Been saving for a 997 for awhile. Will be ready to purchase in 3-5 months. I have a buget of max $60k. Looking for less than 50k miles. Must be auto with sport chrono. Don't care what's in it after that. First choice color is white but open to others. What is the average selling price for these with about 40k miles on them and what issues do I have to look out for when purchasing? It will not be used as primary car only weekends.

 

rare to find a good one at that price point. I got mine for that, but its blue, a stick, and had just over 50k miles.

Your desire for a tip may help you out here, but you might be hunting for a while.

 

07TT auto with like 40K miles on it sold on Ebay (was listed here as well) for $58K a few weeks ago. It was white and had some mild tasteful mods. Appeared to be very well cared for.

You have a big advantage going for an auto - figure a $5-$8K discount vs. a similarly equipped manual.

I don't think you will have much difficulty finding a car you like for ~$60K...much lower and you are looking at cars that probably have a lot of undesirable history

 

You are lucky you want an auto. White cars are rare and tend to fetch a small premium. If you can deal with black or silver and 50k miles you should have a few to choose from. If you then filter out the ones with very bad service/carfax histories it's going to make your search a bit harder, but still no big deal at $60k.

If you want to get the mileage under 40k miles, the price under $60k, no salvage title, something is might have to give. I only saw one such car, and in real life it turned out to be shockingly beat up for "35k" miles. Might you get lucky? Sure. People get lucky every day. It's going to take some patience.

 

Why is the manual more sought after? I know they are not made anymore but I thought Porsche proved the tip is like .1 second faster than the stick? With the auto around 50k miles I do not have to worry about clutch replacement. Manual commands a higher price?? Confused

 

There is no clutch in the auto. You may be thinking of PDK. PDK = awesome. faster, better, world changing incredible. It shifts automatically, but it has a clutch. It may not necesarily be "more fun" or "more engaging" but the verdict is in, it's faster all the time, everywhere, except for BIG power drag racing that exceeds it's power limits. engine response is like a manual but shifts faster and better then you could ever manage. only available in the turbo 2010+

tiptronic= more or less the same automatic you'd find in a grandmas mid 90's minivan with some silly bells and whistles added. It's faster in a straight line, but slower in more nuanced driving, and significantly changes the car for the worse engine response/feel/connectedness. This is the transmission for drag racers (great for the purpose), old guys, lazy guys/bad traffic people (fine I guess... but if your biggest priority is good in bumper-to-bumper traffic, why buy a 911?), and guys who don't know how to drive stick (don't know what they are missing).

 

The 997.1 Turbo is the last 911 Turbo model you can get with a manual, if I remember correctly. The tiptronic automatic in the 997.1 Turbo is not dual clutch, although it does shift quickly, hence the faster 0-60 times, etc. A lot of opinions out there, but in general, the tiptronic doesn't feel that sporty. I've never driven one myself, so I'm only reiterating what I've read, not my opinion on the matter.

When the second generation 997.2 Turbo came out, the tiptronic was replaced with the PDK (dual clutch) automatic that is one of the best auto/dual clutch transmissions you can find. In general, if you want a manual turbo, the last model you will find with the option is a 997.1, hence the desirability for purists that love the manual transmission and keeping the market price for manuals a bit higher. The PDK is much better than the tiptronic as well.
I've had a PDK and I loved it, but I thoroughly enjoy the manual too, so I do not want to start one of those threads!
Bottom line: if you are seeking a tiptronic 997 Turbo, you will save yourself some money.

 

There seems to be some mis-info regarding the tip. Since I own and prefer the tip, I will give you it's selling points. This is no way a dis to manual drivers as I had manual for years and agree the fun factor can not be compared.

The tip is .3 seconds faster 0-60 than the manual (per the driver's manual provided by Porsche, 3.7 for the manual, 3.4 for the tip) and with brake boosting, has seen 3.2-3.3 seconds by several magazines. If you drive it with sport mode NOT engaged then absolutely, it feels like a grandma's minivan from the 90's. If however, you engage sports mode, and rev it past 3500 rpm it shifts surprisingly well and sporty (although clearly not as great as the dual clutch PDK). I prefer to drive in the "manual" mode and shift myself whether I'm in sports mode or not. I will tell you that it'll never feel as engaging as a manual obviously, but it's a nice compromise for those times you want your right hand free...you know like when you want to hold your date's hand or rub her thigh . Also, you won't ever have over revs as the computer will shift when needed and you won't ever be able to go from 5th gear to 2nd on accident.

I do believe, however, that the manual will hold it's value longer because of the simple fact that Porsche isn't making manual turbo's anymore. But for what's it worth the tip is a great transmission that I've also heard can hold plenty of power for mods. Good luck!

 

Great stuff. This is what I need to know. Since 60k is max I think 07 to 09 will be the car I am looking for which means tiptronic. What are the some of the things to look out for on a car with 40-50k miles?

 

In my opinion, mine is worth a sub $70K with my additions. Ask the same question on an enthusiast forum, its worth a sub 110K+.


KBB states with my factory options, its worth $62.5K (as very good.) Not sure how one would judge my offset of loss but, If its in its factory state, 60K sounds right.


Give it time, You have the right time of year on your side OP.

 

KBB is great for a Honda Accord with 3 or 4 options but not for a Porsche where you can option one out with a few hundred different options and many are high priced which KBB does not factor in.

 

I think your budget of 60k before taxes works since you want a tip. Since it's a tip you don't need to worry about a over rev report but you need to get a PPI(Pre-purchase inspection) You will be surprised all the things a mechanic can find wrong with the car even though it looks perfect. When I was looking for my turbo the biggest issue besides over-revs is shady carfax reports, deferred maintenance(brakes, plugs, etc) and leaky water pumps. Before you dismiss the need for any options strongly consider adaptive sport seats. I didn't think I needed any options either but I'm so glad mine has the sport seats.

 

white cars were rare in the 996, there's a billion 997s though.

GL hunting OP.

 

This is Exactly what I am looking for. Is it costly to paint the front grill white? Can u purchase this option somewhere? Also what rims does he have on it?

 

The car in the photo is a 997.2 turbo. You can tell by looking at the updated headlights, the LED tail lights, and the larger mirrors. It also has center lock wheels, which were an option on 2009 cars and later. The car in the picture appears to have an Akrapovic exhaust system based on the oval exhaust tips.

I believe that the 997.2 turbos were available with a manual transmission, but they are rare because most buyers ordered PDK. I don't think it would be too expensive to paint the front grills white. Personally, I wouldn't paint the front spoiler lip. That piece is considered a disposable piece that needs to be replaced every so often because it scrapes on the ground. Painting it adds more expense.