hoffa

You have a PM.

utkinpol

buying used for best value means 3 year old post-lease car. in year 2012 it means MY 2009 car. anything older goes into different category of 'budget buys' and cannot be assessed, there are too many factors to consider.

given cumulative list of differences between 997.1 and 997.2 cars IMHO it is not wise now to buy any 997.1 car when 997.2 cars went down to mid-60K price point. buying older '06 car will save you $20K but it is not where you want to save that $20K imhoas with '06 and '07 car you get no or almost no warranty left, aftermarket warranties suck and are not good altenative to CPO and I would not recommend anybody to buy a used Porsche car without CPO coverage as it may bite you hard.

pissedpuppy

08 C2S

RudyP

utkinpol- that's a perfectly fine opinion as well but it is a subjective matter. Nothing wrong with going earlier and saving some money for some folks and newer, warranteed cars for others. My car isn't warranteed and I'm not too concerned. Worst case is an engine failure and that's going to run what? $20k? I'm already $20k ahead of having bought a 997.2. If I need a new engine or other repair, it's not the end of the world. I can't imagine anyone spending $80k on a car getting themselves in a bind if they need $20k in cash for any emergency (not just car related). If so, then I'd argue they are not very responsible and should have bought a cheaper 911

Btw - lots of people are buying older cars including (gasp!) earlier than 997s! Hell, there's even people buying used 996s and those don't have any particular historical or nostalgic value. They are just bargains for the right buyer.

Anyway, I don't at all have a problem with your point of view and am not trying to change your mind. I'm just pointing out that it is a subjective argument and there is no right or wrong.

utkinpol

i do not disagree about bargains, I say what i think is a best buy right now for the money.

i got my base 997.1 car in 2009 when i knew very little of porsches, still, i have no regrets, it is a great vehicle and with less and less stock parts left in it - it gets better and better every season. but unfortunately i cannot swap engine out.

so, DFI motor seems to be a very big factor from any point of view. as soon as those 997.2 cars will hit $60K price mark (and they will) I do think they will become a better option to go with. those cars are out there since 2008, now it is 2012, 997.2 really proven itself to be almost problem free in drivetrain area and this is the most expensive part of the car.

USMC_DS1

OP, every new model gen is viewed as the next best thing until they've had time to show their warts. I remember when the 996 came out in the late 90's... a co-worker dropped a $100k retail to get one with all the options... had to have it... more power and much better than the out going 993 he said. Hmmm... history is funny that way.

I transitioned from BMW's to P-cars early last year. DFI engines have been out longer on the BMW's and VW's so we were seeing their worts on the BMW forums. Didn't buy the new M3 for this reason and went with Porsche 997.1 only to fine forum members here discussing a different potential issues - with IMS. Saw that Porsche had improved the IMS with the 06-08 MY so I was ok with that. I figured both BMW and Porsche had their own warts so I left it to the test drive to decide. Coming up on my 1 yr anniversary and I'm very happy with my '08 C2S. Pick your poison as we say here in TX then enjoy the ride. Life is too short to worry about every possible thing that might go wrong.

Get what you can afford and enjoy it sooner vs. later. Not getting one is the worst thing you could do to yourself. My only regret in life is holding off on getting a 911 some 20 yrs ago.... BTW, had I known about all the issues with all my former BMW's upfront I would have never enjoy any one of them nor any car for that fact...

Sharkys

Agreed. I bought a used C2S because I could 'get out of it' if a newer or older model striked my fancy - I'm still on the fence. The car will depreciate +/- $3K per year and I still do regular (40K service) and preventative maintenance out of my own pocket. Sure, I replaced a non-leaking-at-the-time water pump (showed slight sign of dry seepage) and serpentine belt. And the oil is changed every 3K miles. The money I saved going with an out of warranty, fully documented '05 Launch Edition C2S, I put into the future exploded IMS fund However, that being said, $1500 will correct the IMS issue which I may do if the clutch needs to be replaced during my ownership. I can also sleep at night knowing that I have no warranty. Motivation to purchase can be different from person to person. Generally speaking, the newer car will have updated electronics and hardware and to some, that could be the x factor.

RudyP

Agree that BMW has definitely had some issues with its DFI engines - in particular HPFP failures. That said, one correction: the current gen (E90, E92 and E93) M3's S65 V8 is NOT a DFI motor and the whole car has proven very, very reliable. Many claim it to be the most reliable BMW in the current lineup. The 997.2s have been around for a while and seem to be faring better than the BMW 335 for example. There was on HPFP recall if I remember correctly but seems to have made the cars pretty reliable.