youlne

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forums.

I'm in my younger 20s and had planned on buying m series car, but I've recently looked more into porsches. 991.1 or .2 around the same price as a g82 m4 or f90 m5. Something that I like about Porsche is how different it is from most of the cars on the road. It's made me rethink buying a BMW.

Why would you/did you buy a 911? Any tips on buying this generation of 911? What's it like to own? Does it get a lot of unwanted attention? It would be my only car for the time being.

B Russ

Im 4x into this brand and so far reliability has been outstanding and when you say different you are 100% right. When people ask what do I think of them I say "They are exactly what people say they are" and I love them. As far as attention goes thats really based on where you live. I spend 1/2 the year in SW Fl and No one give my cars a 2nd look, the other half theres a lot of sore necks. Keep in mind although there is a back seat its only good for small children or people you dont really like. Im a fan of tunes so I lean towards the 2017 and up versions as Turbo cars offer more tuning options and the tech package is better the later you go. Like other exotics they can be expensive to service/repair if needed. Even the giant tires which will need to be replaced. If you can get a CPO version that would offer you protection against an unforeseen repair, I tend to shop CPO first.

Bud Taylor

People stray but often come back. Do a boat load of research on model years and trims. A base model is a milder daily wheras a gt3 is a track monster with all flavors in between. For me the naturally aspirated S is a happy medium. The 911 is not an in your face Lambo or Ferrari but the capabilities are similar. The Vette is the other option but to me the driving experience seems unrefined. Fast or faster in the hands of a pro. Lots of options turbos, non turbos, manuals, pdks. If I were cross shopping today it would be against the new lotus with the toyota drivetrain. Anything from 2012 on has a high degree of reliability and low cost of ownership compared to other sports cars. In 8 years I've spent 4k in maitenance. Cars have personalities and up until the 992 the 911 was a utilitarian way to haul ***. Purpose built to go fast around corners. The 992 has gotten busy I think they have strayed from the lineage into Audi or Bmw daily driver territory. The 911 up until that point was just built to go fast without frills.

Bxstr

I bought a 911 because it had been a dream since childhood. There was a lot of nostalgia there. After driving a few of them, I realized that no other car gave me the same feel that a 911 did. Both sitting in the driver seat in my garage and also while driving it at 4k RPMs on a backroad.

991's are pretty reliable. You'll have small things come up like any German car, but nothing major. Only large item that I can think of would be PDK (transmission) failure, but that is not super likely.

Regarding attention, depends where you live. If you live in a wealth/affluent area, no one is going to notice or care. If you live in a middle class area, you may get some attention. Most will be positive. Around where I live, a friend has a Ferrari and Lamborghini and many of my friends have Porsche GT products or R8's and they don't really have issues. I live in a middle class/upper middle class area, but even when my friends have went into less wealthy areas, they have largely received positive/no attention and people are just excited to see a cool car, if anything.

Obviously you can buy the car for whatever reason you want, but ideally buy it because you like the driving experience and brand history. That is really what Porsche is about. If you wanted a car with cool/exotic looks, I'd probably look at a V8 Audi R8 or Mercedes AMG GT.

tiiger

My dad always had interesting cars. (My avatar is me at a year old or so in 1966, next to his 356.) So I've always wanted a Porsche. Took until i was nearly 60 before I felt like I could honestly afford a 911, however.

I previously had a Cayman, and it was a great car, but once I drove a modern 911, I knew I had to have one. I sold the Cayman last year and hunted down the exact spec of 911 I wanted, and it took nearly a year. (As of this post, I still have yet to pick it up. The trip down to texas from minnesota to collect the car is a few days away.)

I don't think I'd want the attention a Ferrari or Corvette -- or a GT3RS, for that matter -- would attract. I'm not a fan of wings and sharp curves. (Or sub-3-second 0-60 times.)

The traditional 911 is the perfect blend of exotic and understated.

vanlieremead

It’s a good question.

Completely depends on your requirements and how you drive verses the means you have to afford. Do you like speed and performance? And I mean real speed and performance not the occasional race the guy up the ramp thing. I just rewatched the movie Maverick the other day and there is a scene where maverick demonstrates the mission the team must fly through a simulated series of canyons. It was hot, heavy, furious with lots of grunts, force, and driving effort. Lasted about 3 minutes. I thought of Autocross and how one must drive to place..the same way! It’s the car and its performance and I have yet to match it. That’s the performance of the 911 especially if modded. A Miata can get you something similar but not at that level. So can an AMG.

The BMW M cars are nice. I have one of those too and on Autocross the 5s are pretty hot..faster than me. But take a top driver and the Porsche will do better. Heck, even the Cayennes are fast. Porsche just knows how to build performance cars. They are always pushing the envelope. C8 is nice too but the rear end is a disaster on wheels. Good performance though. They do great on Autocross and those motors really sing.

You are going to spend more and it is a trade. Would you rather get something cheaper and dump the rest into savings? That would be the sensible thing to do. But if I had it to do all over again (I’m 65) I would have gotten a 911 much earlier..even a beater. My buddy had one and I drove in his. But I never drove one and didn’t realize how special they actually are.

MingusDew

There are many former and current BMW owners on here who can comment on what they prefer, but I remember a while back someone (Top Gear or Evo magazine maybe) did a comparison of the M4CS vs a base 911 Carrera. Both had an MSRP around $100k. The base Carrera wasn’t a crazy spec, and the M4CS was the top tier spec. The Carrera beat the M4 around the track. That’s a base 911 against the top tier M4, not a GT3, or GTS, or even S. Just a base standard run of the mill Carrera. The 911 is a whole other level, and once you experience it you’re never left satisfied by anything else. I truly believe that if you bought a base 911 Carrera (hopefully a manual…), if you’re the type that enjoys curvy roads and driving your car, you’ll never want anything else.

jimmiejam

I have owned many Corvettes since my first in 1975. Currently have a 2024 HTC. Have always thought about P cars over the decades since I'm a true "car guy" since birth but never had the desire to own one. Admiring them in person and print was always fine for me until I got to the point in my life four and a half years ago and found myself with a stage 4 cancer diagnosis that was giving me a 14.1% (yea, the .1 seems a bit overkill but you grab on to every bit of hope) chance of making it to five years so I started my "TYR" (treat yourself right) phase of my life. So, four years ago I purchased my first 911 S Cab. Now just to be honest, I've only put about 475 miles on it but it still gives me great pleasure and to me, that's what life is all about.....

HardRider

Never thought much of 911's. Had a buddy enamored with them since a child. I figured it his thing, He has about 4. I was looking for a used Ferrari, just a toy. On a whim a dealer had a 991.2 on his lot. I jumped and took it for a drive. That turned into a 4 week around the clock search for a 911. Just got back from a drive, there is no substitute and the car doesn't look bad either.

IXLR8

Always wanted one when I was 8, bought my first one when I was 52.

Do you want a normally aspirated engine (991.1) or a turbo (991.2). I bought my 991.1 GTS in 2018 when the 991.2 were already out and for the same money or less I could have bought the 991.2 new. Simply did not want a turbo. Your car, your choice.

Any Porsche is fantastic to own. They are different, they are special. I did have a E36 BMW coupe. A nice car and as all cars should be made...well made and easier to work on.

Could not tell you. I am not part of the "hey look at me" generation. I am always on a back road shifting gears and having fun instead of driving in town like that Lamborghini owner on the Gold Coast driving back and forth on the same road at 40 kph hoping he gets attention. It was comical to watch.

Buy a cheap daily driver.

subshooter

Why does Rice play Texas?

Rudyr

If I was buying new I wouldn't consider 911's, Porsche's brand is "worth" more now and they're able to recoup that value in their current pricing, but I'm more interested in the car than the brand so I'm not their ideal buyer at this point. For $120-140k base level 911 vs Z06? Sorry, not passing on that flat-plane V8, it sounds insane and makes endless power. Not to mention, everything I've ever been in with a Magnaride suspension has been absolutely amazing from both a comfort and a performance perspective.

That said, I think the 991.1 generation is worth seeking out on the used market because it's a reasonable gamble that the last generation of non-turbo engines + manual transmissions might gain in appeal over time as turbos/dsgs/hybrid and eventually full electric take over. I'm almost certain if I had to sell mine today I'd get more than I paid for it. For that investment, you'll get a highly engaging car that has solid performance, daily driver reliability (imo), and a unique look to it which doesn't cross the line to being ostentatious.

mtgadbois

Why a 911? I loved the idea of a rear engine air cooled car. Had a Corvair in college until it exploded. After college I got a job, got married and talked to my bro-in-law who earlier brought in 20 or so 911s from Europe. He gave me a ride in his 1967 (or 1969) 911S. That's all it took. I bought a used 1976 911S and joined PCA. Since then I have bought used and sold a 1984 Carrera and a 1997 911TT. Now I have a 2016 911 GTS Club Coupe. It's a drug - beware. Ha ha.

Dennis C

There’s truly nothing like a 911. They are unique in the automotive world, and they have always been that way.

There are cars that are faster than a 911. There are cars that handle better than a 911. There are cars that are as or more reliable than a 911. There are cars that are more practical than a 911.

There is NOT a car that combines the performance, handling, reliability, and practicality of a 911. It’s truly an every day super car, and there’s nothing on the road that looks like a 911.

Once you own one, you’ll understand.

JimEb

I’ve lusted for a 911 since I was a kid. Really want a 964 of some flavor but can’t afford an older car so I had to buy a newer one.

Attention? Depends where you live. In LA or South Florida people probably will not look twice. For me in WI it’s a little more exotic. That said 80% of people don’t care. The other 20% range from other car guys that will give you a nod of respect to Porsche fans that enthusiastically wave to you and take pictures. That said I no longer drive my car to work as my company hires more temps and inmate labor. Just seems so pretentious parked next to some banged up, uninsured POS with the plastic bag for a window. Only once have I witnessed someone getting flack. Was at a gas station and some Antifa looking kid was yelling at some old man filling up his 992. Kid was going on and on about capitalism, rich people, etc. Someone messing with your car out of envy is always a possibility.