MARKET PLACE

Electric cars and Brexit are coming, but the founder of Leicestershire Porsche specialist AUV, Andy Fenwick, tells us his main focus will always be Porsche and petrol and that early 991s are currently offering great value for money

Tried & tested, plus dealer and auction talk

How long have you been in the Porsche business? I’ve been selling Porsches for the last 15 years in total, and I’m proud to say that Approved Used Vehicles, “AUV”, is just about to have its 10th birthday in April 2018.

What Porsches do you specialise in?

We sell all variants within the Porsche brand, however our strongest model is the 911 and we tend to keep stock within six years old and up to 40,000 miles. But we will look at any 911 on its own merits.

What’s your cheapest, and most expensive Porsche presently in stock?

The cheapest is a 2012 Panamera Diesel with 48,000 miles for £32,950, and the most expensive is a 991-series 911 Turbo Cabriolet with 3000 miles for £144,950. At the moment our lowest priced 911 is a gen 2 997 Carrera S priced at £44,950.

What would you recommend as the best “first Porsche” to buy?

Depending on budget of course, I would always encourage a first time Porsche 911 buyer to go for a gen 2 997. Although that model will be 10 years old soon, it still enjoys a modern feel and with the PDK gearbox etc, they are super reliable.

Where do you get your stock from?

We’re lucky enough to have a very loyal customer base, so on a lot of cars we have in stock we’ll agree to buy them back from customers – and then hopefully supply their next one! We also have a dedicated Porsche buying website, porsche911buyer.com

What warranty do you give, or sell?

We include a free sixmonth/6000-mile warranty with all our retail cars. However, I believe prevention is the best form of warranty, and therefore we prepare all our cars to a very good standard. We buy all our stock, so my team are very aware of what I expect from a car, and I don’t believe you get that detail from dealers who focus on selling cars on behalf of the owners, “sale or return”.

What’s ‘hot’ at themoment?

Early 991s If they have sensible miles, history and spec – then they tend to find new homes quite quickly. We’ve also sold a few 996 and 997 Turbos, but they have to be right, with good miles and condition, and manual is nice, too!

What’s best value at the moment?

Best value at the moment for me has to be an early 991 911 Carrera S with PDK. At the moment you’ll pick up a nice car with a low mileage and decent spec for £60,000 to £65,000 and I believe that’s good value for your money. In my opinion, current sold values of gen 2 997s will help keep prices 991s steady for the foreseeable. Name a car that you recently sold, that you would happily have kept for yourself We have just sold a superb 991 Turbo S Cabriolet to one of our most regular clients, and let’s just say, I’m looking forward to that car coming back into stock. When he’s ready, of course!

What car do you drive everyday?

More often than not, I’m in a Porsche 911 of some variant. I drive every car that we purchase to make sure that everything is to my liking and to a good standard.

What are your plans for the future?

I think everyone is waiting to see what changes happen in motoring in the next few years. But the two most significant topics for me personally are Brexit and electric cars. Although I can’t see electric effectively rolling out into day to day motoring for some time, Brexit is on our doorstep and I’m positive about that. So the future for AUV is simple, we remain Porsche and petrol, at least for the time being anyway!