1999 vs 2002 C2 purchase for a 1st timer?

I am looking to buy my first Porsche and could do with a little advice please. Would you go for a 1999 C2 for £28k with 40,000 on the clock or a 2002 C2 facelift for £36k with the same mileage? It is a big investment for me and want to make the right choice financially and pleasurably I guess I will enjoy both but the 1999 will not depreciate as much as the 2002? What are the main differences? One final question if I may - what should I set aside for servicing/maintenance in an average year? Thank you very much for your advice. I have done a search but did not come up with what I was looking for. David

Tricky choice - especially if you're concerned with depreciation. I recently bought a 2000 year C2 for a bit less than the 1999 model you're looking at with 46K on the clock. Key thing (for me) is that I wanted the OPC warrantee, especially as early models 97-99 are reputed to have potential engine problems, and Porsche will only warrantee up to the car's 9th birthday. I didn't want to spend over 30K or be hit with big depreciation, so didn't want to pay the 5K extra jump for the 3.6 litre. I'd recommend getting Peter Morgan's excellent 996 buyers guide which details all the key technical things that changed and points out what to look out for. Also check out my post about 1 month ago to someone else on here who was trying to decide between 3 different cars. (this one ... http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=278820 )

There is a buyer's checklist and a summary of the different 996 models available here:- http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=269468 A summary of the differences introduced on the facelift model:- http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=233497 Hope it answers a few of your questions

I was in your position and was faced with the exact same questions and doubts about a year ago before I bought my C4. I finally went with the later model with 47K on it. One of the reasons was the later model was reputed to have sorted out all the earlier teething problems and as such I thought it was probably a better bet from the point of view of ongoing costs & subsequent resale value. I've been very happy with my car & things like resale value have diminished in importance so that it really doesn't enter into the enjoyment equation for me any more. Other than a set of tyres (which I knew I would need & had budgeted for), the car hasn't cost anything other than a £79 oil change in 10,000 miles (and even that wasn't compulsory, just me being cautious!). I anticipate my 12,000 service costing around £250 at an indie. One point to be aware of is that the 48,000 service is a big one (belts, plugs and such) and can easily top £600 at an indie, so if you're buying a car with close to this mileage, factor that cost in too. Buy the best you can afford and buy on condition & history.

Some great advice there - thank you very much! I think I will go for a 2002 C2 later on in the year. Thanks for the advice on the 48,000 service - seem to be a lot of cars out there just below that mileage! Looking forward to it! I will join the PCGB in the meantime to get really clued up on in.

I'm a bit late to the conversation, but a pre 2001 models road fund licence would not be based on the cars emissions, therefore it would effectively escape the chancellors spiralling road fund plans linked to emissions. Just a thought...

I guess those prices are OPC sticker prices. They better be because they're a bit on the rich side. To give you some idea, I'm currently thinking about p/exing my 1999 C4 with 34k miles and I'm being offered £24-25k for it and it's in v good order with full history. So I'm guessing that whoever is selling your 1999 C2 with 40k miles bought it for around £22-23k. Plenty of profit there for you to haggle downwards especially as you don't have a p/x I guess Having looked at and driven some facelift cars, I reckon it's worth spending the extra on a facelift car. Apart from, obviously, the difference in the engines, I find the clutch and throttle action of the facelift cars to be better and easier to modulate in slow traffic. There are also some interior changes which are worth having eg glove box and standard CD rather than tape player. However, I would agree with other posts in that, all other things being equal, a newer more expensive car is going to depreciate faster than an older cheaper one The ability to extend the OPC warranty is also a factor. At £895 pa currently, it is very expensive but it does give a certain peace of mind with a vehicle that could cost loadsamoney to repair if it goes wrong. You will only be able to renew any OPC warranty on the 1999 C2 for another 1-2 yrs so thats another factor in favour of the newer car. FWIW I've had my C4 3 yrs and I reckon it's cost me about £1000 average per year in OPC servicing and tyres, not including the warranty renewal

Thanks for all the advice guys! I have today bought a Bassalt Black C2 2001 facelift with PSM, park assist, 18inch cups, Savannah leather, imobilliser, sound package. Can't wait to get pick it up after its service on Friday!

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