Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet (996)

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In 1997, with the launch of the 996 series, the 911 had 'malevolent' and 'air-cooled' struck from its vocabulary.

These water-cooled 911s were a huge step forward, their dynamic excellence silencing most of the critics who felt it heretic to liquid-cool a 911. The handling was transformed as well, giving the 911 a more mature, benign personality.

Initially powered by a 296bhp 3.4-litre engine, this was soon replaced by an even stronger 3.6-litre unit with 320bhp and 273lb/ft. It weighed just 1,320kg, was as slippery as a bar of soap and could sprint to 60mph in 4.9 seconds on its way to a top speed of 178mph. And all this to a spine-tingling soundtrack from the howling flat-six - and 25mpg economy.

Showing 69,800 miles on the clock which is supported by the seven service stamps (the last at 67,000 miles), this 996 C4S model has the manual gearbox, switchable sports exhaust (“now you hear me, now you don’t”) and factory hardtop. It also has the carbon fibre interior pack, touch-screen navigation and the eyes-in-the-back-of-your-head PDC parking assist.

GX05 FET is one very smart 911 and comes with a reassuring service record (four Porsche dealers, three specialists) with its last service being only 1,900 miles ago. A 4S model with some pretty desirable options and in a nicely subdued colour scheme, it has everything going for it – including an MOT to December 2019.