Jay911

I'm looking for recommendations for a 911 daily driver, under $25,000.00. That number may not be realistic but would like to have some ideas thrown at me. I currently drive an A4 but looking for something that may be more fun in the spring and summer here on the east coast. I would only be putting on 6-7k miles, so a high miliage car may work. Also it doesn't have to be a 993, just thought this would be a great starting point form knowledgeable members.

Thanks for the help.

XavierLaFlamme

I am no authority or collector but $25k doesn't go far at all in the 911 world. For a 993, oh no.
--Michael

stace

1999 996 would sell for that money - for a reason. high mileage 996s in general and of course something with a salvage title might.. but air cooled 911s in any kind of decent condition - not anymore....good luck....

mpruden

I don't see there is any way of getting into a DD that's air cooled and reliable for $25k.

Probably sacrilege on this forum, but I agree with Stace. Don't discount the 996 for a cheap Porsche daily driver.

For well under $25k you could get a car that's as reliable as any old car can be, has had the engine risks properly mitigated, and has been very well maintained. Regardless of the mitigation, I always consider the M96 a "consumable" on those cars, so be sure you're comfortable with that risk.

For the balance of your 25k, put on a set of Fisters and PSS10s and you'll have a great little 911, if ugly and unloved by some.

Drisump

In my mind, you, realistically have only the 996 to look at, all other 911 variants at that price (for a DD)will require a lot of work...and you would end up spending way more than your budget. In the 996 world however a friend of mine just picked up one for $17k CDN ($13k US) that had already had the IMS bearing done (replaced with LN engineering type) and RMS. Like was said earlier, you could then afford to refresh and improve the suspension and brakes. That recent purchaser's brother had purchased a 996 three years earlier and has put probably the same miles per year as you will. It's proven itself to be an extremely reliable and fun car for him. I have done a number of spirited miles in a stock 996....not as fun as my 993 or 3.2, but pretty damn good. Exellent value car for use as a driver. Good luck

justin-in-athens

How about a nice 968 coupe, put the rest in the bank.

BetaSteve

A $25,000 air cooled car will be FAR from daily driver condition... But the latest Panorama has some interesting offerings... A '99 996 with the IMS, RMS and clutch done, under 30,000 miles, for 26. A 2000 996 with IMS done and under 12,000, for 30. A '04 with IMS and RMS done, under 40,000 miles for 27.9... Happy with a few more miles and you can find a 4S for about the same. Mid to upper 30's will get an early 997. Some think the 996 turbo the best bang for the buck currently, a nice early model can be had for 40 to 50, which is a serious amount of car for the money!
Get out of the Porsche world and you will see a lot of mainstream automotive journalists considered the 996 a vast improvement over the 993... Whatever you decide, learn as much as you can, find a good indie shop for a PPI, and get the absolute best car you can afford, save for improvements later!

FormulaRX

I've seen a few tiptronic 964 cabriolets going for 25k recently but aside from that you're not getting many options for 25k if you want a daily driver. Even the once "affordable" SC is well into the low to mid 30s for a good example. The reasons a 911 would cost in the mid 20s as opposed to mid 40s to 50s is obvious in today's market. Most 911s end up being 40k - 50k cars regardless of entry price

Bloose993TT

A nice 00-02 996 with the IMS/RMS issue sorted is the way to go with your budget. Don't get caught up on mileage. Maintenance history is key. Best bang for the buck in the Porsche world in my opinion.

GTA_G20

You can find a 993 for under 25k INITIAL INVESTMENT

1 - it will more than likely be a convertible rather than a coupe
2 - it will require some maintence repairs and require a second vehicle, so unlikely a DD

sand_man

Affordable 996 thread: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-t...96-thread.html

Zeus993

996 it is. And a great Porsche at that. Not air cooled but still a great Porsche.

phoneyman

I feel like i got at the bottom of the market and got a great price. Like those above, you probably wont find an aircooled at the right price, but you can definitely get into a good example Porsche with the right example, but it'll be a water-cooled example. Good luck.

Ash

In the 911 family, the 996 would be the best bet at your price point. If it were me, I'd probably also take a serious look at 06-08 Caymans. Quite a few in the sub 25k price point and it's not a bad way to enter the Pcar world.

race911

Funny I just posted this over on the 911 Forum:

4 of 5 M96 engines in my social/track/racing circle have been engine failures in the 80-100K range NOT having anything to do with the intermediate shaft bearing. 2 were 1 owner cars, properly maintained, by long time Porsche owners. 1 is a guy's mom that's a tip car. First one was in '04 right in front of us at the track, and the most recent was 3-4 months ago. Which happened to be the same guy. Who wishes finances allowed him to keep the GT2 that he owned between the boat anchor engined cars.

And if anyone is still in doubt, get Steve Weiner's opinion........