E39to911

I am ready to finally pull the trigger on my first PCar, having driven everything from 996 turbos to 991s, I have settled on finding a really nice 997. In a perfect world, I want a 997.2 C2 (MY 2010+) with a 6MT, coupe, and full leather, and exterior not in black. That is a very hard spec to find, and I am kicking myself from not going higher on a beautiful C2 on BaT a few weeks ago (although it was black). That being said, I have seen several really nice 997.1 C2S or C4S in my budget, but I am not sure I need the added power from an S. I do not track, and am more looking for a car I can take on a drive into the mountains on nice days. I currently DD a E39 530i with a 5MT, and absolutely love that car. I love how solid and heavy it feels, and is similar to driving a bank vault down the road. I get a similar feeling in 997s, and that is my ethos for pursuing that generation.

Basically from owners out there, what is the consensus on waiting for a .2 (while they get more expensive, and harder to find in excellent condition) versus pulling the trigger on a .1. I like the exterior look of the .2s more, but like that I can get PCCM+ for the .1s. Anyone who made a similar decision recently, I would love to here your thought process!

Thanks!

kellen

I’d set a budget and go from there. I’d rather be in a 997.2 base than an equivalent 997.1 due to engine upgrades and ext/int modifications. Getting full leather and other higher end options may be tricky in a base due to people sticking to a budget. I agree with full leather, never will get another without it.

997.2 started in 2009, so include that extra year. Will be harder to find due to pdk being offered and less vehicles made due to economy.

I would extend the search and be prepared to act quick.

aasilvia

Act quick, for sure. I ended up with my second choice because I didn't act quick. To be clear though, zero regrets just a slightly smaller checking account balance...

Scb1712

I agree with the advice of working within your budget. My budget wouldn’t enable me to get into a .2 (at least not yet) but I also didn’t want to wait a few more years to save additional $$ to make a lifelong dream come true. So I pulled the trigger on a nice, but higher mileage .1 this past year. It’s probably wishful dreaming but my hope is to love the one I have while also improving it a bit (it had a few minor issues that I’ve now mostly sorted), while saving some additional funds for a .2. The way things are going, I’m hoping that it won’t lose more than 10-20% over the next couple of years while I save up for a .2

voiceprint1

Base 997.2 is plenty of car for a twisty road, however if bank vault is what your after, a 993 cannot be beat.

Coolwnc

I bought a 997.1, 6 speed, coupe and love it. Runs great and handles fantastic. Car was owned before me by an older gentleman who took care of the car. It's older but looks brand new.

Space_114 V

997.1 C4S manual 5 yrs later and the car has been fantastic . Looking in hindsight I made the right decision. Lots of great memories and more to come. A well sorted out .1 will take care of you for years to come . All of these cars are more car than you need for street use anyway and I do like most of us think about a GT car now and then but cant really justify the $$ for street use when my .1 fulfills all my driving needs at a fraction of the price.

Petza914

• A .2 base and .1S have essentially the same power.
• .1 manuals will be easier to find at a lower price.
• Full leather is a must have for me in a car that should feel sporty and be special.
• .1s sound better.
• .2s have fewer engine issues (no IMS issues and less bore scoring).
• Unless you're using the car in snow, the c2s drives better than the c4s - better steering feel, more playful when you want it to be, and less understeer
• S cars have better brakes and sit better with shorter springs and have PASM so you can add the TPC DSC controller

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E39to911

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I agree, in a perfect world a .2 (C2) with full leather is exactly what I want - that is a very hard combination to find.

Besides the mainstream auction websites and the vehicle listing aggregators, PCA, and this site - any other good places to search?

I keep passing up really neat .1s, and my fear is I just don't find a suitable .2, and ultimately end up with a .1, but pay more than I would if I bought now, but also don't want to feel any regrets when/if an awesome .2 becomes for sale.

Can't wait to get out there in my first Porsche.

akhbhaat

I was thinking about picking up a 6MT C2 or C2S 997.2 last year and ended up just going for a nicely spec'd local .1 C2S instead. Much, much easier to find (especially in an appealing spec...I wanted coupe, RWD, full leather, sport seats, PSE, 6MT, and was open to almost any color but black).

My rationale was simple: the 997 was going to be an experiment/gamble for me (especially since I didn't particularly like my last 911, a 991) and I know from experience that it takes time to really get to know a car. A brief test drive (or even a week or two) really isn't enough...and as much positive hype as the 997 gets, everybody has their own tastes and frame of reference, so I couldn't just take the internet's word that it was the right (long term) choice. If I loved the .1, then I'd have good reason to put more effort (and money) into finding/sorting the perfect long term car (either a perfectly spec'd .2 or sign up for a 4.0 built motor for the .1 I would already have). And if not, I could shortcut that process, sell it quickly and move on without regrets or what-ifs. The 997 is around the bottom of the depreciation curve so the only real cost would be transaction costs (e.g TTL) and whatever ownership costs incurred in the meantime, which you'll obviously get with any car.

FWIW: as it turned out, I didn't really love the 997 platform, so I'm actually glad I tried it sooner rather than later and didn't spend a year or more looking for one in general.

BTW -- hang on to your E39 if you can, especially that 5MT unicorn you have. That era of BMW was special. I've had an E46 ZHP for 15 years that I have no plans to sell.

Coolwnc

Years ago I had an E39 with 5 manual that my wife drove since I had a company car. Even to this day she misses that car! I have had several E46's. Since I have retired eight years ago and no kids at home I jumped to the 997.1 manual coupe. I really enjoy it! I have put about 10 thousand mile during the last 3.75 years of ownership.

E39to911

That is a very helpful write up! What is it about the 997 you didn't love? I have wanted a 911 for a long time, but still wonder if I should get instead a really nice E46 M3 or E39 M5.

Obviously I am biased, but I think I have one of the nicest non-M5 E39s left. I am the second owner, it has under 84k miles, no rust whatsoever and I have every single receipt catalogued from when it was new. I do every single preventive maintenance item on the car, and it's getting PPF this spring. The physician I bought it from built a very specific build - 5MT, Sport Package, cold weather, premium, etc. I just wish it wasn't silver:-)

voiceprint1

After convincing a BMW lover to try and buy a 911, I can say with confidence he does not drive the car at all, maybe a 100 miles total, it just gathers dust while he drives a newer BMW everyday.

aasilvia

man - is this where all the bimmerfest and e46fanatics peeps go when they have real $$? I too came from not 1, but 6 BMW's over many many years. First was a 2000 323i manual, last sports car was a 2003 M3 SMG (converted to manual) before my 997.1. And, I still have a BMW as my daily, a 2012 535i F10 Msport. And to be honest, every day I drive the BMW and the 911 sits too. Sad.

akhbhaat

It's mostly just an issue of taste; I'm coming from a heavy track background (my last two Porsches prior to this one were GT models; I particularly miss the 981 GT4) and I wanted a silly weekend toy, but not necessarily a track-focused car with an exceedingly large performance envelope (like a GT3/GT4). In other words, a weekend toy (emphasis on toy) with a road friendly character and performance envelope. Maybe one that I could also run on track a couple times per year. On paper, the 997 looked the part.

Funny you mention the E46 M3, because that's somewhat more in league with what I've come to think of the 911 as: a sports car-grand touring hybrid. The M3 is obviously built on a passenger sedan chassis and skews more towards the touring car side, while the 911 is more purpose-built and skews sports car, but I think they both have a lot of overlap in fundamental purpose and character. To be clear: the 997 is a great car and I fully understand why so many people like them. It's super well-rounded, which makes it a perfect choice if you want an edgy, involving daily driver, or something you might use for shorter road trips or as part of a rotation with other cars, and it's generally very easy to live with, but the trade-off is that you're not going to get the thrills and theatrics that you get with a really hard-edged sports car. It's a little on the quiet and sedate side; the inputs are somewhat slower / more relaxed than I'm accustomed to (actually, as good as the steering feedback is, I think the ratio is too slow -- my ZHP actually feels lighter on its feet during casual road driving thanks to a much faster steering rack and more front-end bite, even though it's actually heavier, less aggressively tuned, and clearly can't keep up with a 997 when both are really pushed).

For what it's worth, the 997 was significantly closer to what I wanted than the 991 was, but I really should've bought a 987/981 Spyder, maybe a Lotus Evora, or even an Elise/Exige. Or maybe even an ND2 Miata. Regardless, as Porsche goes, and as I intend to use them, I've generally liked the mid-engine cars more than the 911s. If you're looking at cars like the E46 M3 as an alternative, you might really love the 997 (and I think I'd also go for a 997 over almost any M3). If I didn't have the ZHP, and I were looking for a daily driver or something to do a lot of regular/mundane driving in, I'd probably be very satisfied with the 997.

Yes, I think you do. And I hear you on the silver; my car is also silver (like, what, half of them seem to be?) and I really wish it were Alpine White or Imola Red (of the colors commonly available back then). At least TiAg is on the lighter side as silver goes...