2009 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S (997 Gen2)

The car you are looking at here has what might just be the best specification of them all: as a Gen 2 model it features the improved engine, while its Carrera 4S status gives the security of all-wheel-drive plus that delightful 3.8-litre flat-six engine breathes its 355bhp through a sports exhaust (the original standard exhaust is included).

Sports suspension keeps it utterly planted on the road no matter what the driver asks of it, and the car’s original owner ticked the boxes for heated seats, sport chrono, a Bose sound system, 19-inch Sport Design alloy wheels, cruise control, DVD-based European navigation, rear parking sensors, the telephone module, a top-tinted windscreen – and a 12v power socket in the passenger footwell.

In the care of the owner for the past four years, it has one of the best service histories you will find too, plus just three previous owners, the last of which was a friend of his, further proof that this is a good ‘un.

In addition, both the vendor and the car are known to us too; you know what they say about buying the best cars from the nicest people? Well, he’s a lovely chap and his car reflects that.

This is going to be a very boring - and mercifully short for those of you that don’t like waffle – because there really isn’t anything to say about the Porsche’s Meteor Grey coachwork other than it is clean and tidy and in need of almost nothing doing to it.

Laser-sharp shutlines and straight, ripple-free flanks are testament to an easy life and tight production tolerances, while the absence of the usual car-park dinks and stonechip-marked frontend are further proof that it has benefitted from a series of unusually careful owners.

As are the 15-spoke, 19-inch Sport Design alloy wheels, which are in great shape and shod with matching, high-performance Michelin tyres too, all of which have good tread.

As we will never tyre 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 do give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

The rear spoiler rises and falls as it should, and the doors open and close with the sort of quiet German authority that makes you think your grandchildren could be enjoying it long after you’ve shuffled off this mortal coil; anyone who says that supercars can’t be sensible has never owned a 911.

In fact, the only job with can see to do on the exterior is to get the wheels refurbished as they have the odd chip and scuff; sadly, minor damage like this is all part-and-parcel of life in post-austerity Britain when you ride on 30-profile tyres and potholes grow to the size of minor counties…

Normally start off by carefully cataloguing all the good stuff before gently leading you into the not-so-good. You know, like every staff appraisal you’ve ever had.

But in this case we’re going to jump right in and give you the bad news first:

• The driver’s seat is very, very slightly worn on the outer bolster.

That’s it. Everything else supports out earlier claim that the interiors of these cars are bombproof. That means it all looks terrific, all works, and it is a lovely place to be.

It’s fully loaded too, including the sport chrono on top of the dashboard which allows you to time your daily commute down to the hundredth of a second.

We could waffle on for another couple of hundred words by telling you how good it is but as we aren’t paid by the word we won’t.

Instead we’ll end with a plea: please, just come and see it and be prepared to be amazed at just how good a ten-year-old interior can be. It really is as remarkably well preserved as the photos suggest.

With a mixture of Porsche main dealer and carefully selected independent specialists, the 911 has been rigorously maintained throughout its entire life.

One of the 997’s few weaknesses is its exhaust note, which can sound a little feeble, even when it’s fitted with the Carrera S’s sports exhaust. So, the owner did the decent thing and had the back-box replaced with a stainless steel bypass pipe from Hayward and Scott. This is a well-proven modification – and is the only one on the car – and ensures the Porsche sounds as good as it drives (the original standard exhaust is included).

He also spent just over three thousand pounds shortly after buying the car in November 2015. Again, he did the sensible thing and asked the Porsche Centre Hatfield to go over it from stem to stern and put right anything it wasn’t happy about.

The resulting work included new front discs, pads and fluid, new front top mounts, a new ‘V’ belt plus a 60,000 mile service. This work set the car up beautifully for the next four years, and he tells us that it has since run beautifully throughout his time with the car. We’ve driven it and can confirm that it starts, runs and drives as a Porsche 911 997 should, which is to say very well indeed.

Oh, and the engine bay is as neat and clean as you’d expect with a car with this provenance. Ditto the underside. Again, boring, but true – and trust us; when you’re spending this sort of money on a ten-year-old supercar then a boring history is exactly what you want to see.

More tedium comes by way of the online MOT history, which shows nothing of concern whatsoever. Not even any advisories bar a couple of rear tyres a few years ago, in fact. It also confirms the Porsche’s 68k mileage, and the MOT certificate itself expires in October 20202.

The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus the invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it since the vendor has owned it.

It also comes with two keys, the original owner’s handbook and associated bumf, a fully stamped service history book with ten stamps, and the OE storage wallet. As you can see from the fully stamped service history booklet and accompanying invoices, routine servicing has been carried out religiously using the correct parts and oils.

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 the very highest standard.

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

When the market falters, it defaults to what it knows best - and a fully optioned Porsche 911 997 Gen2 Carrera 4S (phew) with the best specification and an impeccable service history is the very definition of what it knows best.

This means that while this wonderful example won’t be cheap, it will be good value because it’s going to hold its value way, way better than a cheaper, less attractive model with some questionable periods in its past.

Only for sale as the back seat is now a bit too tight for his growing family to use comfortably, we think it’s going to sell for between £31,000 and £37,000.

Not the cheapest you’ll see on offer we know, but the true cost of ownership can only be calculated after you’ve sold the car and good examples like this will always fetch a premium over the sort of shabby, high-mileage, abused cars that might look temptingly cheap but can end up costing you far more than biting the bullet and buying a good example in the first place.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market’s HQ near Abingdon; 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’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.