Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

288 GTO, next.

Dunno actually. I'm not sure what the accepted best practice upgrade is. Ask Hartech.

1st series Miami Vice was a fake Daytona Convertible. Ferrari lent them a real Testerossa once it was a mega hit.

Fezzas of the 50s and 60s really are lovely things. Almost more art than car.

348 love here

once spurned (like the 328), now appreciating steadily

Good point. The thing that concerns me is that you can only replace the IMS simply if it's not yet disintegrated- if it's come apart then the engine has to follow in order to clear all the oil galleys etc of the metal and plastic chaff that was once a sealed bearing.

I can see myself spending £12,000 on a 996 followed by a further £whatever for a Hartech engine.

330 GT 2+2

This. Love the 330.

I also have an absolute eye boner for supposedly the ugliest.

I like these! That whole era of Pininfarina is now looking good - even further evolutions of the design language like the alfa 164 still look good.

I've been told that if the IMS has not failed by 40,000 miles then it isn't going to. Given the number of old 986s and 996s still driving around quite happily then there may be some truth in this.
If the fear of something that probably isn't going to happen is putting you off buying a car you really want, then don't let it. Buy a 996. Just don't buy a low mileage one.

Given that a good 996 still sells for $80,000 AUD it'd be a decent thing to import and sell on.
Still, just can't like a 996.

Spend your money on an already Hartech fettled 996?

They're definitely not 911s I'll give you that, but they're really fun in their own special way. I know plenty don't agree with me but I think, for me, if you had to choose between an early 996 and a very well looked after Supra or RX7, it would be a hard choice. The 996 will probably go up in value more, but the other two are starting to command stupid money for the car too.

Maybe. But if you browse the classifieds you'll still find quite a few with 'engine rebuild at 50,000' or whatever in the text.

I'd just get a well serviced one with 60 - 90,000 miles and risk it, but YMMV.

The bore scoring thing is the shitter. It seems that it's one very specific set of circumstances that causes it and that can happen at mile 100 or mile 200,000, or never.

They are a 911 tho. I think design of the early 996 has more in common with the purity of shape and engineering purpose of the 60s and 70s 911s than the later 996s, 997s and current fat-assed garage jewelry.

They won't be under £20,000 for long. Trust.

So... First cars. Would the insurance for a 3 series estate in zone 3 be prohibitive for a 30 year old?

Is it a good idea at all? Really like bmw tourers but have never owned a car.

define prohibitive

More than £200 a month, I guess.

2.4k per annum, might be doable if you have a 318 and shop around for a policy that includes a driver habits tracker

Sweet. Need to start looking in to this more seriously. Does insurance go down substantially over time?

My (old, not sure where it is in the new system) group 20 Volvo, with modifications, is ~£400/year for a 40 year old in zone 3, fully comp. I have around 9 years of no-claims.

Get something a bit more "grandad" for your first year or two, then get the 3-series when you've got a few years no-claims.

Honda Jazz?

It cost me (at 40) about £900 to insure a 1990 Mercedes Benz 300TE-24 in Bethnal Green, and I'd had my licence about 3 weeks. It would have cost about the same to insure a Micra so why not go for the good car?
Age brings privileges.

Not a bad shout! I'll have to look in to it a bit more in terms of what the difference would be...

Does the bore scoring affect 996s? Cos it doesn't affect 986s. Just early 987s.
Dammit, I've enjoyed owning my Boxster and while it's not the right car for me it's a really good motor. Do it!

You ain't wrong. If I'd had the money, I'd have been buying all the nicely specced 996 Turbos I could have got my hands on a few years ago at around the 20k mark whilst most were worried that they were also affected by the IMS problem. Would be living the high life now.