12 months on

Hi Everybody, I have been a member of this site for the past two years and was the proud owner of a 996C4S. Twleve months ago my wife passed away very suddenly and left me with my two young sons to look after. I sold the C4S straight away and have been using our BMW X3 for the past 12 months. Life has been very tough but things are getting a bit better as time gows by. I constantly find myself checking out used Porsches on the net and today went and looked at and drove a 996TT. It is Polar silver, all the toys except sat nav, 350000 miles with full Porsche service history and all receipts nd MOTS etc. The car is at an inde and he is asking 36K for it. The sale includes the next service at Porsche, 12 months road tax and a warranty. I know my wife would just say go and buy it, but i am having diifficulty in making my mind up as these sort of decisions where always a joint thing. SO any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks Rich

VVV

There is your answer. Get out there and start living your life again and remember all the good times. Does it really have 350,000 miles on the clock!! :shock: TB

Hi Rich, So pleased for you things are growing stronger each day. £36k sounds good money (but £35k sounds better :wink: ).. What year is she ? Polar Silver is a great colour, what colour is the trim ? And does she have any other options on her ? Sat Nav I would not worry about, Dave had a very good Kenwood(??) San Nav put in for just over £1k ! If you have the urge for a 996 TT go for it. :thumb:

Hi Rich - Im glad you coping well. I recall you selling your C4S.. I think for that price a TT is a steal but with the current climax of the market it is expected for price to have a further dent. If your hearts set on it - Take Daniel's advise and pitch in a lower bid... Have you used the Indy before/ reputable?

Sounds like a good car assuming it's only 35K and not 350K miles :wink: Buy it, that's my advice, you know you'll enjoy every minute

Just my 2p... from what i've heard, PCM/SatNav is v important for resale, so in the current (buyers!) market, i'd think you should be able to get a non-PCM car with that sort of mileage in the low 30s ? I just sold my C4S, pm if you want det's re pricing... market is dire at the moment and I'd think for 36-38k you can find a TT with slightly lower miles and/or PCM... Not trying to push the market down (i've been a victim myself) but OPCs are full of stock that isn't shifting... i'm sure someone more experienced may weigh in, but if you're gonna buy from a dealer, would suggest you have a chat with Mark Pearce ( www.stirlings.co.uk )... top bloke, preps his cars better than any other dealer i can think of. [not related/affiliated!]

Hi from another single dad - just one boy here. I've recently bought my first Porsche from an indy (Dove House Motors) - 2 yr old 997 C2 auto, 6 mths full warranty - and a nearby Porsche dealer has almost the identical car for ten grand more. I knew absoultely nothing about Porsches at all, just sat in one in a showroom and thought "This is just what I want". I spent about three days just Googling around for used Porsches and built up a picture of what all those numbers mean and how much they cost. If you buy a car with sat nav, you never go back to not having one. The point about resale is very valid. However there is a guy in America who is bringing out a facia plate in October to convert the audio pannel into a standard 2 DIN hole - and you can stick any retail sat nav in - the Pioneer for about £1,500 is touch screen, MP3 player with touch screen controls, Bluetooth phone, plays DVDs, stores hundreds of CDs, 3 band radio, er- even has a brilliant map! But you can get them a lot cheaper - only a few hundred for a basic one. See: http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=19074&hl=pioneer&st=100 The one thing my car did not have is cruise control - and since I drive through a gazillion speed cameras whenever I leave the drive I'm getting it fitted - £505.20 inc fitting + VAT from Hatfield Porsche. Bottom line - there are a lot of cars on the net to give you an idea of today's prices - find one you like and go for it - not just for you but for the kids - they'll love it too.

It really depends on the year. If it's an 52 / 03 registration, then that's a very good deal and I would go for it (assuming a decent colour combo). Wouldn't worry about Sat Nav too much and you can always get it retrofitted if it bothers you that much. If it's a 2001 (or earlier), then I'd say that it's not such a good deal and I'd keep on looking personally. Cheers, GD

Sorry guys 35,000 miles. I get the feeling the car is a little bit overpriced from what i have read on here, having said that, it is from the same place that i got my C4S from and when my wife passed away he was good enough to sell the car for me and he took NO comission, he just gave me what he got for the car, less the cost of the warranty that he provided with it, so i do feel pretty comfortable about buying from him again and dont really want the hassle of trailing up and down the country viewing different cars and hen all the inspections etc trhat goes with trying to find a good one. Rich

Evening Rich, What year is the car ? I think you could be right, what would be the point driving up and down the UK looking at cars, if its a nice car, the PPI checks out ok and YOUR HAPPY, go for it ! You have to think, would the chap who sold your C4S rip you off ? PPI it, Buy it ! But again, what year is it ? As said, needs to be an '02-52-03, or a MINT 51 !

I agree with Daniel. No point walking away, the guy sounds very reasonable and that counts a lot for me. As a comparison, have a look at the usual Indy's, that will help you gauge the market: Lower end (I wouldn't recommend these ones personally though, but will give you a very honest indication of prices) Portiacraft 911virgin Middle end (I would buy from these dealers no issue) Paragon Cridfords Camtune RSJ Stirlings Top end (I definitely wouldn't buy from these guys, as the prices are way out of touch with reality) Porsche OPC There's a few others as well (that I have no view on, good or bad): Northway Autobahn Cameron Dove House Cars Habour Cars Shirleys I had a quick look for you and RSJ, 911Virgin, Cridfords and Paragon all have Turbo's in. 03+ models are nudging close to 40k. X50 a couple of grand more. W/X/Y reg are low 30s (depends on mileage). Here's a couple of examples for you: http://www.rsjsportscars.co.uk/vehicles/porsche_911_996_turbo_tip_36_11.htm http://www.911virgin.com/996clu.htm http://www.paragon.gb.com/sales/vehicle-details.asp?ID=678757 Good luck. Cheers, GD

Hi Again, The car is a 2001, 51 plate, It is polar silver blue interior, bose sound sunroof embosed headrests tracker coloured centre console full porsche service history all receipts and previous MOTS, car has had new discs and pads, new radiators, and has nearly new tyres. It has had three owners and has been known to this dealer for the last 4 years. It is immaculate condition, the front bumper has been painted to cover some stone chips but i think that is inevitable at 35000 miles. No marks in the interior. I think the down sides are no sat nav, although on a car of this age, how good was the sat nav and can it be updated etc with current maps etc. I normally use a Tom TOm in my X3 and find that to be OK so dont really have any issues personally with the car not having sat nav but it appears to go against the cars when it comes to resale. My intention would be to keep the car for at least three years, this is not due to payments on finance as it would be a cash sale, its just that is normally how long i keep my cars for. Rich

I really wouldn't worry about tha sat nav. I don't have it in my 03 but I have used it and it's average at best. On a 2001 it would probably have been the PCM1 anyway which is even worse. Some people swear by their 5 year old mobile phone, most don't & a Tom Tom or Garmin will out perform it by a long chalk.

Hi Rich Glad life is getting better! Sadly the headache of which car to buy will drive you nuts now! lol