Joined: 21 Sep 2015 Posts: 581 Location: Somewhere Nr Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 9:35 am Post subject: My New Carrera C2
After selling my 993 back in January I thought I’d scratched the 911 itch for the time being. My intention was to drive the lease ‘Eurobox’ I had at the time and revisit the Porsche situation in a few years. But one October lunchtime I started looking.. Initially this was simply for research purposes as I had planned to purchase in the spring; but this initial foray soon unravelled into fully-fledged ownership. I don’t know precisely why, but I felt that it was time for a 911 in my life again. I’ve always liked the 997 variant. It’s my favourite body-shape after the 993, retaining many of it’s styling cues such as the dash design and the oval lamps.
I knew (for obvious reasons) that only a second generation would fit the bill. This was going to be my daily for a year or so and I wanted that DFI engine doing the work and not (potentially- how ever contentious that may be) my wallet. For me a 997.2 was the best path. And because the daily errands were going to be conducted in a 911, I looked towards the humble 3.6 litre Carrera. I’ve always preferred the narrow body cars and the better MPG would help my not infrequent triple digit drives to and from work.
I began my search with the well respected independents and happened upon an Atlas Grey Carrera 2 at JZM with 47k on the odometer. Looked nice in the literature. No sun roof or rear wiper (which I liked) and a few nice options such as heated seats and sound package. A non-PASM, manual car which I liked for it’s integrity (good raft of receipts & paperwork and no over-revs over range 2- so no events over the limiter). Arguably a PDK would have been more convenient in traffic but the manual box is an absolute peach, although there is a knack for selecting first gear.. A few more toys would have been nice but not a deal breaker as I like my cars quite basic. I’m a primitive.
A visit was booked. A deal was struck! Reasonable at a whisker shy of 36k. JZM kindly undertook my list of remedial items which included a machine polish, new discs & pads to the front end, wheel refurb, new centrecaps, new kick-plates, fresh MOT and half a tank of fuel. I also paid for the car to be under-sealed paying particular attention beneath the under-trays- mainly due to the recent thread discussing such prevention.
A couple of weeks later I picked a beautifully prepared Atlas Grey Manual C2 Carrera. Nevertheless, off it went to the excellent Bruce Stevenson at Spider Vehicle Enhancement nr. Tunbridge Wells. Bruce performed the following:
- Repaint 4X callipers & replace decals
- Repaint 4X brake hubs - custom/experimental OEM grey primer colour with rust inhibitor
- Enhancement detail plus localised machine polishing
- Ceramic coating (Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light) plus two coats hydrophobic coating (Gtechniq EXOv4)
- Wheels off, deep clean & quartz-based protection (Gyeon Rim Q2)
- Wheel arch deep clean & corrosion protection - incl. protection to suspension components
- Engine bay deep clean & ACF50 treatment
- Interior leather clean & protect - paying attention to wheel, handbrake lever & gear shift (restore matt texture)
- Wheels bolts removed and painted
I’ve been using the car for just over a couple of weeks now. I’m happy to report compete success as a well rounded daily. Touch wood. It trundles along in traffic very nicely and pushes on with gusto when pressed. I’ve even managed to coax 36mpg over one particularly sedate morning commute. The 3.6litre lump coupled with the DFI does make for a rather lacklustre soundtrack but as a daily it’s subtlety is actually quite apt. If the car were a weekend ride I’d totally update the exhaust and install an induction kit. And hopefully, what with the preventative measures I’ve taken to protect the car, the winter weather will be kind.
My only plans moving forward are to fit a Bovee 1000 for streaming music from my iPhone and to fit some lowering springs. Although, riding on 19” wheels, this may be a tad too harsh for a daily, especially as the first 15 mins of my commute are county roads.
This thread would be useless without pics so take a gander.. _________________ Atlas Grau on Ocean Blue Gen 2 997 C2 Carrera
Sold: Aventura Grün 993 C2 Carrera
Last edited by MattyR on Fri Nov 23, 2018 9:54 am; edited 1 time in total
3C5A9D59-A1D9-4B9C-A47D-A1107FEF5D22.jpeg
Description:
Filesize:
362.07 KB
Viewed:
1120 Time(s)
618D8DC4-2A4F-4CD8-BD49-42F5A100F98D.jpeg
Description:
Filesize:
208.44 KB
Viewed:
1120 Time(s)
C6BFBFA1-4E59-4762-B11B-B09916F8B6EE.jpeg
Description:
Filesize:
293.51 KB
Viewed:
1120 Time(s)
DEDCA1F4-B492-4E34-84C3-3402DA841017.jpeg
Description:
Filesize:
345.95 KB
Viewed:
1120 Time(s)
15C10778-8CD5-4DBA-9DD7-303292774F91.jpeg
Description:
Filesize:
351.11 KB
Viewed:
1120 Time(s)
2E5ACD43-19FA-4873-B91E-9810640BA03E.jpeg
Description:
Filesize:
473.48 KB
Viewed:
1120 Time(s)
7E620C75-FA95-456F-9575-EBF44D6635B9.jpeg
Description:
Filesize:
457.55 KB
Viewed:
1120 Time(s)
E3ADA4F4-F60F-443A-9FDF-99286D718017.jpeg
Description:
Filesize:
419.81 KB
Viewed:
1120 Time(s)
343D41C9-E3D3-4772-ABF9-6EC55513AE2A.jpeg
Description:
Filesize:
611.89 KB
Viewed:
1120 Time(s)
A9F5E561-2D86-4A37-AC41-B2DB32FC8609.jpeg
Description:
Filesize:
439.36 KB
Viewed:
1120 Time(s)
MattyR Montreal
Joined: 21 Sep 2015 Posts: 581 Location: Somewhere Nr Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 9:40 am Post subject:
A few more _________________ Atlas Grau on Ocean Blue Gen 2 997 C2 Carrera
Sold: Aventura Grün 993 C2 Carrera
A20605DD-8650-40B6-A3F1-0434059B512A.jpeg
Description:
Filesize:
553.14 KB
Viewed:
1108 Time(s)
D88D2B8E-BECC-42F0-9BA9-F10E49AA94FC.jpeg
Description:
Filesize:
395.19 KB
Viewed:
1108 Time(s)
1B907312-7AB6-45CF-9601-C6E92F6AA3C9.jpeg
Description:
Filesize:
696.16 KB
Viewed:
1108 Time(s)
1F6A28E7-B38A-4BF7-B51D-9FF93E49EB4D.jpeg
Description:
Filesize:
584.99 KB
Viewed:
1108 Time(s)
CCD93218-9D51-448E-9B29-2D9328A092BD.jpeg
Description:
Filesize:
427.07 KB
Viewed:
1108 Time(s)
AE747FB0-8E05-4501-8F05-9760B38A1B3D.jpeg
Description:
Filesize:
508.96 KB
Viewed:
1108 Time(s)
B6A44F05-DF4C-4F25-8BE7-0F32A03C7B98.jpeg
Description:
Filesize:
567.06 KB
Viewed:
1108 Time(s)
B4053C84-4077-44E9-A66E-8A10CFDF669A.jpeg
Description:
Filesize:
461.24 KB
Viewed:
1108 Time(s)
1224E4C9-8481-4A87-88FC-CDA09E69B9CB.jpeg
Description:
Filesize:
470.28 KB
Viewed:
1108 Time(s)
ADB4E094-425D-463B-8191-9A9FEAA43456.jpeg
Description:
Filesize:
311.31 KB
Viewed:
1108 Time(s)
MarkGolf Montreal
Joined: 13 Nov 2012 Posts: 575 Location: S.London
Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 9:44 am Post subject:
Stunning!!
Congrats _________________ Current fleet
My 964 My 997
2003 Boxster 2.7
1994 Eunos Roadster S Special Turbo 270bhp!
1991 Mercedes 500SL
1979 Mercedes 280e
1995 VW Golf VR6 3.0
Counter Of Beans Monza
Joined: 10 May 2018 Posts: 201 Location: Hampshire
Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 10:05 am Post subject:
Great pics MattyR, thanks for sharing.
I also have a 3.6 Gen 2 car and I'm more than happy with it; the car has more than enough performance for UK roads and yet is reasonably practical including fuel economy - it also looks great, and best of all the C2 is the cheapest variant. For me (given the congested roads round here) a turbo or a GT car would be wasted and they're way more expensive.
The two things I really wanted to change on my C2 were the ride height (I went for Ohlins Road & Track coilovers), and exhaust noise (I bought a cracking system from CGR in Rotherham).
Anyway, hope you enjoy yours, it looks lovely.
T8 General
Joined: 29 Jun 2010 Posts: 14936 Location: Kent
Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 10:09 am Post subject:
I'm sure it will give you '000s of miles of fun amongst all the daily duties.
I don't envy you keeping it clean though. _________________ 2007 Guards Red 997 Turbo Tiptronic
ex 2004 Polar Silver 996T Tiptronic
ex 2002 Seal Grey 996.2 C4 Tiptronic
ex 1978 Silver 924 Manual
TonyC911 Spa-Francorchamps
Joined: 06 Jun 2016 Posts: 272 Location: High Wycombe, Bucks
Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 10:39 am Post subject:
Great looking car Matty! I really like the colour and obviously, IMHO you have the best design wheels too! Enjoy the ride! _________________ 2007 Carrerra S
2005 Boxster S
2003 Boxster 2.7
1998 Boxster 2.5
I follow Spider Vehicle Enhancement on facebook and saw the photos last week.
Great job. I'm also in Tunbridge-Wells btw. _________________ 997.2 Carrera PDK
MaxA Barcelona
Joined: 11 Oct 2015 Posts: 1390 Location: Helsinki
Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 10:48 am Post subject:
Very nice. Now I know what I should have done when I collected the car. Instead I just collected stone chips and added km. Then I got the ceramic coating... and some other bits and pieces. All back to front. _________________ 2010 9972 C4S PDK: Carrara White, Sea Blue. Mostly driven, lightly modified, occasionally tracked, and usually a bit grubby.
I got my Gen2 c2 manual no sunroof no wiper from JZM too, also got gtechniq applied.
Mine had 37k miles and was £39k three years ago for reference. I found JZM great to deal with, got them to include various extras as they wouldn’t budge on sticker price.
Yours looks stunning!
Take care washing as the coating will still pick up swirls. _________________ Manual 997.2 c2 :Basalt + gtechniq : H&S + Gundo
MJA911 Sepang
Joined: 10 Dec 2013 Posts: 2767 Location: Berkshire
Great 911 and fantastic work to get it into that condition! Lowering springs and geo done well would get you the look and handling you're after, an obvious place to go for that is Center Gravity, they would guide you through the whole package, maybe some subtle spacing on the wheels too. But in any case, fantastic car, including if you keep it standard as Porsche intended _________________ 991.1 C2, 986 Boxster S
Past pleasures: 997.1 GT3, 997.2 C4S Cab, 993 C2, 997.1 C2S, 996.1 C4
Porkaholic Monza
Joined: 11 Jan 2009 Posts: 220 Location: Cornwall
Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 3:49 pm Post subject:
Great looking 911 manual Carrera 3.6 keeping it simple but
a real peach of a car, nice one! _________________ 2009 997.2 4S manual cab, lightly modified
2017 Cayenne S V8 4.2 twin turbo diesel
2016 Mini Cooper S
1997 VW T4 VR6 2.8 Camper
BHZ661 Suzuka
Joined: 03 Feb 2015 Posts: 1222 Location: Milton Keynes
Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 4:02 pm Post subject:
Stunning , looks fantastic
rob_p Österreich
Joined: 20 Oct 2013 Posts: 919 Location: Leicester
Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 6:39 pm Post subject:
Very nice. Congrats. _________________ 991.1 C2 (no mods, yet)
997.1 C2 (full Hartech rebuild, Ohlins coilovers, ducktail, plus some other bits)
Jeep Grand Cherokee WK2
Ex Audi A8 V8 4.2tdi (best all round car I will ever own?)
Ex Porsche Boxster 986
Ex Mazda MX5 mk1
Plus some other stuff that wasn't very interesting....
jml3p Monza
Joined: 25 Oct 2009 Posts: 171 Location: effingham in surrey
Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 7:07 pm Post subject:
Welcome aboard.
Car looks fantastic.
Robertb Long Beach
Joined: 01 Sep 2003 Posts: 6769 Location: South Oxfordshire
An exceptional detailing job- now you just have to keep on top of it! _________________ "911- the guilt-free supercar"
Current: 2003 C4S Coupe, seal/black
Ex: '02 C4S Coupe, '96 993 Targa, '88 Carrera Sport Coupe
Ridders Spa-Francorchamps
Joined: 20 Feb 2008 Posts: 292 Location: Rochdale
Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 7:47 pm Post subject:
Very nice motor Matty, sorry if I missed it but what year is it?
Sold my 993 in September as having no employment
Now employed so need to find another Porsche
I’m thinking Cayman S 987.1 Manual & spend money on 3.9 conversion & some styling mods or spend the whole budget on a 997.2 3.6 Manual _________________ Ex - Iris Blue 1995 C2 Manual
MJA911 Sepang
Joined: 10 Dec 2013 Posts: 2767 Location: Berkshire
Interesting choice, neither a bad one. Cayman 3.9 storming performance, outstanding handling, 997.2 C2 no slouch on either and has the 911 magic, would probably look after you better financially. _________________ 991.1 C2, 986 Boxster S
Past pleasures: 997.1 GT3, 997.2 C4S Cab, 993 C2, 997.1 C2S, 996.1 C4
Ridders Spa-Francorchamps
Joined: 20 Feb 2008 Posts: 292 Location: Rochdale
Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 8:15 pm Post subject:
My thinking was the Cayman would be more like a modern version of the 993, small car, small cabin etc & after the mods, be more of a change to my daily, 640d Msport.
Thing is, it’s not a 911, which will cause anguish _________________ Ex - Iris Blue 1995 C2 Manual
MisterCorn Long Beach
Joined: 08 Jan 2011 Posts: 6595 Location: Nottingham, England
My thinking was the Cayman would be more like a modern version of the 993, small car, small cabin etc & after the mods, be more of a change to my daily, 640d Msport.
Thing is, it’s not a 911, which will cause anguish
The mid engine cars are a very different drive to a 911
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You can attach files in this forum You can download files in this forum You cannot post calendar events in this forum