Advice on Buying My First 911

[JamesFord]

Hello All,

I’ve just joined and am looking for some advice on buying my first 911. I’m a complete sports car and Porsche novice.

So far, I’ve been looking for about a month and haven’t found the one. I’ve think I’ve found the car I want but, it always seems to be in the wrong colour (white or silver) or the interior is a bit much for me (red!), black wheels or no sports exhaust.

The car will be used as daily driver – 10 mins to the train station and weekend blasts.



My budget is £45-52k.

Ideally:

991 – My favourite looking generation

Coupe

An S or 4S – Any advice on this for a daily driver?

Naturally aspirated

Muted interior colour

Any colour but white or Light Silver – Aqua blue is stunning

< 55k miles

Sports Exhaust



I may be asking too much but I would appreciate any advice on this.

What spec’d items do you recommend?

What independent dealers can people recommend? (I live in Warwickshire but happy to travel)

Thanks in Advance.

 

[Eldavo]

Honestly - drop the budget £3-5k and buy a dedicated car for the station run and subsequent all-day car park, or even a Bike. You’ll fret about leaving the car and it will pick up bumps and scrapes no matter how careful you are.

Other than that, enjoy the looking process - Drive an S and 4S and see what you think, the 4S is a more obvious contender for daily driver status but I find the S to feel almost just as assured but with an extra bit of something from the lack of extra weight and the 2WD. No recommendations for dealers however I always find myself looking at Ashgoode‘s stock list as it seems competitively priced and their cars don’t seem to hang around that long, also the venerable 911 Virgin is probably well worth contacting too.

 

[JamesFord]

Honestly - drop the budget £3-5k and buy a dedicated car for the station run and subsequent all-day car park, or even a Bike. You’ll fret about leaving the car and it will pick up bumps and scrapes no matter how careful you are.

Other than that, enjoy the looking process - Drive an S and 4S and see what you think, the 4S is a more obvious contender for daily driver status but I find the S to feel almost just as assured but with an extra bit of something from the lack of extra weight and the 2WD. No recommendations for dealers however I always find myself looking at Ashgoode‘s stock list as it seems competitively priced and their cars don’t seem to hang around that long, also the venerable 911 Virgin is probably well worth contacting too.

Thanks for the advice. Why would the 4S be better as a daily driver?

 

[Eldavo]

4wd so you can use more of the power for more of the year.

 

[carnaby35]

Yep, had a 996 C4 for 10 yrs and never had any wheel spin or slide in 40 k miles.
Very capable sure footed car even in snow. Never found it to be heavy or cumbersome.
I like coloured interiors actually as I am sick of seeing black. Not a fan of the red that carries onto the dash top and steering wheel to be honest though.
Whichever 911 you go for you will be in a different league to what you have driven before. Just get one you like the look of and enjoy it. Gearbox wise I have had tip, manual and PDK and enjoyed each one. Don’t be put off by a Carrera 2/4 non S as with todays road, speed limits and traffic you will not be lacking in performance.
Just get one- you will love it

Cheers,
Chris

 

[ianthow]

Honestly - drop the budget £3-5k and buy a dedicated car for the station run and subsequent all-day car park, or even a Bike. You’ll fret about leaving the car and it will pick up bumps and scrapes no matter how careful you are.

Other than that, enjoy the looking process - Drive an S and 4S and see what you think, the 4S is a more obvious contender for daily driver status but I find the S to feel almost just as assured but with an extra bit of something from the lack of extra weight and the 2WD. No recommendations for dealers however I always find myself looking at Ashgoode‘s stock list as it seems competitively priced and their cars don’t seem to hang around that long, also the venerable 911 Virgin is probably well worth contacting too.

I echo Eldavo's advice but would add that daily 10 minute runs are the worst thing you can do for a 'keeper' car. Rather than a 911, I would suggest looking at a 981 Cayman as an alternative to the 991 as your weekend fun car, lighter and nimbler than a 911. I would actually recommend the earlier 987.2, specifically a good manual 987.2 Cayman S.

That is what I did 10 years ago and I still have it, no regrets. Mine is now 15 years old with 91,000 miles. I have racked up 43,000 of those miles. The 987 and 997 are not plagued with the additional electronics of later 981/991 models (auto engine stop/start, electric parking brake, electric power steering etc). Whatever you buy, my advice is to have the oil and filter changed annually, manufacturer two year service intervals are too long. Look on it as insurance.

This one looks perfect for you https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409073789017. Downside is that it is a private sale and the asking price is more in line with retail sales. It has a transferable warranty, full service history and low miles, all of which are in its favour. The interior is not to my taste (mine is Stone Grey, not a lover of black either). If you are interested, have a specialist inspect the car and be guided by that. This applies to any car bought privately or from a non-specialist dealer.

Last plug for a manual 987.2, great fun, reliable, less to go wrong and easier to maintain compared to later models. I do my own regular servicing and basic repairs (pads, disks etc), although I do have a decent sized garage/workshop at home.