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It'sGoTime - I was in the same situation as you and had about 45K budgeted for my first 911. I hated the 996 and only wanted a 997 coupe in Guards red with black interior and manual transmission. I thought that at this point in my life I should know exactly what I like right? ....Well I was sooooo wrong. I test drove a few 997 cars and was ready to buy one and make my dream come true. However, my wife said suggested that we look at a convertible... and while I didn't have that on my radar - I agreed to try one out for her.
As I was browsing online for 911 convertibles....one popped near my house. However, it was the furthest one from my mind that I would ever consider. A Tiptronic, 1999 Porsche 911 Convertible in Arena Red with black interior and 52K miles for only 17K bucks. This was NOT what I was looking for whatsoever, but I called up and made an appointment and my wife and I took a ride over there the next day. I subconsciously knew I was not going to buy it, but it's free to look I thought. Well, when I saw the car on the lot, my eyebrows went up and I smiled as I was extremely surprised how much I liked it. I then walked around it twice and everything I hated about the 996, i suddenly liked. The headlights looked great, the wheels were fabulous, the color was beautiful and the proportions were spot on. How could this be possible I thought? I am supposed to hate this car!!! Then when I sat down - it fit like a glove and was extremely comfortable too. It had a very understated clean interior and it was so refreshing NOT to have a center touchscreen, or blue tooth nonsense, or wacky buttons and sensors all over the place. It had just enough technology to keep me safe, but not so much to drive me nuts. I then took it for a test drive, came back and bought it on the spot with no hesitation. This was 'the one'.
So what happened? I was 100% sure of what i liked and what I hated. How could I have been so wrong about my own judgement? I don't really know the answers. But one thing i do recommend - try out the 996- you might be pleasantly surprised like I was. Pinky Lai designed the 996 and he did it right.
Test drive a few 997's, see if the options make a difference for you and your skill level, not what resale values will be. I would also consider going to a PCA event to see and talk to other owners about their cars.
I will echo Bruce, there is really not a bad car to choose, even a 996 is a lot of car for most roads.
Go old school. What I mean by that is; write a list of wants and more over, needs. For me... (and just me), it could only be a 997.2 S. Mentally resolved the IMS challenge. New DFI 3.8. Upgraded PCM. Exterior LED's. 19" wheels w/ the red calipers. All a need. Found no need for the 4S. Wanted the complete rear wheel experience. Wider hips.. ? Only measured in millimeters. Besides when I'm driving, I can't see my own azz. Would have gone with the 3-pedal and ended up with the PDK. Love it. It does get a little chippy at very low speeds. In the end- 'Fun Meter is rolling in the red'. Good luck!
Thanks guys. Michaelo, I've driven the 996 before (although it's been a few years) and enjoyed how it drove, just not the exterior design (except the 4S, which I like). I won't exclude it at this point, however, and as you said, I may go see one and it might just "click" for me.
well, congrats on being in the position to be looking for your first 911!
As many have said before, what ever the model car, get the newest and lowest mileage version you can afford.
Things to keep in mind is that there will always be something newer and faster coming out from Porsche every 2 years.
So chasing that train will never end, but if you really know "why" you aspire to own a Porsche 911 so much, and what it is that really draws you to the car, then that should narrow down what is important to you.
If you really love the 997 design, well you can't argue that the 2012 GTS was the last to roll off the production line of the n/a non-GT 997 models. For that reason alone they will probably hold their value as the last/best effort Porsche made with the 997. Similar to a 1998 Carrera S or 4S 993. They were the last to role off the production line for that model, therefore will hold their value better.
If having the last of the 997's is what's most important, then don't have any regrets and fork over the money for the GTS. They are limited in numbers so hard to find and not always in the color you may want.
I am an advocate for not compromising on certain aspects. When you compromise too much, you will regret it later and it will eat at you. If you are open to other models, well then your options will be much more open since there will be a lot more to chose from.
Over the years the consensus when talking about regrets, desires or compromises comes down to a few things. Usually the things that are not so easily changed like high mileage, poor maintenance, beat up condition, engine size/power, transmission pdk vs 6spd mt, and body style/color, interior options/color.
Figure out which of those options means the most to you and which are deal breakers. Be patient and try not to compromise on what means the most to you. Eventually "the one" will pop up for sale. Don't be stingy on an extra $5k when you find "the one" with low mileage, good options and pristine interior. You can easily spend way more than $5K buying a compromise and adding all sorts of mods to get it to be similar to the one you should have purchased with lower mileage for a bit more.
best of luck on your search. Be ready to pounce. Don't get discouraged if it takes you months to find one. Many of us on here spent many months searching and spent a lot more then $60k buying a 911 and have never looked back or had any regrets once we new we found "the one".
Shopping for a 911 is a fun experience that very few people have the opportunity to enjoy. Take your time, and decide what you prioritize. You'll find a match.
When I bought my first 911, I was in a slightly different place financially than I am now. I had two kids who were rapidly approaching college age, and simply couldn't see myself going into debt to buy a new Porsche. I did consider it, and I test drove a new 997 C2 as well as a 987 Boxster. My priorities included the ability to pay cash for a car, a manual transmission, a color other than black, silver, or grey, and I really wanted a wide body car. I found a 996 C4S in Midnight Blue Metallic with Natural Brown Leather interior. Once I drove it, I knew it was the one. I owned that car for 6+ years, and put many miles on the odometer. It was a wonderful car and a wonderful experience. I eventually upgraded to a 997.1 Turbo Cabriolet, and then upgraded again to a 991.1 Turbo S Cabriolet.
Only you know what you really want, your tolerance for risk, your tolerance for debt, etc. I am telling my story because I think you can have a great experience whether you stretch for a newer car, or whether you buy a less expensive model.
Ive owned a few 911's over the years.....made money on every single one of them when it came time to sell. Even the 996. If you buy smartly ( squeaky clean PPI, up to date maintenance etc), I say get the best car for the money. If a $2000 pop up repair will sink you, get a cheaper one.
My first 911 was a 81 SC coupe. It was above my pay grade but had a lot of miles and was solid. Should have never sold that car.
I would say get the newest you can comfortably afford. I myself could have gotten something newer, but it would have been a strain. But let me tell you, I'm very happy with mine. One thing about Porsche is that they stick to their design pretty consistently. They make facelifts here and there, but you know yours still looks like what comes out later on. That's why they hold value too. So putting that aside, it also depends on if the decision is based on how you want to be seen. Some want everyone to know they have the newest and the best, or have it look like it's the newest and the best. That's why you can always get aftermarket bumper covers and rear spoilers. Do you care about the numbers or care about aesthetics, or both? Do you want to get something that you can upgrade or want to get it already done? There is so much one small post can give about what exactly is behind your question. Make sure you actually drive the different ones you are looking at. What do you want to feel, have, do? This was my process at least. Now although I had a laundry list of changes I wanted to make, for now I've fallen in love with how it came from the previous owner and have decided to leave it the way it was. So, there you have it.
petza914, yes, I'd love the 997GTS......I just have a hard time justifying it rationally when I could get a somewhat similar 997S for a good bit cheaper. As others on 997GTS threads have said, I just love those centerlock wheels, unique accents, and widebody with rear wheel drive of the GTS...
Well, there's your answer spoken by yourself. I felt the same way which is why I bought a GTS. If you buy something less I can almost guarantee you there will be regrets. To be sure, you'll have a blast with the slightly less expensive models but you have stated your preferences and you won't get those with a C2, C2S, C4 or C4S.
When I got my 997.1 4S, it was at the top of my budget but as others have said, get the best you can afford. However, after owning one and driving some higher end models, I personally believe the 911 S models are the all around best ones at the price point for the street. The difference for say a GTS or GT3 is 30-40k more and the amount of performance increase just isn't justifiable especially for a street driven car. I can understand for those whom track their cars but for a street car, id say an S model is the best all around model to have in terms of performance, price, reliability and resale value.
I dont think there is a wrong answer here. It just depends on whats important to you.
For some owners buying a 911 isn't about money. They've worked hard, can afford it, and are going to get their dream car no matter what the cost. If you are one of those guys...buy the GTS dammit! Make us all jealous.
There are other guys, like me, that love looking for deals and maximizing ROI. I get just as much joy knowing a GTS costs 3x what my base 997.1 Carrera costs, but I have 98.5% of the performance and 100% as much fun. I bought my first 911 as the no regrets car. Its cheaper than a Honda I told myself, who gives a ****. Drive it the crap out of it, have fun and dont stress over it. Well I got most right but I still obsess over it.
Im really happy I went the route I did. Ive put 20k miles on my car and like CaptainBaker said, I can sell it for what I paid, or a couple grand more. I will upgrade someday but im not sure which route I will go. I might double down into my forever car (997.2 GTS, 997.1 GT3, or GT3 Touring). Or, I will keep it and add an air-cooled the fleet.
I dont think there is a wrong answer here. It just depends on whats important to you.
For some owners buying a 911 isn't about money. They've worked hard, can afford it, and are going to get their dream car no matter what the cost. If you are one of those guys...buy the GTS dammit! Make us all jealous.
There are other guys, like me, that love looking for deals and maximizing ROI. I get just as much joy knowing a GTS costs 3x what my base 997.1 Carrera costs, but I have 98.5% of the performance and 100% as much fun. I bought my first 911 as the no regrets car. Its cheaper than a Honda I told myself, who gives a ****. Drive it the crap out of it, have fun and dont stress over it. Well I got most right but I still obsess over it.
Im really happy I went the route I did. Ive put 20k miles on my car and like CaptainBaker said, I can sell it for what I paid, or a couple grand more. I will upgrade someday but im not sure which route I will go. I might double down into my forever car (997.2 GTS, 997.1 GT3, or GT3 Touring). Or, I will keep it and add an air-cooled the fleet.
Just to add. When I was shopping for another 911, I was looking at 2 year old 991's. But I didnt want to take out a loan on a car that was going down in value. So I reset my parameters and got a C4S in cash. No payments, no depreciation and 99% of the fun of a 991. Heck, Ill say 100% of the fun as I dont worry about depreciation. White/Tan C4S, manual, coupe for $43k and less than 50K miles. Every time I check Ebay or CarGurus, I find less than 16 cars with the same specs nationwide....and they are all grey, black or silver. Wait until the snow starts to fly and look nationally. That is going to be your best time to jump into the world of 911 ownership.
Just to add. When I was shopping for another 911, I was looking at 2 year old 991's. But I didnt want to take out a loan on a car that was going down in value. So I reset my parameters and got a C4S in cash. No payments, no depreciation and 99% of the fun of a 991. Heck, Ill say 100% of the fun as I dont worry about depreciation. White/Tan C4S, manual, coupe for $43k and less than 50K miles. Every time I check Ebay or CarGurus, I find less than 16 cars with the same specs nationwide....and they are all grey, black or silver. Wait until the snow starts to fly and look nationally. That is going to be your best time to jump into the world of 911 ownership.
And 100% + better looks than the 991. If there was ever a post declaring the 991 a better looking car than than the 997, I missed it.
07-25-2018, 01:29 PM
