newbie looking for advice

[richie1985]

Hi guys i thought i would post this here as there is no newbie/introduction section

My name is Richie im 24 years old and i live maybe 2 mins WALK from the porsche garage glasgow and im a engineer in a factory in paisley (BASF is the company).

My current car is a 2003 subaru impreza sti prodrive <<<(means it has 305bhp), i know what your all thinking because of the car i drive..............im not like that, The main reason for my post is because im quickly approaching 25 years old (dec 11th) and i drive/jog by the porsche garage everyday so i have decided to bite the bullet and get myself one.

what im looking for is advice on what one to get and where to get it from
please bear in mind i have very little indepth knowleadge on porsche models i know the basics (i.e there names/numbers if i saw them in the street) but i have never driven one and dont know anyone that has one my friends own bmw m3's or other subaru's /evo's that kind of thing

key information you will probably need

ill most probably be part exchanging my car value aprox £7000 ill get for it
i dont want to pay more than £350 a month on repayments on it
i do about 5000-6000 miles a year
the car ill be getting will be a daily driver
i like 996's and also caymens

 

[GreigM]

There's a morning for the club being held in the next few weeks at OPC Glasgow - there will be a load of members there (including myself unless the Mrs drops a sprog in the meantime) who you can chat to and will be more than likely happy enough to take you out for a wee passenger ride to get a feel for the cars and help you decide....can't remember the date of the event, think it was a saturday morning....

 

[GreigM]

In fact, its 6th November which might be a bit far away...there are always club nights next tuesday (Glasgow) or Thursday (Edinburgh) - perhaps not many cars to see but you could possibly grill a few members to try help shape your decision.....although tuesday may be quiet as a lot of the guys are off to the 'ring and Spa.....

 

[clyde]

Normally I would suggest going in and test driving a few but you'll be struggling to find a 996 in an OPC these days. Even the Caymens in an OPC will probably be a bit newer than you are aiming to buy but they haven't changed that much so it would at least give you an idea of what they're like to drive.

There are quite a few specialist Porsche showrooms down south but none up here that I'm aware of.

Your best advice is to read lots of magazines (911 and Porsche World, Total 99, etc) and join the club, build up your knowledge and find out what you want. Then go looking for it, no-one but you can say what car is right for you. Ask fifteen people on this forum what Porsche to get and you'll get fifteen different answers.

Most important of all is when you have found the "ideal car" get it inspected by someone that knows Porsches.

Good luck in yopur search

 

[kitchens]

Richie
Welcome on board ..the fact that you have a PX and it looks like you will be financing it takes you out of the private sale sector .
There is one specialist in Greenock.www.stuartmckayprestigecars.co.uk who sell Porsches and has few in from time to time.AutoTrader will bring up dealers who have Porsches in stock but have no idea how good they are ( dealers that is ) .As has been said come along and meet other owners at club nights or at the OPC on the 6th Nov .There are 100s of cars out there so do not jump in and buy the first one you see Also look on Pistonheads there you will 1000s on there and it will give you a good idea as to price and spec ...happy hunting .
Brian

 

[John H]

All good advice above, and here's my contribution ...

Cayman ... they only came out about 5 years ago, so that is the oldest one you are going to find. This is both good and bad in that there are no really cheap ones (20k is about the least you will pay) but it also means that they are a relatively new car, using pretty much current Porsche technology. They are not totally infallible, but they are generally considered pretty bulletproof. As you can tell from my avatar, I'm biased, I think they are the best car Porsche makes, but that is only my opinion (other opinions are available [])

996 ... This opens up a much bigger can of worms. The 996 was the first modern generation Porsche which sold in substantially greater numbers than the old "traditional" Porsches, and as such was sold to a different sort of client, not neccessarily the very fussy and careful enthusiast of old. This probably explains why there are now a lot of seemingly very cheap 996's on the market, but I'd say buyer beware. That is not to put you off, indeed a genuinely good 996 is a fabulous car, but there are some real old sheds out there, so choose slowly, with care, and better yet with advice.

Happy hunting.

 

[GreigM]

How much are you looking to spend in total? If its around the £30K mark I'd say you could do a lot worse than consider a 996 Turbo - a million good reasons why, not least the fact it is turbo, 4wd and 420bhp as standard (and tunable to a lot more) - you may find a 996/cayman feel a bit slow if you're used to the kick in the back of the scooby (even though they arent slow - just the different power delivery). If you want a closer look at one and can get yourself over to Hamilton you can look at mine anytime - alternatively I should be at the Glasgow club night at the Sherbrooke on Tuesday from 8pm..

 

[richie1985]

ORIGINAL: GreigM

How much are you looking to spend in total? If its around the £30K mark I'd say you could do a lot worse than consider a 996 Turbo - a million good reasons why, not least the fact it is turbo, 4wd and 420bhp as standard (and tunable to a lot more) - you may find a 996/cayman feel a bit slow if you're used to the kick in the back of the scooby (even though they arent slow - just the different power delivery). If you want a closer look at one and can get yourself over to Hamilton you can look at mine anytime - alternatively I should be at the Glasgow club night at the Sherbrooke on Tuesday from 8pm..

First of all thanks to everyone thats posted its good to know alot of people are keen to give me advice.

yes basically my next car budget is £30,000 (max) and i am looking at all the cars that are out there for that price range and i am spoiled for choice because there is so much you could get........however i do understand it can be a potential mine field because i do not know alot about porsche's so i think it would be very good if i could meet some of you face to face and spend some time talking to you all about your individual porsche and why you went for it, how did you get, what are the big things that go wrong with them.........etc

 

[richie1985]

you mentioned that you guys have a meet at sherbrooke in glasgow is that sherbrooke castle or is it somewhere else??

 

[John H]

£30k does indeed open up a whole world of choice, such diverse options as ...

A really good air cooled 993, an almost new basic Boxster or Cayman from an OPC with warranty, a really excellent top spec 996 like a C4S, or possibly even an early 997 in a private sale.

Take your time, try lots of cars, take lots of advice, but above all just enjoy the whole process. []

 

[kitchens]

Sherbrooke Castle Hotel it is... normally get there around 8 ish very informal sit around talking about shoes and things []
may be down a bit on numbers as a lot are off to Spa this week

 

[NEIL2]

Hi Richie , i would purchase a cayman , very good car by all accounts and a match for most if well driven , 996 turbo or gt3 but not carrera to many engine failures , i run a S2 SE 1991 and love the odd blast looking for newer faster cars to blow into the weeds on twisty roads , i am a mechanical engineer to trade and do all my own work on the car its in very good order for its age but i have spent 50 man hours on it this year just keeping it up to scratch, i have my own garage with pit ect , if you buy an older model 993 ect be aware running cost could be higher just keeping on top off the car unless you can do the work yourself . by the way there is a trader who claims to be a porsche specialist not far from you they trade on ebay ect, avoid avoid avoid Any way all the best and good hunting

 

[GreigM]

Hi Richie , i would purchase a cayman , very good car by all accounts and a match for most if well driven , 996 turbo or gt3 but not carrera to many engine failures

cayman and carrera are same engine - just different capacities

 

[NEIL2]

Carrera engines fail willy nilly about 40% fail rate for road use which is poor , cayman suffers failures but most on track or has true % not known as most still covered under waranty , 996 is a fab car to drive but i would save for gt3 just to be sure , £30k will buy a good late cayman with cover for any such failure plus it will piss all over carrera on a roads in scotland

 

[John H]

ORIGINAL: GreigM

cayman and carrera are same engine - just different capacities

This needs a bit of further explanation.

Cayman (987) engine is a version of the later carrera engine (997) which is much less failure prone. The Cayman was never fitted with the earlier Carrera engine (996) which was also fitted to the early series Boxster (986) which is the engine that has the majority of the issues, although I have my doubts about a 40% failure rate.

The first series Cayman came in two sizes, 2.7l and 3.4l in the S version.

The current facelifted Cayman comes in 2.9l and 3.4 in the S, but it is now the new direct injection version.

There are loads of the first series Cayman available within your budget, and one of these bought with a warranty would make an excellent (and fairly foolproof) introduction to Porsche ownership. I have a basic 2.7 version, and while it is not the fastest thing on the road, it is a delicious thing to drive, and more than quick enough for real world driving. The later facelifted cars are even better, noticably faster and with a better ride/handling balance, and the very latest Cayman S is a seriously fast car. These are likely to be a bit out of your budget as yet I suspect, but would make something to aim for in the longer term.

John H

 

[944s2]

Mmmmm

http://sis.virtual-showroom.co.uk/(2tm1ax55h4lv1szk0ruo5xmx)/templates/stockListA/stockItem.aspx?clientCode=EastPortGarage&mode=search&stockID=8204|2000

 

[GreigM]

ORIGINAL: NEIL2

Carrera engines fail willy nilly about 40% fail rate for road use which is poor , cayman suffers failures but most on track or has true % not known as most still covered under waranty , 996 is a fab car to drive but i would save for gt3 just to be sure , £30k will buy a good late cayman with cover for any such failure plus it will piss all over carrera on a roads in scotland

Sorry, but 40% is nonsense - thats internet made-up land statistics. Its mickey-mouse stories like this on the internet which gives a perfectly good car a bad name.

 

[kitchens]

Dougie ..you need to be a special type of person to drive a Speed Yellow car [][].
I am sure Stan would give a Porsche member a good deal on that Cayman

 

[richie1985]

hi guys i think ill be poping in to your meet at sherbrooke on tuesday night do you guys just park up inside the hotel and go inside to the bar area???

 

[kitchens]

Just drive up steep slope and park any where you can get a place ..we are in the bar to the right of reception ..it is tradition the new guy buys a round [][][]