2001 Porsche 911 (996) Carrera 2 Cabriolet

This 996-era Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Cabriolet is pre-facelift, so has a 3.4-litre flat-six engine, but benefits from the power upgrade that came in 2000, giving it 305 PS (300 bhp). This would mean a 0-62 mph time of around 5 seconds - not that you’d do that but you’d know it was capable of it if you needed to!

The transmission is a Tiptronic 5-speed automatic with shifters on the steering wheel. These tend to be less desirable than a manual but in its native guise it is the Mercedes-Benz 5G-Tronic ‘box which was found in all the contemporary Mercs, including the R129 and first-gen R230 SL models.

The Cab was newly registered on 1st April 2001 - but the owner was no fool and kept the car serviced according to recommendations at the Porsche dealer where it was bought from in Reading.

After ownership spells in East Sussex and Surrey, the car was bought in July 2009 by its latest owner, a discerning retired gentleman from near Weymouth in Dorset. He and his wife have thoroughly enjoyed the car over the last 13 years - albeit sparingly in mileage terms - but for health reasons he needed to change to a different type of car.

The exterior of the 911 is finished in Arctic Silver metallic, a popular colour for 996-era cars, and it is in reasonably good condition with just a few marks here and there such as the scratch on the passenger door by the handle.

Unusually, the car comes complete with its factory hard top in the same colour. This appears in good order too although there are some tiny patches of bubbling emerging on some of the roof panel edges.

The dark blue fabric hood looks in very good condition, operating as it should, and is a more recent replacement with a fixed glass rear window, rather than one with a zip-in plastic affair that would have come with the car.

The cabriolet sits on its original 18-inch Sport Design alloy wheels with monochrome crest centre caps. The rims are in good order having been refurbished in 2019 and are fitted with Continental Sport Contact 2 tyres all round.

Across the rear bumper, you can see the park assist sensors which were a factory option, as were the stainless steel exhaust tail-pipes.

The interior is full leather in Metropole Blue across front and rear seats, dashboard and door panels.

The front 2-way electric sports seats look in reasonably good condition with just the creasing on the bolsters that you’d expect - especially on the driver’s side.

The handbrake and gear shift have the factory optional aluminium inlays and the car also has its original Porsche CR-22 Becker Mexico stereo, connected to a CD changer in the front boot.

The carpeting throughout is clean and intact and has fitted Porsche overmats for additional protection.

In the front boot, or frunk if you prefer, the carpet linings are clean and intact and the space houses the CD-changer unit, a covered space-saver spare wheel and all its original tools. Also in the frunk and coming with the car is a Cover-Zone Voyager tailored fit car cover suitable for indoor or outdoor use.

The undersides of the car look clean and tidy and free of anything other than occasional surface rust on some of the fixings. The protective trays are doing their job of obscuring and guarding more vulnerable structures. There are a few light scuffs right at the back of the front nose cone underneath - not where anyone would see though - most likely from a speed bump or possibly a kerb.

As is typical of most modern 911s, there is nothing much mechanical to be seen under the engine cover at the rear - just the plastic of the airbox cover and ducting with the engine hiding behind and below. All looks in good order however and there are no signs of damage or corrosion.

The 911 had a very recent MOT; valid until July 2023, which it passed with no advisories. Looking at its online MOT record it has first time passes right back to 2006. This record, along with the service history, validates the current mileage of around 30,700 miles.

The history file includes invoices for parts, repairs and maintenance kept by the last two owners from late 2008 onwards. The book pack contains driver’s manual, audio manual and the maintenance booklet which has the following services stamped:

May 2002 - 4,647 - AFN Porsche Reading

Mar 2003 - 5,774 - a/a

Jun 2004 - 9,966 - a/a

Jul 2007 - 14,732 - Paragon, East Sussex

Apr 2009 - 22,068 GT One, Chertsey

Nov 2011 - 24,616 - Marque 21, Dorset

Apr 2014 - 25,685 - a/a

Nov 2015 - 26,221 - Cool-it, Dorchester

Jul 2017 - 27,429 - a/a

Jul 2018 - 28,344 - a/a

Jul 2020 - 29,894 - a/a

Jun 2021 - 30,067 - a/a

Over the last couple of years, the 996 has finally started to get the appreciation that it always deserved. We’re now on the fourth series of water-cooled 911s and most enthusiasts have realised what an unnecessary fuss was made protesting its introduction with the 996.

And, yes, there were a few 996s that suffered issues from weak IMS bearings, but not anything like as many as you would believe from reading the Porsche forums. Indeed, many specialists have never seen the issue on the early 3.4-litre engine. This car has been well looked after, with good money spent on it and serviced annually with borescope inspections each time - so it drives as well as it looks.

We think this fantastic condition, low mileage, well-maintained and very usable and enjoyable 911 cabriolet, with factory hardtop present, will fetch between £18,000 and £22,000.

If you’re looking at entry level 911 ownership - but want to pay the right money for a great, solid car with attractive mileage - you could do a lot worse than put your best bid in on this.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, 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’.