motion

I'm getting closer to starting a serious search for a car for my wife. Her main requirements are: White exterior, tan interior and auto/PDK.

My main requirements are: badass & must hold its resale value to the greatest amount possible.

The 2009 Carrerra S models with PDK are in line with my budget of high 50s. Any thoughts on a 997.1 Turbo? I believe it might hold its value better than the S. I know the auto transmission won't be as nice as the PDK, but I think she can live with it. Any thoughts one way or another?

englebert

Having had a Tiptronic and a PDK Turbo in the family and the difference between the two cars is pretty extreme. However, seeing as this is for your wife, i'd probably go for the Turbo as it is the ultimate Porsche and has the legendary Metzger engine.

Here in the UK, a Tiptronic Turbo is looked down upon and as such prices are pretty low. I'm not sure if residuals would be the same in the States, but i thought manuals were seen as the enthusiasts choice over in the USA, so i'd actually expect over the long term the Carrera S would probably lose the least money. Depends how long you keep it i guess!

malexgcab

I have not seen a 997.1 turbo in the high 50's. Prices are in the high 60's with higher mileage and high 70's for garage queens.

wheeler

Automatics seem to hold up well and sell well here in the US...nobody can drive a manual here anymore. Local dealer told me they are only ordering PDK for inventory. Pathetic.

If the MAIN requirement is WHITE, then you better start looking and buy which ever one comes along. She won't know the difference...if she did she would want a manual.

Mcjimmy33

First off I had the same budget of 50s and I searched for a while and could not find any turbos in that range. I had to change my search to 996 turbo or 997 C2S or C4S. I ended up with a 997 C2S.

Second point is does your wife need/want all the horsepower in a turbo? Save come cash and get a Carrera S. They still have more power than you know what to do with on the street.

Para82

A tiptronic Turbo can be had in the high 50's but more often than not they are 65k and up.

Resale - i'd bet on the Turbo having a better resale from your current price point.

motion

Not really concerned about too much power. She is a cautious driver. Resale is more important to me. Judging from 996 prices, Turbos are holding their value MUCH better than NA cars. I think I can push the budget a bit to find a Turbo, if needed. Are the auto transmissions in the 997.1 cars livable on a day to day basis?

PTParks

Can your wife even manage the HP of a turbo if all she is concerned with is the paint and interior color and that it has to be (gag, cough...) an automatic??

Sound like she is looking for style, and you are looking for speed. Neither one of you are going to end up happy.

ilko

High 50s will get you a tired Turbo. If you can't swing another $5-10K for a Tippy don't go and test drive one. It will really mess up your head.

englebert

In fairness, your wife won't get into trouble with a Tip Turbo - they are fairly lazy unless YOU decided you want to go fast. The PDK on the other hand is like a hair trigger and the setup on the Gen 2 Turbo is more extreme to compete with the Nissan GTR.

alexb76

I understand that people like to just own Porsche for the sake of it... but if she doesn't care about power, or performance, or anything sports car related, what's the point? 997.1 Auto cars are not very sought after, so re-sell might suffer (outside of Turbo maybe), and ALL 997 cars are not as livable daily as 991 (see my last point).

Wouldn't she be more happy with a Boxster or Cayman instead? It seems like requirement is comfort, ease of drive (auto), and just some color preference. To me, Turbo is over-kill, even a Carrera S. Base Carrera maybe, or a Boxster/Cayman, would also have a lower depreciation as it's simply cheaper to begin with.

PS. For 50K, you can get a NEW base Boxster which is honestly a great car, as well as great looking with good WAF, much more compliant cabin, less road noise, more comfort, latest gadgets, still pretty fast --> This gets my vote!