Mrs Mick has desires on a Porshe 911

Mick,
Porsches tend to hold their value pretty well, even in the first few years and a two year old model can cost you 75% of the new price. The 911/Carrera was updated at the end on 2004 to the 997 model which is generally considered to be a huge step forward over the previous 996 model. Having driven a 997 Carrera S I can confirm that it is spectacularly quick, even for someone who had previously been familiar with driving a rapid (150mph, 0-60 6sec) car. Does Mrs Mick really understand what she is letting herself in for with a 911? It's a seriously quick car and still a bit of a handful with the engine mounted right at the back!
John

Also have a look at the Porsche GB forum.
John

A Boxster might be a better idea?

Mick

You were a seriously lucky fellow when you found Mrs. Mick. Stick with a recent vintage plain jane Porsche 911. Avoid cars with high performance wheel and suspension upgrades and stick with the manual transmission and you will end up with one of the sweetest most balanced sports cars ever.

Clay

Clay

I was hoping you were going to say Mrs Mick was seriously lucky to find me, but never mind.

What age of car are you suggesting. The local car trade mag has cars from 1985 up to 2004 with mileages being quoted of up to 140,000.

That seems one hell of a mileage.

Regards

Mick

Mick, I have misjudged you (again). Buying a 911 for the wife while you drive a Honda Accord is the epitome of cool. Respect.

Mick

Porsches are very durable,very well made and can put on high milages. But any mechanical device wears out and requires more maintenance as it grows older. I'd stick to one under 5 years old and say 60-70,000 miles. Complete dealer or specialist firm maintanance record is a must. Previous owner information or Porsche certified used program a good idea.

Clay

quote:

Buying a 911 for the wife while you drive a Honda Accord is the epitome of cool. Respect.

Rubbish it's Mick who wants it he's just trying for cool points.
Seriously though they can be a handfull(as can any very high performance car) but they do have a rep for biting back.Saying that stick with the 911,the Boxter always will be second choice don't even mention the Cayanne.
A nice convertable would suit for those balmy(barmy) evening and summer drives.

Howard

Chaps

To be honest, neither Mrs Mick nor I are fast drivers and we never exceed speed limits.

I presume the 911 handles well at speeds up to 70 mph. The attraction of the 911 to Mrs Mick is the appearance and to me, its engineering standard.

Does anyone know the state of the market ?

Regards

Mick

Save yourself some money Mick, buy her a Honda S 2000. It does excellent in every review and what with Honda reliability and build quality, you will not go far wrong.IMO

Saying that, if Mrs Mick is that set on a Porche treat yourselves to a track day first, where you can get the feel for the vehicles immense performance in a safe and controlled environment, with the guidance and instruction from a professional driver showing you the capabilities of such a high powered car.

Regards,
Beano

Mick,

quote:

I presume the 911 handles well at speeds up to 70 mph.

Yes, it will go round roundabouts in town at that speed without a hint of body roll or understeer.
John

quote:

Originally posted by John Channing:
Mick,

quote:

I presume the 911 handles well at speeds up to 70 mph.

Yes, it will go round roundabouts in town at that speed without a hint of body roll or understeer.
John

And it might go sideways when done in the wet

Beano

Mick, I am now on my 6th Porsche, & I think I have a reasonable handle on them.
You can spend from £15k up to £100k, & if bought sensibly, any car can give great rewards for the chosen budget.
For approx £18-22k you'd get a 964 model. Very over engineered, prone to a few oil leaks, servicing approx £400 every year at a specialist dealer. Getting fairly old now, but solid & reliable.
The 964 was replaced on 1994(IIRC) by the 993 model. Quite similar to look at, a bit better in all respects, cheaper to maintain. These are considered by a lot of purists (car flat-earthers?) to be the last & best of the 911's, & have held their money spectacularly well. £25k up to £40k for what is a 10 yr old or more car. £30k-ish should get you/mrs mick a classic 911 which will be reliable, solid, & coveted by many Porsche fans. In fact, you can easily spend more on a 993 than its younger replacement, the 996 model. This was an revolution, rather than evolution. In 1997, the 996 was launched with a water cooled engine, & is slightly bigger inside & out, more modern, eg more airbags, much cheaper to service (approx £300 every 12k miles). The purists didn't take to them immediately, as many thought the feel of them had been sanitised a little. More of a gt than a sports car. There are some engine problems on about 5% of 996's between 1997 to 2000 models, which are horrendously expensive to fix. Stick to a 2001 model, or better still, the 3.6ltr engine, from 2002 onwards. £25-30k will buy a 3.4 996, £32k & up will get you the newer 996 with no engine snags. The 996 was replaced by the 997, which is the current model. This addressed the purists concerns,by successfully combining the passion of the 993 feel with the smoothness of the 996.
With Porsches in general, don't over-gild the lily. A straight carrera 2 or 4 is more than enough, the extras are v. expensive.
I do seem to remember that a while ago you test drove & didn't like the Boxster, as it transmitted too much feel of the road into the cabin? Please correct me if I'm wrong. The 911 will feel very much like a Boxster, with a slightly larger cabin, & a deal more oomph. Just a thought.
Enjoy the test drives,
matt.

A minor point but if you are thinking of buying new, decide very quickly as there is a waiting list for most Porsche models.

Depending on what creature comforts Mrs Mick likes the newer 911's are totally different from previous models and are miles ahead in terms of cabin cosmetics and material quality IMHO.

It might be worth looking at the Cayman too.

manicatel

Thank you for your very useful reply. I shall keep those points in mind.

It is true that I drove a Boxster and did not particularly like it as I was really comparing it to a Jaguar which is a totally different drive.

Mrs Mick thinks I am a bit too fuddy duddy and is a bit more sportier than me.

Regards

Mick

Chaps

I had a quick flick around late last night and noticed that the Boxsters seem a lot cheaper to buy.

Is there a reason for this ?

Regards

Mick

quote:

Originally posted by Mick Parry:
I had a quick flick around late last night and noticed that the Boxsters seem a lot cheaper to buy.

Is there a reason for this ?

Yup, they were cheaper to start with

Cheers,

Steve

(About to get his 2nd tomorrow )

Steve

Thanks for that LOL

Why are they cheaper ?

Are they more difficult to sell ?

Regards

Mick

Mick,

The Boxster (and S variant) are Porsches entry level sports car, with power ratings starting from just over 200bhp to just under 300bhp. Then it's the 911 (305-450bhp), then the 300k+ Carrera GT (600+bhp). Cayenne's are for those who want a 4x4xFlipping fast.

Just like a Civic is cheaper than a Legend in other words.

Boxsters aren't hard to sell assuming they have FSH and are in a good colour/spec. Obviously being a soft top, prices/demand softens a bit at this time of year. Good if you're buying, not so good if you're selling. This obviously switches round the other way come spring time.

Good hunting,

Steve

PS - Forgot the Cayman for a moment. Basically a hard top Boxster with 295bhp, which sits between the Boxster and the 911 in the model lineup.

Steve

Thanks for that.

Thanks to you and manicatel, things are now a lot clearer.

I am soon off to Cornwall for a week to relieve myself from the stresses of retirement but when I return, I shall have a good look around.

Regards

Mick

Mick,
Boxsters are a "cheaper" car new than a 911 or cayman, simple as that. In the same way that a jaguar xk8 is cheaper than an xkr.
The boxster retails new for approx £34k & up, a 911 starts at about £65k.
Over the last few years, boxsters have been the bestof any car for holding its value. I think the bmw mini is at the moment fractionally better for residuals, however.
Like a lot of convertibles, buy them in the winter, sell them in the summer.
An early but good boxster is probably about £13k, so its dropped maybe £20k in 11 years or so.
A 996 bought new at the same age would have cost approx £58k, & now sells for £26k, so has dropped approx £30k+.
I would say that a boxster is easier to sell than a 911, as it is affordable to a larger target audience. The snob value would obviously say this is a bad thing, but for selling on in a few years its great for the owner.
Don't believe all the "poor mans 911" crap spouted about the boxster. Its rattled out by people who know the cost of everything & the value of nothing. A boxster, especially the "S" model gives 95% of the 911 for 50% of the price. Obviously its smaller, as you know, & doesn't have the cache of a 911, which is after all an automotive & design icon, which very little can touch.
If, for arguments sake you had a budget of mid £30s, its a choice of a 5 yr old 911, or a 1yr old boxster. I think I'd go for the 911,as the biggest drop in residuals has already been suffered by the previous owner.The boxster is painless to own, easier to drive well, cheaper to run & built to the same standards. Both are brilliant cars, & you'd be unlucky to go wrong in either, imho.
matt.

Have a look at Hartech's website - they're a Porsche specialist in Bolton, Lancs. Haven't looked recently but I think their website has detailed guides on the different 911 models and what to watch out for.

I can’t claim to be in the same league as manicatel, but I can speak from the experience of having tried a variety of the company’s offerings and of having had my own “Meno-Porsche” which was a 911 (997) Carrera 2 – I sold it on at the start of this month.

The more recent versions, 996 and 997, are a much more refined and less dramatic drive than earlier versions, with less risk of the unwary getting “bitten”, though still huge fun. Having said that, you still have to be awake and alert when behind the wheel, especially in damp/wet conditions. For example, if you get the power down (even within legal speed limits) at the wrong time on a roundabout exit you can find the back stepping out of line pretty quickly.

I would second the view that you don’t need anything more than the Carrera 2. I tried both Carrera 4 (slightly heavy and sluggish in comparison to the 2) and GT3 (downright twitchy and scary) and settled for the Carrera 2 as the ideal everyday performance car.

I recall reading that 996 models, and perhaps 993 ones as well, were susceptible to a RMS (rear main seal?) problem so that should be checked if you are going for one of those models. Also, you need to be aware that they are fairly noisy inside the cabin; in my opinion anyway.

I’ve only driven a Boxster (and a Cayman) on a track. The mid-engine layout gives a great sense of balance in the corners and a very different ‘feel’ from the 911. I was impressed with the Boxster on both occasions I have tried it, but less impressed with the Cayman. The 911 remains the “Daddy”, however.

Dan

Dan is right about the oil leak from the RMS. Yes, that is the rear main seal, on 996's. This problem was apparently cured with the introduction of the 3.6ltr engine, from 2002. The rms seal leak is normally not too bad if monitored,& can wait until the clutch is replaced to fully cure it.
The 993 & 964's have a reputation for oil leaks from several points. Most of these are small seepages, rather than major problems. One common point of leaks is immediately below the rear edge of the rhs door, where there is a junction for pipework to go to one of the oil coolers. Basically, the 964 & 993 engine had been developed (& made more & more complicated) from previous models, meaning an extra oil cooler was needed, & more pipework, hence more possibilities for leaks. Also, the use of fully synthetic oil, which is "thinner", finds leaks more easily. Some recommend using semi-synthetic oil to minimise seepages.(maybe not on the track though).
IMHO, 911 oil leaks are something to be aware of, rather than scared of.
matt.

Mick, how're you getting on with the due dilligence? I'd be really interested in your journey - if only for vicarious enjoyment. a porsche is not an option for me these days... one day in the future though.

keep us posted

regds, Rico.