997's for under 50K?
 

My parents are considering purchasing their retirement car. My mom really wants a 370Z 40th Anniversary addition. Although she loves the 370Z (it's actually pretty nice for what you pay), at her age I would rather have her and my dad roll around in a Porsche... especially since it's been ages since we last had one. I haven't seen any deals (or haven't searched enough) on 6speed, so I am wondering if this kind of car exists.

I did see a local dealer offer a 2005 Carrera S for $50K, 50K miles, certified, but I am unsure about reliability of something this old. I also have seen another one around 67K miles, $47K.

I hope they aren't teasing me again though; they always say they want a new car but never budge... they have at least 40K cash to spend so hopefully they don't mind financing for a year or two. I probably would help them in case that happens. Thanks for looking.

You can't expect your parents to buy the car that you want them to get. They have to buy the one that suits their needs. If they want a new car it means they don't want the headache of potential repairs .

What's wrong with therm enjoying the 350z ?

To answer your price question .. 50K will get them a used 911 with miles and larger expenses than the 350. The closest new Porsche would be a Cayenne or a Boxter.

Nothing wrong w/ them and the Z, but you are right... it's theirs to enjoy. But I dunno if they'd be happy w/ a 40th anniversary because (from what my mom told me) they only come in stick and I really doubt my mom has the patience to learn to drive one.

A little more research showed that the best option was 40K miles, $50K. But it was a 2005 so the 6 year/100K warranty on that car is almost up.

I should probably close this thread... it most likely looks like it's either a Z or Audi TT.

I don't think you are the only person who wanted his parents to at least consider his or her dream car for themselves .

I started thinking about new cars and 50K (just for fun) and the next thing i know I kind of started liking this car .. not for them .. but for me .. although the base model is in the 50K price range .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnt8NRRlw8I

Yeah, you're really giving us zero context on what your parents like or even want. If you are asking if a nice used 911 can be had for under 50K ... yes, certainly. You can almost always negotiate a little off the listed price, and even more if you go with a private party. You just have to be patient, pay attention, and be sure you can handle the maintenance cost/risk.

I would suggest that if this is their retirement car you find one with lower milage. I am sure they would want this to last for quite some time, after they purchase, and not that I don't think a Porsche can last, but I think that one with lower milage will give them some extra enjoyment out of it.

Wow. Didn't think I'd see a 997 drop to the mid 30's for some time. But that exterior is a bit rough. And I've never seen a p-car with that much curb rash.

I'm assuming the OP's parents probably want something much cleaner for their retirement car.

It all depends of what your folks do wnat to do and have. Local crowd is more obsessed with very specific performance oriented options sets and find such a car for realistic price is more difficult than, say, a base silver C2 '06 with tiptronic and CPO warranty.

You can get one for mid-40K if you search well I hope. But all people are different, there is a very well known retired couple here in MA - they own '07 GT3RS and 08 C2S and race them both every weekend at Devens. :)
All people are different. You never know.

i considered buying that b4 i ended up with mine..

its a drivers car ! :)

OP: if ur parents need a fun car, how about a boxter.. u can make a good deal on a new 2009

this is from walters porsche in riverside ca (2009 demo and new)

ask for cole watson 888-294-6781

Honestly, it's my dad who's more into a Porsche... he had a 911 in the past, skipped the opportunity to buy a 930 back in the 80's. He also had a 928.

My parents will take anything around 40K... he was looking at 996's and is now looking at 993's. But if there's a 997 to be had, I'll have him look into it. Stick or auto, it doesn't matter. If it's stick, he'll just do the driving. Honestly, the only requirements are that the car is not salvaged, and (this is a little harder to prove) a owner who took care of it.

I'm not sure if this is really the "retirement" type car... But I guess if your father has owned 911s in the past, he knows the maintenance cost for owning a vehicle like this. We're talking at least a thousand buckaroos everytime it goes to the dealer... (Simple oil changes come at a bargain of a few hundred)

Around 40k, you can definitely find a used 997. '06 base models with low miles will run in the low 40s. I purchased my 07 base Carrera for slightly under 50k, CPO from the dealer. I would never buy a car like this without a warranty, but that's only because I'm risk averse when it comes to this type of thing.

Unless your father is looking to race punks off the line or take the car to the track, a base 911 is plenty of car.

I guess I always imagined a "retirement" car as something more comfortable and cushy... But maybe that's just me. In fact, maybe I won't even feel like that when it's my time to retire. Who knows... I might just run straight to the F car dealership with my pension plan. :)

You can get an 05 997 around 40k private party sale.

However, with any older/cheap Porsche you have to be okay with spending some money on repairs. There are a lot of possible problems with 99-05 P cars. If they're on a limited budget it might not be the best move.

You can get a brand new 370Z or S2000 for the same money and it will have warranty for a few years.

Based on your parent's budget and the fact that they are in retirement I would actually recommend the 370Z. In my opinion their budget doesn't quite put them in the price range of a lightly used 911. The 2005 cars have some known (major) engine issues. Have a look at consumer reports magazine. They actually recommend staying clear of the 2005 911's due to these problems. If you want details search this forum for "IMS" or "RMS". If you have an "IMS" problem the only solution is a new engine and that could set them back up to $18,000! :eek:

With the Z they will get a brand new car with a bumper to bumper warrantee and they will get to enjoy the car without having to worry about the heavy out-of-pocket expenses that can come with owning an older Porsche.

If your Mom doesn't want to learn to drive a manual then forget the anniversary edition and go for the touring trim which I'm 99% sure you can get with an auto. With many of the Japanese manufacturers anniversary editions are usually mostly about special badging and colors. I know Mazda worked like that. There wasn't any performance gains with their anniversary models. :rolleyes:

A used 370Z, Z4, or Boxster/Cayman. Kids can get away with cars they can't afford; older folks with limited assets and about to retire should not be financing anything.