Paul O’Reilly, general manager, Ashgood: “We’ve sold six 993s in the past four weeks, from a £30,000 C2 Tiptronic to a £300,000 Turbo S. The prices of some versions have softened, though. We’ve just sold a left-hand-drive 3.8 RS for £200,000; a couple of years ago, we got 15% more for the same car. It’s all about numbers: the fewer there are, the more they’re worth. There were only 23 right-hand-drive Turbo Ss and some will have been written off. If you’ve got the money, there’s a 993 for you whether it’s a coupé, cabriolet, automatic, turbo or race-inspired.”

Buyer beware…

■ Engine: Oil must be kept at the right level and changed every 12,000 miles. Check after a test drive. Also, check the oil temp gauge: if the reading is too high, it may indicate issues with the oil cooler or temperature sensor. Look for leaks from the chain, valve and lower cam covers. Smell for leaking oil burning on the heat exchangers. If it’s over 100k miles, the engine may have been rebuilt; check by whom. With little-used cars, check for missed services, uneven running and perished hoses.

■ Exhaust: Check for rust on the heat shields and silencer welds, and if the system has been upgraded that it satisfies emissions and noise regs.

■ Gearbox: Manual gearbox thrives on scheduled oil changes. Clutch should be good for 70,000 miles. Regarding the Tiptronic, a noisy torque converter is bad news.

■ Brakes and suspension: Check discs faces for pitting and edges for lipping. Suspension bushes last 40k miles or so. New ones plus new dampers and ball joints tighten the car nicely.

■ Body: Rust takes hold around the headlights, front and rear screens, rear chassis legs, rear bumper support brackets, the scuttle and front wings. Check the door straps aren’t broken.

■ Interior: If the heating system is struggling, check the heat exchangers are working. Air-con problems may be a failed resistor but a new system is very expensive. Feel for damp carpets.

Also worth knowing

Consider getting your potential buy inspected. Porsche Inspections (porscheinspections.com) charges £410 but it could more than pay for itself in a renegotiated buying price or money saved not buying that 993 money pit.

How much to spend

£28,000-£34,999: Launch to 1996 C2 cabrios, autos and manuals. Miles over 100k, some full service history.

£35,000-£39,999: Mainly auto coupés and cabrios but now including Varioram cars. Mileages getting lower from around £38,000.

£40,000-£49,999: More Varioram C2s and C4s, mileages around 80,000.

£50,000-£59,999: Pick of some excellent C2s and C4 coupés but still with around 80k miles.

£60,000-£84,999: The best C2s and C4s.

£85,000 -£99,999: Turbos and specials.

£100,000 and above: Rarities from here up to £350,000.

One we found