First, I love this forum. I found it about 6 hours ago and have been glued to the screen since. Thanks to all of you for the interesting posts.

I will be buying a car in a few months and have started the fun process of researching. Previous cars were a BMW 328i and a Ford Mustang. This time I'm looking for something beautiful, responsive, with plenty of power, that I can drive daily, and that can fit a carseat (no kids yet, but probably within the next couple years). Based on all my reading I think a 1999-2002 911 would work brilliantly. I know it's not the most practical option, but I'm honestly not so concerned about practicality. I've loved Ferraris, Lamborghinis, etc since I was a little kid and plan to acquire a nice collection.

My main question is about ground clearance. I live in San Francisco, have a short commute to work, but am worried the hills might mess things up. Anyone live in SF or drive in equally hilly conditions? Is this likely to be an issue?

Also, would you favor any of the years I listed over the others? I'm hoping to stick to a budget of around $20,000. I can go higher, if it's worth it, but would rather not.

Thanks!

 

I'm in your exact same position, except I live in FL (no hills). I'm going today to make an offer on a '01 996. Make sure you get a warranty for peace of mind, I couldnt think of buying a porsche without one. From what I've found, $20k is pretty tight budget for a 996, you may want to raise it a little to get a car thats been taken care of or has less miles. I have my budget set at around 26k. GL man, and wish me luck today!

And yes thanks for this forum, lots to read and learn!

 

Hello and welcome to the forum. There cars are wonderful and if either of you decide to purchase one this is certainly the place for good info on them. Ill be glad to give you what advice i can.

There cars have a lot more ground clearance than you think. My car before this was a 350Z and it had more problems with driveways etc. than my 996. I have only scrapped her once and that was down a very mean driveway.

As far as budget $20,000ish is a decent budget for a 99-01 in good shape with 70,000+ miles. You will have a hard time getting a 02 in that price range. With a budget of $26,000 I would go after a mkII, 02 and up. I'm goin to preface that statement by saying I have a mkI and love it, but most of the time I think you should buy the newest one you can afford.

Good luck to the both of you. Once you catch the Porsche disease there's no getting ride of i!

 

As stated, you'll be looking for an early 996 or 993. The clearance will be fine as long as you brake for dips and bumps - like everyone else in a 911 does. Find the cleanest, lowest mileage vehicle you can at your price-point. I would also advise looking around the country because there are cheaper areas than others for finding cars.

 

I live in an area with lots of steep hills, so I know exactly what you mean. A C2 or a C4 will sit higher than a C4S or a turbo (unless it has the M030, X74 or aftermarket suspension), so I'd go for one of these models.

It's important to remember that the polyurethane front lip spoiler is a disposable item. I replace mine every 2 - 3 years due to damage from hills and driveways. I've gotten pretty good at approaching hills at an angle when possible to avoid a scrape, but you can't avoid them all.

Have fun shopping!

 

Hi - I've had both a 993 C2 cab ('96) and 996 C2 cab ('00) for many years in San Francisco and not had any problems on the hills. Mine were both stock suspension, I would imagine some scraping could occur if you have a lowered car or you drive like a lunatic. The 993 was on stock 17" wheels, I have run the 996 on stock 18's and also aftermarket 19's with no issues.

Having done the kid thing in the 911, the cabriolet makes getting the carseat in/out much easier.

- Alan

 

Thank you all. I really appreciate your replies, and am so glad the ground clearance won't be a huge issue. I'll think about increasing my budget - it's pretty flexible as it's just determined by how hard I'm willing to work (I'm in residency and will be moonlighting to pay for the car). Thanks for the tip about the carseat, Alan - that gives me the perfect excuse to go for the cabriolet.

 

So.... there are many 1999-2001 cars that you can look at. Price range is 16 to 20K depending on mileage and condition. Perhaps the 1999 (first year) is the better one because of some mechanical differences in the RMS bearing which seems to be more robust in the first year as a production change went to a simpler design that does have some potential pittfalls. READ UP on it !!
A Porsche is a top-notch sportcar. assume that maintenance in general is more expensive and that dealers and repair shops will charge you 125 bucks per hour. It's like going to the doctor. Next, make sure your realise you must maintain a Porsche, otherwise it will get unreliable.. Not a good idea . Soo. Get someone that knows about Porsches to help you... Carfax, PPI, repair and maintenance records ... It's all VERY important to find a car that is right for you. And of course... GO AND DRIVE a lot of them.. One of your first decisions (after color) wil be to decide on a manual or automatic car.... If you live in SF and you obviously are in the hilly part..that will be the important decision you need to make... Have fun with the buying process. They are great cars... but they are like a dog.. you suddenly got responsiblilities!!

 

Congrats on your decision.

A lot of good advice thus far. One more consideration: Think about your long-term needs/wants. Aero kit? More power? specific options? Any and all of these things are cheaper to buy into up front then adding later on.

 

i don't know about putting a carseat and having a baby in the car.. it has a very sporty suspension, it will be a very bumpy ride for the baby unless you live in a place where all roads are smooth as the freeways..

 

putting the carseat into a cabriolet probably is easier than a coupe.
but putting the carseat into a coupe is not hard at all.
moreover, a cabriolet has less back seat space than a coupe.
a reverse seat baby seat for < 1 yo takes up a ton of back seat space and i'd be concerned for whoever is in front of the infant.
once the kids are 2yo and can use a booster seat, the 911 coupe or cabriolet is very comfortable as the booster seat takes very little room.

good luck during residency and moonlighting.
been there. done that.