Greetings everyone this is my first post. Im looking for a new car to replace my 06 BMW and was thinking now may be the time to get into a Porsche, however my ideal budget is only up to around $40k. I looked at / drove a 03 996 Carrera yesterday but the car wasnt in top cosmetic shape, had some rattles and vibrations so a trip to the Porsche dealer turned up a 05 Carrera Cabriolet, black/black, Tiptronic (prefer a true manual) with about 27k miles but the asking price seems awfully high at $47k. Is this price out of line, should it be much closer to $40k? I also saw a extremely nice 08 Boxster for $37k but Ill post that in the proper forum.

I'm a car enthusiast but no expert when it comes to Porsche's so I'm asking for your advice regarding the 997's: trouble areas, type/fregquency/cost of maintenace, how bad are repairs, are these cars reliable if driven daily and anything else you want to share. Thanks!

 

Definitely get 997 and buy CPO, If your on a real tight budget and you don't get CPO
anything major and your car will become a large paper weight.
on the bright sides it 100x's more fun then any BMW

cheapest i see online 43k and its a S even more fun
http://ucl.porsche.de/ucl/plsql/usa/...&pnr_=1&lnr_=1

offer 39 and see what happens

next one is 47 but only has 16k miles
move to 1 bedroom and get the car

 

Get the car you want 996/997... Repairs: It's a Porsche, yes it's expensive. However, I'm on my third and have never had an issue. Most (not all) P's with ghosts or issues have been modded and electrical gremlins can be your enemy. Your price for vehicle A in your area may be very different than the same car in my area. Find the one you want, compare it to comps within 500 miles, have it inspected, buy the one that grabs you. Smile as you drive away (and daily there after). It is more fun than a BMW.

 

If you want a manual, hold out and buy a manual. There are plenty of other great 997s out there in the 40s.

 

+1 cpo

 

Get a CPO car. If you blow an engine, it will be a $47k paper weight.

Also, if you want a manual then a Tip will disappoint. If you want a manual you could prob get by with a PDK but you are talking >09 and a lot more money.

 

Thanks everyone, great info! Basically what I'm hearing is that CPO is the only way to go because repairs can be very costly, I could pretty easily swing a $3k repair but a $10 or $15k repair would be much less pleasant. Maybe I'll keep looking an see what turns up, but within 500 miles from me the prices all seem to "high" if you can call $45-55k high for a car that was $100k just 5 - 7 years ago.

I think I may need to drive a nicer example since the 03 I drove probably wasnt the best intro to the world of Porsche. Ill probably go back and at least take a ride in that Cabriolet. But it seems that maybe I need to really consider if this is the right time to jump into such a magnificent beast or not? Im not even 40 yet so hopefully I have many years left in which I can own such cars in case it doesnt pan out right now.

Oh and Tonka858, Im a little to married to sell the wifes "dream house", move to a 1 BR apt to drive an exotic car. Though if I were single and did that I could probably squeak out a brand new one, or at least one a couple years old. Oh well.

 

The best price to "what you get' is def an 09. They have taken their depreciation hit, are very up to date tech wise and don't have the engine failure issue that the 997.1 had. Plus most are still eligible for CPO warranty.

 

at around 40k, you need to consider a boxster s or 996.

997 won't be under 40k, cpo or not. the price you saw is probably a few grand high but that's inline with dealer pricing.

used car prices are sky high and actually appreciating. it sucks but that's the fact given that everyone is buying used.

 

I appreciate the advice and I'd love an 09 911 (if I was single it'd be a possibile). But they are unfortunately to far out of my price range at this time. What years have the engine failure issues? What is avg price for a rebuild? What causes the issue?

 

Have you considered an 09 Cayman? They are fantastic cars especially if you are not a large guy. At 6'3" I did not fit in one or I would of considered it. Anyway, you can find an 09 Cayman for around 45k with low miles. Like I said, they are great cars.

This website has all the Cayman info you would ever need.


http://www.planet-9.com/


If it was me, I would get a new low mile CPO Cayman over an older high mile no CPO 911. Then in 5 or so years you could move up to a 911 if your finances agreed, and no one is going to look down on you for driving a Croc....like I said they are wonderful cars.

 

I just did a quick check on Autotrader and found 39 997's for sale around the country, half of which are 2006 models. My .02 is to choose a 997 over a 996, have a PPI done, and get a CPO or aftermarket warranty if you can afford it. If you can't then don't worry about it because while some repairs can be expensive, these cars are basically very reliable. I've had mine for two years and the only repairs I've had to make have been a new battery and the replacement of the front trunk hydraulic lifts. I did both of those repairs myself, in addition to an oil and air filter change, so I'm only out about $350 in repairs and routine maintenance. I also chose to do the LN Engineering IMS upgrade.

 

I've had my '05 997S for 3.5 years now and outside of routine maintenance the only repair was a faulty alternator cable. These cars are very reliable - if I had bought a CPO or aftermarket warranty for the first 2-3 years of ownership, I would have never used it since these warranties don't cover the routine maintenance items anyway. Buying a 997 with no warranty is not that risky, and if you're worried about engine failure - it's not a ticking time bomb - there are signs and prevention measures you can take to stay safe but the IMS issue is not as prevalent as the internet hypes it up to be.

 

Auto Trader shows 18 cabs from '05 to '07 at $ 45 k or less. Amazing what a little effort will turn up. If you're willing to take a coupe their are 71 to choose from, same years , same money.

 

I would put the major effort into determining what you want before you buy anything, even if you think you see a great deal. A great deal on what turns out not to be the car you really wanted will end up not being a great deal. Take you time and study the models and the options and features, and narrow down your search to what you really want.