frankyluis23

It’s hard to imagine a low mileage clean 997.1 going for less than $27K but when you find one, the sudden disappointment steps in because it only has two pedals. Clean, low mile, base model 997.1s are starting to show their face for under $30k. The only downside is that most of them are Tiptronic. On the flipside, could this be the best value proposition for someone looking to daily drive a 997 on the cheap? The answer is hell yeah!

While the hardcore 911 enthusiast is scrambling to save or borrow at least $40K for a 997.1 (manual) or $50K for a 997.2 (PDK or manual), one question comes to mind. Do these people really plan on driving their 911s every day? I know if I had a 997.1 or 997.2 manual, I probably wouldn’t drive it every day because those cars are probably going to fetch a lot of money in the future. If you consider what’s happening with the latest generation of 911, you are probably thinking the same thing.

Now before you trash my thread, hear me out… The Tiptronic transmission may not give you the ultimate 911 driving experience or give you the most street cred at your local PCA event but what it has going for it are definitely worth noting;

• Transmission is easy to service/maintain and extremely reliable
• It can be tuned
• Excellent for daily driving, everywhere and anywhere.
• Cheap to buy
• Less likely to damage the engine (No lugging here)
• Great for stop and go traffic (More so than a PDK)
• It won’t kill your teenage driver or wifey (0-60 in 5 sec)
• Who cares about resale value, just drive the damn thing - feeling

Now I know what you’re thinking… Why not buy a Camry? Well, a Camry isn’t going to put a smile on your face. For the most part everyone knows that Porsche’s are meant to be driven but there are still a large majority of people that refuse to drive their 911’s because they anticipate the price of their beloved 6 spd manual will go up (few exceptions to this). For the few looking to get into an excellent performance sports car for less than $30k, and one they can put it through the paces of everyday life, the Tiptronic might just be the 911 for you.

I have owned my 2007 C2S Tiptronic for over a year and a half. I also own a 2011 Mini Cooper S 6 spd manual. I definitely prefer driving my 911 and I love driving it everywhere. The Mini Cooper S is great and I love shifting through the gears but I still prefer the 911 in automatic than the Mini in manual. Looking at the prices now for a base model 997 with Tiptronic, I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to drive it to the moon and back.

Abe Froman

Great point. People seem to forget, myself included, that these were $100,000 cars 10 years ago and even with an automatic are enjoyable enough to have commanded such a price. Transmission hate is rampant. It's like people would prefer an old Beetle manual over a PDK 991 Turbo S because #SaveTheManuals.

OKB

I loved mine

dannysf

I absolutely love my tip base and yes I do love what I paid for it too. The car still feels raw, sporty and fun still. I run manual mode when I want to hold the gears longer and I appreciate it every time I'm in traffic.

996AE

where can you buy a 997.1 for 30k?

100k plus miles or accident 6 owner cars with work needed?

frankyluis23

Anything that has been driven less than 7,500 miles per year since new, I consider low mileage. Also, you have to keep in mind that typically cars go for even less than asking price, so a 997 that's asking for around $33K can easily go for under $30K if you know how to negotiate.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...1177/overview/

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...6747/overview/

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...9285/overview/

BTW, I always recommend getting a PPI before purchase.

996AE

nice

2005 cars with 77k, 81k and 50k miles.

great buys little risk

well done

frankyluis23

With proper maintenance and a can-do attitude, there is no reason why these cars can't go past 200k miles. If you're the type of guy that can't even check your own tire pressure, a used Porsche is not the car for you. Obviously we all have to manage a certain level of risk with any automobile we buy, but for the most part Porsches are known for being extremely reliable. Also there should be less risk considering it's mated to an automatic which has practically shielded the engine from ever being over revved.

996AE

2006-2008 maybe...

My luck is id buy a high mile 05 and it would be the poster child for borescoring, rms leaks and the dreaded ims failure!

911Finally

I bought my 2008 C2S Cabrio exactly a year ago this week. I'ts fully loaded, Carbon pkg, Bose, Full leather, Tiptronic, etc. and had a build sheet of $113,800 I paid a whopping $51,000. BUT it only had 4365 miles on her. Still smelled new. Now at 12k miles. Would make the same move again. Being my first Porsche I don't feel cheated with Tiptronic in any way. i think I stole the car.

frankyluis23

I have friend who used to own a 2002 996 C2. He bought it without knowing anything about the IMS/RMS issues. He was happy to finally be able to own a 911 and he drove it for years without a single complaint. After he did his research and learned all about the horror stories, he freaked out and stopped driving the car. The odd thing about is that he already had over 100k miles on the odometer. I asked him why he stopped driving the car and his response was that he though the car was going to grenade on him. He sold the car to someone else and that person is driving the **** out of the car.

The moral of the story is to not believe everything you read on the internet.

rickdogg82

Back in February there was a .1 manual for less than 30 with under 50k miles. @ a Porsche dealer in Louisiana.

dannyzabolotny

I've seen a few 997's with manuals for under $30k... if you're okay with higher mileage, that is. The benefit of buying a 997 manual with high mileage is that you don't have to worry about the value, so you can beat on it and daily drive it all you like. That's always been my philosophy towards buying cars— buy ones with higher mileage. I do all my own work and I buy cars to drive them, not to wait for them to appreciate.

2005 manual with 124k miles for $23k — https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cto/6190988495.html
2005 Carrera S manual with 50k miles for $28k (has a salvage title which means perfect for a track car) — https://losangeles.craigslist.org/la...181175196.html

Ben Z

Maybe I could save a few grand getting an automatic (and I think that's the case with 997.2 also on account of the scarcity of manuals) but every time I drove it I'd regret it's not a stick.

frankyluis23

I've also seen manuals 997.1 below 30k miles but do you really want to daily a manual car? Also the Tiptronic offerings are usually in better condition than the manual offerings.