With the average price of a new 911 Carrera S pushing beyond £75,000 once a few extras have been added, it’s worth checking what’s available second-hand on the dealer forecourt. This two-owner, 2006 car being offered by Dick Lovett in Swindon is a prime example of what can be found. It’s reasonably well specced in Cobalt Blue Metallic with black leather, 19in wheels, sat-nav, sports seats and an electric sunroof, and has covered fewer than 26,500 miles to boot.

All current Porsches have two-year/20,000-mile service intervals, and this car will be due its next service in January 2010. It had its first MOT in January of this year and has covered only 4000 miles since. I suspect it’s been used for lots of short trips as some creasing is evident on the driver’s seat, but this is the only sign of wear.

On a short test drive all seems fine mechanically, the engine revving freely and matched by a particularly sweet gearchange. A slight wheel wobble is present but is nothing to worry about – this car is being sold under Porsche’s approved used car scheme so it comes with a comprehensive Porsche-backed 12-month warranty, meaning any niggles will be easily sorted.

Dick Lovett worked out a finance scheme for us and it shows that if you were prepared to put down a £9000 deposit, the monthly payments would be £610 (over 36 months with a balloon payment of £23,631).

Good early 997s are walking out of showrooms at this kind of price. The only problem is finding one in the first place, so if you like this one, you’d best not hesitate too long or it’ll be gone by the time you call.

With thanks to vendor Porsche Centre Swindon (www.dicklovett.co.uk)