CurrusDei

Hey guys,

First post here, but your forum's reputation precedes itself so I'm looking forward to getting acquainted. Today's also my birthday so I wont have trouble remembering my join date.

As the title says, I've been a BMW guy for years (E46 M3 (sold), E90 335i (very modified 585rwhp, daily driver), E30 M3 (bare frame resto., 3 years in).

I still have some work left on the M3 (hoping to be done in a year) and my E90 is still going strong even with the modifications (123k miles and still drives great and is in good shape).

I've gotten bitten by the 911 bug though, bad, and I'm unsure which way to head. If you're surprised by the breadth of the models I'm considering, I get it. I'm still deciding what this will be - a weekend/sunny day car (early 911 (looking up to 73) or 993) or a part time daily driver (997).

Now if someone were to ask me an equivalent question about BMW (E30, E46, or E90), i could ask them a handful of questions and say if you want ___, buy ___. It helps since I've owned all three, but i could opine on others as well that I've driven. Basically I'm looking for people who have experience with Porsche like i have with BMW to give me some ideas.

That said, here's what I'm looking for:

- I want the car to be special and engaging to drive, like the E30 M3. This doesn't help much with Porsche since I imagine all will qualify.

- Manual (maaaybe PDK on a newer 997. maybe.)

- Prefer to avoid black, white or silver. Maybe grey, but i prefer other colors.

- Coupe only (might do a targa, but no cabs)

- The car doesn't have to be a daily driver. I might drive it to work some days, but the BMW is doing fine on daily duty. I see this as a sliding scale from occasional to partial daily as I move from old 911 to 997, with 993 in the middle.

- Value maintenance/appreciation is important. I have no plans to sell it, and I know you buy the car to enjoy it, not to make money, but still, it helps my enjoyment if I feel like the car is holding up in value and/or appreciating. If you keep 911s long enough it seems like they come back in value, with some exceptions.

- Not looking for another project like the E30. More of a buy and hold.

- Price wise... it depends on the car and the value trends. I'd spend less on a 997 that is still losing value than on an early 911 that is not going to see its value fall.

Here are some of the models I'm considering and why

- Early 911 (63 - 73)
As best i can tell 74 is when the larger bumpers came in, and I love the older look. These are gorgeous cars, and seem like they would be extremely special to drive. I identify with the mechanical, rifle bolt feel to cars from this era - my E30 M3 even has a lot of that. Some of my most peaceful moments are driving back mountain roads (I grew up in TN, go to North GA, tail of the dragon, from time to time). This seems like an ideal car for that.

I love this one (yes, i know its a 912). (at Abreu Motors in Indiana - if this interior were tan, I'd have bought it)





- 993
This was the one on my wall growing up. Last air cooled model, classic lines. Seems hard to go wrong. Not sure If I'd want a 2 or 4, but this one really caught my eye recently (Carrera 4s, also at Abreu)






- 997
I can see this going two ways, a Carrera S that does part time daily duty, or a Turbo that sees fewer miles and is more of an occasional car. The manual Turbos should hold their value very well since all the new Turbos are PDK, right?




What else do i need to consider? Any resources or comparisons you think i should check out?


Thanks!