So 1 week in and I'm over the moon.
The car is simply brilliant, everything I hoped it would be. I've got to say I was slightly apprehensive in case it didn't stack up to my dreams.
You know what they say about never meeting your hero's !!!
At first the few little rattles bothered me but once you start to drive the thing you just forget you're in a 10 year old car. The handling is fantastic, the responsiveness of the engine is spot on. The driving experience is just spot on. It's precise and tight.
I haven't pushed it to hard yet whilst I get used to it but what a car. I love it.
Do I wish I had PSM now ? Nah, not really. there is just so much grip you'd have to drive like an absolute nutter to need it. Maybe if this was my main car and I'd be driving it in the wet I might have second thoughts, but as this is my fun weekend car. It's fine.
So I'm loving the car but there are a few minor problems that i need to sort out.
1. Passenger wing mirror motor isn't working.
2. one of the rear seat pads is loose.
3. Bit of a clunking from the front suspension at low speed. Probably drop links need doing.
4. Whilst the body is clean it has a few scuffs and scrapes that need attention.
5. Interior, again whilst clean, could do with a bit of a detail.
6. Air-Con. Not that cold. Need to get it checked. Probably new condensers. Ouch !!!
7. That PCM1 and Handset has to go for a modern unit.
So I've started to make a list of jobs and mods I want to do.
Monday, November 28, 2011
The Pickup
Well I didn't get it on Saturday as expected. The wheels hadn't come back from the re furbishers yet and they wouldn't be back until the next Wednesday. So agreed to go pick it up on Thursday.
Caught a train down and Clive came and got me from the station.
The car looked great. Wheels had come up nice. Paid the balance sorted out the paperwork and I was on my way home in my very own Porsche.
Happy Days. I'd done it. I was now living the dream.
On the way back round the M25 I'd planned my rout to take in some Tunnels to get a good listern to that exhaust noise.
So Dartford Tunnel. The two round the M25 then Hatfield Tunnel.
Unfortunately there had been an accident earlier just before the Dartford Tunnel and now I was stuck in traffic which gave me some time to mess around with the PCM, trip computer etc.
It was at this point I realised there was no PSM button !!! No PSM Button = No PSM.
I got back home after a nice run with a big smile on my face. Didn't come up the A1 through Hatfield tunnel in the end but decided on some back roads though Hartford to have some fun.
Also when I got back I noticed the drivers floor mat was missing. Gave Clive a call and told him about the PSM and he was really apologetic offered me my money back. tbh, I wasn't over bothered about not having PSM and as the car was basically what I wanted I decided to keep the car.
Here she is back at her new home.
Caught a train down and Clive came and got me from the station.
The car looked great. Wheels had come up nice. Paid the balance sorted out the paperwork and I was on my way home in my very own Porsche.
Happy Days. I'd done it. I was now living the dream.
On the way back round the M25 I'd planned my rout to take in some Tunnels to get a good listern to that exhaust noise.
So Dartford Tunnel. The two round the M25 then Hatfield Tunnel.
Unfortunately there had been an accident earlier just before the Dartford Tunnel and now I was stuck in traffic which gave me some time to mess around with the PCM, trip computer etc.
It was at this point I realised there was no PSM button !!! No PSM Button = No PSM.
I got back home after a nice run with a big smile on my face. Didn't come up the A1 through Hatfield tunnel in the end but decided on some back roads though Hartford to have some fun.
Also when I got back I noticed the drivers floor mat was missing. Gave Clive a call and told him about the PSM and he was really apologetic offered me my money back. tbh, I wasn't over bothered about not having PSM and as the car was basically what I wanted I decided to keep the car.
Here she is back at her new home.
The Search
Started to watch Auto Trader, Exchange and Mart, Top Marques, Pistonheads and the 911uk forum classifieds for cars that matched what I wanted.
From what I can tell if you want a Silver car with a tiptronic box then you're in luck, there's loads of them.
Black Manuals, not so many, or not that many with under 100k miles on them.
After a few weeks I decided to go have a look at a few cars. There was a nice car in Guards Red over in Cambridge and a Black example over in Harlow.
The Guards Red car looked great from 20ft away, but once I got close it was stone chipped to hell.
The Black car was the opposite. Paintwork was pretty tidy, but the interior was all banged up.
But it gave me a good idea what was what.
After another week of keeping my eye on the adds another 2 possibilities came up. A Seal Grey car with the GT3 aero kit on it down in Reading and a black one at an independent Porsche Specialist (Mr911) in Kent.
Went and saw the Grey car first. Looked straight and tidy and took it out for a spin. nice to drive, a little rattley. Liked the GT3 kit on it but wasn't 100% on the colour.
Then headed round the M25 to take a look at the black car.
Looked good. Body was in great condition and the interior looked almost new. Took it out for a spin as well and it all felt slightly tighter, more together, than the Grey car. The dealer told me it had had a brand new engine fitted last year.
I decided to go away and have a think about it. I really liked the GT3 look, but I'm a big fan of black cars.
By the time I got home at about 7pm my mind was already made up. The black car it was. I think what swayed it was it was a dealer, I'd get a years Warranty and it looked in better condition, plus was about £1k cheaper.
So rung up Mr911, or Clive as he's actually known, and tried to get him down on price. He wasn't having it so I agreed on the list price of £15,900.
So the spec
2001 996 C2 Manual in Basalt Black and Black Leather Interior. (Facelift Model) 73k Miles.
PCM1 + Hands Free Phone
HK analogue Audio Upgrade
CD Changer
PSM
Sunroof (Quite rare I'm told)
18" Sport Design 2 Wheels
Sports Seats
Plus he'd Service, MOT it and refurb the wheels as they were a bit crappy.
It was Tuesday and he said he should be able to get it ready for Saturday to pick up.
The search was short and sweet.
From what I can tell if you want a Silver car with a tiptronic box then you're in luck, there's loads of them.
Black Manuals, not so many, or not that many with under 100k miles on them.
After a few weeks I decided to go have a look at a few cars. There was a nice car in Guards Red over in Cambridge and a Black example over in Harlow.
The Guards Red car looked great from 20ft away, but once I got close it was stone chipped to hell.
The Black car was the opposite. Paintwork was pretty tidy, but the interior was all banged up.
But it gave me a good idea what was what.
After another week of keeping my eye on the adds another 2 possibilities came up. A Seal Grey car with the GT3 aero kit on it down in Reading and a black one at an independent Porsche Specialist (Mr911) in Kent.
Went and saw the Grey car first. Looked straight and tidy and took it out for a spin. nice to drive, a little rattley. Liked the GT3 kit on it but wasn't 100% on the colour.
Then headed round the M25 to take a look at the black car.
Looked good. Body was in great condition and the interior looked almost new. Took it out for a spin as well and it all felt slightly tighter, more together, than the Grey car. The dealer told me it had had a brand new engine fitted last year.
I decided to go away and have a think about it. I really liked the GT3 look, but I'm a big fan of black cars.
By the time I got home at about 7pm my mind was already made up. The black car it was. I think what swayed it was it was a dealer, I'd get a years Warranty and it looked in better condition, plus was about £1k cheaper.
So rung up Mr911, or Clive as he's actually known, and tried to get him down on price. He wasn't having it so I agreed on the list price of £15,900.
So the spec
2001 996 C2 Manual in Basalt Black and Black Leather Interior. (Facelift Model) 73k Miles.
PCM1 + Hands Free Phone
HK analogue Audio Upgrade
CD Changer
PSM
Sunroof (Quite rare I'm told)
18" Sport Design 2 Wheels
Sports Seats
Plus he'd Service, MOT it and refurb the wheels as they were a bit crappy.
It was Tuesday and he said he should be able to get it ready for Saturday to pick up.
The search was short and sweet.
The Research
As anyone who knows anything about buying a performance car you need to do your research to make sure you know what you're getting into.
How much is it going to cost to run and buy ? What model, year, mileage and options etc.
Couple of valuable resources
911uk forum
Pistonheads
And I also brought the excellent 996 Ultimate Buyers Guide from Amazon.
I was originally planning to go for an early 2000 model but after some reading I decided to go for something a little newer as after 2001 the facelift model came in with larger engine and other updates. Cost a few £K more but I think it's money well spent.
So looking at year, mileage combos on Parkers I decided on a 2001\2002 996 Carrera 2. Manual with about 60-70,000 miles on the clock.
Colour. Black or possibly Seal Grey. With Black or Grey leather interior.
Options wise. 18" wheels seem a must. But not interested in the Sat\Nav (PCM1) as it's rubbish on the pre 2003 cars, PSM (Stability Management) would be good to have.
But apart from that the car seems well enough spec'd to start with.
I read up on what was what on the 911uk forum, and from the buyers guide worked out what to look for when inspecting a car, common faults etc.
I done my sums, worked out what was what and started the search.
How much is it going to cost to run and buy ? What model, year, mileage and options etc.
Couple of valuable resources
911uk forum
Pistonheads
And I also brought the excellent 996 Ultimate Buyers Guide from Amazon.
I was originally planning to go for an early 2000 model but after some reading I decided to go for something a little newer as after 2001 the facelift model came in with larger engine and other updates. Cost a few £K more but I think it's money well spent.
So looking at year, mileage combos on Parkers I decided on a 2001\2002 996 Carrera 2. Manual with about 60-70,000 miles on the clock.
Colour. Black or possibly Seal Grey. With Black or Grey leather interior.
Options wise. 18" wheels seem a must. But not interested in the Sat\Nav (PCM1) as it's rubbish on the pre 2003 cars, PSM (Stability Management) would be good to have.
But apart from that the car seems well enough spec'd to start with.
I read up on what was what on the 911uk forum, and from the buyers guide worked out what to look for when inspecting a car, common faults etc.
I done my sums, worked out what was what and started the search.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
The Rationalisation
For as long as I can remember I've loved Porsche's. I've still got my Porsche di-cast Model when I was a kid. I've got my giant history of Porsche book as well.
I've always dreamed of owning my own Porsche.
I've come close a couple of times but chickened out. I could have bought a 2 year old 996 about 5 years ago, but brought a new BMW M3 Cabrio instead. Mainly because I couldn't bring myself to spend close to £50k on a 2 year old car.
Whilst I loved the M3 there was always this nagging feeling that I might have missed my chance to finally own a Porsche.
I sold the M3 a year ago, mainly due to the insane running costs. It was my daily car. And got myself a nice new Audi A4 2.0 Tfsi Quatro S-Line with all the bells and whistles. It's a nice car, comfey, nice to drive, quick-ish, but hasn't really floated my boat.
So after a long hard think, and a few sums I decided to get myself a used Porsche 911 as a second car.
Why ? Seems insane right. Audi and the Porsche, and I got rid of the M3 because of the running costs !
Not really.
1. This is a second car so mileage is going to be low. So Petrol bill is going to be ok as well as tyre ware.
2. Car Tax. For the age of car I'm going for is only £260. So the tax for the Audi and the porsche is only a little bit more than I was paying on the M3.
3. Insurance. On a multi-car Policy with the Audi. they have let me have full NCD on the Porsche :-) So it's only costing me ~£120 a year to insure the Porsche.
4. Servicing. As it's low mileage it will just need an annual service ~£260.
5. Purchase price. ~£16-£17k. All of which is sitting in my offset mortgage account gathering sod all interest at the moment. Plus for the age of car I'm looking at it's taken most of the depreciation, so if I need the money I won't have lost much.
So for < £100 a month I can have my Porsche. No-brainer Really !!!
The only risk is if there are any major faults it could cost me.
So mind made up the research started on what kind of car, model, mileage, options etc I should go for.
I've always dreamed of owning my own Porsche.
I've come close a couple of times but chickened out. I could have bought a 2 year old 996 about 5 years ago, but brought a new BMW M3 Cabrio instead. Mainly because I couldn't bring myself to spend close to £50k on a 2 year old car.
Whilst I loved the M3 there was always this nagging feeling that I might have missed my chance to finally own a Porsche.
I sold the M3 a year ago, mainly due to the insane running costs. It was my daily car. And got myself a nice new Audi A4 2.0 Tfsi Quatro S-Line with all the bells and whistles. It's a nice car, comfey, nice to drive, quick-ish, but hasn't really floated my boat.
So after a long hard think, and a few sums I decided to get myself a used Porsche 911 as a second car.
Why ? Seems insane right. Audi and the Porsche, and I got rid of the M3 because of the running costs !
Not really.
1. This is a second car so mileage is going to be low. So Petrol bill is going to be ok as well as tyre ware.
2. Car Tax. For the age of car I'm going for is only £260. So the tax for the Audi and the porsche is only a little bit more than I was paying on the M3.
3. Insurance. On a multi-car Policy with the Audi. they have let me have full NCD on the Porsche :-) So it's only costing me ~£120 a year to insure the Porsche.
4. Servicing. As it's low mileage it will just need an annual service ~£260.
5. Purchase price. ~£16-£17k. All of which is sitting in my offset mortgage account gathering sod all interest at the moment. Plus for the age of car I'm looking at it's taken most of the depreciation, so if I need the money I won't have lost much.
So for < £100 a month I can have my Porsche. No-brainer Really !!!
The only risk is if there are any major faults it could cost me.
So mind made up the research started on what kind of car, model, mileage, options etc I should go for.
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