whats best for a daily driver??

i need a bit of advice... i sold my 964 last year after 14 years of ownership and I am missing it....iId like another 911 but it would have to be my daily driver as the garage is now taken up by my wifes Nissan Figaro. im going to be doing about 10-15k per year and ive a budget of circa 15k. I could go two ways... More expensive C4S thats 80-100k miles but would 110-130k miles when Im done, more of an appreciating asset but probably worth less with more miles A good C2 with 80-100k miles thats been looked after, which would cost less initially and may not lose too much if I make sure Im proactive with the maintenance. it would need to be tiptronic and live outside, not afraid of a bit of work as my father runs an engine business and we have done lots of work on my 964 and a number of friends 996's has any one had a similar decision to make and how did it pan out?

I made a decision and put a deposit down on a MY99 3.4 Coupe I got it from a local Porsche specialist who I know quite well, it's been on Hartech's service plan since 2008 and I spoke to Grant at Hartech earlier. He couldn't share too much but said it was a solid car A large file of history and stamps from Porsche and Hartec to date Could do with a couple of wheels refurbed and a little bumper scuff but the rest of the body work is good condition and the interior leather is very good, no signs of any oil leak really just a slight surface dust. Coming with a service and fresh MOT 103k verified miles for £8.5k It's a use everyday car for me rather than a weekender, picking up next week so stay tuned! Mike....thanks for the call this morning appreciated

Hi Scott. Good luck with the 3.4 Carrera. I'll bet it's a good one if Hartech have looked after it. Enjoy the car! Mike.

Thanks Mike...I spoke to Hartech before and after agreeing on the 3.4...it gave me confidence that it could be a good one..the oil was being changed every 6k irrespective of mileage driven Strangely enough, the previous owner since 2011 lives just around the corner from me and I finish walking the dog literally 50 yards from his house so would of seen it on the drive this past 4 years if Id walked a bit further. I thought long and hard about your car but I couldn't justify the extra £10k Thanks for your help and I'm sure you will see me on the forum again.

My son has just bought 996 C2 1998 kettle which has a huge history file,been on the Hartech plan for years-had a boreoscope done at Hartech before agreeing to buy(at vendors expense) but 131K miles-& is paying for a Hartech Gold service before they will let it back onto their plan. He's paid £2k more-he won't like it when I tell him about your purchase--it has however had a full head rebuild in the past & full MO30 suspension refresh 2 years ago. Yours looks like a good buy--our problem is that having also had 964's-we are suspicious of Kettles[8|]

I spoke to Hartech this afternoon and they told me I cant just continue the maintenance plan and Ive got to pay £600 plus vat for a gold service to get back on the plan plus the monthly payments. Thats a lot for a £8.5k car that was fine by Hartech less than a 1k miles ago i don't know who Kettles are I've kind of decided that after 14 years of worrying about a 964 engine ( 2 unhappy drives and a garage floor later) Im going to drive the 996 every day and make sure it get what it needs when it needs it. I'm quite lucky that I have a step father that has his own engine business and rebuilds engines so if the worst happens i might have a fallback, but to brutally honest I just want to enjoy driving a 911 again without a big investment and worry. if I went for a £20k C4S id just be thinking all the time about the engine, the body work, the maintenance, the residual value, how many miles im putting on it,etc,etc I can afford to run and maintain the 3.4 as it should be and have contingency if things go bad....im just not letting those bad engine vibes get to me before Ive even picked it up!

Well-Kettle is the generic ,generally derogatory term for the water cooled 911's which followed the air cooled traditional Porsches. Interesting to read your comment re' 964 's-which have engines generally thought to be bombproof-if looked after properly. However I like your approach regarding a car to just use without the worry of being -Pristine-etc-my son thinks it is wise to carry on with the Hartech plan ,despite the cost of the Gold service plan at £720 -each to their own-he just considers it worth it bearing in mind the labour costs of a simple fault in the future like an IMS bearing never mind a cylinder problem. However your route given your cheaper starting point -leaves you with a fund of £2k to help & I think your approach may be very sensible in the circumstances,I hope you really enjoy your new purchase. Why not come & join us at R18 on the Porkers in the Trough run on 5th July -love to see your car & have a natter.[ ]

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Hello I had a 964 cab tip for 14 years and drove over 100k miles in it for work and all over Europe on holiday in a 2 man tent with my girlfriend and now wife. From day one it leaked from every orifice, engine and roof, my step father and I who rebuilds engines for a living changed every possible oil pipe over the years on that car and we did a really good top end rebuild, the problem was lack of use in the last 5 years. I ended up giving it away at 168k miles for £11k last year. It was always a love hate relationship over the years but I loved that car and my wife and I had some great trips in it together. You would be surprised how many rucksacks you can stuff in a 964 Cab! My point with this thread is that I'm sure you can find a 911 of whatever age that can be an everyday work car, a holiday truck, a dog transport, a people carrier and at the same time a great sports car. My best memory of my 964 was moving house in the snow in Feb 2007, ive got a photo of the car with roof down in the snow with dug up plum trees in the back because my girlfriend/wife didn't want to leave them at our old house. I hope my new £8.5k 996 lives up to "Porscha" the 964 Cheers all Scott

Hi Vitesse Thanks for the invite to the event, trouble is we having a sailing boat so sunny summer weekends are at a premium The boat is in Poole and we go down nearly every weekend, ive seen a Porsche meet on the quay before. I'm sure we will be stuffing me, the wife and Finnie the dog in the 996 to go to the boat in the near future If anyone knows of a Poole Quay porsche meet let me know Thank scott

And this one will make people giggle, I'm pleased that the 996 Im going to buy has absolutely no options on the under bonnet sticker It's 1998 and has no options Ocean Blue Mettalic with Pristine Grey leather Has anyone else got a 996 with no option codes? It's the most basic you can get Is it the purist we may ask?

Every car in the world is air cooled, it's just that some go air>engine direct. others go air>radiator>water-jacket

My first Porsche bought in 2007 was a 1999 an Ocean Blue 996 3.4 with grey leather and 60k miles. Mine wasn't quite as basic as yours but it only had a sunroof, rear wiper and electric seats. At the time my budget was £30k but I paid £20k for mine with the money kept as a contingency fund. I figured that if the previous owner did 40k miles in 2 years, the car was sound enough. It had a full service history. I absolutely loved it and you will see it featured in some of the articles in Technical Articles section. I put an Oettle modified sports exhaust and it sang! I only sold it because I got a turbo. I still miss my car.

Interior-wise mine has very few options and I love it that way. These are sports cars, after all. Less to go wrong, too.

Definitely a lot to be said for simplicity. These days you need a Porsche computer to adjust the handbrake...... The DIY days are fast disappearing.

Unfortunately the car wasn't ready today for final inspection and test drive after some work was done. It has some leaks after being driven, it also has a rough idle and engine management light Ive decided to take back the deposit and continue the search...shame really it wasn't ready to accept. Ive looked at another C4 Tiptronic 3.4 today with lots of leaks underneath, I passed on that I'm looking at a C2 Tiptronic 3.6 targa with a new Porsche engine 25k ago in 2011, its more money (15k asking with 79k) but may be a better bet. if anyone has a 996 and interested in selling please let me know

Hi Just keep looking and one will turn, I got my 996 c4s just cos I was buying some parts for my 944 turbo at Porsche Sheffield and ask the parts guy if he knows any one selling a 996 turbo in yellow. Turn out one off the sales guys was selling his c4s very cheap due leaving his wife and needed the cash fast, so my lucky day. Still looking for a turbo. The c4s has every extra you could spec I think.