It occurs to me that this is likely the last ICE car I will buy. It will be our fifth car for a two-driver household; our oldest kid is 10. Currently have a '12 X5 Diesel (four season commuter, Home Depot and grocery store vehicle), a Tesla Model X (the family car), an '86 Land Rover 90 (unrestored, not technically a Defender but a Defender, struggles over 65mph, fun car around town) , and a '10 Panamera turbo (three season commuter; I love that car but I loved my 944 more). Ideally the kids will learn to drive stick in the Landy and get to drive the manual Porsche on special occasions.

Money isn't really a constraint; I mean, no one likes spending foolishly but it's okay that the most expensive car on my list is over $100k more than the least expensive. I live in Connecticut so there is an annual tax assessment on cars, which bugs me more than depreciation. So while it's kind of important that the car retains its value, it's a double-edged sword here.

So, the setup here is that I want a special car. A car that in 20 years (I will certainly not make it that long) stands out-- and not in the way that a 924 or a C4 Corvette does.

My list is:
987 Boxster Spyder-- beautifully analog, a Miata with refinement, a riot to drive. The simplicity of the car helps with the timelessness I suspect.
981 Boxster Spyder-- loses a little bit of the analog but the HP/weight ratio is a big improvement. Objectively better than the 987 across most variables.
718 Spyder-- the suspension (I gather) is incredible, can do PTS and get a truly unique car, maybe the apex of the line, no longer "analog" but should be bulletproof?
991.2 Targa 4 GTS-- heavier than the Spyders but plenty of torque, the weight is a compromise but production numbers are pretty small, truly the Swiss Army Knife of sportscars. It gets cold in Fall and Spring here.
991.2 GT3 touring-- The roof doesn't open. But, come on, it's a GT3. Get it in grey and it's as stealthy as a Porsche can be.

This is a champagne problem, I know, but I really can't make up my mind. Anything on this list a clear winner or loser to you folks?

 

GT3T, in manual. If you expect this to be possibly your last ICE car, it is pretty much the pinnacle of 140 years of passenger car evolution. The others are all fine choices, but this is a cut above.

 

GT3T. That is probably the best forever car.

 

RE: depreciation (an attribute I'm big on as well) - GT3's are great at fighting depreciation; however, that's relative to what you paid. Right now touring prices are through the roof in comparison to their winged brethren (which is the same exact car). I know there will always be those people that protest that the next generation is dead to them because of feature X (i.e. a digital gauge cluster) - but let's face it, there's a 992.1 GT3 coming out with a NA and manual... Best believe, people will be checking that touring checkbox whenever possible. My crystal ball isn't perfect, I think they'll do well but a glut of wingless GT3's is coming. I think they'll always do well, but suspect that they'll relatively come back to earth.

Now GTS Targa vs GT3 - that's a tough choice and solely depends on your tastes and intended uses. Don't get me wrong, the GT3 is the pinnacle for me... I love NA/high revving cars, noisy interiors, weird sounds... all that stuff. However, it's not the best car if you want to take a nice weekend roadtrip with the wife. The sentiment of mine is "get me out of here" after 90 minutes on the highway. I could imagine that a GTS Targa is one hell of a road tripper, ripping through the mountains on a fall day... Personally, I'd opt for a 991.1 GTS Targa - last of the NA and past the steep part of the depreciation curve.

 

Thank you Steve. Some good points. I think there's one MT 991.1 Targa 4 GTS for sale right now in the whole country. I guess that's good, if one can get his hands on it.