New to Porsche, some buying questions...

Hi There, I hope in the next month or two to purchase my first Porsche. I have a budget of £20-25k and am looking for a 996 Carrera 4. Can anyone here advise on any differences between the early 996 and the 2002+ 996 that may be worth considering, apart from the wings and headlight shapes. I'm looking more for any mechanical advise if there were differences between them that could affect reliability or parts supply. Also, but a bit more obscure, any advise on things like interior colour to go for. I currently have a black leather interior in my car and must say it makes it feel quite small. I like the look of cream interiors, and the photos of the red leather interiors seem quite stunning, but how are they to live with and how do they age? As I don't know Porsche's I intend to either buy from a specialist like Stirlings or, more likely, use the car finder and inspection service at Peter Morgan Consulting. Does anyone have experience of sourcing and buying through Peter Morgan and how was the experience? If going down the sourcing route then I would like some advise on optional extras that were available on the 996 around 2000-2002. Were there optional stability or suspension systems that are really worth trying to get? Does the car feel small without a sunroof? Were there different sound system options available? Basically what extras (without ticking all the boxes) would you look for? Thanks for your patience and I look forward to your replies. Cheers, Tom.

Tom, Just to say that I used Mark Pearce at Stirlings and found him a real gent, loads of help, did not try to flog me whatever he had at the time, kept me informed and finally found a car that was just what I wanted. And I've been very happy with the car (had it for 2.5 years now). I spent about a year looking myself and got fed up so talked with Mark (and a few others). Mark was the only one who kept in touch and actively sought out a car for me. (Although I did not try Peter Morgan - not sure he did that service then) Good luck Mark

Hi Tom, I eventually ended up with a 996 Targa with cream leather. Its worn well, though being light does show marks/creases more easily. I think its pretty rare, and I've only seen it on late cars and a Turbo. It certainly lighens the interior and works well with the Blue exterior. More common of the lighter interiors is Savannah which gets mixed reviews and needs to be seen !

With your budget you don't need to even look at the 3.4 for that money these days your looking at a C4S or the very last of the C4 Black is the most popular colour then probably grey, blue then savannah the red and cream are quite rare. The lighter colours do seem to age less gracefully and mark more but there are some good products out there to bring it back to life. It depends on how much you value resale the more individual colours will put a dent in values but hey don't buy the car to suit anyone but yourself All C4 have PSM (Porsche Stability Management). The C4S has -10mm lowered suspension and the bigger brakes from the Turbo as standard. Probably the most popular (as in most enquired about perhaps rather than fitted) extra is the Sports Exhaust (about £1500+ as a retro fit) The various Aluminum, Carbon and Leather packs can smarten up the interior but it's up to personal taste and can be over done. To be honest all the sound options in the 996 are nothing special including the Bose system. The base is four speakers (no door speakers) then there was an upgrade to a better amp and 6 speakers with the final option a Bose system which also adds an integrated subwoofer in the rear. AFAIK a 6 Disc CD changer could be added to added to any of the set-ups Sat-Nav was always an option and the 2002+ cars got the updated PCM2 (Porsche Communication Management) an integrated phone module could also be added to this. It looks the part and is still a desirable extra but even a £100 sat-nav has better navigation features and the phone has it's own SIM so it's not as flexible as modern Bluetooth systems (Bluetooth and iPod connectivity can be added with 3rd party kit) It's a personal preference but I wouldn't bother with a sunroof. I have one but it's never opened and lots of cars have it fitted so you might not get the choice. All cars have AC as std in the UK so it's only aesthetic. It's solid metal so no glass panel to let the light in without properly opening it. To me it adds weight in just the wrong place (rasing the center of gravity). Sports seats were a popular option but the standard pews are very good and the sports ones can be a bit narrow if your of fuller figure I'd have liked to have had heated seats in mine especially on these cold mornings (a very hard retro fit)

Sports seats were a popular option but the standard pews are very good and the sports ones can be a bit narrow if your of fuller figure definately second that one-i am 6ft and 80kg and felt squeezed on long journeys-i shouldve stuck with the standard seats-on 997`s, interestingly they are wider as porsche seemed to realise that their customers were getting bigger[ ] have fun hunting!!

Dear All, Thanks for the replies, especially Andy for the seemingly full list of extras. This should enable me to put together a good spec for a car. As nobody has mentioned anything I take it there's no mechanical things to consider, so it's time to start looking for a car. Thanks, Tom

Hi, I have no experience of buying a 911 but i am looking for a similar purchase at the moment. Preferably a late 2000 C4 model. I would be very interested in your buying experience... please let us know how you get on. Jetbox

You guys might also want to download the first couple of documents on this thread: http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=269468

Hi Richard, Thanks, I already downloaded those as almost the first thing I did. I just wanted to get some personal opinions on extras from people here as you all seem so knowledgeable. Quick question for everyone - The red leather interior looks really good from outside the car... but what's it like to live with inside the car - is the vast expanse of red simply too much? How about on long journeys - again, too much or do you simply get use to it? Cheers, Tom

red interior is fine Tom,just remember to tick the dark glasses on the option list[ ]

Just because the cars are cheap, it does not mean that the services are, especially if something goes wrong, so be prepared for it. It was an expensive car at the outset after all. Harry

Hi Tom I used Mark at Stirlings as I just didn't know what to buy as it seemed quite scary spending that much money and facing a huge bill if I made the wrong choice! Mark is a really nice guy! His site says it all! To most of us this is a dream come true!! The last thing you want to happen is it turn into a nightmare!!! There are so many cars out there that it is difficult to know where to start and know which is a good car from one that in a month will cost you an arm and a leg!! These forums are great as you get very good advice .... from enthusiasts not a car salesman! Ok Blatent plug .. I'm selling my car so I'll pm you with details!!

Mine has the savannah and I agree in photos I thought hmmmm before I bought it! Now I love it. It stays clean and wears really well too.. Also just wipes clean.