I think you may be confusing 'smart financial move' with spending your money on a passion. The two concepts rarely meet.
If you love cars, want to put your money into something that would make you happy - then go for it.
People who make far less $ and have less in the bank do it and have no ragrets.
Once you start calculating how much you may lose or how much maintenance may be - it kind of kills the passion.
Depends on your tolerances too. I won't plunk money down on anything more than functional until I have taken care of house and expenses, retirement planning, vacations, kids college expenses. Only then will I go for significant expenses that are not necessary. I have no desire for a boat, 2nd house - so a frivolous car is on my radar. Everyone is different though.

 

Excellent words of wisdom!
Too bad often the wife doesn't get it... Once she has her kitchen and other basic needs Then you're usually good to go... Having bought a couple of C4 S cabs new ,
As well as Mercedes S 's over the years, I can say that one does become a little jilted from the depreciation... So you just have to say wtf and enjoy !
From a business standpoint, yes you can get an older vehicle that's as good as it was when it was new, which just has mileage on the clock... Nothing like being able to pick out exactly the options you want though... Of course you just have to pony up & forget about the end value years down the road .

 

I'd like to get a 991 this year and my wife has been asking the same question for several years. I make a good living, have a fully paid off house, healthy savings and two young kids. I'm in my 50's and have always wanted a 911. No matter how well off financially I feel I am, when I look at the profile of people I know that have purchased from the local Porsche dealership, I always feel like a pauper. Most of the guys are buying a Porsche for a second or third car an they drive them in the summer only. One guy owns a garment factory and a daily newspaper, one guy is a lawyer but his wealth comes from a media empire his father built. A third (my cousin) has been a commercial lawyer for 30 years and will retire next year on investment income "which will exceed what I am earning now". So, I keep putting off the purchase.

The OP is a young guy with what seems to be unstable .com earnings ("I make my living off Google"), but he has plenty of years to fix purchase errors and savings expenses. NO kids or wife, but may want one or both.

With the benefit of hindsight, I think the OP should start a financial plan sooner rather than later. A financial planner can help the OP determine the effect a purchase of a $100,000 depreciating asset will have on his long term goals. If the guy was a physician making a steady $500,000 a year, with little likelihood of interruption in earnings, I'd be asking why he hasn't bought one already.

I'm sure Porsche knows the financial profile of its customers, or at least the customers who finance their purchase/lease. I wonder what the average wealth/earnings profile is.

 

I follow the used market fairly close.

You can get used 991's 2012.5/2013 Carrera S's for 75K-90K with LOW mileage under 10K.

These are cars that sticker for 120K-130K

In the past 6 months I've been seeing them dip below 80K which wasn't happening earlier in the year for an S and highly optioned.

You don't need to buy a 130K-200K 911 off the dealer lot to have a nice 911.

Let the first guy take the big depreciation hit.

You're only paying for the cars depreciation anyway in a simple sense. Obviously that depreciation cash can go somewhere else too.

If you can afford it, enjoy it. Life is too short.

 

why are you guys responding to someone asking for advise seven months ago? pretty good idea that this has been sorted out by now

 

Not a day goes by that someone doesn't set eyes on a 911 for the first time.

The dream never dies.

 

Go for it guy!

Suzie