A used Porsche 911 might look tempting, but save some money for its upkeep

Around 12 years ago I worked in a used-car dealership. Among the Ford Fiestas that kept my commission ticking over, there was one sale that sticks in my mind after all this time: a Mazda RX-8. 

I adored the way the car looked and drove – and I still do – but this one had seen better days. Its bumper was covered in scratches and this, plus a lack of a service history, was reflected in the £1,500 asking price.

It didn’t take long before a prospective buyer showed up. He wasn’t that interested in cars, he explained, and he didn’t know anything about the RX-8 or how it worked. He just fancied a bit of a change from his ropey 10-year-old Vauxhall Astra and thought the Mazda looked nice. 

Anyone who is familiar with the RX-8 knows that it’s powered by a glorious rotary engine. Its free-revving character is to die for, but if you don’t know how to treat it right, then it’ll quite readily die all on its own. That’s when you’re faced with a repair bill far greater than the £1,500 price tag.

I never tried as hard to convince a buyer that a warranty package would be a wise purchase. I made it clear that this wasn’t just a pretty sports car, it was one that required careful maintenance, and that a little investment now could save him a lot of cash at some point in the future.

This was an extreme case, but buying used performance icons can be like negotiating a minefield. Porsche 911s and the like have depreciation curves that bring these models within the reach of buyers who can afford the car, but not the sums needed for their upkeep. This can be far from ideal if you’re searching for one.

Of course, there are ways to try and reduce the chances of impending doom that you’ll have heard of before. These include checking if the tyres match (and are a brand you’ve heard of), looking through old receipts, and doing an HPI check to make sure the car hasn’t been pranged. But I have one other piece of sensible advice: don’t blow your entire budget on the car.

Accept that despite your most studious browsing, something will probably go wrong. Keep some money aside for repairs further down the road, and it’ll be much less stressful when the inevitable happens. 

And the RX-8 customer? He bought the car, but not the warranty. I don’t know how that car is now, but I wouldn’t take it even if you gave it to me for free.

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