996 Turbo, to buy or not to buy ?

I am having exactly the same dilemma and have a budget of about £35K (including my 996 as a possible p/ex or private sale) which also puts me into 997 Carrera 2 territory [X(].................... Decisions Decisions. I am also having trouble finding one with the same or better spec than mine and definately no boring black interiors [ ] Anyone know what the insurance hike is like on a Turbo with an x50 pack?

I am thinking of buying a 996 Turbo, they seem such amazing value right now. But what are these cars actually like to own on a day to day basis ? How will e.g. the running costs compare to my 993 for example , more I guess but how much more. Are there any real faults/concerns I need to look out for ? Are there any updates/modifications I should look for ( I mean standard Porsche issue not aftermarket). So what about mpg (I know it is rude to ask) but I remember a chap with a 930 turbo telling me he used to dream of 20 mpg!. Any tips much appreciated. Thanks John

John - Nice meeting you at BodyTechnics the other weekend and I'm glad to see you are still thinking seriously about it. The servicing costs on the 996 Turbo should be LESS than your 993. Most indy's menu prices are cheaper. I get around 18-19mpg pootling to and from work across town, but I expect you might see 20mpg under the same conditions in a manual. I haven't had a decent long run in the car yet, but I would be surprised if it was less than 27-28mpg. Faults/concerns? Well, the usual 996 things (see our buyers checklist here: [link=http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=269468]http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=269468[/link]) but the turbo engine is fairly bullet proof. If you want more, personally I would only go for a car with the factory X50 kit, or by a really well known specialist, like DMS. You should also get your forum membership status changed, so you can view the Members Only sections of the forum. A call to the club office with your membership number and forum name will do the trick. Veronica - The insurance on my Turbo is £60 more than the C2, but I suspect that is mostly dur to the increase in value. I would be surprised if the X50 option made a huge difference. Go for the 996TT - you'll always wish you had got the Turbo, and you will probably lose less money, as these cars are on a much flatter part of the depreciation curve. Just my 2p's worth.

Hi, Not exactly the same as a Turbo but I've had my GT2 around 3.5 months and it's already had around 4k spent on it (mostly under warranty) and that doesn't include the money I'll spend next week on having the diff plates replaced, then new rear tyres next month. The insurance was something like £200 more per year moving up from a Cayman S, not bad considering the value and bhp increase. I think the key thing to remember with the Turbos/GT cars is the original prices people were paying for them. You shouldn't be surprised to have to spend money to keep a £90,000+ car running smoothly. If you don't have a warranty and you buy a bad one you could end up spending thousands on it. Having said that, if you're in a position to own one there's nothing else like it, you'll wonder how you ever thought a Carrera was fast once you've experienced the turbos winding up to 1 bar [8D] Compared to the 997... there is no comparison, I'd have a 996 Turbo over a brand new 997 any day.

Unfortunately I keep being offered £18K for mine Trade value as it has a Savannah interior (what do they know). That is my preferred colour choice for a Turbo if I find one and I am sure the dealers won't be saying how horrible Savannah is then. I hate changing cars- you get told basically you have made a poor decision on colour / tiptronic etc etc. I had the same when I bought a Mini Cooper S Works - Salesman, bomproof depreciation blah blah, no discount waiting list etc etc. Paid £28K and the supplying dealer wouldn't even bid on it when i tried to trade it in 18 months later - insurance too high, too much fuel etc etc. I sold it privately for £14K[:-]

Ouch @ the mini cooper S works! I really like the new minis, had a mini one for a few days and loved it, no power but a great chassis for throwing around. Have you seen the rainforest green 996 turbo at Northway Porsche, it's got savannah interior and a reasonable spec for £32k [ ] It's been sat around there for ages, most likely due to the colour combo, I reckon it'll look stunning in the flesh though. I bet they'd take a cheeky offer on it. [ ]

Well, OPC have given me an 08 997 Carrera 2 S FOR TWO DAYS [8D]! ! ? Whilst mine has its annual service. I didn't quibble about why they would need mine for so long - they hadn't even looked at it when they presented me with the keys. I have to say so far it is wonderful (athough unfortunately it is a manual). So I may go 997 after all. I need to find a 996 Turbo to test drive. Decisions Decisions

2 days for an annual service seems a long time..

They are hoping I will sign up for a 997

Get a 996TT...had one as my daily driver and best daily driver I ever had...still miss it. Standard 997 C2 not in same league...

i think vron is comparing c2"s" which i have to say is ,in gen 2 form a real cracker and only a bit short of TT feel (imo)

That Northway green/savannah TT has just been reduced with a ticket price of 29,995 - as 996C2 said, its been there a long time (must be about 9 months now), so I'd be surprised if you couldn't get it for nearer to 25K.

It would have to be a Tiptronic for me , I like this one but it is dearer than some on the Approved Porsche site!! [link=http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/PORSCHE+911/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146-236,N-161-183-212-240-4294967042-4294967213/search.action?showMoreOptions=&formSearchParams=Ne%3D2%2B4%2B5%2B6%2B7%2B8%2B27%2B44%2B49%2B53%2B61%2B64%2B67%2B103%2B133%2B146%2B236%26N%3D161%2B183%2B212%2B240%2B4294967042%2B4294967213&sort=p_VehiclePrice&make=PORSCHE&model=911&min_pr=30000&max_pr=40000&max_mileage=&radius=1500&postcode=S11+7JH&keywords=turbo%2C+grey&ukcarsearch_full.x=119&ukcarsearch_full.y=16]http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/PORSCHE+911/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146-236,N-161-183-212-240-4294967042-4294967213/search.action?showMoreOptions=&formSearchParams=Ne%3D2%2B4%2B5%2B6%2B7%2B8%2B27%2B44%2B49%2B53%2B61%2B64%2B67%2B103%2B133%2B146%2B236%26N%3D161%2B183%2B212%2B240%2B4294967042%2B4294967213&sort=p_VehiclePrice&make=PORSCHE&model=911&min_pr=30000&max_pr=40000&max_mileage=&radius=1500&postcode=S11+7JH&keywords=turbo%2C+grey&ukcarsearch_full.x=119&ukcarsearch_full.y=16[/link]

If you want a Tip, I'd go for the TT, its fabulous mid-range grunt makes up for the auto box's short comings to some degree! The X-50 is certainly faster, but bear in mind it also has more lag so much depends on how much you need top end pulling power! The TT is generally very reliable, but as the official Porsche warranty is the same price for this as a standard Carrera, I'd still buy mine with a full Porsche warranty please!

At least £5000 overpiced, I'd say - especially with 71000 miles and a private sale. Not too keen on the wood myself. Also, it's a 51 plate. A Y plate would save you £250 a year in road tax. If that doesn't bother you, you could probably get a 2002 or 2003 for that money. If you don't mind red, 911virgin have a 2004 TT tiptronic with savannah leather for £39995. They've had it for months, so you could probably get it even cheaper.

i reckon theyd take nearer 37k its been there for 6 months i think and looks good.havent been to see it but maybe worth checking out??

I have thought about the tax issue and I would rather get as newer car as possible, as you say there are some 03 plates around at £35K. Also the earlier cars are coming to the end of their Porsche Warranty eligibility. I was told mine needs £3K of warranty work on Thursday (which Porsche are doing) [&:] - dont ask me why I thought it was perfect. This has absolutely convinced me I have to have a Porsche warranty on the next one. You never know what may be lurking!

Lurking or just OPC spin !

Well lets just say I have my suspicions to say the least. OPC say 2 oil leaks, my garage floor is bone dry and it would be very easy to spot any oil on my garage floor however tiny the drips are, new ignition coils and some other stuff not sure what. They even tried new front discs and pads till I pointed out they were replaced 1350 miles ago. However, I have the 997 till Wednesday ( that they have already tried to sell me). Really do not like the Manual box and no rear wash wipe or parking sensors which is not nice when your'e only 5' 2" !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Looks like the recession is hitting OPC Centres

Well, until Friday when I got the call from Porsche I was seriously considering taking a chance and buying a Porsche without an OPC Warranty. Like you, my current car appears to me to be perfect in every way yet is it having £3K worth of work done. I would be stretching my (cash) budget to buy a 996TT and any bills around the £3 or £4K mark or worse afterwards I would struggle with not to mention the disappointment. At least with OPC Warranty it gets fixed quickly and you get a decent motor to run round in in the meantime [8D]. Crwys I take it the Specialists were not willing to rectify the faults via OPC / reduce the price so you would purchase the car? Will you PM me the details so I can avoid buying from them?

Hi John. My advice would be to go for it - find the newest one you can preferably with the X50 power pack. I have a TurboS (owned from new, Dark Olive metallic with Natural Brown leather interior) and it still makes me grin. Running costs are very reasonable - only real major cost is the warranty renewal each year but it brings peace of mind. Nothing major has gone wrong and I have had 25k fun filled and trouble free miles. It really is a versatile everyday supercar. Mine is manual and using super unleaded I average 22-24mpg and more on long relaxed runs. Good luck. Keith