996 or 964

[911s68]

Hi all
My friend is thinking of byeing his first porsche,he will have around 18k to spend.he intend's to keep the car for many year's.he has just turned the big 40.
i said get a good 964 but he fancey's a 996.

please can i have your thought's,and why.....................

cheers steve

[Nick Moss]

IMO the 993 is a better buy than both. 996s (apart from GT3s) are dropping in value all the time, and at that money he won't be in facelift (2002+) territory. There is always the ogre of the liner and RMS failures to worry about. The plus is that there is an enormous choice out there as they built so many. Very capable but rather boring.

The 993 is the last of the air cooled line, many DDKS have them. Very tough, beautifully put together, great handling and adequate performance.

I'm not sure who would recommend a 964, unless the purchase budget was a big factor. They are much cheaper than 993s to buy, but more expensive to service, suffer from oil leaks and just don't look as good IMO.

[Helen]

not sure you'd get much of a 993 for under £20k..


IMHO while i love the looks of the 964 i would proberly go for a 996. as if it's his first and posably only experience of Porsche then he'll have alot more cars to choose from. it'll drive more like a modern car that (i am presuming) his used to driving and have more of the creature comforts too.

like demisters that actually work, and headlights that actually lightup the road further than the front bumper.

[Sam]

I'm not sure who would recommend a 964, unless the purchase budget was a big factor. They are much cheaper than 993s to buy, but more expensive to service, suffer from oil leaks and just don't look as good IMO.

Me! But with caveats.

I like the way the '64 looks. The '93 shape has a unique appeal but the '64 has upright headlights like proper 911s do.

I also reckon they handle better - less understeery, a bit more flight of foot.

But they do tend to need a £6k engine rebuild every 80k miles, they always leak oil and bits fall off them more regularly than on the 993.

[Bertroex]

But they do tend to need a £6k engine rebuild every 80k miles, they always leak oil and bits fall off them more regularly than on the 993.

Sorry Sam, I usually do not comment on such statements but this time, I feel i need to add a caveat. This is possibly the case for london-only, short distance, never warmed up properly, 964 cars.

In Germany, Belgium and France I regularly come across correctly maintained 964's with mileages from 150 000 to 200000 miles that need a top end, more out of precaution then for the real need.

If bits fell off under warranty, and they were properly rectified, then they probably will keep sticking 10 years down the line as well.

HTH,


Bert

[dugsud]

At £18K I'd go for a nice G50 3.2

[johndglynn]

i said get a good 964 but he fancey's a 996.

All he has to do is drive both on the same day. He'll either know immediately which one he prefers or he'll buy a Maserati.

I'd buy a 964 but that should make no difference to your mate. Seat time is required!

[gridgway]

I'm with John on this. He should enjoy himself driving sev cars in his price bracket (the ones mentioned here I think cover it). That would be great fun.

A 3.2, a 964 (2 and 4wd if he can), 993, 996. What a great project!

Graham

[rvzz]

Hi
We got the missus a 996 a couple of months ago . She seems to like it , but if we ever go anywhere I don't feel the need to grab the keys which , I think says a lot . Nice enough drive but I'm afraid it leaves me cold . Earlier car for me every time . Just my opinion , but time behind the wheel is always the the best decider .
Cheers ...Russ

[Bootsy]

Hi
We got the missus a 996 a couple of months ago . She seems to like it , but if we ever go anywhere I don't feel the need to grab the keys which , I think says a lot . Nice enough drive but I'm afraid it leaves me cold . Earlier car for me every time . Just my opinion , but time behind the wheel is always the the best decider .
Cheers ...Russ

I was in a 996 recently and after a little while completely forgot what car I was sitting in, could have been an Astra or Mondeo for all I knew!

[rvzz]

Too true. We tried her in several different makes and models before she settled on the 996 . I've got to say that brand loyalty on my part had nothing to do with the choice . It's a bit quicker than a Mondeo though .



cheers ...Russ

[Sam]

But they do tend to need a £6k engine rebuild every 80k miles, they always leak oil and bits fall off them more regularly than on the 993.

Sorry Sam, I usually do not comment on such statements but this time, I feel i need to add a caveat. This is possibly the case for london-only, short distance, never warmed up properly, 964 cars.

In Germany, Belgium and France I regularly come across correctly maintained 964's with mileages from 150 000 to 200000 miles that need a top end, more out of precaution then for the real need.

I agree entirely.

The problem is that there are far more of the former than the latter.

I've only had 5 964s this year but of those 5 four had done between 80k and 125k 3 had had top end rebuilds before 100k the other at 105k.

We all know that mileage isn't a good indicator of wear, it would be much better if cars had hours of use and number of times stopped and started on the dash. But mileage is all there is and by far the majority of 964s aren't good for 150k before a top end rebuild.

[Bruce M]

All black 996 with full gt3 bodykit on pistonheads for <£14k

13k on a replacement engine.

Frankly I can't see cars like that have much depreciation left. However, the maintenance costs should not be underestimated.

[aircool]

I've owned and driven quite a range of 911's now from impact bumper cars all the way through to a 996 coupe. After a Porsche break of a few years I am now the owner of an american 356, which has just passed its inspections and about to be unleashed onto the UK roads. However I still get a get a sense of excitement when I see any older 911 and, of all of them, the one that I would like to go back to most is my metallic blue 964. True, the seats were a little unsupportive and I used to arrive at my destination - especially after a motorway run - in a small cloud of blue smoke but the raw torque and that exhaust noise were absolutely unforgettable! I saw a 964 Targa parked in Winchelsea the other day and immediately wanted to jump out and find who the owner was............

964's look incredible value now and many have rebuilt engines, which should have cured the oil seal leaks which I believe were a design fault. Go for one of these - relatively simple and a magnificent experience on the road.

[Ants]

this look like a nice car (if you like targas) and within the budget

http://www.used-porsche.co.uk/car_Porsc ... _index.php

I don't have any connection with the car, however I did buy a car from them (MR911) in the summer, and Clive was very pleasant to deal with.

Ants