So true, I wasn't even thinking about a 997 at first because I was in the market for an e92 M3. I started a "buy an M3 or used 997S?" thread on the M3 forum and interestingly enough 90% of the M3 drivers there said to go with the 997. The M3's personality is definitely vanilla compared to the 997.
yrralis1, have you done any mods to the M3? There is a very sweet sounding Meisterschaft exhaust you can add which gives you tingles in the spine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcKUPNNbcGs

 

yrralis1, i appreciate your insight. it is very hard for me to make a decision because it will be my daily driver, although i only work 5 miles from home.
verde, you are correct as i have many things to learn about porsche. i came from an e46 m3, and sold it after a year. that is one reason i am debating on purchasing another ///m.

 

I have had my share of M3's(1989 E30 M3 my personal favorite of the M3's, a 97 E36 M3 coupe 5pd, 98 E36 4 dour Auto, and a 04 E36 M3 SMG~)
A buddy of mine has a E92 M3 6spd and it is a GREAT car with great sound and plenty of power on tap! And I have had the pleasure of playing with it plenty of times and Although the new E92 M3 is a totally different beast than the E46, it is still a sedan derived coupe which in essence is still pretty similar in driving and handling characteristics as the E46...soooo with that said, maybe you should go with your first initial choice and try out the 997 for a change~ In straightline it may not seem brutal but is quick enough but the handling and driving experience is sheer pleasure~ As the old saying goes..."There is no substitute"...PORSCHE!

 

Typer -- Be patient and look at many cars . Inspect everything from paint to a DME scan . Try to get a car with low miles . Porsches do depreciate with miles . If a car is listed as "CPO" go over some of those spercs to be sure unless you are dealing with a dealership that you have a mutual trust and respect already developed . Thse are tough economic times and it can bring great car deals but it can also bring out some of the pathetic used car sales tactics even at this high end level with quality cars .

In short -question everything and you'll see --the M3 won't ever cross yoir mind when you are in yoir new Porsche.

 

There is nothing inherently wrong with buying a 997 with moderately high mileage. What is more important is that the car has been properly maintained and not abused. Good documentation of service and first class condition is important.

Need for a major high mileage service, including engine oil & filter, brake fluid flush, brake pads, accessory drive belt, spark plugs, coolant flush, suspension alignment and general detailing, is only $2-3k+/-.

 

I totally agree with Yrralis1 and MichaelIl(I had to edit this because I took soooo long writing it after Yrralis1, after I posted it I saw Michaels~HeHe!)~ In this market/economy there are alot of options you can go with and as you know it is the buyer's market and you are in a great position to be making deals~
Whether the car is a earlier model car or a later model car as long as it is a straight legit car that has been well taken care of with all services in order and has also been driven periodically so all mechanicals get their exercise, you'll be good to go~

And always remember that just because a car has LOW miles that it doesn't mean that it is a "good" car~ Because I have seen plenty of cars with 1k-5k miles that have had bodywork~ And alot of times the low miles is because it has been sitting in the shop for most of it's life or after the repairs have been done the person couldn't sell it~

Also there are those PERFECT low mile Garage queen cars that end up having mechanical probs AFTER the new owner purchases them due to LACK of driving from the previous owner and have been sitting too long with not enough exercise and once a new owner jumps in it and jumps on it, problems start to occur~ So I think mileage of the vehicle is important BUT also should be taken into consideration depending on each situation~
My personal opinion, depending on the year of the car, is a car with 7k-15K miles car that has been well taken care of is much better than a car with much lower miles with a iffy history~ And even better if it can still have a Factory warranty intact!

So all in all everything in moderation is the key~ So as the old saying goes something that maybe too good to be true maybe to good to be true~
As long as you do your homework and do your thorough inspections and can compromise on the price, mileage, and year accordingly, I think you'd be good to go!
Oh man here I go again rambling on...Sorry guys~ And to think I just joined today... But this truly is a GREAT site and am very happy to be a part of it!

 

while i somewhat agree with that, the thing you lose out on (and one has to decide if this is worth it to them) is that at 40k miles, the car will have its 'newness' knocked off by then.

no matter how careful the previous owner, 40 k miles is 40k miles and you have to decide if you can live with that.

 

Even if one knows the previous owner and gets agret price he can't defy the market value tumble on a car that crosses that 50K boundary . Most people who shop for 60 and 70K mile cars are fianancinga dream car and with over 50K miles lenders get nervous --because they see a potential money pit and a customer who bought a dream and ended up with a nighmare.

 

You must have no idea how hard your posts are to read with that color and font you keep using. Stop it if you actually want people to read what you take the time to write.

 

I'm sorry Axxlrod~ I just started and need to learn alot~ At first I used Green and that was pretty bright so I changed it to Dark blue/purple and Georgia font and thought it would be better but I guess I'll just use regular fonts from now~Sorry if I got on anyone's nerves~

 

+1 on using the plain black type as is.

 

The good thing is that you should be able to pay a lot less. These are well made cars and should last a long time. It's just that most people don't drive them that much or keep them that long, so we are not use to seeing this kind of miles.

I went for a dive with a local Porsche club recently and one of the members brought a 1960s car. He had just as much fun as every one else.

I would guess that if the price is wright, you should be fine.

 

Sloopy is right. Mileage is nothing to be afraid if the car has been properly maintained and not abused. After 60 000 miles you may start to see heavier maintenance bills, but these are really well engineered and solid cars.

 

"...this many miles?" It's apparent that this is truly your first Porsche. 40,000 miles on a MY06 car is not excessive. Porsches can go a long way before your need to become concerned about high cost repairs. The car should still be under warranty from PCNA. You don't have anything like a "major tuneup" to deal with at this point.

First of all, you really need to do your homework BEFORE you buy a 911. You should know up front what the service interval is for the various components. TALK to a salesman who specializes in late model Carreras.

Why are you looking toward a 4 vice a 2WD Carrera? Do you feel the need for the training wheels? What Carreras have you test driven so far?

On a used car you should be looking at the service paperwork on the car, to see how often the previous owner changed oil and filters (air, oil and cabin) and whether they had the brake system flushed.

Bring along a friend you trust who knows these cars and let them evaluate it for you if you don't know some of these details. They will know what it should feel like when being driven. Be alert to suspension issues that may have been brought on my an abusive previous owner. How do the tires look? It should be on a completely new set of tires by now (look at the wheel weights to see if they are lead or colored to match the rims (OEM weights).

You're on the right track to ask questions here on a forum. Also, check out the Rennlist.