Which is the better purchase decision from an enjoyment, and financial standing? Planning to buy in March-Summer 2017.

Uses: About 5k miles/year, driven as second car purely for fun. Prefer blue color or dark silver. Plan to keep for at least 3 years, depending on family/children situation. Live in south florida. Toss up between coupe and convertible, leaning towards coupe.

997tt: ~$80k. 07-08. Up to 35k miles. Manual. Would add exhaust, suspension module, and tune.

+great stock performance
+built to handle 650hp with big drop in reliability
+more compact body
near bottom of depreciation curve, but value drops significantly when you reach 50k miles
-unknown maintenance cost, I expect $15k in 3 years
-10 year old car with wear and tear
-most for sale aren't in the colors I like

991.2 Carrera - $100k. Sports Exhaust, Upgraded red/black Interior, Bose.
+new car with warranty
+euro delivery option, with exact color combo I want.
+Supposedly better throttle response and clutch travel. Haven't driven
-Expected $36k depreciation cost in 3 years
-$20k+ difference
-slower out of the box. Would probably need bigger turbos + tune to catch up. Goal is mid-high 11 second in quarter mile.

Notable History: 1997 Viper GTS: loved performance and visceral feel. Hated ergonomics and oversize dimensions. A bit too wide to throw around city corners.

2006 Z4M Roadster, supercharged: low 12 second car, but spent $6k/year on repairs and had constant downtime. Loved throttle response, and compact body. Really enjoyed the top down experience. Sold due to frustrations with breakdowns.

Test drove new Corvette. Couldn't see very well out of it, nor did it feel like it wrapped around me like a glove. Felt like an upgraded Viper.

Test drove 997tt. Clutch travel too long, and boost takes patience/revs to kick in. Loved the steering, grip, shifter, and power on-boost.

 

I can't speak for the 991.2 but I am a former owner of 2 997TT's. I wish I still had my last one. Fabulous car in every way. I had one tuned By EPL (European Performance Labs) in Ct. The car was an absolute monster and still a dream to drive daily which I did. Mine were all MT and I had 4 in total including 2 996 TT's
I am sure the 991.2 is a great car but there is something about owning a Porsche TT. They were also pretty bullet proof cars to maintain. Can't go wrong with this choice or the new one also.

 

I owned a 997.1 turbo before my 991. The 997 turbo is a fantastic car. I really enjoyed mine. That being said, the 991 series has many nice improvements. I think you need to decide what is most important to you. It sounds like you put a high priority on horsepower and on 1/4 mile times. If this is the case, then get the 997 turbo. They can be modified to produce ridiculous performance numbers, and they are still very suitable for every day use. I'm sure that you know that the Tiptronic cars are actually faster in the 1/4 mile than the 6MT cars, but there is something special about a turbo with a manual transmission.

 

The turbo is going to be quicker. The other thing to think about is that as you start modding the 991, you are going to void the warranty and resale is probably going to be lower.
I think your maintenance cost estimate on the Turbo is way high. The Turbo is pretty solid and I would expect just normal maintenance (tires, oil, brakes, etc). It sounds like you have been down the tuning route before. The tune is just the tip of the iceberg. In my last Turbo, I did a tune and 15 min later I blew out the clutch.

 

I agree with above. The 997 TT is very mod friendly and solid as a rock. I only had to worry about oil changes and tires.

The car when tuned is frighteningly fast. And yet still a daily driver when not pushed. I think I'm talking myself into getting another. All of mine were MT's which are now extinct in the new models.

 

thank you all for the feedback so far, I'll definitely test drive both back to back before making a final decision.

Speed wise, it sounds like a 991.2 carrera, with upgraded S sized impellers + tune will be near 500hp, which would be enough for a street car weighing 3200lbs. I don't think a tune would void a warranty, unless they can prove that it directly affected something breaking

I'm leaning towards a 997tt at this point, if maintenance will be less than $5k/year, than it is a more sound financial decision long term. If by March some used 991.2 cars drop to $85k, then I might lean that way

 

I would ask your dealer. I would suspect that any engine warranty would be voided with a tune. Going to stage 2 with upgraded turbos would definitely void your warranty.

Go with the turbo. That car has been around for so long that there are so many reliable tunes, turbos, etc.