Hi everyone. I'm a happy owner of a 2018 Panamera Turbo ST. Still loving the car and will keep it, but looking to get into a smaller manual sports car for "weekend" driving.

What originally brought me to Porsche in 2018 was I wanted a naturally aspirated performance car before the world goes to electric. I was a bit disappointed to learn at the time that all the Panamera's had gone turbo (as did all Carreras), little did I know. Got the Panamera Turbo as I found the 4 and 4s slightly underwhelming performance-wise. Love the car, but need to scratch the itch of getting into a smaller, manual, weekend driver.

My checklist:
- Manual
- Want space to throw the dog in the back
- I'd prefer NA, but I suspect I'm going to have to settle for turbo given price (want to spend <100k?) and performance (400+ torque?)
- I'd prefer CPO/warranty
- I fall into the "grand tourer" category - I want subtle look but with all the tech and comfort
-- no fixed wing
-- leather seats!! I get into my car after tennis/workout covered in sweat and just dont think alcantera will work
-- things like heated/cooled seats, multifunction steering wheel, Auto-entry/drive etc. I cant be too choosy with used, but want comfort and could compromise on some of these.

I've narrowed down my search to a 911. I literally cant find another make & model that fits the bill.

My thought process has been:
- The perfect 911 seems a GT3 Touring, but those are too pricey (regardless of model year) and getting full leather is impossible/improbable (damn alcantera!)
- The 718 NA 4.0 looks perfect. The Spyder gets most of the way but no space for the dog, and alcantera again! And the GT4 has that fixed wing.
- 991.1's, particularly a 4s checks many boxes, downside being its a slightly more dated interior and probably no CPO, but I'd get the NA. Don't know how I'd be satisfied with the performance.

Hence, I'm somewhat sold on getting a well equipped manual 991.2, throwing a tune at it, and getting everything I want, except NA.

I'd welcome thoughts/comments on the above logic.

My specific questions as I browse 991.2s:
- What should I be looking for / what goes wrong with these cars that wouldnt be covered by warranty and would be out of pocket? I'm only qualified to check tire tread and cosmetics. (there is a sticky thread on rennlist but its 10+ years / 4 model years old)
- Anything specific to be concerned about on the first model year 2017s? Those seem to be most plentiful, probably because of 3 year leases finishing.
- Considering I intend to tune it, should I limit my search to 4 and 4s? I fear that putting that much additional power to the rear wheels only might be an issue.
- How much boost does a stock base and S make? 14 psi? And how much if tuned? I'll want to objectively know if the used car has already been tuned when I test drive it.

Thanks!

 

No reason you can't get a NA engine, just look at 2016s or older, you can get them CPO. I'd look at an S or GTS. You should be able to find a CPO GTS in your budget range, but leather may be the tough part. Ideally an S with the powerkit would work.

 

https://nationalpreownedporsche.com/

 

It all boils down to budget and availability of the model/equipment you want.

Compromise is key, I looked at the used market and found nothing that suited me, two popular options that I definitely didn't want, black interiors and sunroofs, cut down on possible candidates very sharply. Ordered one instead.

One option I wasn't willing to forego was AWD, so it was a C4 at first but ended up with a C4S and I'm quite happy with the choice.

The .2s have had issues with the water pumps, a topic that has been covered in the forum. Other concerns, that the .1s have experienced (the .2s are similarly equipped), are failed change-over valves, some PDK failures, as well as manual trans reverse light failures (the switch is buried inside the transmission and Porsche says that the transmission is replaced as a fix, ridiculous as that sounds) and door panels where the panel lifts away (located on the inside, top of the door panels).

May have missed less frequent issues, others may contribute.

If you have a large dog, make sure that it will be happy in the back, room is limited.

Good luck.

 

I have a 18 Pan turbo and recently got a 2017 911 4s but its PDK. Im very happy with it but the Pan seems faster.

 

You can find plenty of 991.1 CPOs. You think you can still find 997.2 CPOs.

 

This is the correct answer.

I used this web site to find my car, a '17 CPO C2 7MT bought last June. I had to fly from Tampa to JFK to inspect the car and take a test drive. I bought it on the spot for the asking price. Yes it was expensive.

But I found that selecting for MT cars, in acceptable colors, with the specific options I wanted, ended up with a surprisingly small pool of cars. I think I was looking at the same 7 cars for over four weeks before mine popped up. As you probably know, Porsche owners like to customize and order their cars to their personal taste; if you want a run of the mill, standard silver base model with a few things, selections may be thin on the ground. If you find what you like, you should strongly consider buying it.

Mine has been trouble free so far. I did not see many problem threads on early model 991.2s vs '18s or '19s when I was looking. Issues seem spread evenly.

The base car has plenty of grunt for me. NA vs. Turbo has been done a lot in various threads; get what you want. Before I owned my 911, I had a '14 Cayman S with the NA 3.4l, so I get where you are coming from. It was a very lively car if you spun it through the rev range. But I am normally a pretty laid back driver, and not a track guy, so take this with a grain of salt, but I can't perceive any turbo lag in the 3.0lT. So vs. the 3.4 in my Cayman, it makes a more satisfactory daily driver. If you need to dart past some slow traffic on the freeway, downshift a gear of two and BAM you are gone. It is strong from 1,500 to redline. I suspect a tune on a 991.2 would be a hoot to drive.

Good luck! The search for the right car is a lot of fun.

 

Again this one

NOT MINE
dont know anything about it

but it seems like a very good one

negotiate the price and get it and have fun!

 

That blue one is bad ***. If I wasn't a turbo guy I would be on that one

 

Go see and drive a 50th Anniversary 911, the X51 power kit is 430 hp and yes you can get a CPO. The only issue on your list may be the leather but the rest of the package more than makes up for that, IMHO.

Enjoy your search.

Picked this one up last month - CPO w/ 6k miles

 

2018 911T
Now in mid 80’s
Check AutoTrader and Cars.com
This one has been on the market since October..... https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...ngId=527717625
Or this one ....https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...ngId=537609655

 

Just curious: if comfort is important, and you really are inclined to GT use, then why consider models like the GT3 and GT4? Those are more like track toys that might get old after a few hours on the road. And don't dismiss turbo models, bit T or little t, without trying some.

 

There is only one 2016 (last year of NA), manual 4S for sale in the country according to cars.com. Slim pickings!

A couple of GTS listed at <100K as well.

I didn’t realize supply was quite that tight. Maybe that’s why the email campaign is in full swing!

 

Nice 50th Patrick. Love this wheels. They are evergreen timeless.


Congrats!!

 

^^^ Thank you