Happy again! 911 content

[marcos]

Didn't realise how much I missed having a Porsche!

The plan started with a sub-£7k Boxster and as ever with budget creep, ended up with a 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet. I suppose the fact I have 3 massive pictures of Porsche 917s on my wall, all the models and so on should have told me I was and always will be a Porscheophile, can't explain what it is, they just feel special to drive and I love the heritage of Le Mans.

An amazing car for the winter with the stability of the 4 wheel drive system and the heated seats. 300bhp is a useable amount, still fast enought to opvertake whenever you please without having to back off in less than ideal conditions. I made a few quid on the Alfa and got this at a good price.

Happy chappie

 

[Parisien]

Gee Lewis ....is it Xmas every quarter in your household...........??........

Happy days...enjoy her....she looks the part.

P

 

[dem maser]

well done.....little over budget??!!

looks a good one.........

 

[lozcb]

Lewis what are you going to do when you reach 30 years old , there'll be no more cars left for you to want ................................... i know your over 30 really but it sounded better and more dramatic , love it mate havent quite got the porker thing back yet maybe when im 60



regards loz

 

[safrane]

So how many rag tops is that Lewis?

 

[Andyk]

Brilliant Lewis..You don like your convertables don't you..Enjoy her mate..

 

[ENZ525]

Congratulations Lewis

 

[dem maser]

do you want to start a prestige hire car business??

 

[2b1ask1]

Gee Lewis I didn't know Porsche did them with a bollard burried in the side as an option....!






Happy for you there; I guess with the tin top option on this you get the best of both worlds & can claim the sot top qudos too....

 

[dem maser]

is it as clean as it looks in pics??

wheels look new.......

 

[marcos]

is it as clean as it looks in pics??
wheels look new.......

The guy owns a bodyshop so the car is perfect, no stonechips and lovely wheels and calipers all freshly refurbed. Interior doesn't look like 80k miles either, so it's very clean, black leather with graphite grey trim.

The clutch and slave cylinder are being replaced at the dealers cost right now and muggins here is stumping up for new tyres as well, ran my fingers over them and plenty of life left in them BUT they are worn on the inner edges which I didn't pick up - I didn't look hard enough, but that's my problem. As always I didn't do a PPI because I'm impatient and wanted a car NOW!

So it'll cost me in the long term as AC condensors need doing as well, that can wait until next year anyway.

 

[MAF260]

This post made me laugh Lewis, so typical of you to start with one car in mind and end up with something completely different (and way over budget) - IIRC you were considering an Alfa Spyder - what a difference!

I can't believe how much 996s can be picked up for now. Just had a very quick look at PH and there are early tin tops from sub £9k! That's got to be a bargain performance car if ever I saw one. Cheapest rag top comes in at less than £11k:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3319967.htm

 

[dem maser]

i saw that one MAF, a very good way to go into porsche ownership...996.......

 

[MAF260]

I don't know why, but 996s seem to be the least loved of all 911 derivatives. The fact that much older 964s and 993s fetch more money seems to substantiate this. I guess the 996 was when the 911 body shape changed significantly and became a bit 'fat middle-aged businessman' against the lithe looks and agility of previous models. The interior is a far nicer place to be, that's for sure!

 

[dem maser]

i must admit i love the 997 and not so much the 996 but only because of the 996 lights.......

as the price difference is about 20k the 996 is prob the better car......

996 turbo can be had 20k.........

 

[marcos]

996s are not loved, partly due to the looks of the lights, and partly because of basic design faults in the engine, rear main seal and the intermediate main shaft which if it goes will lunch the engine. Failure rates are small but significant and it outs people off. There are also a lot of them compared to previous models. But if it's checked and seals replaced when clutches are changed then the problem disappears. It wasn't known at the time so plenty of owners suffered and the stories persist.

Bloated businessmans car... The early 996s are lighter than the late 993s and size wise it occupies way less of the parking space than the Alfa GT. In short, it's small, it's light, it's powerful enough and it has an AWD system that is 95% rear biased but will divert up to 40% there if traction is needed, the Porsche Stability Management system back then was light years ahead of anything else.

I like 911s.

 

[marcos]

IIRC you were considering an Alfa Spyder - what a difference!

It was the original plan, yes! But both were 6-cylinder, AWD ragtops... Not so dissimilar. I think the desire for another 911 won out as we already have an Alfa. Alfa would have been much newer however for the same cash.

 

[Andyk]

Agree about the front lights Lewis..The mark lights looked a little better and a bit more modern although still not great...Apart from that I like the design and its a great value Porsche.....Drive a C4S...it was a great everyday sports car and still is.

 

[marcos]

Thing about the front lights... Google '911 GT1 Le Mans' and it all becomes quite acceptable

Once they have the clear lenses I think theyre quite cool! A 996.2 from 2002 onwards would have been another £5k and I've yet to find a C4 Cabrio manual - when I do, I might trade as I've a couple of garages looking for them. A good C4S cabrio is £22-25k, I paid £12k. BIG difference.

In Devon in the Aston, cold, slightly greasy roads and it's hard to put much power down securely. Looking forward to some AWD action!

 

[dem maser]

love the lights when clear......same as boxsters....the yellow dont look good......

clear and these cars dont look dated at all...........