Great forum, great cars, hopefully great insight from the 996 board.
Has anyone made the move to a 997 and questioned it?
I really like the look of the 996, particularly it's hind quarters. But the 997 interior is perhaps pulling me.
I have $50k to spend and was looking at the C2s in the 997, does anyone have any comments that may pull me towards the 996 (I was thinking that I may get an exceptional 996 with great options, making it better value than the 997) or any comments on it's interior. The car shall be a DD that I shall take great care of.
Cheers,
Ian

 

My advice is to go with the one you like. I drive what I drive because I like this series the best (of the water cooled). Get what you want and don't care/worry about what anyone else thinks.

 

If you are going to go 996 and have up to $50K to spend, I'd certainly recommend looking at the Turbos or GT2s (but, of course, I'm biased ).

 

I drove countless 997 Carrera S models and was convinced it was the car for me... then I drove a 996 Carrera 4S and fell in love. It all depends on what you like, I prefer the 996 for a few reasons, more car for the money, a more raw driving experience, and the *** of a 996 C4S is just perfect IMHO. I do like some parts of the 997 interior better, but not enough to justify the additional cost of the car. Also 997's while wonderful cars, and just so much more common. I like the fact that I rarely see 996's. But get what makes you happy. I spent over 2 years driving 911's before I bought one... research is important.

 

I'd probably buy a 996TT if I were spending that amount of money. Personally, I'd take a 996 turbo or a 996 C4S over a 997 C2.

The 996 turbo and C4S models have the full-leather interior as a standard feature. If you put a modern, double-DIN nav system in it and get one that has a few interior upgrades, it's actually a very nice interior. I have no complaints about my C4S.

Good luck!

 

I'd probably look at something like this...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2006-PORSCHE-997-S-COUPE-RED-TAN-ONLY-21400-MILES-/390432363393?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item5ae7951381

 

I have both....an 2009 C4S and a modified 2000 C2. I really like both. The 09 is my road car and the 2000 is my track car. I have spent little money on my 09 except a second set of wheels but my 2000 I have spent enough to double the price. In retrospect, I should have probably bought a 996 GT3. Either way, it depends on what it is you want to do. I will also say, that my 09 with PDK is just not quite same visceral feeling I get with the stick 2000...in fact I find myself driving it more often on the street. I am also finding that I have no desire to mod the 997 since it is still under warrantee but the 996 I am looking for what is the next thing I want to mod.

So let me offer yet another suggestion. Buy a 996 for 25K and then spend the rest of the money on Mods....assuming that is what interests you. However, if you are spending time on this forum, my guess is you will be looking to mod....these guys will always give you new ideas. ;-)

 

thank you for replies. Truly appreciated.
I shall not track or mod the car. I would like to find a very well specd factory car. One or two owners that sits at around 35 thousand miles, whom are happy to talk Porsche all day long and provide a total service history since the day it departed the issuing dealer!

Cheers,
Ian

 

996TT with a Mezger engine. unbeatable!!! I first went the 996C2 way,d rove that car for 87K miles without any problems ( except water pump replace at 42K miles) and a bunch of tires. But that's just a baby when compared with the Turbo. Oh, but of course a stick shift!! They won 't be building these cars any more... The Mezger engine is just... to die for!!

 

i went from a 05 997 to an 03 turbo with almost no mileage. I bought the turbo for less than one third of its original sticker price. The interior of the turbo is well appointed but retains just enough of the "old porsche" to give it the "look " i wanted. the turbo is timeless and is destined to be the next classic.

 

I moved from a 2002 996 to a 997 and have no complains. The interior of the 996 is starting to show its age. The 997 interior is miles ahead of the 996. A friend of mine had a 996 C2, spent $48K and got a 996TT and sold the 996TT really quick as he didn't saw it as an upgrade from his 996 C2. He later got a 997 4S. He is happy now.

 

^^what he said^^ I have a 2003 996 C4s and love the car! No body mods, but I did the PSE hack and it sounds awesome, also put in the LNE bearing. Bought her with 31,950 miles, it was garage kept with all records, but I did splurge for the extended warranty. Love the cah and couldn't be happier.
Get what you like, your the one driving it. What you want is a car thet everytime you get in it it brings a smile to your face!

 

I'm somewhat in a similar decision making dilemma, torn between a 996 or 997, and I haven't completely ruled out a Cayman. My preferred price range is between $30K and $50K, but considering this car is going to be garage queen / part-time track car, my plan is to target a purchase price of $35K and use the remaining $15K on mods, but I'd spend up to $50K for the right car.

That being said, I'm leaning towards a 996 TT. I'm beginning to see a growing number of mid to high mileage (70K-100K+) 996 TT's drop into mid-$30K range. In fact, a few months back, I saw an ad for what appeared to be a very clean 2002 TT for $27K, albeit with 127K miles. There are plenty of TT's with 30K-70K miles in the $40K range. Extreme low mileage TT's, X50's populate the top end of the price range, between $50K up to $70K. But there are some Turbos out there in the right price range. Here's a gorgeous '03 Turbo I found yesterday on cars.com:

http://tinyurl.com/8yh3roe

Unfortunately, I'm still 10 months away from my lease end. But it would definitely interest me if I were in the market.

I'm also considering a 996 C4S, most of which are in the $30K-$40K range. I'm beginning to see some 2005 997 CS cars fall into the $35K-$40K range, most of them well-cared for, but most of them with high mileage (70K+). Although a 911 is my target, I'm also considering building a Sharkwerks RS350 / Techart Cayman S which should run me about $45K ($35K car + $10K mods). Yeah, a Cayman isn't as sexy as a 911, but from a performance standpoint, your mod money goes a little bit further.

I don't want to make it sound like there are nothing but high mileage Porsches out there; in fact, there are many 2002-2004 996's out there with very low mileage for sale at reasonable prices. 996 shoppers are fortunate that many of the 996's currently on the market were weekend cars and pampered by their owners; it becomes a matter of finding the right car and doing the due diligence on the mechanicals with a good PPI.

In the case of the 997, it's almost worth waiting for the values of the 997.2 models to come down to the $50K and below price range. However, it's going to be years before we see the 997.2 CS, C4S, GTS, Turbos, etc. drop down into the $50K range.

I wish you luck on your purchase. Take your time, have a plan, and you'll find a sweetheart car.

 

When the 991 turbo and C4S cars launch, values for the 997 cars will drop. It's just a matter of time.

 

Have to say that I'm finding myself leaning towards the 997. And yes with the 991 now selling that should mean the 997.2 shall start to approach affordability, though I am not sure that I wish to wait. However I am equally in no rush to buy the wrong car. I am enjoying the process and have started to zero in on some of my likes and wishes, sans wart for me!
Again thank you,

Ian