groovy dude

To answer your question, I think the PDK shifted things a lot. Prior to that the tiptronic was seen as an inferior transmission from a sport perspective. Acceleration numbers were always higher with manual cars until PDK came along, and that speed is what buyers want with a sports car (of course, who can "feel" a tenth of a second?). So, as has been previously noted, now and probably since the 997.2, Porsche sells way more PDK cars than manual, so the 6MT cars are more rare. But so are the 6MT buyers, who are mainly enthusiasts and/or people who are buying their car as a toy and not a daily driver. (I haven't seen official data, but it's pretty clear to me that in the 997.1 6MT cars are pricier today.)

However, if you're wondering about how your car's value will hold up over time, it's my opinion that the 6MT cars will be more valuable, even in the 997.2. It just makes sense, especially once we're all driving electric for our daily drivers, that the throwback cars will be more desired as all gas engine cars will be toys. How long we have to wait for this is anyone's guess though.

SpeedyD

Easy answer is data accuracy is poor.

You can do your own assessment by searching and sorting through the cars list on Autotrader, Cars.com, etc (holding certain elements constant and adjusting others). When you do that there is a clear premium for manual cars.

Note that if you try to automate, a lot of "manual" cars that show up are actually PDK or tiptronic (because "manually shifted" dealers will enter as manual).

The supply/demand balance on used 911s is strongly in favor of manuals because once you get out of the new cars the target audience is the enthusiast crowd (i.e., the rennlist crowd). Since older 911s are not a performance match $ for $ with a lot of other options, the preference starts to become more driving engagement, feel, etc, (the intangibles).

BTW, I'm not anti-PDK and a lot of enthusiast drivers who actually track their cars will prefer PDK... but out of the Rennlist/enthusiast crowd, there is a much higher preference for manual than automatic transmissions in the older car.

SpeedyD

Funny enough, I have a similar mix of cars (Viper, 997, BMW roadster etc) and all my sports cars are manual. I am looking to add another fun car and "automatic" options are not off the list, but only because a) it will be primarily my wife's car and b) I don't mind it as a third or fourth sports car option, just not as my main or only sports car...

kellen

rickdogg82

As PDK cars age to a point where they can't be covered or cost-effectively covered under warranty, I fell they will become less desirable. If PDKs can eventually be repaired instead of replaced, things might go differently.

Balr14

Fear of breaking the PDK is greatly exaggerated. You need to see this if you have any doubts:

Skwerl

I dunno, it's not like PDK cars are dropping like flies but I can think of a few threads in the past year where someone's looking at potentially a $20k+ repair if a warranty or PCNA don't step in. It's not unheard of.

Fined

Also not unheard of on manual transmissions either. The search button shows as much.

Skwerl

On a manual transmission you have options. On a PDK, a valve can go bad and the official recourse is to replace the whole unit.

Balr14

Used PDKs are selling for $4K - $7K.

raidersfan

Good point. The person buying a 10-year old 997 is often a much different buyer (or looking for a different car) than a person shopping for a new 992. On average, the "manual" premium isn't that much, but one has a better chance of getting a unusually high price for a manual, as there are a few buyers willing to pay that premium. The GTS is a great example (which is often billed as the ultimate enthusiast's 997). I doubt there is much of a premium on a C2S. 2 that sold locally went for the same price and were comparable builds. The manual sat a bit longer than the PDK at the local dealer. I drooled over both! With that said, you will have to act fast on any manual, as they tend to be harder to find and therefore sell quickly.

Zoefhaus

I paid a premium on my manual 997.1 cab, simply because availability compared to tiptronics was incredibly limited (around 10 to 1).
So when I found a manual with the right spec, I didn't have a lot of negotiating room left in terms of pricing, hence the premium compared to a similarly-specced tiptronic.

Haven't regretted it for a single second though

rap

wjk_glynn

keynes

I had a '91 5MT that I rarely drove on Saturdays (in third gear 90% of the time). Now I drive my '09 PDK much more. I can commute in traffic, I can drink a coffee, I can eat a breakfast burrito on the way home, the wife can drive it. I get more use and joy out of my current car with PDK than anything since the E36 M3. I get the MT engagement, but overall PDK works better for me.