REVEALED: The best Porsches to buy for under £50,000 

Always surprises me how the Panamera products are always overlooked, especially the GTS & Turbo variants. The 970.2 GTS with its N/A V8 sounds like a nascar.

Worth mentioning depreciation, I have a 2011 997.2 GTS that I purchased in 2017 for £54.000 and it has increased in value. I was offered £58.000 last month, it’s not a garage queen I do 5000 miles a year and cost me £800 in costs last year

981 GTS all day. That’s the hidden gem and one of the best overall packages of all Porsche models ever. Sold mine for a 992 and it was a bad move ;)

Love the way Phil Rabey suggests “you won’t look like a tw@t”. Brilliant. And true.

Much appreciate your work! Recent 911 owner, 996 40th anniversary edition. Excited to collect soon. A few upgrades being done. Interesting factoid about how difficult undoing fasteners can be through the generations.

Great video Lee, as a 987 RS60 Spyder owner I can confirm: Only 300 came to UK with 1960 made worldwide, all numbered cars. Available in red or black interior/hood and any combination of the two. Limited GT Silver paint, PASM, PSE, hardback GT silver sports seats, GT silver centre console, full leather dash and interior as standard, with special perforated leather in places. 5mm spacers all round, sits 10mm lower and stance looks just right. Hand painted silver roll hoops, hand painted A pillars in gloss black. Sport design 19” wheels and exterior trim, PASM makes the ride smooth even on 19” wheels. The induction noise and exhaust with valves open sound is sublime, with the roof down its orchestral. For 20-28k its a big chunk of Porsche for the cash, through the Porsche lens, a bargain IMO. The drive is outstanding, only weakness is some 3.4 engine cars had bore scoring, this can be prevented to a large degree by: Annual oil change, low temp thermostat, use injector cleaner and good fuel to limit bore washing, dont idle from cold to warm up and dont rev high until warm. I love this car, dont see how to beat it as a package, try one and call me a liar 😂

Best Porsche Channel..! Cheers from Germany

Also worth mentioning the importance of getting a PPI

Spot on Gents! What ever your taste or desire, always buy the best cared for Porsche (service history, washed, owner passion, etc) and not always the best spec. They are reliable and great motoring, but if neglected it will cost and you'll forever be chasing an issue. If you are looking to get into your first Porsche, Lee at 9werks is your go to man. Font of knowledge and accurate.

987 Spyder is a much better option if you want something special under £50k than the likes of an RS60, 550 Spyder, Black Editions, 996 40th etc. It's much more bespoke than any of those cars, and frankly a better car than any of them. Very much under rated and if you're desperate re chasing status and think cars are investments, which sadly a lot of people and this channel seem to be obsessed with, then long term there's no way it's not going to outperform those cars.

Very thought provoking. Brilliant !!!

Lots of good points!

A relatable Porsche video, well done 👏

You can tell these are UK prices. Continental Europe is nowhere near relative to the UK. 30.000 for a 996 Turbo, 45.000 for a 997 even? Sheesh, sign me up. 997.1 Turbo tiptronics are like 60k+. Nice video mate, cheers!

991.1 with 991.2 rear lights, perfect.

Great piece as always, Chris. And I agree that a Macan, while a great SUV, is not a sports car and not something I would consider to be in the same category of fun and sportiness as a 911 or Boxster/Cayman. For a daily driver, I need a 911 for the back seats. Also I live in a four season environment and need AWD to make the car usable all year long. For me, therefore, the winner at the £50K/$62K range in a 911 is the 996 or 997 C4S. The 996 Turbo and 997.1 Turbo (or a 991.1 S or 4s for that matter) are in a significantly higher price bracket, at least in the U.S. for a decently spec’ed manual transmission car with reasonable mileage. Back then to the 996, 997.1 and 997.2 C4s, I’ve owned all three and would put the 997.2 at the bottom of that list. As you implied, but I don’t think many realize, underneath the skin the 9:10 997.2 is really a proto 991 (and the 997.1 is really more like a 996.3) and therefore I find the 997.2 to be quite dull to drive unless you are doing really big speeds. The 996 and 997.1 are much more analog and mechanical and for that reason I strongly prefer them (despite the higher potential for engine issues with the M96/M97 motor vs the 9A1 DFI in the 997.2). Of the three of those cars I never felt sad about selling the 997.2 and I still daily drive my 997.1.

I believe the PCCM+ upgrade is only for the gen 1 cars at the moment.

Best Porsche channel out there 👍

Macan, not a car. Agree on the 991.1 for performance. The 944 Turbo in the States is running about $30k. Entertaining video, thanks for sharing.

I like the comparative off-the-cuff feel to this video Lee - and I think you got the best from Chris and Phil as a result. Some great suggestions. Also - pleased to see your eyes opening to the Boxsters and other metal from Zuffenhausen. They don’t really make bad cars! 😉

Great video, watching it and being a Porsche ( lower end) enthusiast and owner one feels compelled to comment. Appreciate your 3k a year comments but I believe you could also push the fact that companies like Design911 sell good quality parts for less than dealer prices, thus bringing ownership costs down. A 5k Boxster of any engine derivative should not cost 3k a year in costs and doesn’t. Even if you say 50% of that budget on labour your left with 1.5k to which you could buy a lot of parts. Adding to the above, brakes, shocks, suspension components are all within most enthusiasts home garage skills. You can own a 996/987/987 or any of the earlier front engines models and maintain on a smaller budget than suggested. Fair enough you may not be getting the Porsche stamps, the dealer receipts but should you be bothered?, the likelihood the car will remain just as reliable as throwing 3k at it is the same. Should the model values start to rise an enthusiast maintained car over a dealer / specialist maintained car might not have the edge but when you consider the £’s saved you may not financially be missing out, plus the journey of ownership and connection you’d have got would be another element an owner who gives the car each time to someone else wouldn’t. There’s a whole load of bottom end 996/986/987 that are there to be loved, enjoyed and saved from the scrapyard or being parted. This channel is the platform to help people willing to roll up there sleeves or even do some of the mechanical donkey work at home or with likeminded folk and get/ keep these cars on the road. It can be done, perhaps the modern ways of liability would keep such an ethos from being broadcast, surely though the more Porsches on the road the better with the guidance from 9 Werks and it’s contributors. Too radical ?😀 Ps - each year I throw a few hundred quid at a 986 2.5, not excluding servicing, and each year it gets better 👍🏻, just acquired a 996, 3.4 cable throttle and will be doing the same.

997.1 C2s manual. Brilliant cars and don’t be worried about the engine issues, just put some money aside just in case and enjoy it! (I took mine on track at Silverstone and hand on heart it was as much fun as my BAC Mono!) (You can add bluetooth streaming for iPhone support, works really well with your phone in an air vent mount as the screen and keeps everything stock looking.)

987 black edition mentioned! They’re hard to come by but are effectively a 987.2 GTS given the spec and power bump, you can get one for a berry small premium to a regular Boxster s so I’d say they’re underrated

Lee! Do you have merch for the us? Thx

997 4 targa AWD manual isn't a bad shout for me. Quirky fun good looking 911 🤙

Best value 996 (obviously) but no where nr yr £50k mark. I picked up a >100,000 mile 996 40 Jahre and with the change from £50 will gradually renew it. Got back today from a 4000 km road trip to Andalusia - car was a dream.

You should do a video on reality cost of running a Porsche and going on holiday tours for 3 years inc insurance and track days etc

Always amazed by how "cheap" they are in the UK. Also you are quite lucky to not pay tons of road tax and insurance. In Belgium it costs for a 996.1 around € 2400 in road tax and around €6-700 in insurance for these cars with limited miles/kilometers. So with an average of around 5-7000kms they easy cost 3500 euro a year to run without maintenance (or just an oil change) ... I think it might be an interesting comparison in cost (tax/insurance) between the different countries in the EU/world. But as always good quality content.

Under £50k I'd buy my two cars all over again. Macan Turbo PP and 993 Carrera. 993 was £42k and I paid more than that for the PP but you'll get them under £40k now.

$50k, 911SC, seen a few great deals lately

Buy a 996 Turbo for £30k and save the rest. I’ve been running a high mileage one as a daily for 7 years. Still worth what I paid. Fantastic comfy exciting car

I’d love a 996 turbo - so beautiful

Defo 987 boxster. 986 is so sweet but interior better in 987. And save the money for the best version, insurance and maintenance and holiday tours

I'd go for a 987.1 Cayman 2.7. No Bore Scoring, large unproblematic IMS, unbelievabely great chassis, fells much more athletic than a 997.1. I know the .2 is even more robust, but it doesnt justify 5-8k price difference (at leat in Germany). 85% the experience of the "911" for 50% of the price!

I currently have a Racing Yellow with black glass roof and absolutely love it ❤️. I live in Scottsdale, AZ but I’m originally from Liverpool and looking to buy a second home now in the UK, so I’ll be checking these guys out for a 911. Hopefully I will t look like a twat 🤣🤣

Is it better to buy from a Porsche dealership or specialist?

Low mileage 90’s 928 5 speed. Just as comfortable as any 911 and faster than the 3.3 911 Turbo

Macan? I get it, but not for me. And it's compromised. A family car? Only if the kids are small. The leg room in the back is no better than some 2+2s. Personally, I'd rather have a Cayenne or a Panamera. Whether you like the looks or not, a Panamera feels special inside. There's no other sports saloon that has such a low-slung sporting driving position combined with limousine luxury. It is maybe a bit big for everyday for many people, which leads me back to the 911 as Porsche's best daily. Other than that, there were some good options. I was quite surprised how much Philip Raby seemed to rate the cars at the bottom of the food chain. Good to see. However, IMO 991s have to be the best Porsche daily under 50k. Otherwise, 997s and 981s have to be good calls. The only suggestion I don't get is 944s, Turbos or not. Underrated? I don't think they stack up well in 2024. 25k for a 944 Turbo/S with 220-250hp or 25k for a 997.1 Carrera manual with 325 n-a hp? Personally, I think the 997.1 Carrera manuals are the most underrated. People focus on the S, but it's only 25hp more and the 3.8 is far far more prone to bore scoring. Obviously, the 997 has a more classic appearance and is the right size for UK roads, and even the base has more than enough power for UK roads. Yes, there's the problem with bore scoring, but it's maybe worth bearing in mind that the purchase price of 997.1s is about the cost of a Hartech rebuild cheaper than a 997.2. They sound a lot better, and it now appears the 997.2s aren't as bulletproof as once thought. I'd also add an honourable mention to the 987.2 base. Excellent value for money. The 2.9 port injection engine appears to be the most reliable of the standard water-cooled engines, and it doesn't coke up like the DFI engines. Same performance as a 986 S.

I’ll have upwards of 20k to spend on a Porsche in the next few weeks. It will be a daily drive but will only cover 6 to 7 k a year I’m tempted by a cayman Any thoughts guys and gals ?

The UK must have the cheapest Porsches today I reckon. Must be nice!

997 gen 2 are hurt by the insane road tax in my opinion, such a shame as they are the best looking 911s since the 993/964 but how caan anyone justify £700+/year on just road tax

987.2 Cayman R or a Spyder. Also, the 987.2 doesn't have a PCCM+ yet. I'm still waiting.

Just drove a 991.2 C2. So boring. Like a sedan. Just so big and so ‘controlled’. Couldn’t believe that my 987.2 is the better sports car. I’ll be going back in time if I buy another.

Chris looks like a cross between Harry Enfield and Ricky Gervais...is he funny?

Hi, how about under £25,000 Porsche I am a big Porsche fun and what can I buy under £25,000 has to be 911😂

I think I like Phil.😂

Man the USA is expensive compared to the uk

under 50K ? 993 all day long

Don’t ever buy a Porsche for under 50 grand especially if that 50 grand is every last penny you have.

My comments keep getting removed 😂

haha, did Phil say dont look like a twat??

A Macan GTS with $100 lowering links drives better than all non-GT/Turbo 911’s. I think most people assume they drive like Cayennes and have no idea they come PDK and air suspension and ride on rails. The handling is insane and they dominate every task. If you agree that it’s a wife’s car, you would also say that all daily driveable Porsches are wife cars to some degree right? I don’t care what else you have in your collection, the Macan will be everyone’s favorite to drive and be the quickest around town for daily tasks, especially with a Le Mans start, which is how it goes in real life. It can’t be understated the importance of an entry/exit where the seat is the same height as your bum, you’re already in the shop before the 911 guy gets his inside shoe to pavement.

Puppet boy