Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Hi to all. I am new to the site and would like to say hello. My reason for joining is ever since the age of 12 I have dreamt of owning a Porsche 911, and having just passed my 40th bday am now looking to buy one in about 6 months. I am hoping to find the car of my dreams for next summer. By being a member of tipec I hope to buy from a current owner whom has looked after there car and given it the attention it deserves.

Thanks

Dan

Hi and welcome! Well done for not diving in and buying the first pretty one you see lol. Lots advice etc. on here. My own advice would be to check out the ones that Ray Northway has at his place (Google Northway Porsche) - a very reliable source indeed.

Best!

+1

Thanks guys for the welcome. Having began to look into buying one of these 997's it became apparent that I had to choose carefully to fully appreciate the legend that is 911. I thought just looking for a Cerrara was simple, but you have Carrera S, S2 S4 and the then you have the Chrono, tip etc etc......and also whether its manual or auto....my gosh this took me by surprise.

Having visited the Porsche West London to see the varied types at close hand it became apparent that the decision was not easy. I will need a few test drives and research (which I enjoy) to make the best decision.

How did you guys choose your favorite Porsche?

By the way, what is IMS.....it is something that has been mentioned as a major issue on 911's?

Dan

Dan, welcome to TIPEC and you did exactly the right thing by joining the club!

You're right that generally cars owned by enthusiasts are in much better condition than the usual pre-owned - members will not begrudge spending time and money keeping their cars in tip-top condition.

If you can't find the right 997 in the club, then members will happily give their views on cars you are interested in via links to ads, and/or offer to view a car with you and give you benefit of ownership experience in terms of what to look for.

With this approach and plenty of time till next summer I'm sure you will find a great car!

Thanks for the advise. Much appreciated. During my search I am looking at quite a few test drives to really get a feel of the car and which model will suit me best. One thing for sure is that I def want the sports exhaust. Wow that sound is amazing.......the icing on the cake they!!!!

Any tips on what to look out for will be much appreciated.

Dan

IMS is one of the 2 main 'watch out fors' as problems with it can be monstrously expensive to fix - but I think it only affects 996s (don't take my word for it though, ask elsewhere). The other one is bore scoring. Having suffered this I know all about it(ish). Again I don't know if it affects 997s though - no doubt boss Sean will be along soon and he'll know.

IMS is rare in the 997, bore scoring is an issue. It shouldn't put you off, I bought a 996 over 5 years ago with my eyes wide open.

Once you have found the right car, I had would have the bores checked.

Thanks for the helpful advise. In order to understand costs, what would it cost to get bores checked? Is it a big job just to check them......also I guess its best to get a Porsche specialist garage to come and check the car over? Anyone you could recommend?

D Tanna

Might be worth saying whereabouts you are bud

Oh yes....that would help..

I am London based. NW to be precise.

Normally I get the RAC to check over my cars before purchase but on this type of car I guess they wouldn't really know what to look for.

As you say, the best thing to do is your research based upon what you want from a car.

I'd start with whether you want a 2wd or 4wd car for driving experience of your own preference then move on from there, then gearbox - manual, tiptronic or PDK dual clutch on later cars.

My preference is for a road (rather than track) driving, rear drive car so went for C2 in the 996 and C2S in the 997 I had. I wanted sports exhausts so had these on both.

GT3 is the track based version but useable on road, Turbo is 4wd high power but more relaxed affair in terms of dynamics than even the Carreras.

The 997 is a little more complex a decision, in the Carrera models 2wd is narrow body, 4wd wider rear arches, 2005 year onwards are said to have IMS etc improvements, 2009+ cars have DFI engines which do away with the IMS and have more power and economy and the option of the PDK gearbox. 20k service intervals are good too.

I had the sport-chrono, it's basically an ornament in my opinion in terms of the clock timer but it does give you the sport button for improved throttle response and the firming up of the dampers etc. You can have this retro-fitted without the clock at OPC for a few hundred. Sport exhaust can be also but silly money.

I did 100k miles in my 996 3.6 without issues although it does happen, bore scoring needs inspection before purchase, relatively simple procedure.

Paul,

Thanks so much for pointing out all the options and a guide to how to choose....as I am on a budget of 25k I think I am pretty much having to choose from the early 997's. Would be great to have the 4wd option if it fits into the budget but will have to see what comes up. Luckily I am a patient chap so will wait until the right one comes along.

My car will be for road use only and will not be a weekend car....it'll be for work and back and then some thrill filled country road driving.

Do you happen to know anyone who would be a good contact to get 997's checked over prior to buying?

Dan

I'd definitely make my way over to Northway, Reading rather than OPC with your £25k. As the first Reading OPC mechanic that set up on his own many years ago he's forgotten more than anyone in OPC knows and the cars he gets are basically trade-ins from Reading OPC.

He's a genuine chap and his main business is the maintenance and has a few sales on the side. He'll make sure that you don't get one with scored bores and warranties the cars.

I used him to maintain my 996 over 5 years, excellent service.

Another one in the same vein is Henry at 911virgin just near Uxbridge so not far from you.

Thanks for that info. With a car of this value (been saving for 3 years) I just want to make sure I cover all the angles and get myself a car which will be with me for many years ahead. Having the back up of someone who knows what they are talking about and advises what needs to be done and when is crucial to my purchase.

I have Hendon Motors not too far from me and was going to give them a look in. Anyone heard of them?

Dan