may be lower milage, but that doesn't mean that things haven't aged on it. If possible, also check the service history - not just the pretty stamps in the service book, but the actual invoices showing what has been done on the car.

Just to add, for context - I purchased an 'immaculate' car with dealer inspection and warranty and it has cost a a bit to get right.....not crazy money, but money some might not expect to spend on day 1. There is a difference between good for sale (and test drive) vs. every day living and keeping in shape for the next sale..... Not trying to scare you off, but only you will know once you go and view/drive......

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In my experience every single “classic” car is going to be like that, no one is going to spend loads they don’t need to before a sale, they’ll do what is needed and sell it hoping that’s enough. I wouldn’t buy a >20yr old Porsche without a budget of at least £10k in reserve for the first year. As I said in another thread, that’s how I got my C4S, from a guy who couldn’t afford the engine rebuild…and to be honest I paid over what I should because I felt bad for him and without being condescending he needed the money more than me. Hopefully karma pays me back on that one.

Thanks all for the advice some really great points all round. I am still searching. I am going back and forth between valuing low miles and getting something with higher miles and a great service history, as like many on this forum say you could be running into / inheriting the inevitable maintenance issues and paying more for it. I have also been looking at this black turbo s with 70k on the clock. Is this a good / better deal? It looks like a stunning car with interior to my spec with the turbo s rarity (only 60 odd in the uk?) and has had a fair bit of work done including a nine excellence tune and Kline exhaust. I know these engines can be tuned a lot but should I be more wary of buying cars that have been pre tuned / is stock more desirable and will a high mileage turbo s be harder to move on later on down the line as most collectors want a low mileage example? Thanks Porsche 911 Turbo [996] cars for sale - PistonHeads UK Looking for a Porsche 911 Turbo [996]? Find your ideal Porsche 911 Turbo [996] from top dealers and private sellers in your area with PistonHeads Classifieds. www.pistonheads.com

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Sold recently on collecting cars https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/2005-porsche-911-996-turbo-s-6 Sold in June via AMS Porsche 996 Turbo S for sale Porsche 996 Turbo S for sale www.amsporsche.com So within 12 months it’s potentially going to change hands three times. Might be genuine but I would be wanting the car checked over before committing.

I've sent you a private message Htr996