What are the forum's thoughts on buying a new base 997 with the introduction of the new car? I have my eye on one with the exact options I would order but am now unsure of the 'wiseness' of doing this.

I'm thinking that a new car depreciation will be pretty severe because of the 991, so is there a discount threshold that would make this smarter (10%, 15%, etc.)? Is it even realistic to expect a 10% discount on a 911 at this point?

In the beginning, I questioned the looks/merit of the 991, but it is certainly growing on me.

Is anyone else in the same boat? If so, what are your thoughts?

 

I bought a 911 GTS and negotiated about 15k less on the price, I just asked if they want the car to sit in their showroom as i'd be happy to get the 991....They agreed to the price i was asking for.

 

that is what I am debating doing when the time comes... assuming that it falls into place with the availability of the 991. Since I am a big 997 fan anyway its win win !

GL !

 

Remarkable. My local dealer has 3 or 4 of them sitting around. Beautifully dressed up 997's. Wait. The bargains have only just begun.

 

I agree. If you are flexible in terms of color and options, there should be some great deals out there once the 991 comes out.

 

The closer to 991 launch, the better the 997 deals. The only trick is the availability of a car that you want as they will start to sell.

As far as whether it's 'dumb' to buy a 997 now? Only if you pay list for it, or buy one with a $%^&load of options (especially cosmetic ones) as those will depreciate the fastest. If there's a 997 out there that you want, and it's a strong deal...then get it. There will be no discounts on 991s for some time, which might help the 997 values. If/When you decide you want a 991 and can find a deal you're pleased with...then worry about 997 resale value.

I bought my GTS 6 months ago and haven't had any second thoughts. I know there are better deals now, but I found the one I wanted (optioned how I wanted), so I took it. There won't be a 991 with similar features for some time (2WD, WB, manual, alcantara interior - all in a 'packaged' deal like the GTS).

 

I'd agree with the longer you wait, the better chance of getting a bigger discount, but of course along with that goes the lesser chance of getting what you want. The more nicely optioned cars will go first, I've noticed in the last 2 months alone many of the nicely optioned new 911s at local dealers have disappeared. A lot of what I see left are what I'd consider overly optioned cars with many non-essential features.

At the end of the day, these are unnecessary purchases and are depreciating assets. It's always dumb to buy one After you buy one, you will always find one cheaper a few months down the line. The question for me was, right now is this the car with the options I want? Once I found one that fit the bill, I made my purchase. I'm also curious how deep the discounts will go, especially considering the very strong used market right now. I doubt we will see anything like we did in 08/09.

 

The GTS is sick... I would have no second thoughts. I will probably be on the look out for one in a few years.

 

If you find what you want now and get a 10% discount, go for it, I did....what you want (exactly) may not be available later. Just depends on your tolerances, especially when spending that much.

 

It's never "dumb" to buy a Porsche 911 .. but it is not the best timing .
I don't understand these recent posts where the question is raised after the car has been out for 7 years . I don't understand why waiting until February to see the 991 can give a more clear decision . After all ... the car does cost between 80 -100K .

As for the financial impact .. the cars tend to hold value but every car depreciates the most in the first year and with a model redesign it can compound the issue.
None of this woild matter if the buyer was content with the car and didn't lust after the redesign . But in my opinion .. it's taking a risk with some doubt .. hence the question of the thread title .

 

Put it this way: either one you buy you will face immediate depreciation for buying "new". Of course, at this point many are wringing their hands over the prospect of 997.2's being blown out at a huge discount... but if there is a run on the dealerships for what's left, that will mitigate the discounts somewhat.

If you are already willing to buy new (and nuthin wrong with that!) now it's a matter of which platform you like better. If the 991 is tickling your innards, then go for that.
If you like the 997.2, what are you waiting for? Have fun!

 

I don't have anything to add to what's already been said about the financial aspects, but just wanted to offer the suggestion that you compare the base model with the S and GTS, if you haven't already done so. The base model is a fine car, but you don't want to look back wishing you had gone for a bit more performance. Whatever you decide, good luck!

 

I bought a 2008 leftover in 2009 from a dealer when the 2010s were about to come out. One can get a very good discount ( over 20%) with a stuation like that. Depreciation on my car has been minimal ( from what I paid) since then according to KBB.

 

Thanks for the replies everyone - while the 991 is growing on me, I'm thinking that the 'classic' looking 997 is more what i'm looking for, esp if I can get it at a significant discount. Let the negotiations begin!

 

Go in ready with a deal that you feel is a good discount. You are in control of the situation. If they won't deal locally, try other dealers. There are lots of cars in the world.

As for base vs S vs exotic GTs, take a drive and be honest with yourself as to what you will do with the car. In my search I looked for quite some time. I ended up finding a very nice used 997.1 base model at a deal that I thought was fair. That deal today still to me seems fair.

Sure more power is always great, and I've had more powerful cars but I drive almost every day in my cars and much of the time is in traffic or congested roads anyway.

Try as best you can to take emotion out of the deal and you'll end up on your feet.