I'll be looking to buy a new car in the next 4-6 months. For background, I presently drive a 350z and really like it with respect to balance, handling, driving dynamic but am looking for a nice step up in terms of quality and overall performance.

I've considered one of the new M3s but they arent yet available for driving.

Ive driven 997 C2S and C4S and both pretty much blew my mind. The pricetag is hard to swallow even though I can now afford it. I have driven quite a few other cars (cayman S, vette, 335i, z4m) and none of them left me saying "I have to have that one" like the porsches did.

I've looked through the board and I see my questions have been discussed here and there, but I (selfishly) would like to ask them again. The 4s might be the best choice due to some bad weather and DD use. I dont want to spend more than about 70K.

1. What price range is reasonable for a lightly used (10-20K miles) 997s vs. 9974s?

2. Other than options, is the actual driving experience of the base C2 or C4 significantly different from the "S" models? There are 997 C2 out there with low mileage for pretty cheap.

The porsche dealer had been nice enough to let me drive the cayman S, C4s, and C2s, 3 cars he knew I wasnt going to buy right away so I didnt trouble him to drive the others. Ended up being smart business on his part, as I havent wanted anything else since!

thanks

 

No specific answeres to your questions...but be patient and keep looking at cars.com or autotrader. After about 6 months I found my dream car an 07 red targa 4 with Tip and original sticker of 103k. I picked it up with 3.5k miles from a dealership in Sacramento for 75K.
If you are on a budget and don't plan on tracking nor adding 10k+ for an additional 35hp... stick with non S, its 8-10k less. For my needs spending that money to add a fraction of a second or two racing down to the next red light was not worth it. But be very carefull because if you are into hp and performance....its like a disease and you might regret to getting the S.
good luck
abe

 

[/QUOTE]1. What price range is reasonable for a lightly used (10-20K miles) 997s vs. 9974s?

2. Other than options, is the actual driving experience of the base C2 or C4 significantly different from the [QUOTE]

1) The market has softened a bit in your favor . It's been posted here that 2007 leftover models are selling at dealerships for invoice . On the used market keep in mind that ANY car with more than 10K miles has faced a depreciation hit .

Cars with 5K miles or less in pristime condition are so close to new discount pricing that you may opt to go that route .

However if an "S" coupe is what you are looking for I'll estimate pricing currently as follows if the car was "used" (meaning titled)

2005 - Upper 50's to low 60's
2006-Low 60's to mid 60's
2007 - high 60's to low 70's

For the C4S -- add 5K

2) The base car is a very nice car . It's quick , handles well and beautiful. However if you are going in this deep the price savings ought not be the bait . You will want the "S" the moment the novelty erodes and you see an "S" pass you .

Good Luck.

 

Well I am in your exact position. I bought a 2005 997C2 non S with 11k miles and here are the details:
Seal Grey, 6spd., heated seats, bi-xenon headlights, navigation, sports chrono package,
19" Carrera S wheels, power seats, self dimming mirrors and bose premium sound. All this for $60k last October. I LOVE the car but after being on this board I have the "S" envy. If I could have at the time found the same car "S" version I would have spent another $5K. But for now I love the car and it was a considerable step up from by Boxster S so the way I think about it is one step at a time. I can wait a few more years before trading up to an "S" or wait until I can afford a turbo. There is a never ending craving for faster, better and more hp so if you can get a non "S" for less than $60K with less that 15k, you are in great shape. If you can find an "S" for less than $65K with low miles, then I'd say go for it and you don't have to worry about the "S" envy. Good luck. Either way, you can't lose!!

 

1. What price range is reasonable for a lightly used (10-20K miles) 997s vs. 9974s?

2. Other than options, is the actual driving experience of the base C2 or C4 significantly different from the

 

Hi:
I have C4S and it took me a while to decide. Up here in Canada, we do get some wet and snowy weather so i took the C4S. After tracking the car, the big difference is the understeering of the C4S vs CS, which can be easily put into power oversteer on the track. If you aren't a big time racer, then the C4S is much more tractable around town and seat of pants says that its a bit quicker than the CS. I suspect the launch is the reson but I have no dyno.

S versus NON-S: BUY THE S. You will regret it b/c not only the power is different but their is a dramatic difference in handling. Its night and day and you will want to get rid of it sooner than later. I made that mistake in 1987 when I bought a Mazda RX7 but cheaped out on the Turbo 2. I brought it back in 2 weeks, tooks the 3 k hit for driving off the lot and everything ended happily ever after.

Good luck