Obviously you mean 997.1 Turbo is last of the M64 Mezger engines, but that's not clear to the casual reader. 997.1 Carrera is last of the fairly disastrous (as modern engine's go) M96/M97 line, albeit the best of that line.

 

Widely discussed 997.1 1% failure rate on 2006-2008. Bore scoring on cold weather cars more of an issue than IMSB failures.

 

What @raidersfan said sums it up perfectly.

 

 

 

For value? The best condition 997.2 that you can find.

Whether you want a 997 over a 991 besides value (cheaper price, slower part of its depreciation curve) may be another story. I wanted a 991 because I fell in love with the exterior styling, the interior is light years (IMHO) ahead of the 997, and I wanted a newer car. That being said, the 997's are absolutely great 911's, too, and I would certainly be happy with a 997 in my garage as well. Both are a blast to drive!

 

Value? - 996 is what you want.

GO DRIVE.

 

I've owned both 2010 997.2 and a 2013 991.1 (current)
The 991.1 is WAY faster on the race track (PTV and electronic diff vs mechanical diff = cornering and acceleration out of corner greatness).
PDK is way FASTER than the 997.2 PDK. (MUST HAVE 991 VEHICLE IF YOU GO PDK) The ECU for PDK self shifting is superior too as expected.

The 997.2 has way better steering feel... the chassis is also more alive (less refined) and more enjoyable because limits are less.
I loved the 997.2 so much I almost just upgraded to a 997.2 GTS from my 4s.

 

Sure, that's why I said it's the best of the worst modern engines. That is also widely discussed. And as you point out IMSB is just one of a large number of failure points in the M96 that was whittled away at over time till the 06+ motors were fairly reliable and robust. But I'd still have to have a sizable discount over an equal condition 2009 to push me into a 2006-2008 (and I wouldn't touch a 2005 unless it was priced to reflect a new motor should I need one). There were a whole lot of design flaws in the M96 that were ultimately fixed by completely redesigning the 9A1. For the most part they were band-aided on the M97.

Which is not to say don't ever buy one; just that the price needs to reflect that fact if comparing to a .2.

Cheers!

 

I heard that a firmware upgrade for the PDK on the 997.2 really helps things. I don't know if that is true or not, but it makes sense, as they are basically the same transmission, yes?

 

FWIW my 986 engine blew up twice... after I had IMS failure I had a bolt from the top of the engine work itself out and then fall down the side of the engine and be ejected out the side by a lifter... not sure if that applies to 997.1 engines but I would definitely get 997.2 if I were getting a 997... that being said I think the 997 PDKs being worse than the 991 version is an advantage because there are a lot more MT 997s out there and for a sporty vehicle manual is 100% the way to go, stay away from the automatic crap.

 

I had a 997 4s with 3.8 L engine, and now have a 991 Base 3.4L naturally aspirated car.. I personally like everything better about the 991 (for the street), since I don't track my cars I feel that 350 HP is plenty for me with this little car, it does everything great and feel that the base Carrera's are a bargain.. No problems at all with my 991, does not burn any oil, or beat me up on long drives, it is simply more comfortable ergonomically (particularly with the way the arm rest/shifter sit on the sloping console, wider feel to interior etc). If I tracked my cars I think I would probably like the 997 with that 3.8l motor and AWD, but for me the 991 model of any trim is the best one yet.

 

Best value base model Carrera would be a 996 C2 or a 991.1 C2S. Between the 991.1 vs 997.2 the 991.1 is a far better vehicle and platform by far.

 

I had 997.1 c2s and now on my 2nd 991c2s - gts. I never thought about value comparison between these 2 gens.
I moved to 991 because I preferred it over 997 (997 gts included).

It is often stated on this fine forum pages and elsewhere that 997 are more rare and therefore will keep their value better than 991s will long-term.
However, looking at US sales stats for both gens we have
total of 63,490 997 cars sold 2005-2012 up to Apr. and
total of 56,020 991 cars sold 2012 Apr to 2018 so far.
http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/porsche-911-sales-figures/
Not sure what rationale is behind 997 rarity statement.

 

It seems that thought that the 997 will be more rare than the 991 was developed during the 991.1 sales cycle, as there was a considerable U.S sales drop when the 991.2 came out, as well the 991.1 and 991.2 will be looked upon differently in the future resale market (for obvious reasons). But in terms of the body style itself (the 991 look) being more "rare" than the 997, those are interesting figures and it seems by the time the 992 comes out, the 991 and 997 will be about tied. So the 991 look indeed won't be more common.

The 991.1 sold more than any 997 half-cycle I'm pretty sure, but it's worth noting that obviously the 997 was selling right in the thick of the recession.