I'd get a 993s or turbo cause I think the depreciation is going to be less than buying a 997 and selling it later on.

 

Or if you want to be real "connected" to the road you have have my 996 gt3 for 50k, but it doesn't have I pod or bluetooth either.

 

You can get a very nice 996 GT3 for $55k.

 

Let me assume you're not worried about the fastest quarter mile run. (If you were, a modded Cayman or a ten-year-old turbo would be your best bet.) If you just want the best combination sports car *** GT you can buy for that money, I'd suggest starting your search with the 'base' Carrera. Porsche is very consistent as they move from one generation to the next. The base Carrera is always nearly as fast in car magazines as the S from the previous generation. Never quite. It may be a tenth slower to sixty for example, so it offers comfort to people who just bought the older model in the S specification, while also being a better car. It always delivers that "almost as fast" with more aplomb than the previous model S and the actual 'feel' of the car is always comparable.

With that basic advice, here's what I found in a quick check of a car-buying service my bank offers. Within 300 miles of my home in Southern California, dealers are offering seven cars at prices between fifty and sixty thousand. Two are the 2006 model year and the rest are 2007. They go from 23,000 to 40,000 on the odometer, with 'typical' being high twenties to low thirties. Those are all good mileages to be honest. Porsche recommends 9,000 miles per year without special attention to "sitting in the garage" issues in maintenance and these cars are five years old, so even the one with 40k miles is low mileage by the manufacturer's guideline.

The one with only 23,000 is a 2006, which is how it got elevated into the same range with cars one year newer. The other 2006 has 33,000 and is an S. Nothing wrong with that of course. I wasn't knocking the S above, just pointing out that a next generation 'base' usually comes very close to the current generation S. That one has 355 hp for example, and the current generation 'base' model Carrera has 345 hp with a fatter torque curve.

The generation we're looking at is the 997.1 in Porsche-speak. The current one is 997.2 so these cars are definitely not outdated by any means. Honestly, Porsches don't get out of date in sports car terms. The newer they are, the better they combine modern convenience with their sport car traits, but the difference between a "dot one" and a "dot two" isn't worth worrying about with your first buy. Now, a friend has a lovely 1984 model that is a delight on the race track, but its suspension is a tad harsh and the air conditioning isn't. Just is not, because he pulled it out when it became too much trouble for the wisp of coolish air it pumped. He trailers it to the track now. My 2009 isn't more delightful, just a lot faster and the air conditioner would chill a barracks. That's what I mean about Porsches and "old age". For the money you're talking, you'll get a very nice and very modern (and bloody fast) car if you look for Carreras in the model year 2007 and leave yourself open to nice examples from 2006. The typical price is in the high fifties which leaves you room for any customizing you might want, and for the tax and license if that is to be included in your 60k budget.

Summary: First look for the livability options you want in a daily driver; then look for the nice performance touches like whether it's an S or not; then add it to your list. When you have some favorites, spend some of that reserve on a good PPI, a pre-purchase inspection by a third party.

Some websites to visit for an idea of possibilities:

• Auto Gallery in Woodland Hills, California: 2007 Carrera S;
• Walters Porsche in Riverside, California: 2007 Carrera Cabriolet.

Hope this helps, and we look forward to you coming back to the forum with pictures of your Porsche.

Gary

 

^ Good post. However, unless I am missing something, neither of the cars you provded links for are an "S".

 

For around $60-62k you can find an '09' base Carrera with PDK. You get the new engine and all of the other upgrades. My guess is that this combination would be just as quick as a 997.1S. Whether to go PDK or manual is an individual choice with lots of strong opinions on both sides. I've had cars with both and like both.

 

Great post. I am in the same situation and appreciated your insight

 

2006 or newer C2S with as low of miles as you can possibly find to fit your budget. Private party sale from hopefully the original owner.

 

You're right. Screwed that one up. Looking at too many cars before I picked those two to link.

Gary

 

For comparison, I recently purchased an '06 C2S. It had 11,600 miles, spotless condition, white with sand beige full leather interior, sport chrono, Bose, etc. I paid $55,500.

 

I drove an E92 M3 and a 2006 Base Carrera back to to back. Even though I thought the M3 was the better car, it's was the Carrera that I went home with. Analog vs Digital. If you aren't one to get hung up on power numbers, a base Carrera is all you need for the Porsche experience. I'd even look into a Cayman S.

 

Did you drive the Cayman S? When I compared my 09 Cayman S to to an 07 Carrera S I decided to stay with the Cayman S. Then i dove the 09 Carrera S and it replaced the Cayman S. No regrets.

To the OP. Get on Cars.com and select used cars and Porsche. There are numerous ways to modify the search once it comes up. I selected 06, 07, Coupe and S. There were at least 50 cars at or under $60k. A few with CPO. Probably a lot of dogs too.

 

Is this perception that '05s should be avoided based upon any real data? I hear this time and again on this board. I have an '05 and I've asked two separate independent mechanics if they've seen any indicators that the '05's are problematic and they've both said no.

 

This is what I was thinking. Plus it would not be neccessary to go up to 60k. They seem to be at about 50-55 for some nice examples.

 

I would buy now 996 gt3 car for something in mid$40K if I could find one.