tom_hargreaves Posted October 19, 2008 Report Share Posted October 19, 2008 I drove out in the Z4 today little knowing it would be my last drive in it. I've chopped it in for a 911 Carrera 4S (997), I saw it and just couldn't help myself. Got the Porsche at a good price but got truly hammered on the Z4, finally had to settle at 20k trade. It was December 06, 8,000 miles with all the trimmings. One bid they got from a Bee-Em dealer was 15k!!!!! So I think it was a signal that if I didn't get rid immediately I would have ended up in an even worse position. I haven't actually drove a 911 before, i'm pretty confident it should be good though. Definately more usable than the Z4, apart from the non existent boot space. I should be getting the porker on Wednesday, so i'll take some pictures and report back on how it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted October 19, 2008 Report Share Posted October 19, 2008 Sounds nice. Why not sell the Z4 privately?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_hargreaves Posted October 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2008 I'm not to bothered to be honest, plus the car I bought seemed to be incredibly good value for money so waiting would probably have resulted in it being bought by somebody else. I think the trade in value I also got was great so I bit his hand off. I rang the dealer I used to work for and my old sales manager this morning bought a Z4 M Coupe, 08 Plate, 700 miles, Black with red leather and all options for 22k. So the offer he gave me was 18k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted October 19, 2008 Report Share Posted October 19, 2008 Yeah looking round £20k does seem good. God I remember BMW offering a GFV of £29k after 2 years back at the end of 2006! They must be getting their fingers burnt now as these cars are coming back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davyk31 Posted October 20, 2008 Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 Sounds a lovely car mate, looking forward to the pictures. Quite an impulse buy! There are for sure some good deals out there and although you get a hammering on the part-ex sometimes dealers are so keen to move stock they will take a chance on a new trade in as at least its a change of stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brabus Posted October 20, 2008 Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 Didn't realise they were so cheap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_hargreaves Posted October 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2008 Got the Porsche yesterday and first impressions are good. It has a good list of kit on it: Navigation Telephone Module Rear Wiper Sports Seats Porsche Suspension Management Heated seats Sports shifter Three spoke steering wheel Park assist. It's noticeably a lot quicker than the Z4 for a kick off which is good, it feels a lot more planted (Obviously) which really gives you the confidence to throw it into corners. At the same speed in the Z4 it felt quite nervous and twitchy and stuggled for traction. Especially in the wet, and it was soaking yesterday up here. I'm not so sure about it's exhaust note. It just doesn't seem very performance-y when compared with the Z4, particularly at low down speeds. It has the Porsche Suspension Management which firms it up at the touch of a button. I've yet to fully exploit this but so far have determined it just makes the ride more crashy. The comfort of it is a league ahead of the BMW. The seats ar absolutely fanstastic. They're the sports seats not the standard versions which are crap. Boot space is non-existent, aswell as rear legspace. So the rear seats are going to be filled with what would normally be easily swallowed by the boot of the Z4. The controls are decent, i'm a big fan of the PCM after using it for a few hours. I'm not a big fan of the fact that it has no bluetooth and that you have to put your sim card into a little tray in the dash. I'll upload some pictures soon, it's been raining here the last couple of days so it isn't looking its best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biscuits Posted October 23, 2008 Report Share Posted October 23, 2008 Lovely lovely choice of car there Tom... I do miss the Porker and the 997 is a good step forward with technology and interior trim levels. The C4S will suffer with front locker space due to the front diff, I fount the C2 (996) front locker quite good (Quinny, changing bags and travel cot could fit!) Look forward to the pics... well done ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_hargreaves Posted October 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 The C4S will suffer with front locker space due to the front diff, I fount the C2 (996) front locker quite good (Quinny, changing bags and travel cot could fit!) Ahh right, I didn't have a look in the C2S. I thought it was small to prevent you from filling it with heavy objects and ruining the balance of the car or something? Or this could be said for any car. Cheers for that I don't know why that didn't click. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biscuits Posted October 24, 2008 Report Share Posted October 24, 2008 Ahh right, I didn't have a look in the C2S. I thought it was small to prevent you from filling it with heavy objects and ruining the balance of the car or something? Or this could be said for any car. Cheers for that I don't know why that didn't click. I found having a full tank of fuel and some junk (luggage) in the front helped stop the front end be a bit aloof... something the C4/S suffers less from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_hargreaves Posted October 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 Update, i've found a use for the suspension management. To me it just seems like a worthy replacement for the Sport button in the Z4. It doesn't squat at the rear under massive acceleration as much, and it's particularly useful when you're giving it death on bends with an adverse camber because I don't feel like i'm going to spin into a tree and die in a fireball. It's also got its downsides, when it's on sport, the ride is very very hard. I had a heart stopping moment when I forgot to turn it off and put the car into a pothole at speed (Accidentally), the front end bounced up - this wasn't helped because I had less than a quarter of a tank and nothing in the boot as you mentioned Biscuits - and I lost pretty much all front end grip for a moment and nearly understeered into the high curb. After this I hear it's also a problem in the GT3 and GT2, except the ride in these is constantly harsh. If it wasn't for the siht roads this wouldn't really be a problem. The exhaust has clicked in my mind. It sounds great, not as...hmm...false as the Z4's exhaust note? And it makes plenty of noise. Anything over 6,000 and it sounds like the apocalypse is coming. What is the sport exhaust like then I wonder? I can't have a multifunction wheel according to Porsche as it isn't readily wired up for it. This is really getting to me for some strange reason, and having to take the sim card out of my phone - which in an iPhone is a complete ballache - all the time is just plain stupid. So i've resorted to using the speaker and just having it in my lap. It's not raining up here today so if I can get home before it goes dark i'll take the pics. I don't have an SLR or anything so the lighting needs to be right to do the pics any justice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biscuits Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 the front end bounced up I'm told it is a characturistic of a 911 this happening, but when it does it scares the be-jesus out of you. It happened badly twice and one of those while going incredibly fast down into Fuchsröhre ('Ring)... I bottled it a bit, lifted off in the dip and then got on the gass too much as the frontend rebounded out of the corner/dip... basically speaking it felt like the car had hit ice and understeered right to the edge of the tarmac... where thankfully it gripped again. Brown undies moment ! Hasten to add I now don't backoff in the dip ! Glad your enjoying the car Tom, the PSE is very loud when in SPORT, on mine it was louder than my S4 with a Milltek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cupramax Posted November 1, 2008 Report Share Posted November 1, 2008 Having been pretty uninterested in Porsches in general (not sure why seeing as I'm a major petrol head) I had a ride in one of my friends car who has just got a 997 C2S. Wow, what a car! I must say I'm tempted to get one myself now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biscuits Posted November 2, 2008 Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 Having been pretty uninterested in Porsches in general (not sure why seeing as I'm a major petrol head) I had a ride in one of my friends car who has just got a 997 C2S. Wow, what a car! I must say I'm tempted to get one myself now... Thing is... a Porsche is ground up a sports car, not a hot version of a normal road car like an M3, RS4, etc... This makes a huge difference and a Porsche is also very well put together, unlike a lot of other high end sports cars. I'd have another at a drop of a hat... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booster Posted November 2, 2008 Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 A mate of mine collected his C4S generation 2 on friday. Meteor grey with the PDK gearbox. Its bloody lovely!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_hargreaves Posted November 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 What Biscuits said, I think this is really why I love it so much more than the Z4. Because it's a proper, dedicated sports car with nothing else really in mind. Yet it's still more civlised than the Z4 when you want it to be. And still more luxurious. I didn't realise it at first but most of the dashboard, door panels and rear seat side panels are covered in leather (and to boot it's standard), as opposed to cheap plastics and the rooflining is Suede, the whole thing is just a league above. The exact same thing happened to me Cupramax, I didn't drive it at the time I bought it but everything else about it just eeeked out that it was utterly brilliant. The interior, the exterior. I was usually put off by the look of a 911 because I found them a bit boring. But in the flesh they're incredibly aggressive and have massive presence, particularly the 4WD versions with their wider wheel arches. The only Porsche I had driven before the 911 was a 2.7 Boxster, which I think put me off more than anything. I'll definately have another 911 after this, will probably go up to the Turbo or GT3 I think. That picture is brilliant Biscuits, didn't realise that was the same car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biscuits Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 The only Porsche I had driven before the 911 was a 2.7 Boxster, which I think put me off more than anything. I'll definately have another 911 after this, will probably go up to the Turbo or GT3 I think.That picture is brilliant Biscuits, didn't realise that was the same car. I had a new 2.7 Boxster loaner while mine was in for service... I thought the handbrake was jammed on it was so darn slow! Tom... I'm green with envy mate. The more I look at and drive the M3, the more I love it.... but I will have another 911, I really will. It's often said once you've had one you'll allways have another... but I will. A turbo or GT2 would be fun for a while, but a white GT3 is what I ultimatly crave. (my new stig sig... yeah, it was a press car in it's previous life ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_hargreaves Posted June 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2011 Just a little teeny update for you on cars The Porsche has gone now. Sold for £37k in April to dealer in Leeds. Paid £50k for it in October 2008 so i'd actually call that value for money motoring. Even though it left with only 4,000 miles extra. Haven't replaced it with anything and currently have no plans to (See below). Don't have a Q7 anymore. Almost as thirsty as an 911 despite being a diesel. Swapped for a 325d M Sport Touring with the facelift and new iDrive. Love it. Still got 325i M Sport Convertible, had that for 3 years now to the month, it's only done 21,000 miles. Currently looking to swap it for a facelifted model in Mineral White but with a big engine like 330i. Should help get over the loss of the porker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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