Ben Z

OP, unless you're insistent upon an S or 4S, $48K is strong money for an '06. You could easily get a base C2 for $10K less. Or, alternatively, you can easily find an '09 for $48K, and with it comes the DFI engine and no IMS. Those would be the routes I would take.

As to the warranty, given the aqe of the car I would be surprised if it was anything more than a simple powertrain warranty, or perhaps the lowest-tier named-item policy. In either case you could find one for less money on your own without the dealer markup. But even $45K is strong money for an '06, again unless the 4S is all you're willing to consider.

As to the cost of repairs, yes Porsches are expensive to maintain. But even though still depreciating, it will be going down slower than most contemporary non-exotics, and will plateau out at a reasonable figure. You won't see a '99 996 for much less than $14K even if it's got 150K miles on it, unless it's not running or been hit. So barring a catastrophic engine or transmission failure (which a powertrain warranty would mitigate), even factoring in repairs, a 6-10 y.o. Carrera will end up costing you less than a new Cayman or Boxster will depreciate over the next 2-3 years.

ThaGza

I'm most certainly not attached to the 4S. It was just what they had on their lot. The most attractive thing about it to me however was it's speed. That thing hauled ***. About a second quicker to 60 than my WRX and it's 8 years older, haha. I may just wait a few years until I can afford the car that I really want, instead of settling just to get myself into a porsche.

jhbrennan

Unless you're a collector of rare vehicles, cars depreciate - that's just a fact of life we all live with. I've been buying cars for 40+ years and have never had one be worth more after I purchased. Don't count on any appreciation. Good luck with your decision - these are great cars.

ThaGza

My salesman just emailed me asking me what I wanted to do. If this car had about 40k on it with only one previous owner I'd buy it in a heart beat.

hBomb

I had this exact car, and it needed a ~$25K new (refurb) engine at 57k miles. The cylinders were scored. I am guessing that it was from being daily driven in the cold. I thankfully had a fidelity platinum warranty that paid for the whole thing. I would not buy another 997.1 c2(s)/c4(s)

If you really want a 997, save your pennies until you can afford a 997.2.

gelat0

Go with your gut instinct.

I personally think the 997 cars are close to hitting their bottom because they are naturally aspirated, and I think will be coveted. Just like when the end of the air cooled cars came all of those values solidified and created a demand for air cooled 911's. There are rumors that naturally aspirated Porsches may become a thing of the past very soon, and history could repeat itself.

ThaGza

This absolutely terrifies me. I would in no way be able to afford that kind of repair bill. If you don't mind me asking, how much was your repair bill?

This was exactly my thought as well. I know these aren't air cooled, but with rumors of porsche doing away with flat sixes I figured this car could soon become desirable.

rickdogg82

If this is the case, it is not the right car for you. The car you buy should be one you want to buy in a heart beat. I think there are better cars for less money out there. Be patient and ready to pounce when it comes along.

myw

typically 20-25 grand depending on how crazy you want to bullet proof the engine against another failure. its not cheap and it does happen more often then people want to admit. i would do a search…. more then plenty of threads here and on the other forum where people are pretty financially strapped re their 997.1; and once the engine dies its sadly crying time. if i were in the market today i would get a 997.2

vern1

I personally think your dreaming. 10 years to become a classic? Don't see it

I had a 1996 993 that I bought in 2006 and it continued to depreciate for close to 7-8 years. It maybe appreciated a bit in the last year or 2 but never approached the value that I paid for it when it was 10 yrs old. And it was a 993, last of the air cooled blah blah blah

To the OP, I think you are doing the right thing to walk away. You say your a young guy so plenty of time to find the right car at the right price. Don't stress yourself financially for a Porsche - there will always be plenty around...

ezdriver

I would add that, if you want a Porsche ... any Porsche ... start by listing the specifics of the car that you want [eg: model/year, miles, style, origin as in winter or SoCal, number of owners, etc] and the price you are willing to pay for one meeting your specs. Only then do you go out shopping for your car. That is exactly what I did and would not have compromised in any of my specs. I assure you that I found exactly what I wanted and I have zero regrets. Additionally, I did not bother to ask anyone's opinion. Like another poster in this forum posted ... I don't ask my friend if they prefer blonds or brunettes.

hBomb

Where do you live, and where has the car lived? If it's a warm climate, I wouldn't worry too much. If you want peace of mind, get whomever is doing the PPI to look for cylinder scoring with a boroscope.

The warranty company paid $24K and I paid $1K. It took about a month to go through the whole process, during which a fair bit of noise got made about them not covering it. It was not a fun month. Here's the RL thread I posted when it happened if you feel like going down a rabbit hole:
https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...1-and-3-a.html

ThaGza

Thanks for the advice everyone. I do appreciate all of the input. It's all been very helpful in clearing my mind. I'm definitely going to pass up the vehicle, because you're right. I want to find that vehicle that I'm just ready to buy in a heart beat. Maybe a few years from now will be a better time for me. Thanks again guys.