sr2002

Hi everyone, i’m a life long Porsche enthusiast and I recently got enough financial stability to consider buying a used 911 or cayman 718.

I understand this is an introductory thread, but I’ll go ahead and ask my questions here and can move them if needed!

i have a budget of around $70k +/- $5k USD.
Compared to what it was a couple of years ago, the prices have gotten ridiculous!

My requirements:
Any color except yellow
PDK only
Non S 991.1 preferred over S

Nothing else really, I’m just excited to own one one day. It will be my first ever sports car (have a camry right now haha)

my question is, at my budget does it make sense to get an older (2012-2014) 991.1 with more than one owner and sub 50k miles? Or does it make sense to get a 2017-2018 718 Cayman or Boxster S with some leftover warranty?

from a maintenance perspective and any major maintainence milestones, will the 991.1 be too expensive to own right off the bat?
i feel the 991.1 would potentially depreciate less than the 718 over the course of another 3-4years and break even with the 718 with maintenance cost vs warranty coverage (is that a fair judgement?)

And lastly, i’d love to know if there any specific things to look for with the 991.1 while buying used and whether anyone can recommend a good independent shop or non porsche dealer (e.g. RAC performance in DFW has good reviews for Porsche sales) that I can consult as well as buy from with relative ease of mind?

Any experienced members in DFW, please feel free to ping me, i’d love to chat!

thank you and looking forward to it!

Greg D.

You are mixing budget with car choice here - and your budget should be more than enough for a non S 991...Put condition over mileage. IMO the cars are significantly different enough that it should not just be a budget/warranty issue. I've had both platforms so I'm not saying what is best, but if you are in the market for a 911, get a 911 or forever wonder ;-)

The 991.1 is fairly bulletproof and does not have a real bad achille's heel. Bore scoring maybe like most DFI cars but uber rare... Maintenance is not more expensive one way or another, the engine is just flipped 180 degrees on the cayman/boxster, if anything the 991 is more accessible maybe. The door panels can warp on top where they meet the window, so watch for that from the outside of the car, is it horizontal or warping. COV (vacuum valves) control some operations, and go bad but are cheap to replace... sometimes fuel tanks squeak and need tightening... Meh... I truly can't think of any big issue, buy the car you want... If it is childhood dream, it is a 911 (unless you are super young and the cayman has already come out when you were a dreaming kid ;-)
Used to be you got a cayman/boxster for turn-in, direction change, and a 991 for traction shooting out of turns. The good news is the 991.1 now turns in like a Cayman and benefits from the rear engine traction the cayman lacks somewhat, so the 991 is a win win IMO.

moswissa

I wont get into 718 vs 911. They are two totally different.

But with a 70k budget, you can definitely get an 991.1S, and I recommend you do, especially if you are concerned about depreciation.

I purchased a 2012 991.1S with 30k miles about 6 months ago for about 67k

Steve-o

Non leather interiors are known to separate at the door, under the window. This is could be expensive to fix. No problems with leather interiors.

Jack F

Pedro seems to have a solid solution.

With that said, full leather interior is so much nicer. Wouldn’t consider a car without it.

sr2002

Thank you! You pointed out some great aspects of maintenance I wasnt aware of, will definitely keep in mind. Any advantage of Buying through place like Carvana or Carmax? Are their warranties any good? Is there any warranty worth getting on a 991 from 2012-2014?

Apart from the obvious about having multiple previous owners, does it make a difference whether 2 or 5 once it gets beyond 1-owner? Can independent mechanics tech if the car was on a track or excessive engine strain (I'm assuming stuff like that might get logged in the ECU)?
Any suggestions for buying through private seller vs exotic car dealer vs Porsche dealer? I feel the list prices from all three seem to be quite variable (some listing 69k others listing similar cars for 79k)

sr2002

Thanks and funny you and Greg both say $70k should be more than enough to get a 911 and even 911 S, but when I look on autotrader or Carmax, I'm barely seeing anything below $75k, most cars are closer to $80k. Are the list prices just inflated or are these people actually selling for these prices? Whats the likelyhood of haggling or is the current market so bad that I have to overpay?
Whats your take on Buying from private party, vs somelike Carmax vs dealer?

Andy515

I just bought my 991.1 base with 30k miles in Jan for 60k and it is a great car. In terms of cost of maintenance I had to catch up on a bunch ( 4-yr service, belt, front brakes, alignment) as the previous owner rarely drove it and it was about 5k all in. So not bad to maintain considering the car. For your budget you should be able to find a nice 991.1 with under 40k miles. You will hear a lot on the forum about getting an S, sport chrono, this option or that option but really think about what is important to you and how you will drive the car. I bought my car with what I needed without thinking about what the next person may want as I plan to drive the wheels off it. I can only use so much speed on public roads… good luck on the search!

sr2002

Nice! And Congrats on yours car! Thats awesome that you got it for 60k, how many previous owners and what was the list price if you dont mind me asking?
I'm not seeing a single one under 70k thats a 991.1. Any recommendations on going private seller vs any of the online or porsche dealers or any warranties you considered?

Sal635

Unfortunately if they bought the car in January that 60k price isn’t reflective of the current market. 991s and basically all used car prices are way up right now. Depending on who you believe it could be like that for a while, potentially a couple years but most agree prices won’t stay inflated like this when the supply chain sorts itself out.

Guards_Red_991

Crazy thought here: Have you considered a 997.2? With that budget you could get a great spec, low mileage, well maintained car.

Andy515

Yeah, I got lucky and bought it when prices were just starting to get crazy but they have gone up since then. I paid list price and was lucky to find it since Jan. in the Chicago area is a slow car month. With your budget of 70 you should be able to find one similar if you look hard. I am the third owner, bought from a dealer, had all the inspections done, etc. Luckily the previous owner who owned it for most of the cars life kept every service record and serviced it at Porsche so I was able to connect with the service advisor and go over all the records. With the condition of the car I personally decided to no get an aftermarket warranty but again that is a very personal decision among buyers.

In regards to where you buy it really depends on the seller (dealer, private, etc) as you can have a great dealer or a bad dealer and same for private. Do you research, trust your gut, get an inspection, etc. I just bought my wife's new audi (slightly different with a new car) from TX and had it shipped. Great dealer where one of the audi dealers here is not so good. I know a fellow rennlister bought a 997.2 from here and flew out and drove it back to WA (I did a pre PPI for him). Great honest private seller that was easy to deal with. Dealers are always going to be a bit more than private (at least should be to cover the overhead) but it usually an easier transaction so there is a trade-off.

From Porsche dealers here is a car I have personally seen (for sale down the street from me). They have it priced what I would think high but who knows anymore: https://www.4porsche.com/vehicle-det...il-id-43614689. Granted this car is a CPO so gives you sort of an idea of what dealers are marking these things at. As others noted the 997.2 is a great option too- PDK, DFI engine, great steering, little more raw of an experience. You trade in some of the modernness but amazing cars.

Anyway hope that helps!

Wolpertinger

I bought a 2012 991.1 Carrera S about 18 months ago with 53,000 miles on it and couldn't be happier. The car is rock solid after about 6,000 miles. I'm a certified YouTube mechanic, so I have been able to do all my own maintenance. Oil changes are very simple. I've found most of the maintenance fairly straightforward, as long as you can get at the motor from underneath. I had a 2011 Cayman S prior, and have no regrets about stepping up. I absolutely love the car!

Rich_Jenkins

Welcome to Rennlist!

I personally am not clear why one would cross shop a 991.1 and a 718 Cayman/Boxster S...? Have you driven both/either?

I happily owned a used '14 981S, and drove it for a year and a bit, before deciding it was too small/cramped inside. I replaced it with a used CPO '17 991.2 and could not be happier. Both cars were MT.

Bearing in mind I am not a track guy: The mid-engine Cayman felt agile and fun, I enjoyed winding up the 3.4 NA flat six. On concrete sided freeway onramps, I would punch it, and the sound like ripping silk would make your hair stand up on the back of your neck. The steering was right the heck now quick, and very enjoyable in corners.

The rear engine 911 has more power, as opposed perhaps to being not quite a tossable, but much more of an every day driver. I don't find the turbo 3.0 to be less enjoyable than the Cayman (this is another discussion of course) "for me". I've not driven a NA 991.1 but can see that motor in a 911 chassis being a hoot to drive. A 718, with either a 2.0 or 2.5t engine is going to have more grunt than my 3.4 Cayman S (especially the 718S), for sure. Again, not driven a 718 myself but the interior being almost the same form factor as a 981 I'd say the two are farther apart than you might think.

But anyway, good luck with your search. There are a lot of 991.1 folks here on the board to help, and can probably offer better comparisons to the 718 than I can.

Rich_Jenkins

Note: Duplicate threads on this topic have been merged.