Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Ok say I had up to 15k to spend on a 911 and not a penny more. So we could look at adverts up to £15,995 max with a hope of screwing someone right down. I wouldn't want a convertible and go much more for quality of car (such as mileage, condition etc) than performance which should I look at? Late 930 or early 964? I don't know a great deal about 911's so am open to suggestions. A targa has always appealed to me but I have heard some pretty nasty rumours about them rightly or wrongly.
Cheers
Mike

Get a 964, good fun exellent first 911.
14-15k will get a very good one.

The market has the opinion (good or bad) that Targa's leak, therefore are rustier than a coupe & aren't a full cab. QED worthless money than either of the others.
I'd suggest driving one, a lot of people don't get on with early (pre-996) 911's

A good 964 or 3.2 G50 verison are both in budget - you have to drive both and decide what turns you on and what you are going to use it for.

For me I would probably go for 3.2 if i couldnt seperate them after driving and looking - purely owing to better residuals (but thats only my view - !!)

You can also pick up 993's and 996's for £15k now

Currently 2 x 993's under £15 on pistonheads
and a few 996's around that mark

Both 993's and 996's will probably be over the 100k miles and less that concours condition.
But just because it has a few chips, a couple of parking dings and the carpets need a clean shouldn't put you off.

It doesn't hurt to go and have a look at a couple from each model range to see what you get for your money. Have a drive and then take your pick

One more point - get an inspection done by someone that knows what they are doing!!!!!!!!

If you did go down the 993 route for £15k (probably £7-8k less than a reasonable example) best know what you are in for from the start!

Couldn't agree more with the 2 previous comments made by Jason and Clive

Especially important is the professional inspection

I spent over 10 months looking for my 993 and had a good idea what to look out for but then had an inspection done at my cost which highlighted further work and costs than expected. This enabled me to get a reduction in asking price of £2K

I run a 993 and they are almost bomb proof if looked after properly

Therefore, like any Porsche loads of bills and receipts and service history ( specialist) over past 6 years is very important, as this will (should) include the full range of service types on a higher mileage car.

Also get an HPI check IMHO, however beware as some crashed cars have been repaired without being reported, hence the professional inspection.

If you a very interested in a high mileage (+100K ) 993 I have an abbreviated check list I can send to you

Hi Mike,

I guess the choice is very personal, depending on what you are wanting to do with the car! I can give you a few tips as I recently purchased another 911 with a similar budget. As you can see I decided upon a 911 G50 1987. Having looked at the 964 several times I finally opted for the more classic look (A personal opinion maybe). I might well be corrected on this one but having looked into the costs of running the 964 everything seemed quite a bit more expensive than the older 911 e.g. servicing, insurance etc etc. (Whether that is something to take in account or not!?) I also wanted the enjoyment of doing a bit of work on my car (Not amitting to be any sort of mechanic!!) and found the older cars alot easier to work on.
Having driven both I found the 964 a lot smoother and easier to deal with on a daily basis but having fallen in love with the iconic pre-89 car it ended up being a no brainer for me!

Its a real buyers market out there at the moment so don't be afraid to look for that bargain that might sound to good to be true!!

Happy hunting,
Regards

Rich

My view is biased obviously as I have a 964 targa. I went for the 964 purely because I like the 'traditional' (old?) 911 shape.
It is true that after 16-18 years (a 964 will be that old), the roof seals might leak a bit - in my car that's a few drops from the top of the A-pillar in very heavy rain and only when stationary - no leaks when the car moves (doing over 10 mph or so).
I do not know what are the "nasty rumours" you heard about targas, but the "rust" comment someone made earlier in this thread seems a bit unfair, as the body is galvanised and any leaks from the roof end up on you or your passenger anyway!

Clearly, if "leaks" mean sodden foot-well, there is some major problem somewhere.

Get it inspected professionally - like everyone else said, that's the most important bit.