luvacatfight

Hello all.


Almost a year ago, bought a 1999 911 from the delightful folks at Napleton Porsche in Westmont, IL.


Had 57,000 miles.


Now has almost 77,000 miles.


What have I done to it?


Two oil changes.


And it needs rear tires.


Here is my question.


996 Porsche 911's are (obviously) quite dependable as daily drivers.


Considering "upgrading" to a high mileage 997. Like this one I randomly found on the internet. http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...18104780&Log=0


What would be the "pro's" and "cons" in your valued opinion?

MoeMonney

In my opinion performance is too similar to justify the price increase. Your basically paying double for a car with performance thats not double an increase. I would go to a high milege 996 Turbo for the price your paying for the 997.

kab1994

As someone who also puts 20k a year on his 996 with dd duty maybe I can chime in. I get MoeMonney's point. But a 996 turbo is going to suck more gas, be more expensive to maintain, and may have too much power for dd duty. I think the 997S is the perfect step up for a newer 911 DD, as a matter of fact I consider going to a 997.2S a couple months ago w/PDK. The 997 interior is miles ahead, and although the power output isn't much different on paper, the driving experience felt like a considerable leap ahead of my 996. It gave me all of the Porsche experience with more creature comforts that I like as a DD like nav, usable bt, heated cooled seats, more comfortable seats, etc etc. I also liked the driving position more as I sat lower in the car (I am 6'4).

Porscheby40

It sounds like you got a good one - I'd keep it and drive the wheels off of it.

gnat

For starters you have the dual row IMSB while a 2005 997 most likely has the small single row like the later 996s. Then you have a car you know pretty well at this point and would be trading it for an unknown. Finally you'd be downgrading to silly looking semi-circular headlights

Unless it has options you really want or you just really like the 997 looks better, I'd say stay with your 996.

Slakker

Plus the '99 C2 is the closest thing you get to an aircooled Porsche and you don't have put up with the lawn mower engine in the back.

The creature comforts will be a little better but the "experience" might not be as good. I think it all comes down to preference though.

varsorama

20k miles? Shouldn't that be 4 oil changes? Just kidding haha. That's a ton of miles for 1 year!!!

I have done about 11k in one year and no issues, just lot's of preventative maintenance.....I like it more than my father's 997 with the exception of the interior. I would rather get a 996 turbo than a 997 but that's just personal preference! Awesome daily drivers!

Southern Man

I put 50k on mine in little over 2 years. Great DD! I would hang onto what you've got, at least for awhile. It runs great, still has relatively low miles, and every day you wait 997 prices go down. I thought a 997 would quickly become my next Porsche, but even with 155,000 now on the clock, I have no plans to sell my '02 C2. Love this car!

JimmyChooToo

I was walking to my parked Mini Cooper the other day and noticed a 997 in the distance parked in the same garage. This is strictly a front view of the 997. I thought to myself I wouldn't park a 997 in this garage. Too sketchy and dangerous.

I guess my eyesight is getting worst because as I got closer I noticed it was a current gen top of the line VW Beetle coupe. That mistake would never happen with my 996. Another reason to keep your well running car.

porsche951

First of all congrats on putting 20k on your car in one year. That puts you in the top 1% of all the 996 drivers on these boards. But $35k for an 2005 997 with 79k miles? No way there are too many other interesting 911's for sale.Dealer I bought my car from currently has a 2003 6 speed Cabriolet w/34k miles for $29k To me that's way more inviting than the car you posted. Plus as a previous poster mentioned your getting a single row bearing in the 05 at least your 99 is a dual row.

Marvinta

Sometimes I think Porsche's are UNDERdriven , leading to problems. Grats on your 20k miles. I believe Porsche upgraded the IMS in 2006 and the interior is a vast improvement in the 997 also some people prefer the headlights (a bit overblown in my opinion but to each his own). Those are the main factors I would consider in transitioning from a 996 to a 997. Having owned and daily driven a 996 in the past I thought I would never do it again, but lately the value of the cars is so great I've been seriously considering getting another. A C4 convertable for about 20k? That's a steal. Keep enjoying your wonderful car.

luvacatfight

Thank you for all the thoughtful comments. Don't know if this matters or not, but mine has an early build date (April 1998). As you mentioned kab1994, the turbo might be somewhat over-powered? 296 horsepower in the 3,000 lb. car feels perfect! Great to see others like varsorama, Southern Man (and kab1994) using the cars as they were intended.

RRTEC

I got 18,000 trouble free miles in my first year of ownership followed by the last 2 months with the engine sitting on my garage floor. I wouldn't say "obviously" until you have put 80-100k on the car.

5CHN3LL

The "con" would be moving from a known good vehicle to one you are unfamiliar with. If you like what you have, I'm not sure why you'd move to something else...there must be a reason you're considering it. Is it the 997's more thoroughly appointed interior?

Re: being overpowered - turbos only make power when you wind them up. When you're putting around town, the difference would be negligible. Once the turbo spin up, you make more power - but unlike a supercharged car, you have complete control over how much power the car makes. Shift early, and it won't feel much different than the NA 996. Shift close to redline, and you'll make the jump from misdemeanor to felony in just a few seconds. This is one of the reasons it's so fun to watch new Turbo owners at autocross...the ones with no throttle control spin out over and over and never really figure out why.

I have a vacation shack in the mountains; that's when I really wish I had a turbo - turbocharged cars do much better at altitude than NA cars...

luvacatfight

5CHN3LL, Thank you for alerting me to the fact the subject was (unconsciously at the time) posted to talk me out of replacing my 996? As you alluded to, I was thinking the 997's interior was nicer. HOWEVER. 1) My car has an interesting history I'll describe if anyone is interested? 2) LUV its relative simplicity. 3) The $15 to $20 K it would cost to upgrade will keep it going for the next 100,000 miles. 4) Was a blast on the track. Here's a pic.