Advice for New Member

[Bossfan]

I am new to POC and hope its OK to seek some advice and recommendations.
I’ve wanted a 911 for over 50 years now and was recently bought the Silverstone Ultimate Experience by my kids and grandkids and my enthusiasm has been rekindled and I have decided to fulfil the dream and buy one.
I have set a budget of c £50k and my instructor on the day suggested that I should be looking at a Generation 2 997 but apart from wanting a cabriolet I have not narrowed the field further than that.
The car will be used on almost a daily basis (I will have a run-around as well) – probably around 8- 10k miles pa and any track days etc will be rare treats. I would like to buy a car that will have prospects of holding value. I don’t feel strongly about auto or manual transmission.
My thoughts were that I should be looking from 2010/2011/2012 for a pristine low mileage/one or two owner car will full Porsche history. Any recommendations for spec that will impact on depreciation rates (2wd or 4wd, Carrera or Carrera S, extras, etc etc) would be very much appreciated. Is the Porsche warranty a good choice? Should I buy only from a Porsche dealer? Any other thoughts or comments welcome.
Looking forward to fulfilling a life-long ambition and to being a bona fide member!!

 

[tscaptain]

Welcome to the Club and Forum, Roger. Lots of questions there! £50k would certainly get you a good Gen 2 cab...here, for example is one that appears to tick all of your boxes and has a good spec (and the best colour!!)

http://www.autotrader.co....86747584?atmobcid=soc3

Personally, I keep the extended warranty going and, to date, I feel I’ve always got my money's worth (and without anything major going wrong!)
A good number prefer the handling of the 2wd but others the 'security' of the 4wd. Value wise - who knows? The GT cars will hold their values but the others will not over time, although the turbos appear to be doing a reasonable job a the moment. Given the age of car your looking for I'm not sure how many you might find a Porsche Centres but there are a good number of very reputable independents out there. The main benefit of buying from a Porsche Centre would be a 2 year warranty.
Ideally you need to try a few different variants and see which you prefer. Happy hunting!

 

[J99NNO]

Welcome to the club!

I echo Alan's comments, and completely agree that you sound try a few different models to see what you think. With regard to values, as Alan mentioned the Turbos seem to be holding value better, but then you maintenance costs will be higher, so you need to bear these factors in mind. Gen 2 cars will be available with a manual or PDK gearbox, the PDK is an excellent unit, and unless you can really really drive, will be no slower on a trackway than a manual, and no less rewarding. You may decide that colour or spec may be more important than spec, if looking for a cabriolet I would suggest that heated seats are a must!

For £50K and buying from an independent you have as much choice as you would like. Buying from an OPC you will pay a much higher price, but if they are selling a 997 it will probably be an exception vehicle as they are outside of their usual stock profile for age etc.

 

[Bossfan]

Thanks Alan and Steve. That's really helpful. I'll start shopping with your advice firmly in mind and report back!!

 

[CBschnell]

Following Alan and Steve's comments, get out there and test drive a few. I recently bought my first Pcar and I'm probably from your generation, all I can say is that it is a blast and you will enjoy every second. I smile every time I get in the car.

For £50K you have a wealth of options and there are a lot of great independents who are Porsche specialists. These are true sports cars so few of us will push them to the limits regardless of the different models and specs. I advise you to focus on your top priorities "2010/2011/2012 for a pristine low mileage/one or two owner car will full Porsche history. " None of us know how the future values will rise or fall. Prices have jumped since last year but like all things, it's usually the rarity aspect of the car that will potentially continue the appreciation. A continued FSH at the right intervals at Porsche specialists and a well spec'ed car is the probably best hedge against depreciation.

Regarding the models/specs there will be a range of prices between the base model and those other models fully spec'ed out with options. I have a C4S with the Sport Chrono option - the latter gives you the Sport mode option for the car at a press of the button (if you don't what the option is, just google it). I love it just for the sound of the exhaust but it is much more than that. The C4S has the wider body and that may something you want. Make sure you are up to speed on the different options so when you view a car, you will know what it means and whether it is of any importance to you.

The other thing to remember is that these cars are very modifiable! Owners change wheels, bodywork, exhaust, suspension, and so on. So you can make the car your own.

Enjoy the ride.
Chris

 

[Bossfan]

Thanks Chris, I'm sure I'll enjoy the ride and am grateful for the pointers.
Roger

 

[Bossfan]

Thanks for the welcome to the Club all your guidance. Today I've taken the plunge and agreed to buy a very low mileage 2019 model 997.2 Carrera 2S. It has full OPC history/recent service and 12m OPC warranty remaining. Decided to compromise on no of owners (4 previous) as it seems in such superb condition (and has the Porsche warranty) and I can't spot any previous damage with my untrained eyes! Whilst it has FSH it would be nice to trace owner history at some point. Will post pics when I have taken delivery and hope it has been a Club member's car in the past.
Look forward to saying hello to some of you soon and enjoying membership of a club I've wanted to join for half a century!!!!

 

[CBschnell]

Well done Roger - the fun starts now! The number of owners isn't a big thing if everything else is right. Many owners had it on their wish list and left the car in the garage just for the odd weekend spin, and then moved it on after a couple of years. The FSH is good, and if you don't have the invoices, you can always contact whomever did the work to ask for a copy. Unfortunately they may not be so willing nowadays because of data protection, and that leads to the issue of finding previous owners. I wanted to find out more history on my car, but it has proven near impossible. The DVLA won't release info, and unless you have the old invoices with names and addresses, it is very difficult. You can ask the club if the car has been previously registered via a member, and you can post on other forums to try and find previous owners.