For the money you are talking about PPI is a must...

good luck

 

A friend of mine just bought an 06 997 S with aerokit, champion wheels, and all the factory goodies for $62k, and 5k miles. 4k miles is very low for an 06, probably it was a track car... -carbon fiber interior... mhmmm-

So how does the car drive? Try it and see if it is not loose.

Good luck.

 

Thanks guys....

Wow - with the market the way it is......might have to wait......maybe I should just sell my 05, save, and buy a GT3 next year....

 

Why not just keep the 05 car and drive it into the ground ? You aren't suffering with it and it depreciates gradually from this point forward .

At 48K miles re examine whether you want to cross 50.

 

yrralis1, you make a good point. want to avoid 40k, but may i can get over it. figured i'd satisfy my mod bug by getting that white one (even though the differences are only OEM)...

 

With 34K miles-- if you are still running the car stock , I'd leave it and drive until 48K . Then you face a decision of whether to drive that 997S into the ground or start fresh with a new car .

I believe ( and I differ from others) that modding ought to take place almost immediately in order to get every mile of that car's ownership at peak performance ability .

There's nothing wrong with leaving the car stock . My M3 is stock . So is my Civic Si . I got the full monte riding in my 997tt .

You are at the mileage where you really have nothing to lose by keeping that car . It has too many miles to sell easily (if it had less than 10K miles) and yet it runs ..and you are not citing mechanical problems.

Reading this forum can stir emotions and with those can spark the urge to buy .

To swap into an 06 and take a loss on your car to get into the new one that you don't know the car's history sounds expensive and risky .

Hang on to your car . Save, Wait . You could always buy any car you want but as long as you have gone this far with your current car .. get the full use .

 

From what I have seen these engines will run forever and there are not a lot of noted issues with them. My philosophy is always to drive your car into the ground or until it turns into dust. It is truly the only way to get the full payback on your investment.

Furthermore, the 997/997S is a gorgeous car true to the 911 form and will certainly age well. The spy shots of the 998 do not show any drastic changes other than moving the side mirrors to the door 993 style, so I think we are all safe that 997 is and will continue to be considered beautiful.

Finally, from a performance standpoint, you need to decide who YOU are! Are you the type of guy that wants a ton of power despite how practical or how often this power will be realized? Or do you enjoy the power you have. I have driven some fast cars and the reality is that there is a certain point where a car can be simply to fast to be fully enjoyed on the streets. In this situation you need to ask yourself if you plan on tracking a lot. Or, if you simply enjoy the thought of knowing your car would dominate if you actually tracked it. Either way these are good excuses to get a car with more power, more performance. In both situations you either satisfy your need for power on the track or need for power for your ego. But, if none of that matters to you the 997S is plenty fast for us mortals driving A to B on the highway and taking in some twisty's on the weekend.

Jason

 

[QUOTE][I have driven some fast cars and the reality is that there is a certain point where a car can be simply to fast to be fully enjoyed on the streets./QUOTE]

Well --this is this juvenile spark inside me that likes to know that I have the power . As a mature person it does not mean one has to speed on the streets .

However .. on the occasion where an open road poses an invitation to explore the cars sprinting ability ... it's nice to know that all that money and effort to create a customized supercar is mine .

 

[QUOTE=yrralis1;2158090]Totally agree with you....hence why I put the whole part in speech about its excusable to spend the money for the performance for the sake of knowing you have it...even if you do not use it normally.

But, that being said, you really have to decide on the type of person that you are. You see, you can take, for example, a 98 M3 (I own one) which in todays auto world has a feeble 240hp. I would not say its fast, quick is probably a more appropriate word. And, in my mind it approaches the line between just the right amount of performance and too much performance for the street. You see, when I wake up the morning and drive my old M3 to work I get a certain amount of satisfaction of hitting the red line in the first three gears, listening to the NA engine scream away as I merge into highway traffic. Also, keep in mind the superb balance and handling feel of this car all at the same time. I imagine there are a lot of Cayman and Boxter lovers out there that know what I am talking about. If I did the same thing in my 997S I would be doing well over the speed limit, if I could even get that far before having to brake for the traffic ahead. Its almost anti-climatic for me....its great knowing all that performance is there but it is also a little frustrating that the only places I can fully uncork it are on the track. I do not know what I would do with even more power.... for me the only reason I would need it is for the track and I do not do much of that. So that is who I am and why I decided the 997S was enough for me. Plus, I have issues getting it up my driveway already, I cant imagine what a GT3 wold be like with its uber lowered stance.....

Jason

 

I hear ya . We've officially hijacked the thread but I have a feeling ssaa isn't buying the 06 at this time .

That said .. I do this in one of my cars --the Civic Si . That little Honda reminds me of a juvenile M3 all fast and furious like with no bite but enough growl to roar like Simba .

As for mt 08 M3 . Sigh . I don't know what to feel about that car . My girlfriend loves it . I was thrilled at first but now I am so bored with it . It's fast , reliable, handles well , has free maintenance , is comfortable ..yet I am not happy with it .

It has this big gnarly sound . I don't know it's like this sophistcated German hillbilly . All big and burbly and gawdy and fat with that silly i drive and bump on it's hood like someone threw a beer can at it in brawl. It's has wealth but lacks class . I just don't like it .

 

I had an 08 M3 DCT for about six months...sold it and bought a 997S. If you like small nimble cars the new M3 just will not fit the bill. I used to think I would like a GTR but realized big and heavy with lots of power is not as fun as small and light. That being said, I did have a love for the car (new M3). Such a unique vehicle for this time period and for sure the best in its class. I dont think I would ever choose an RS4 or MB AMG over it.

Jason

 

Did you do an even key swap to get into the P car ?
I prefer it over the Rs4 and amg too . At the time it was the M3 Vs the 997S and passenger space won . Two Porsches seemed so impratical and Gf (primary driver) liked both but really liked the M3 for her driving needs .

I relate to the "light" feel . That's probably what i like about the Civic Si which costs 1/3 of the M3 and 1/8 of my modded 997tt making it a bargain . It's more unique than the other Hondas and is reliable , cheap to run , and worry free in many ways . People leave the car alone and dings or dents happen but it's not the same emotional attachment as with a high end car . So it's nice to have .

The Gtr was originally what i felt would replace the Si but the economy shifted and I began to read posts of Gtr issues.

 

No, used M3 prices are dropping fast. You can get a super mint 08 M3 now for 53-55K if you are willing to wait for a deal. I sold mine for just a little less than invoice (which is what I paid for it) so I did not take a big a hit. BMW flooded the market with M3's trying to best their E46 M3 production numbers and now even new ones can be had for less than invoice with .9% financing!

The MDCT was awesome in my opinion. It got a bad rep off the bat with some downshifting issues during heavy braking but Bimmer remedied that with a software upgrades. Its amazing how easy the new tranny made going fast. I recall getting on the highway once and some punk in a Lexus tried to throw down. I left him in the dust and the acceleration was brutal and un-interrupted.

However, while I loved the DCT, I found I drove in auto mode mostly and eventually all the time. This left me actually enjoying my E36 M3 more. At the same time the E92 was much bigger and heavier. Although it felt very light, I was not as confident when weaving my way through traffic. The handling was awesome though. Taking big sweepers at insane speeds was easy and fun. Even my lady commented how planted the car felt (she was used to the similar sweepers in the little more unstable E36 M3).

From a practical standpoint, I do not think there is anything better for the sport car fan. Its very fast and yet very compliant at the same time. You can carry lots of luggage and four people comfortably. If you were to have only one car, the new M3 would be an almost perfect choice. I think I was drawn to this aspect.

However, the purpose of my new car purchase was to get something a little more ostentatious, racey, and raw. A car that I would be sad to get out of when the drive was over.

You have driven both so you know. The new M3 feels like a sports car. Compared to about 90% of the cars on the road it feels like a race car. However, my new Porsche makes the 08 M3 feel like the other 90% of cars on the road.

Jason

 

JEllis -Interesting write up . Like yourself I was drawn by the M3's practical nature along with it's sports car feel . I did not get the Dct because I really like rowing the gears --although the slushbox of the M is sloppy at best . Even my Honda has more precision and the Porsche is (to me) the top of the line.

The 997S is more "raw" and is "light" as you have descibed . With the rear engine I love the feeling of the car feeling like it's being pushed . After owning 8 of these cars watching the car evolve from my driver's seat only enhances each purchase . Even the older models with offset pedals , five dials , and a wagging tail had such a character .. but to see the same basic shape grow over time to present level makes each Porsche more than just a car to me --I feel like my owning it is a capturing a piece of automotive racing history .

BMW is very different . In recent times the 3 , 5, and 7 have these odd shapes and Bangled design with pricetags which lead me to gulp . Yet BMW buiilds a fantastic engine which leaves me wondering how the sad the engineerrs must be when they place their work into those designs . I have still bought a few over the years.

BMW tends to hone in on leasing and now they are in "crisis" as this atention deficit clientele has begun to walk away from the car . I guessed it years ago and post frequently on a BMW forum .

Of the BMW's I like the 3 series and thought that the M3 would be the best transition car as my Gf had been driving an E class .

It's just not a Porsche and the 997 line up is really that great.

As for the Gtr --the newcomer to all this performance area . Years ago I had a 300zxtt and it was touted at that time as a "porsche beater" . It was fast and I did like the car --but drive it often and one begins to notice small areas where the car lacks refinement -- a blind spot in the mirror, interior doesn't last, I had to drive an hour to find great service . I won;t get the Gtr and for now am keeping the M3 BUT unlike with Porsche .. I won't replace the M3 with another M3 .

 

This dialogue is interesting as I went from an e46 to a 997S and was considering the new e92. Also, the comment about the Civic Si reminded me of the S2000 I had for 2 years - which I absolutely love driving - for vastly different reasons than the 997S.

I agree - I can't get more than 40-50% of what the 997S can do in my traffic-ridden commute to work, which is why I usually take my beat up 4runner. I shouldn't refer to my "bug" as a mod bug because I really just want more options, like the aero kit, sport chrono, PSE, etc. Nothing that will drastically affect performance, but maybe just makes the 997 a little more special. Maybe I'm stupid/nuts about this, but I don't care. ahhaha

The bottom line is - as is the case for many on this forum - buying/trading cars is my expensive hobby and I could be as easily sold on picking up another S2K versus this 06 white 997S beauty. I just need to believe I'm getting a good deal to offset the financial impact of frequent turnover - and need space in the garage!

Finally, I may be force to keep the 997S after all's said and done because there are so few buyers in this market/economy.

Thanks for all the input!