Depending on how deep your pockets are, a 996 turbo isn't THAT much more expensive...

 

But then, you'd have 2 Miatas. Even 10 Miatas do not a Porsche 911 make.

 

One can't own two Miatas unless one also has a salon with free door-to-door service.

Sorry, OP, but you can't get away without a single Miata dig.

FWIW, I used to have a Boxster, so I understand your dilemma.

 

(the dilemma, of course, is "which scarf do I wear today?")

 

I just spit my drink out in laughter.
JW Blue no less... LOL

 

The best thing about going from the 996 to the 997 is that I don't accidentally waive to Boxster owners anymore.

 

The e46 m3 is a great buy right now. Don't be put off on the vanos and sub-frame. Most well maintained cars would have both done by now by current owners. It's a great car especially if you find a good maintained model... Many to choose from.

I highly recommend.

 

Relax, 996's are bullet proof.

 

Hehe. Now that the car is Signal Green, it really limits scarf color choices. So that decsion is made a bit easier these days

 

My view is that if you buy one and do the IMS, AOS, low temp thermostat, new water pump, spin on filter, magnetic drain plug, you've given your self a good chance of ending up like the majority of owners who do NOTHING and get one to two hundred thousand miles on it. No guarantee but the odds get pretty good. These were expensive cars when new and now they can be bought relatively cheap so IMO they are a great risk.

 

MoonieGT, I've owned a 1999 996, currently own a 2002 996 with 117,900 miles on it, no engine issues what so ever on either. If you are constantly worried about everything that could go wrong, you will never be able to enjoy the car. Maintenance will be, on average, $2-3k per year. Some years less, some years more. NOTHING is cheap. Maybe save two more years and buy a turbo? Maybe go for a Corvette? For $24k you can get a bad *** corvette. (I've also owned a 2002 vette) They are fast! No doubt best bang for the buck. But I'm not a vette guy, BMW and Porsche fits me better.

 

This is all just the beginning of the dialog...don't let the horror stories frighten you away...take the time to digest all the information.

If you don't mind my asking, what is your working budget to buy a car and give it whatever deferred maintanence it needs in the first month of ownership. If you aren't rich you are playing risk management. That can be fun and sometimes that can become expensive. Since time is not of the essence I would recommend that your read "996 The Essential Companion"...used copies are available on Amazon and around. It is a 600 page coffee table size book that explores the designs of each generation of the car, discusses all the "issues," and when combined with the treads here will give you all the facts and fiction you could ever ask for.

When a new Golf R goes for $40k + t&l...a 996 at $22k to $25k looks great on the surface. And if you are good with a wrench a lot of the maintanence easy to do, especially on a 996. But get some back issues of Panorama, find a local Porsche group and see who their sources are...read all the engine rebuilds on this forum. And finally tell any children you have or are planning to have, to suck it up and pay for their own college and do something you really want to do.

And of course when you put together a real budget...perhaps you'd like to spend a touch more money and move up to the 996tt or a 997.2. I'm happy with my 996 (no preventive IMS work done) and it is my daily driver. I'd hate to spend $15k on a motor...but I'm mentally prepared for it if it happens. I wouldn't sell my car as a roller, I like it to much. I'd rather just give it the new motor and then enjoy it.

 

Totally agree there - amazing car on the track (and street).

My 996 is in the shop right now for an engine replacement - $12K for the replacement with core exchange plus about $2500 labour for the swap.

Can't wait to get back in the driver's seat and hear that flat six scream!

 

ps - avoid PDK...it is a cross between a video game and a condom.

 

MoonieGT, I bought I used 996 C2 cab in great shape for a good price, drove it for 20k miles with no problems. I am in a middle of my diy intermix repair like soooo many other folks have been. I am actually enjoying working on it. Lots of help from folks on the boards, lots of info like wsm and pet available, and parts are actually easy to get - some even less expensive than parts for my....okay so that part I can't finish. Lastly, even with the issues you have heard, it is still a well built car that is easy to work on particularly since it is relatively easy to drop the engine.