Is there any reason I shouldnt go and have a look?

Vince

Vince

Vince

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Well things are starting to settle and im looking at whats going to take pride of place in my garage to replace the boxster.

As in the previous thread I said I think I want some kind of 911 and how I feel at the moment four wheel drive is probably my preference, anyway ive seen this entry c4 996 cab well within budget and leaving me plenty of cash for fettling with it (remember thats why I bought the boxster out of waranty).

http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/classi...he/page/2/postcode/ss13bt/radius/60?logcode=p

Is there any reason at that price and condition why I shouldn't give it the time of day?

I am likely to buy between xmas and new year and the budget is 20k max. Your thoughts as always are appreciated.

I have also spotted a c4s just outside of budget @ 22k and am wondering if it is really worth streatching the budget?
 
Maz said:
Could you not stretch to a 2001 facelift?
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Probably mate. There are not that many about though and my preferences are:

Colour: basalt black/ dark blue.
Leather: grey or black and in a well kept condition.
Mileage: reasonable for age and less than 80k. (As a general rule but am flexible)
Other: I am a cab junkie, so it must have a convertible roof - Hard top as well is a plus.

Clearly I am not massively fussy and bought based on condition rather than specs last time which worked well up to a point.

On top of that I have plenty of contacts in the trade who can fix any slight cosmetic issues so to an extent am not fussed if it's not perfect and needs a few k spent to make it perfect.
 
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I'd still go for a 987 Boxster S (Cayman S if you don't mind a hard top), apparently it's a better drivers car than the 996 911, it's only downsides are it's 2 seats (not been a problem for you before) and it doesn't have a 911 badge.
 
Peerzy said:
I'd still go for a 987 Boxster S (Cayman S if you don't mind a hard top), apparently it's a better drivers car than the 996 911, it's only downsides are it's 2 seats (not been a problem for you before) and it doesn't have a 911 badge.
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I'm thinking about it but am massively in two minds mate, don't get me wrong I loved every minute of my Boxster but after looking at what's available they are not lighting me up like they used to. I just feel a bit numb looking at them, probably because of what happened.

The 2 seats did have its drawbacks at times as well, and with my mrs being tiny the rear seats would come in handy for the odd time when I pick up a mate etc. *wonders what the insurance is like on these*

Hmm also 20mpg as opposed to 28mpg - Mind you who cares at 8k miles a year?
 
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For close to 20k I'd buy an E60 M5. Can't really see the appeal of a Porker over that behemoth of a car. You're talking about a saloon that will keep a supercar honest.

But, the OP wants a 991, it's pretty clear to see.

We don't buy sports cars because they make sense, we buy them because we love them. We buy car x over car y because we love car x more. Not because it has better mpg, it's less likely to blow up. None of that really matters when there is a car you want. Each person will love a different type of car, and to me it seems the OP loves the 911 so for him that's the best choice, regardless of whether a Boxster S makes more sense.

Still for me, 997 > 996.
 
I'm thinking of a Cayman or 911 next year, but only because I don't really get to make the most of having a convertible. If I wanted a convertible I'd definitely be going for a 987 Boxster - ie a car designed to be a convertible in the first place.

But no reason not to go and test drive it. The 996 is obviously very very similar to the build of the 986 Boxster, so if you were comfortable with DIY on that you should be (relatively!) fine :)

Edit - I must be one of the few people that really like the 996. My choice next year will be between a Cayman 3.4S or a 996 GT3, but I don't need any practicality, just something for a few thousand miles a year and the odd trackday
 
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Sagalout said:
I'm thinking of a Cayman or 911 next year, but only because I don't really get to make the most of having a convertible. If I wanted a convertible I'd definitely be going for a 987 Boxster - ie a car designed to be a convertible in the first place.

But no reason not to go and test drive it. The 996 is obviously very very similar to the build of the 986 Boxster, so if you were comfortable with DIY on that you should be (relatively!) fine :)
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To me it's not the warranty, the money or anything else. I also like the 986/996, I found my Box a nice place to be and have owned newer more refined cars but to be honest I liked the honesty and simplicity of the inside of them. I am also quite happy with older non warranty cars as part of the reason I bought the boxster was so that I could play with it myself.

I'm just a little stuck as my heart is telling me not to go back to a Boxster but my budget isn't pushing on serious metal yet.
 
See this is quite a difficult one really probably made all the more difficult by the fact that like most other people in this thread I've driven none of the cars in question.

It would appear to be completely true that most certainly the Cayman and probably the 987 Boxster S are better 'drivers cars' than the 996 Cab. The 996 Cab was plagued throughout its life by road testers whining about how it ruins the handling of the car.

But does this really matter? It's still a Porsche 911 - it's still going to handle, it's still going to reward you in a way most other cars could only dream of and it's still going to feel like you are driving a Porsche 911. I feel that people kinda lose sight of this and get into a war of stats and professional opinion. Are you really going to regularly drive the car up to its limits and really start to notice it's inferiority compared to a Cayman?

Or are you simply going to do what 90% of people do (but most wont ever care to admit) and park it on the drive and polish it, drive it into town with the roof off, enjoy its acceleration in a straight line and occasionally chuck around it some decent A roads and enjoy its handling? Because if thats what you do with a car then really I can't see that buying a 996 is quite the disaster many here seem to think it is.

Don't get me wrong - I'd never advocate buying a crap handling car and even though my driving fits nicely into that description above I wouldnt want a car that handles badly but does the 996 really handle badly, or is the bar set by the Cayman S simply so high that we are basically looking at a car that handles 'very well' compared with a car that handles 'exceptionally'?

How much of it is about internet arguments over who has the better drivers tool rather than really enjoying the car ownership? If buying a £15k 911 puts a massive grin on your face as you then blow your spare thousands on toys for it and drive it around with the roof down then... well... why not (Epic running costs notwithstanding)?

That said, that 2005 987 S for £14k looks excellent.
 
^^ Well said, pretty much the point I'm trying to make.

The OP wants a 911, so nothing else will do. Doesn't matter if in some respects it doesn't make sense.
 
Fox makes a very good point. I've driven all of the cars apart from the 911 Cab and they are all excellent. In some ways the Cayman and 997 C2S are a little bit too good on the road at sensible speeds....in fact the 986 Boxster with no driving aids is almost a perfect balance when it comes to sheer driving enjoyment on British roads, but I guess you might disagree after wrapping yours around a tree at *ahem* 34mph ;)

Personally I want something thats a pure drivers car. Comfort and practicality doesn't enter the equation (as I've said before, compared to a sports bike any car is luxury!)

As Fox says, just go and take a test drive and see if you enjoy it. You only need to satisfy yourself, not a bunch of random people on a forum :)
 
HI there

If its a 911 you want, then nothing else will do.
Yes a Cayman or newer Boxster might be better, but always in the back of your mind it will grind you that your not in a 911 and it would make ownership of Cayman/Boxster not as enjoyable.

So yes a 987 Boxster or Cayman although superior to a 996 911 have one major downfall, they are not a 911.

Just make sure you buy from a reputable source and even if its not eligable for warranty still get a 111-point inspection done by the seller before parting with your cash and also ask for the DME printout report. This is absolutely crucial when buying any Porsche.

Otherwise you could end up buying a 911 which otherwise looks spotless to only be hit with massive bills for front radiators, RMS seals, coil packs, electrical gremlins and whole host of other niggles and before you know it you could have a bill for 2k on your hands, so at about £150 for the inspection by Porsche it is well worth it as in the long run it could save you a huge amount of cash or prevent you from buying a possible lemon.

If its a 911 you want, then get one purchased, but please for the love of god don't buy one without getting the inspection done and push to the seller to either reduce the price by whats required doing or for them to have Porsche do the work before you part with your monies.

P.S. Don't forget that advance driving course. ;)
 
I would get the 911 personally, however I wouldn't limit myself to a C4(S).

Buy a facelift cab....
 
Maz said:
I would get the 911 personally, however I wouldn't limit myself to a C4(S).

Buy a facelift cab....
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Quality advice always buy the newest you can afford, especially if it means you get a facelifted/revised model.

It was important to me that I got a 2006 model 911, mainly for the uprated IMS for reliability. :)
 
All good points and Fox sums up my usage basically to a tee. I like the ownership experience I had with the boxster, getting involved with the car, fixing it when it breaks, cleaning it of a weekend and tweaking and playing with it. Even having the interior, wheels and paint refurbed and seeing what it looked like after all made me very happy.

I guess what I am after is something to replace the boxster that is almost a boxster but not a boxster, something that will break that I can take apart and poke at when I am bored. Newer models may offer far better residuals and probably be better to drive give better mpg etc but will they give me what I really want from it.

It makes no sense to some but to me it's what I want from my car, something to keep me busy at the weekends that I can show some love.

Well I think that settles it I am going to have a drive of a few and see how I like them.

BTW Fox have you driven the Z4M? what are they like?
 
VinceB1 said:
All good points and Fox sums up my usage basically to a tee. I like the ownership experience I had with the boxster, getting involved with the car, fixing it when it breaks, cleaning it of a weekend and tweaking and playing with it. Even having the interior, wheels and paint refurbed and seeing what it looked like after all made me very happy.

I guess what I am after is something to replace the boxster that is almost a boxster but not a boxster, something that will break that I can take apart and poke at when I am bored. Newer models may offer far better residuals and probably be better to drive give better mpg etc but will they give me what I really want from it.

It makes no sense to some but to me it's what I want from my car, something to keep me busy at the weekends that I can show some love.

Well I think that settles it I am going to have a drive of a few and see how I like them.

BTW Fox have you driven the Z4M? what are they like?
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Good you like to work on your own cars, but seriously get it inspected, could save you a lot of money for the sake of £150.

If your talking Z4M Coupe then awsome car, great drivers car and a lot of fun. The Z4M convertible is still very good, but the Coupe did have several different components to make it a more focused car, in the looks department its no 911 however.
 
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