2000 Porsche 911 (996) Turbo

Delivered on the 13th of October 2000 and bought a couple of years by the vendor from a friend of his so he could tick it off his Bucket List, this wonderfully well-maintained Porsche 911 Turbo is still showing well under 75,000 miles on the clock – and a staggering 27 stamps in the service history book!

Its manual clutch and gearbox, along with the engine and drivetrain, are described by the chap who test-drove it as being “as tight as Ferdinand Porsche’s front door”, which is high praise indeed from a man who’s driven as many high-performance cars as him.

Finished in Arktisilver over grey leather, it’s as well-specified as it has been maintained, making this one for the Porsche enthusiast who’s looking to buy their very own 911 Turbo being prices skyrocket out of reach.

The Arktisilver coachwork looks stunning – and not just for a car that’ll never see 21 again. Wirth the sort of ultra-tight and utterly consistent shutlines that hint at a life gently led, there is simply nothing to note about the way it aligns or gleams.

This is partly because the previous owner - who was, you’ll recall, a friend of the vendor’s, something that further reinforces our impression that this is a good ‘un – is a ceramic coater by profession, so he detailed and coated this one during its time with him.

It helps, of course, that this is such an elegant, unadorned shape in the first place; there are no faux exhaust pipes, dubious aero ‘enhancement’, or unnecessarily fussy details. Just rock-solid, utterly purposeful Germanic engineering.

The simple five-spoke, 18-inch alloy wheels are in a decent condition and they’re shod with matching Continental SportContact2 tyres.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

As you’d expect, the light lenses are all bright and free of cracks and chips, the glazing is all perfect, and the badging is shiny and unworn. Of course, the rear spoiler rises and falls as it should, and the sunroof slides open and closed freely, sealing tightly and remaining weatherproof.

Work to do? Well, the alloy wheels do have a few minor scrapes and the odd touch of corrosion but aside from the odd stonechip that a fastidious owner will want to touch-in there really isn’t anything for you to do but enjoy it.

If you need just one example to explain why people describe Porsches of this period as being ‘bulletproof’ then the front seats in this one would be a good place to start. Because, despite having 73,000 miles and well over two decades under their belt, they’re lightly creased and no more.

Still as firm and supportive and comfortable as the day they were fitted, they still adjust as they should. Obviously.

The rear seats are, as is so often the case with cars like this, all but useless to carry people but peerless at carrying luggage when they’re folded down to provide a well-carpeted platform. They show few signs of being used for either purpose.

Speaking of luggage space, the frunk is neatly organised and while it could do with a hoover all the factory bits and bobs are still there including what looks to be the original, and unused, space-saver spare wheel.

The rest of the interior is in much the same condition; simple and beautifully well-built, it’s shrugged off the years with impressive aplomb.

It’s not perfect, of course. There is some wear to the gear knob (#15), some scratching to the hard plastic on the centre console (#84), and there are a couple of small chips to the backrest of the driver’s seat (69).

Very well maintained over the years, the stamps in the service book and the invoices on file show the following work has been carried out:

• 23.01.2001 and 4,827 miles – service by Evans Halshaw Porsche

• 06.12.2001 and 10,655 miles – service by H.R. Owen Porsche

• 12.12.2002 and 14,721 miles – minor service by Arlington Porsche of Northampton

• 17.07.03 and 18,846 miles – condition report and major service by JCT600 Brooklands including new sparkplugs

• 27.07.2004 and 25,847 miles – condition report, airbag check, and service by the Porsche Centre Swindon

• 10.08.2005 and 30,307 miles – major service including a change of brake fluid and new sparkplugs by Paragon

• 15.09.2006 and 35,040 miles – minor service by Parr, independent Porsche specialists

• 07.09.2007 and 37,564 miles – minor service by Parr, independent Porsche specialists

• 04.07.2008 and 37,901 – minor service by (unreadable)

• 28.02.2009 and 41,293 miles – major service including a change of brake fluid and new sparkplugs by Paragon

• 15.03.2010 and 44,640 miles – minor service by Paragon

• 26.02.2011 and 50,064 miles – minor service including a change of brake fluid by Paragon

• 20.01.2012 and 55,798 miles – major service by Paragon including a set of brake discs and pads

• 28.02.2012 and 56,009 miles – new front radiators and a change of coolant by Paragon

• 29.12.2012 and 60,616 miles – minor service including a change of brake fluid, a new polybelt, a set of coil packs and new sparkplugs by Paragon

• 13.12.2013 and 64,671 miles – major service by Paragon including a set of four new Continental tyres, some new steering/suspension components and a new air-conditioning compressor

• 12.12.2014 and 67,707 miles – minor service including a change of brake fluid by Paragon

• 04.08.2015 and 68,967 miles – a new alternator and drive belts by Paragon

• 15.12.2015 and 70,067 miles – major service by Paragon including a new steering joint plus a change of gearbox oil and a new clutch pressure sphere

• 30.03.2021 and 73,168 miles – minor service by the Porsche Centre Portsmouth

The engine bay is neat and clean without being obsessively so, as is the underside; this is a very well curated 911 Turbo that’s had the right money spent on the right things at the right time.

As a result, it drives very well indeed (it’s “as tight as Ferdinand Porsche’s front door”, remember?) and is every bit as fast and thrilling as you’d expect of a Porsche Turbo.

Faults? Well, it’s not a fault per se but some of the underseal has started to peel so the odd area could do with wire-brushing and touching-up. Slides #218 and #220 show the sort of thing we mean.

The Turbo’s MOT certificate is valid until March 2022. It also has a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years as well as a well-stamped stamped service history booklet and two sets of keys.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

The Porsche 996 might be the ginger stepchild of the modern classic world but if, like every sane enthusiast, you can look past the slightly awkward front end then you’re in for a real treat because they’re as brilliant to drive and own as every other iteration – and *whispers* - better than some of the more widely feted models.

Because, while they’re so wonderfully easy to potter around in they can make the air-cooled cars sound and feel somewhat agricultural, for all their sensibleness, when it’s time to play the 996, especially in the Turbo guise you see here, runs with the best of ‘em being lithe and nimble and as powerful as any sane driver could ever need.

Of course, this comes with the caveat that you must buy the right one, and this is very definitely made of The Right Stuff. Beautifully maintained, it’s got a good spec and drives exactly as it should; we see a lot of 996 911s here and this is up there with the best of ‘em.

And yet, because it’s a 996 its appeal is (unnecessarily) more limited than we think it should be, the price is likely to be ridiculously reasonable. This one, which is a reluctant sale, will sell for somewhere between £34,500 and £39,500 which is a tiny sum for such a versatile, reliable, and thrilling sports car.

And, because their time has yet to come, we wouldn’t be at all surprised to find that you might do very well out of it in the medium to long-term…

Viewing is always encouraged, within Govt. guidelines of course, and as stated this car is located at our Abingdon headquarters; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.