Hello folks!

We are in the process of upgrading from our 2007 Boxster to a 997.1 (2006-2007). I am new to the Porsche seen for the most part and was referred here for the great advice. I am somewhat aware of the IMS issues on earlier 997's so 06+ for us. We live in WI and so far there's basically nothing around after scouring autotrader, Porsche.com, etc.
we are looking for the following:

Cabriolet
6spd
$40k give or take of course
No need for cpo

Any advice on how to locate one? Will our local Porsche dealers help in that regard or just ones they get on trade?

Any other tips or things to look out for in our search?

Thanks again,

Brandon

 

So I'll take a shot as a new 911 owner - just purchased a 2006 911 C2S Cab after a thorough yet relatively short search - just under 50K miles, well optioned, white with cocoa full leather. It is stunning and I have grown to appreciate her more each drive. At the same time I am scouring forums looking for info, examples and cars for sale to make sure I got a great deal and bought the right car. Well, I don't know that I got a great deal but I got what I wanted and I paid what the broker paid for it. Cargurus.com, cars.com and autotrader were enough to learn the market. This site was great in learning about pitfalls of certain models and helped me generally in my ongoing education. All that said, I don't know if I'm qualified to give advice but if I am, the most important and best thing I did was to use the entire country rather than just 200 miles from home base. Now, you may want to buy only from a certain area but using the lower 48 as a pool was huge. Good luck, look forward to seeing your Porsche.

 

I noticed you're using words like 'we' and 'ours'..............

sorry about that

good luck on the journey hunt

 

It's a car for the family, what can I say

I'm hoping with the spring time approaching we will have more options to choose from.

 

Last spring, we upgraded from a 2005 Boxster to a 2006 911. We looked at cabrios, but ended up with a coupe. The Boxster was a fine car, and lots of fun with the top down, but the 911 is in another league. We also like the extra room inside on long trips, one of the biggest drawbacks of the Boxster. We bought our through Weissach, had it shipped from NY to Jacksonville FL, and drove to back to ND from there (2400 miles). Try the PCA classifieds and the used car search feature on the Porsche website. Good luck.

 

I am excited for the upgrade! The boxster as you said is fun but lacks the grunt of the 911

I've been keeping an eye out on all the sites for used ones including PCA. Unfortunately I need to sell my boxster first or find a local 911 to trade it in on.

 

If you're looking to eliminate IMS issues then you want 2009 and up. no IMS.
2006-2008 are still prone to IMS failure and there's no upgrading the IMS like on earlier 997's with the m96 bearing. Personally I would not consider a non-upgradeable m97 engine without CPO. Buying from a third party seller isn't going to move PCNA towards charity should you have a big problem.

Also, since you're a Boxster owner, if you're going from 987 S to a standard 997 Cabriolet, I think "upgrade" is a subjective term. Many will miss the sharper, mid-engine handling. If you're going from 987 S to 997 Coupe not as much. For instance 987 Boxster Spyder to standard 997 Cab, not an upgrade in my book, the former has laptimes equal/better to even some modified 997 GT3's (TC Kline's Laguna Seca '10 time trials). I guess it all depends what kind of driving you're planning on doing.

 

I upgraded last summer from an 05 Boxster, to an 07 CS Cab. Very different driving experience. The extra torque, full leather, and better looks (my bias) of the 911 are fun. But it is hard to beat the better balance and lighter feel of the 987. I always say the 911 is a much more serious, brutal and extreme car. Can't go wrong either way.

 

My Boxster is just the base model, so the extra 80hp or so will be a welcome improvement

I probably will miss the balance and handling of the mid engine boxster, but not too much!

 

Found this unique blue one out in MD. Seems a bit pricey though.
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...Index=13&Log=0

Thoughts on what you guys think its worth?

 

Would you please expand on this? I have not seen proof of a 2006-2008 IMS failure. It's true that the cars still have the IMS and all mechanical things can fail, but I have not heard of such a failure happening.

 

Good luck finding a 2006-2007 cab for $40,000 looking at cars.com the S models are ranging at $54,000.

 

eBay Motors is a great place to go and look at lot of cars and get a feel for features and price ranges. We're heading into spring so prices are going to jump but generally cabs are less expensive than coupes for some reason. If you enjoyed the top down on your Boxster get a 997 cab.

997.1 vs .2? Biggest difference is the engine and the RARE chance you'll have trouble with the IMS bearing. I disagree that these engines are 'prone' to an IMS failure. They very OCCASIONALLY have a problem. This being said, when they do it's catastrophic. The great thing about the 997.1 M97 engine is that it has more parts in it an AWESOME howl at 5500 rpms and above! The 997.2 DFI (Direct Fuel Onjection) is very engine, no IMS, no beautiful soul-stirring engine note.
There's a lot of nice cars out there in your price range. I would go full full leather for sure - the cabin smells and looks great. Get a cab, a C2S with the bigger engine and suspension etc...

Also check the Vehicle Classifieds here on RennList and you'll find a car that has be taken care of by an enthusiast.

Good luck in your hunt!

 

Thanks for the feedback! The cabrio is a must! There are a ton of 2006's across the country listed for just over $40k, so my ballpark range should be feasible. I am not overly concerned with the IMS issue with the 2006-2008's. Just like with any used purchase, you roll the dice

I may chose to go with the base model only because the full leather and even the "S" version dont really do much for me. Is it possible S models are driven harder?

 

There is proof. See posts by Flat6 Innovations and their certified installers on various forums. If there is a bearing in the engine where good engineering dictates there shouldn't be, then failure is an inherent possibility.

Perhaps "still prone" was the wrong word when "still possible" should have been used. Either way, 997's with either m96/m97 are still a dice roll since failure has been proven. Neither m96 or m97 is guaranteed to be free of IMS failure like engines...without an IMS. It's pointless to quote statistics since those are all of questionable accuracy from misreporting and/or improper diagnosing.
At least with the m96 996/997 you can address the issue at low cost. And by all indications, failures in m96 997's with the retrofit are even fewer than failures with the factory m97 IMS solution. Personally I'd wait for 2009+'s to come down/depreciate if I were to opt for 997 or take the lower entry cost advantage of the m96 997 and simply have the retrofit done.