Hi All, I hope 2020 is treating you well. I have finally reached an age where adding a 911 to my stable as an intermittent driver is achieveable. A bit about me: I am 50, work in corporate finance - have two grown children (one graduating from the University of Oklahoma in May - joining the Army) the other is in her first year at Auburn. My wife is a registered nurse. I have decided I would like a manual, normally aspirated 997.

I intend to use this car to drive to work occassionally and on the weekends. It will be a 3rd or 4th car depending on how many others we keep. I also would like to do most of the work / mods myself as I enjoy the process and would not need the car daily. I enjoy idea of "lightweighting" and creating an exhilerating "driver's car". I have much experience in working on / modifying older cars - but do not have much experience with modern computer driven machines, the learning process here is of interest.

I'm confident posts from those of us looking to buy are irritating - I apologize in advance. However, if you can tolerate this and have some real world experience and advice for me - I would genuinely appreciate it.

Some aspects to help narrow the advice:
1. I'm not THAT price sensitive. Wisely spending an additional 15-20k is doable; however, I emphasize "wisely" - thus, my query to this braintrust
2. I will likely remove and replace seats, eliminating anything from the rear that adds weight
3. I live in TX, therefore while adding weight....Air Con is a must or I will not enjoy driving
4. I am close to several track facilities (Texas Motor Speedway the largest) and, would likely track the car occassionally
5. I ONLY want a coupe - I am not interested in convertibles or targas

Given the above - I've been looking at both 997.1 and 997.2. The changes from .1 to .2 are significant - is there any reason I shouldn't narrow my focus to 2009 - 2012?
Thanks for the time - I will be reading and lurking.
Chris.

 

Fellow Texan here and you are correct AC is a must. I would not pull the seats just yet. My 2009 18 way seats are the most comfortable seats I have ever had.

The best thing I can say is test drive both cars to see which one you like best. I would recommend you look into the Turo app and rent both cars for a day. Totally worth the money to test them out.

I love to work on cars too and actually my 997.2 is really easy to maintain and work on. I did the clutch at Christmas and it was the easiest clutch I have ever done.

I know the IMS and bore scoring on the 997.1 is overrated, but it does exist. Bore scoring on the 997.2 exists too, but is even more rare. For me I just wanted the peace of mind to not worry about those things hence I drive a 997.2.

Also no apologies here. We all started our new at one point or another and asked some pretty basic questions, but this is the most professional car forum I have dealt with so ask away. Good luck in your search. I went to California to find my car.

 

Welcome and congrats on being ready to purchase a 911.

My recommendation would be a 997.2 Carrera S. I think a GTS is a great place to go to, but you will be going from a $55-60k car to a $70-80k car. While the GTS is a great package, others will be able to chime in more on whether they think that is worth it. When you start jumping into the $70-80k range, I start recommending a 997.1 Turbo in most situations and as you said you only want a naturally aspirated car.

I think every single 997.2 Carrera has air conditioning as standard so no issue there.

I would focus on the 997.2. You eliminate the risk of IMS problems and bore scoring is less common.

Also, I think options on these cars are less important than condition, but adaptive sport seats, whether power or manual are very nice, you can tell these by the additional wings/supports near the shoulders, but make sure they fit you well first. SPASM lowers the car and gives it a slightly better look. Sport chrono adds the clock on the dash in a manual and not much else. Full leather is something I really wanted when I bought my first 911, it was less important in my second one, but the car I bought had it.

 

Make it easy and get a 997.2 C2 or C2S. That'll help you avoid going off on the IMS tangent. That's what I done when I was looking for my first Porsche. Found a very nice '09 C2 in Florida on Autotrader. Excellence Magazine has a nice Buyer's Guide for $14.95 that's a very useful reference. I also recommend joining PCA on the Test Drive membership that gets you contact access to member ads.

Seller's picture of the car I purchased.

 

I bought a 2006 997.1 C2 with 103k miles two months back for $27k and I'm wild about it. I wish I hadn't waited so long to buy a Porsche. I know there is always the prospect of catastrophic engine failure with the 997.1 engine but in some strange way that increases the excitement of owning it. The engine is actually running great considering the mileage but I know it's a possibility. I've resolved to change the oil religiously and not worry about it otherwise.

Here in California the price difference between the 997.1 and 997.2 cars is significant, so that was my main reason for buying a 997.1. I was actually looking for a 996 but when I found my 997 the interior was so superior to all of the 996s I'd seen I just had to have it. Price considerations aside, I'd definitely go with the 997.2 over the 997.1 due to the newer engine and PCM update.
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I would also totally recommend a manual transmission. It makes driving much more fun IMO. But to each his own on that subject.

​​​​​​​The only downside to owning a 911 is all the valuable time you waste reading about them online!

 

997.2 C2S. Updated interior. Also can get ventilated seats if you prefer.

 

welcome aboard!

 

Welcome - As owner of 3 997.1(2005 997S, 2007C4S, and my current 2007 997S, don't listen to all the worry warts about IMS issues or bore scoring issues.
Like any high end car purchase, do your homework and get good PPI.
IMS and Bore Score are overblown issues and also source of revenue for some of the 997 Forum Sponsors and continuously stirred up by their member customers/friends.
The drama is created by an extremely tiny % of 997.1 failures.
99.9% of 997.1 owners are out driving their cars every day and enjoying them. Not sitting around the computer with nothing better to do like most of the worry warts.

 

Solid advice brought to you by groovzilla!!!

 

Welcome to the nuthouse.

1) 997.2
2) If you mod the seats you may loose airbag functionality, do lots of research.
3) They all have a/c
4) For the track, do you want a factory aerokit cup? More research is a good idea here, much cheaper to find a car equipped with aero than to add later.
5) Easy - find what you want

Enjoy the search

Some inspiration for you, my 2011 C2S. It took about a year to find the “one”

 

Not good advice IMO. The fact that these issues have not affected him is pretty much irrelevant as they have happened to enough people such that they are a recognized shortcoming with the 997. No one knows actual incident percentages but its very real (and very expensive) if it happens to you. No knowledgeable buyer is putting down cash without a thorough scoping of the cylinders; even then, even if it is clean, its no guarantee it wont happen (see Raby/Hartech input)

Read the threads, of which there are many, and make up your own mind. Personally I would not buy another 997 unless it was a turbo. If your dead set on a 997 then at least stick with the 997.2 which seems less susceptible to some issues (although that seems to still be a subject of some debate as well)

Good luck with the search

 

^^^Like I said there are worry warts - Mother hens who have no life spend too much time on Forum.

* Very important advice---> Don't buy any 997 (or any other vehicle for that matter) from very cold climate like Canada/Northeast/etc where they get weather beaten and more prone to Bore Scoring/etc.
Hunt for/Buy a California, Arizona, Texa(check for flood cars) and hardly ever go wrong. All my cars are from hot climates with no salt on roads and no harsh weather elements - You ever see the underside of a car from Canada?? Common rusty parts/ugly!

Yeah S_it happens but such a small % of 997.1 issues compared to other models. 997.2 models experience Bore Scoring too - So big deal, %'s are tiny like the 997.1
997.1 great cars, excellent value and if you know how to purchase with proper PPI you can't beat them.

**I suggest doing what I do and buy from fellow RL Members - Take your time and do your homework. Don't rush and check back to ask questions/etc
Have fun searching!

 

This has been discussed at length and will probably continue forever. One thing that doesn't seem to be in dispute though is that the 992.2 is much improved over the 997.1 which doesn't make the 997.1 a bad car. But I think the consensus is that if your budget allows for a 997.2, easy choice.

I've had both and my 2006 C4S was actually the least problematic of the three 997's I've owned but I still prefer the .2 cars. Also agree with those who describe the IMS and bore scoring as overblown issues on the .1 cars. They do happen but no matter how rarely, it gets expensive when it does. You eliminate the IMS with the .2 cars but if you get a .2 with PDK you could face a big tab with a PDK failure instead. Happened to my 2009 C4S.

 

1. My experience with the 911 is that spending carefully will insulate you from depreciation. My 997.2 GTS has not depreciated one penny since I bought it 4 years ago, and even though I've put 30k miles on it I could sell it today for more than what I paid.
2. I went this route of removing seats and anything from the rear of the car that adds weight. The car is a good bit louder inside now. That's what I wanted. I can hear the engine and gearbox much better. I probably took out 50-65lbs from the rear of the car.
3. All 997 cars have A/C



Regarding point #1. I've observed that spending more upfront on a 911 can, in the right situation, result in a lower overall cost of ownership. If I'd bought a 997.2 Carrera or Carrera S I might have had some depreciation, though it would not have been much. I do not know what 997.1 prices have done since I was never interested. You may even consider a GT3. It's a higher upfront cost but as I've mentioned, it will insulate you from depreciation.

 

Ahhh isnt that cute (but your insult really lack imagination!)

This mother hen with no life will send you pics when I leave for 2 months in Mexico this Sat. I'm sure Seattle is wonderful this time of year!