Which 911

[Funkyboogalooo]

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

[964russ]

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

[tr7v8]

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

[Clive993]

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 - !!)

[JasonGibson]

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

[Clive993]

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!

[mymerak]

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

[911RMD]

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

[seg1959]

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

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.