Porsche Owners Thread - If you own one or just like or hate them! :)

[Gibbo]

Surely running 5-6 cars is costing a fair bit, although to be fair you are picking the right ones that have done well in value over the last few years

Yeah its not cheap, tax and servicing quickly adds up, the insurance is not bad under £2500 for them all, also not great but could be worse.

The Vette was the good choice, no tax, no servicing bills I just do it as and when I please but of course there are the potential upgrades and its cheap to insure like £160.

 

[Gibbo]

The 987 spyder is great, but I do wonder whether it’s really worth the £50k price given you could buy a 987 boxster or cayman and do some choice upgrades yourself. The Cayman sport that you quoted is a prime example of this IMO. A suspension refresh and lighter wheels and you’re not far off (DFI engine aside).

The upside of the 987 spyder that you’ve found is the spec which is real unicorn stuff and would keep the price strong. If residuals are the main concern then the spyder is the one to go for as any money for mods you put into a standard car will not come back at resale time.

There’s an awful lot that I miss about my S2000, but the 997’s steering and balance makes the car flow along a road so well, this can only get better with a mid engined car. There’s also the joy of the flat 6 howl with the roof off

If it’s an analogue driving experience in a Porsche that you’re after, would an earlier GT3 be the thing to go for? Prices have increased for sure, but a 997 GT3 Gen 1 would be pretty awesome (albeit more like £75k). Crikey, even 996 GT3’s are commanding over £70k now.

In all honesty I think you should keep the S2000 and hold out for the Porsche GT car that you really want.

996 GT3 do not like them, drive pretty aweful.
997 GT3 I like but no traction control on .1 models and I am not Chris Harris.
A 997 GT3 gen2 or RS would fit the bill, perfect and no doubt best Porsche driving experience out there, but a 991.1 GT3 RS though lacks in the feel and involvement especially at legal speeds, for me there is just something about those cars, the looks, the noise Porsche just got it so right but driving dynamics on the public road I suspect the 997.2 GT3 / GT3 RS is absolute perfection, the 991.1 onwards cars have the looks and the noise along with track performance but at road legal speeds I agree with many owners opinions in that they are rather dull.

 

[Gibbo]

Well I thought long, too long, then decided OK lets do it, already a deposit placed on the car, would have thought I would have had plenty of time to think it over, but there ya go, the used car market right now really is bonkers.

 

[Gibbo]

That Peridot green Cayman GT4 that I spotted in the FB group for 68k, less than a week later it is at a dealer for 7k more:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108196402397?price-from=500&include-delivery-option=on&colour=Green&colour=Yellow&radius=1500&year-to=2021&postcode=st87hf&model=CAYMAN&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=Used&make=PORSCHE&sort=price-desc&advertising-location=at_cars&page=1

Seems dealers are trying to buy all the private cars up to make a quick profit.

 

[Gibbo]

For which one? The Spyder at Ashgood?

Yep it sold today at 50k, he said once they dropped it from 55k to 50k yesterday the interest came in and someone just put a deposit in without even seeing it.

I have since spotted this one:
https://www.dtperformancecars.co.uk/used-porsche-boxster-atherstone-warwickshire-3151015

Black is an unknown for me, love or hate, gonna go see this one on Saturday as its closer, its a better spec, as its got NAV, Sports chrono and ceramics, all items red one did not have, but of course its double miles at 30k (not an issue) but at same time the red one was a bit of a perfect example if not perfect spec, whereas this car is clearly a driven and used example, which I guess is more in line for my use, but 45k seems too rich but I said that about red one and have missed out, still gonna go look, if it check out offer 42k on it.

 

[Gibbo]

I saw that one, I prefered it as well. Even thought about buying it

Good luck.

What put you off?

 

[Gibbo]

Lotus are definitely not going to announce a cab version?????
That'll throw a spanner in the works

No cab or targa on Emira.

 

[Gibbo]

Struck a deal!

Cars exterior is spotless from a recent paint job and proper detail and the interior has been tidied up. Car drives spot on and reminded me a lot of my 997.

Got a few grand off and it’s off to Porsche for a major service and check over as part of the deal and then giving it a clean bill of health, new battery going on too as dealer reckons it’s had it, ceramics seem spot on but requested Porsche measure them.

The roof is a proper faff but adds to the entertainment, car sounds awesome but the exhaust was either stuck open or closed as exhaust button was doing nothing, again Porsche to fix as part of deal and I suspect same issue as my 997 that when car is left stood a while they seize up. Lockdown has seen me out on a few pounds as the buckets were snug.

Spec is excellent, NAV, Sports chrono, PSE, buckets, manual abs ceramics.

Can’t wait drive it!

 

[Gibbo]

I'm sure he used to start his threads with "Hi there" years ago

Hi there

I still do.
Yaris is a freaking awesome bit of car, way better than the EVO X I had some years ago, namely because the lack of weight is just so noticeable in a car, be over 4000 miles soon, advantages of a city car but the handling and fun factor of like an EVO but just feels better built and a lot more feel.

Instead of “hi guys, I’m Shmee”

“Hi there, I’m Gibbo”

Great place at DT Performance, Dan has great stock. Literally 500m from my house!

Yeah not dealt with them before, but seem very accomodating, its a done deal based on Porsche giving it a clean bill of health but all seems well, only issues were flat battery and he reckons its had it so said will replace and the exhaust valve was either stuck shut or open, my 997 did the same when not used so again a bit of grease and that will be sorted, otherwise car drove great, amazing steering feel and amazing brake pedal feel as to be expected from this generation of Porsche and of course compared to more modern cars it feels small on the road which is nice.

 

[Gibbo]

Nice, does that mean S2000 is being sold? If you ever pop over again give me a shout!

The S2000 is going nowhere for now, need more time in the Spyder, they are both rag tops but they are both quite far apart in how they drive so for now the S2000 is safe, but at same time if values keep pushing north and if in a few months or next Summer I can get 25-30k for it then to be frank I'd be silly not to let it go considering I paid only 14k for it last March from Honda, but for now its safe because its engine is a masterpiece in its own right and its a Honda so it cost literally not a lot to run, the only downside is its like £600 tax a year, more than the Spyder which is only £340

 

[Gibbo]

Lovely!

I was close with my suggestion

Had a go in 981 GTS and I came away feeling it sounds awesome, it looks awesome and gear box was lovely but the steering though great did feel numb and the car hid its speed well even though a manual. Really great car but missing the steering feel and small size on road I was after and the 987 and 997 cars deliver that and having had a 997 and a Spyder made sense weighing in at only 1275kg.

 

[Gibbo]

Car looks lovely @Gibbo . I'm already getting an itch and am considering a f430 spyder. Wanted one when I was younger. Seems low key enough, prices seem pretty decent, surprisingly low infact. My only worry is the running costs...

Could just get a newer model with warranty and servicing but I always had a soft spot for this model.

Hmm decisions.

The F430 is an awesome car and it would have been the car I’d gone too as my first Ferrari as for me the 430 was always the looker but unfortunately the SVR spoiled me having insane performance and an awesome gearbox.

F430 manuals are big money and the F1 though one of the best if not best single clutch automated gearboxes the ZF8 put it too shame and at the time the car was a daily so I needed something on par performance wise but capable as a daily. The 458 really blew me away as it could play docile mode using wet and auto mode or just be brutally raw in manual race mode and that was that, I was sold!

The 430 as a weekend car makes sense, truly sensational and also if you can stretch get a Scuderia as can see them exploding value wise or get yourself a base 458.

If your a cash buyer get on collecting cars as a nice 458 went for 116k on there as it had a few miles and I’ve seen 430’s go cheap as well even a Scud last week at 146k which would be 200k at a dealer.

 

[Gibbo]

Nice buy @Gibbo, especially if you’ve got a few quid off and a clean bill of health. Might be a silly question, but how watertight is the roof?

Guess I’ll find out not really seen any complaints but I won’t be hitting it to hard with pressure washer.

Good choice in that car Gibbo. I would have had had it myself if my circumstances hadnt changed. Best on market atm IMO. Shame it was black but they do look nice when clean..///

They do look good in white as is most popular been launch colour but not really colour I wanted.

Black is hit and miss it look amazing and the paint job and detail looks amazing, no swirls or marks now they had it painted and detailed.

Interior is not bad some wear marks but nothing more than to expected on a car with 30k miles and all can be easily restored.

If car checks out then my interior plans are to get the steering wheel retrimmed as per a 997.2 GT3 RS abs to also fit the GT3 RS gear knob and suede finish, then yellow seatbelts and yellow door pulls.

 

[Gibbo]

Really love the car Gibbo. Super jealous of it! Will you be driving around with the roof on or off most of the time? The top speed is limited to 120 ish with the roof on if I recall? Just incase you're going to track it or

Well as the roof is a total faff the aim will mostly be to use it only with roof off.

I drove it with just the upper part installed, the wind noise was really bad over 60mph but maybe things improve wind noise wise if the rear part is also installed but if it’s just as bad it really is a roof off car which by all intents is the intention.

Better off to just have a couple of umbrellas in footwell so if it does rain be far quicker to just put an umbrella up and no doubt entertaining to see the faces on other motorist lol.

 

[Gibbo]

981 Spyders just look drool-worthy though, so at least it looks good whilst you're faffing with the roof

The dilemma of which one to go for was really hard as each generation has its benefits:

987 - Lightest, 1275kg in right specification (buckets, manual, ceramics and not much else), best steering feel and car moves around a lot, the feel and handling is the best and its small so very easy to place even on narrow b roads, also supposedly amazing on track too due to lack of weight. Roof is a joke!
981 - Best sounding, incredible looks but its no GT4, great manual box but rest of car somewhat numb if still amazing compared to other marques its just not 987/997 levels are handling. Look amazing in yellow! Silly long gears! Roof less of a joke!
718 - Worse sounding, amazing looks and amazing handling and grip, as its now a GT4 essentially, also lots of power. Still long gears but less an issue. Roof less of a joke!

In short by a 987 if you want the ultimate in road car fun at legal speeds, buy the 981 if you want the ultimate in sound and looks. If you want lap times without a roof buy the 718 I think sums them up, but the 718's are silly money, they are not worth 100k, no close, that is F430 money which drives on another level of feel and rawness and is close to 458 money which is just in another dimension. Of course the newer 981 and 718 are also easier to live with, the 987 would be difficult to daily unless you were happy to leave the roof on then I guess its just as easy to daily as a regular Boxster with a bit more wind noise. Biggest advantage of the Spyders over Boxsters is the Spyders still look really good with the roof attached.

Believe it or not all three models share the same gearing, but the 987 Spyder runs a smaller tyre/wheel combination along with lower redline so it tops out around 75mph in 2nd compared to around 85mph in the newer cars, still too long to be honest and I will investigate the options for a new final drive but my mate who used to look after my 911 tells me the options to do so are not reliable and hence why its a rare modification and one he does not recommend, his recommendation is get a bit more weight out and another 20-30HP and makes them as quick as new stuff with all benefits of the older car.

 

[Gibbo]

@Gibbo if for whatever reason it falls through, then there's a very toppy, but almost unused Spyder that's been at the 60k mark for basically an entire year. Doesn't look to have ceramics and given you like to use your cars, it might not be the right sort of mileage, but for the right person, it's a lovely example.

https://www.themotorist.com/car/porsche-boxster-spyder303-miles

Edit, just noticed it's PDK, so definitely won't be the right car!

Thanks, quite a few PDK have come to market, I think someone on PH said in the UK there is only around 40 that have the manual and carbon bucket combination so by all accounts they are pretty rare.

The PDK is actually a faster car in the 987 and not because its just PDK but the ratio's are shorter on the PDK box, I think the 0-100mph sprint on PDK equipped cars with launch control has been accomplished in under 10s which for a car with a fraction over 300 horses in a road car is pretty impressive. But alas I wanted a manual it is a car Porsche built to enjoy and the ethos was lightweight and all my car has adding weight back in is the radio and AC which I feel are must haves, the rest of the spec has got weight out been buckets, manual, ceramics, no xenons etc. I've cheekily sent the dealer a request for the battery I want which saves 10kg over the factory Porsche item and they have agreed on that, they are just trying to get it booked in with Porsche for the service and check, aiming for this week fingers crossed.

 

[Gibbo]

Do these have the later DFI engine or the earlier with the 'issues'?

2009 onwards sure introduction of DFI including a new 2.9l engine which loved to rev.

Supposedly gen2 DFI motors fixed the issues of the previous generations and as more than ten years have passed it does seem Porsche solved the problems. From what I can gather from forums and other owners Spyders are extremely reliable along with other gen2 cars.

 

[Gibbo]

So dealer has fitted a new battery, I personally requested a Bosch S4 005 as read online they are a direct fit even though much smaller and save nearly 10kg as the battery weighs about 14kg compared to the stock 20-25kg units.

The bottom plate has pre-drilled holes so the clamp can be moved along making fitment plug and play with no modification required.

The AH and CCA is a little under what Porsche fit, but it is better than the Interstate MT47 battery which many fit state side without issue, having used lithium lightweight batteries in other cars which are rated much lower due to only weighing around 2kg and never giving me issues I don't see any issues using this battery, but if it ever lets me down I shall let you know.

But anyone wanting to save a bit of weight but not willing to drop £500-£1000 on the fancier stuff, I guess this is a cheap option and as the dealer was paying it just made sense to specify the battery I wanted as saves me an expense later on and makes me less inclined to drop £500ish on a 3-4kg item.

If I get any issues I shall let you know.

What battery chargers/conditions do people use on their Porsches, are there any kits available that allow for easier disconnect and connection or anything that can charge via the 12V port? The Ferrari has its own special connector under the dash for its charger/conditioner and the Aston uses one that plugs into the 12V for simplicity so be nice to do something for the Spyder that does not require connecting to battery terminals everytime.

 

[Gibbo]

@Gibbo use the CTEK kit here. Think it's a 5.1 though I may be making that bit up. Bought the cig lighter adapter and plug it in in the arm-rest. Never had a single issue and it threads through the door seal quite nicely so you can close the door and lock up.

Car's out of the garage atm but I'll snaffle a photo for you later when I put it away.

Thank you, that is exactly what I do with the Aston, plug it in and just close the door on it, works fine, can I trouble you for a link to the correct CTEK unit please? I won't order one just yet however just in case the car actually comes with one.

 

[Gibbo]

Thanks guys, ordered one.