Having owned my M5 for over 4 years, I can say it has been a very reliable car with no issues whatsoever. I believe Edmunds.com has informatin on reliability with different cars. I know Consumer Reports does as well, I'm just not sure if they cover some of the sports cars / exotics being considered.

 

IMHO there isn't much to choose from. It's not that the 997 is the best sports car, it's just that it does more things better than the competition so that the total package is difficult to exceed even though other cars may exceed the 997 in any given category. As you mentioned in your OP, the one factor that keeps me out of a new Ferrari is the potential maintenance costs, I would not even consider at a used one unless there was substantial warranty remaining.

 

For 45-50K I'd pick up a Noble. I've driven a Rossion which had build quality equal to my 997 but the price is just north of 100K. For half that money you can find a Noble that has been sorted and is an incredible amount of fun to drive.

My .02

 

how much for the black series clk 63? 85,000

 

Well, For a good DD with comfort style and performance an Audi S5 will do you right. My wife drives the S5 as the daily driver and drive my 997 for a daily driver. The audi has every option known to man unlike my porsche and road trips better on the interstate. I think the S5 compliments the 997. One for carving the track and back roads and one for road tips with great performance and luxury.

 

+1 for the Audi S5! Very nice compromise as a daily driver. Apparently audi is doing some great things with the AWD system to hide the car's weight and front biased balance.
Can't say that I like any of the AMG Black products. I saw one at the EVO autocross school and the owner of the school was taking a client's AMG Black around each of the individual courses. It sounded incredible! But the driver said it was too heavy, too powerful and poor handling. He said he felt sorry for the car's tires! It did look like a DTM racer , which was neat. But I can't imagine a car that is so much of a 'polar opposite' to a porsche 911 than that.

 

Noble is a great car but have heard stories of these things being a mess to own.... did you really here they are quite reliable cars?

 

Nobles here stateside are done as "component" builds (or kit car if you wish) as they do not meet FMVSS regulations-they are compliant over in the UK. The reliability seems to be greatly dependent on who did the vehicle assembly. Most problems seem to be related to hoses coming off, small squeeks and rattles, etc. but the powertrains seem quite reliable. I think if you had a proven (aka used) car with 5-6K miles the sorting process would have been done properly. I believe Rossion keeps control of the vehicle assembly to insure build quality and prevent negative comments about the brand.

If the value of my 997 wouldn't have dropped like a rock I'd be driving one as its' replacement-the fun factor is exponentially better in terms of adrenalin and thrill. I recommend checking out nobleforums or lotustalk to get thoughts from people who own/have owned a 997 to get a good comparison.

 

I'd say the guy didn't know what in the hell he was talking about. The car runs a 7:45 Ring time. The same as a 997tt.

 

Yes; You can pick one up now for low to mid 80s....perhaps high 70's.

 

I'm going to throw in the Panamera. I know, it's a sedan, but I drove a 4S this morning, and wow, is that one well put together car. It truly is "Porsche like", and the interior is very well thought out and well finished. I'd easily choose it over an M5. You must drive it.

 

does that really mean anything? I think the "ring" is the biggest bunch of hype in the world. The black looked painful going around a solo II course...as it should at over 2 tons. The front tires were chewed to shreds by the end of 6 runs. And I should add, that the "guy" is a national champ in SCCA......

 

A CLKBS is dead even with a GT3 on tracks like Willow Springs and Road America. What do you think it would do to a 997S or 997tt?

I'm trying to locate a video (not Youtube) of a stock CLK63 BS eating everything up at a track......and sorry bro, "painful" is not what comes to mind when viewing it.

If I wanted to autoX (I'm guessing thats what you mean by Solo II), a CLK63 BS would not be my choice...nor would it be a 997 or anything else larger than an Exige or Miata.

Yeah, there is a sizeable weight difference but I certainly don't think the 997 and BS are polar opposites. I find many people cross shopping the two.

 

the CLK black doesn't eat anything but gas on a track, unless you strip it and put a new tube frame in it, so if you get a video, do me the favor and have an SCCA stock class vid pleez! The car is a complete "no show" in the sports car racing scene. Check the SCCA website and you will see. In ALMS, it is a no-show as well. (GT3, M3, Ford GT and vette are the only winners there). The 911 won the championship this year. Anyway, At 2 tons, it can't do otherwise...just the same reason why the Nissan GTR can't either. (unless it has the AWD stripped out and it is down to 2500lbs!)
Also, the GT3 was Solo national champ last year, not an elise or exige I don't think anyone has even considered it for any class because of the portly weight. The Hp is nice, but doesn't do it much good anywhere with turns.
I think the reason why Johnson said it was an unhappy vehicle, was because of the horrid, chattering, chunking understeer. The howling from the r-comps was a sight to see and the only way to 'balance' the chassis was a "dukes of hazzard" slide. After 2 runs, the car had to sit until the tires cooled. There was some big pieces missing as well. It sounded nice and all, but was more like a cartoon apparition of a DTM than a serious vehicle. I am sure lots of guys with gold chains around their necks drive em'

 

^^^^^ Take our 997S out to ANY track of your choice and see if it beats a CLK63 BS. Go ahead, boyracer, tell me where it will have a chance on any road course track of your choice? I'm all ears cowboy.

It's fanboys like you that give us Porsche guys a bad name. Gold chains being worn by a BS driver?.....how clueless are you? I'm sure you have your typical banter against those that own M3's, M5's, Vantages, Z06s, ZR1's, Vipers, .....basically anyone that isn't swinging on the Porsche *******. How pathetic.

Do you flip your collar up when you cruise in your Porsche?

In case you have a problem with reading comprehension the OP started with this statement.

"OK, bold question, but what I want to know is if there are any other cars out there (semi exotic-ish) with the build quality of the Porsche 997..... It is OK if the car does not handle as well in the twisties or slower a bit to 60...: Lotus, lower priced F cars like 360's, Masarati's, AM, or other. In the used Market a Lotus Elise, Masarati Grand Sport or even Grand Tourismo, 03 or so 360 Modena, used Aston Vantage etc all can be had within 10-15K either way of a well equipped 997(.2S) etc..."

Gee, do you think he's looking for a track car after making that statement? Hell no...he's loking for options OTHER than a 997s that has some exotic to it that is fast and has good build quality. If you think the CLK63 BS doesn't fit that profile, then you're living under a rock......or in this case, under the Porsche *******.



Farking fanbois