As my title reads what a great forum this is.
I'm now hoping that some shall share some experience or thoughts with me regarding my purchase.

I have started upon my journey of buying a 997. I have always loved the look of the 911, and upon learning more about this series of car I have enjoyed discovering the great efforts that Porsche have undertaken to evolve the design and engineering in such an organic way.

I presently drive an 08 MB C350, it is a super car that has ran has brilliantly from day 1, it is solid and for what it is a reasonable drive (it is no 335, but I preferred the style at the time).

What made me consider the Porsche was seeing one in the MB dealers resale section at $45,000. I could not believe me eyes that the car I was looking at could be bought for about the same money as a reasonably specc'd replacement C350, and a great deal less than a new E or E coupe etc.

So off to do my homework went I! I started by finding out that the car I had seen was a 996. I researched this model first followed then by the 997.

What I quickly learnt was that these cars (997) are solid and reliable (following routine maintenance and that rare commodity common-sense!). And a car that may have been $80 or 90,000 can now be bought for around $50,000. And that is the price I have decided to start from.

I shall not track this vehicle, and will drive around 12,000 miles per year, naturally I expect to have higher maintenance costs than the MB, though I figure that with less depreciation (than another new, or nearly new MB) I shall not be financially any worse off but shall be immeasurably better off in both then fun and aesthetic factor!

At this moment in time what I have yet to form an opinion on is, where the better value lies? My first thoughts were that the newer the year the better I would feel. But during my search I have found several older cars (05/6) that have low mileage (sub 30k) and a whole host of options that are not found on similarly priced (but higher mileage) new cars. I do not (with a well cared for machine) always correlate age to condition.

I am happy to go the CPO route, but I would be equally as comfortable with having the car inspected by an independent (in addition there would need to be a strong paper trail detailing all maintenance since the car left the showroom for any purchase to be considered).

I would love to hear any thoughts regarding the older/low mileage/lots options v the newer/higher mileage/base model.

Best wishes and thank you for any guidance,

Ian

 

As another fellow shopper, here are a few of my thoughts.
1.) Try to avoid the "if I just spend $5K more, I could get ______" spiral. My budget kept creeping up in $5K increments until I was trying to justify to my wife that I really should get a 997.2 C2S which I know is out of my range. There are a shocking number of 911s out there if you are willing to travel and be patient, and good deals can be had if you do your research. Set your budget and stick with it!

2.) Don't be terrified of a higher mileage car. Cars don't magically fall apart at a predetermined odometer reading. A 2006 w/ 30K miles might not necessarily be better than a 2007 with 60K miles. It all depends on the history of the car. Personally, I'd love to find a car where the previous owner is a member here, and would be willing to share with me some of the history I can't find on carfax. If you can't get that, at least buy one where the owner has the maintenance records. I'd buy a higher mileage car if it has been treated right.

3.) If you aren't tracking the car (I don't plan to either), ask yourself whether you REALLY need an "S". Yes, we all know it is the better of the two versions, but I think I would be plenty happy with a non-S for my regular driving duties and the occasional spirited jaunt when traffic is light. I own a car right now that is entirely too fast for street driving, and I rarely use half of the power I have on tap.

The nice thing about Porsche is that there's pretty much a car for every budget. If I wake up rich one day, I can find a GT2RS. If I get a base 911 now, I can always shoot for an S for my next one, or a turbo, or a GT3, or... you get the picture. If you learn how to work on them a little bit, even better. Good luck with your search!

 

thank you for a great response.

You are so correct about the adding the extra $. I am a fairly disciplined purchaser and I am a patient one too, no doubt I shall be tempted though.

I share some of your thoughts regarding mileage, though I am here to learn and will welcome all opinions.

I mentioned the S as as well as more power I was assuming (as per other brands, and perhaps wrongly) that as you go up in engine size, more of the options are included, I shall find if this holds true as I travel further down the road to purchase.

And yes there is a staggering range of offering from Porsche, though for now I am more than happy with a used 997.

Cheers,

Ian

 

Get the S, period. And enjoy the process. We bought our first last September and love it every day.

 

A few thoughts.

As mentioned, enjoy the process. One of the greatest times of my life was the search for my 911.

You can get some great advice on this forum. I have been very lucky here and I hope that in a small way I have contributed to the shared knowledge of the "tribe".

You can't go wrong with a 09 997 (having said that a later 05 or 06 is a good choice too).

Avoid the garage queens. These cars are meant to be driven with vigor. Be smart about the maintenance and enjoy it.

If you have nothing else to do check out my "Dream Cars" thread. Not trying to self promote; just trying to share my thoughts of a 997 versus other exotics.

 

I am really enjoying the search, thank you for reminding me to enjoy it.

You mention how great the 09 is (I agree), and also speak of later 05/06. Is there something that I should learn about 07 and 08?

I am not sure what to make of avoiding the garage queens - if one has low mileage and is very well cared for (fully supported by a very thorough dealer paper trail) it would be logical for me to look closer. What should I consider re this type of car?

And thank you,

Ian