Ok, I have already been a corvette fan still am but not liking the c7 (not wanting a new car anyway) and my brother has a c6 which is nice but never liked the styling. I am the older corvettes.

always been a porsche fan but never owned one figured it would cost too much to maintain. Always had in my head i wouldn't actually liked driving one because it would probably feel weak compared to the v8's I was used to.

Now that I'm older (currently 31) I just want a daily driver friendly nice ride it doesn't have to be so powerful.

I am liking the 2009-2011 997!! pretty much it is THE porsche for me looks wise.

what are the things to watch out for with the 2009-2011's? I would consider a 2005-2008 to save some $$ but I really like the refinements as in iPod jack, more power etc of the 09 and up 997.

I am wanting an c2s just need to know before I buy if there are serious engine problems etc on certain years to avoid and will this car cost a lot to maintain? I do my own maintenance i have a lift etc currently doing a body off on a 58 corvette I am jack of all trades master of none.

thanks

 

I think most people would say to find the best condition car you can get for the $$$ and then do a good PPI. Other than that I'll let the experts here chime in on what to look for but my impression is that the 911's are pretty reliable cars. But watch out for the 2005 997.1's due to their IMS issue.

BTW if you want to save some money, look in the classifieds here and Rennlist. There's a 2005 with 60k mi but it's got a brand new engine with a 2 year warranty on it (I suspect due to the IMS issue). That's a great deal for the right price.

 

You are on the right track by going with a 997.2 car (2009-early 2012) They are very easy to maintain. Oil change is the simplest of any car I have owned and the brakes and filters etc. are very easy as well. Unlike the previous generation you won't have to worry about any potential IMS issues. These are reliable cars, if you are skittish at all then I would suggest spending a little extra to get one that is either a CPO car or has some type of warranty on it. Good luck with your search.

 

Go for the newest porsche you can afford, make sure you get a PPI and DME reports, 997.2 has been very reliable so far. Well, 997.1 also a very reliable car as well but lack of modern technology (sound like you like newer techy stuffs, then stick with 2009 and newer). Good luck

 

I think you'll find you've underestimated the current Porsche's speed. My last Corvette was a 2007 C6 manual and I'm hitting faster 0-60 times in my 2009 C2S PDK.

The feel and sound of going fast is markedly different between the two cars. From your comments, I'm guessing that the sound of the car may be important to you. If so, you will likely find the stock non-PSE exhaust too quiet... although it does have a great "sleeper" quality - speed unleashed with a subtle sound which I find cool in its own way.

I preferred less subtlety and ended up switching to a PSE exhaust with a Sharkwerks bypass and a Fabspeed intake. The car now howls very nicely when I want it to... I couldn't ask for a better sound that is still not overly loud and has no drone problems. I just added the switching capability for the PSE yesterday(proper OEM vacuum parts but with a custom switch solution so I can enable or disable it at will with no computer interference), so now I can be even more civil in the early hours around the neighborhood but can open it up when the time and mood is right. The car still sounds pretty nice with the PSE in the off position, but you get a lot more burble and growl when it is turned on (especially with the additional sound the Sharkwerks bypass brings).

The bottom line is: If sound is important to you, you may want to try to find a PSE car or one with a nice aftermarket solution. But if you find a great car without these, you can still mod it to suit your tastes. You'll likely find that the temptation to mod these cars is much higher than most.

 

Someone has already said this but...Buy the newest you can afford.

 

+++1

 

My last 2 997s i specifically looked for 2005 Models...#1 affordability, #2 easy to replace
IMS when doing new clutch. #3 Launch edition model is my fav

 

To the OP - there are no known issues that I'm aware of on the 997.2, in fact, my local dealership service guy told me that the amount thy bill to corporate went waaaay down with the 997.2 model - in other words, it's solid and they don't need as many repairs as previous gen's. (Maybe why they switched over to 991? Haha) This is just one service managers opinion but I own an '11 and it's great. As for the 05' ims issue- It sounds like your not looking for anything before 997.2 - I think the reason people stay away from 05's is since everyone is so scared of the ims issue, it would screw you over on resale value. If you plan to keep as as a track car forever, it's probably a different story

Anyway, 997.2 is the way to go. Goodluck in your search. I looked everywhere to find mine (black on black, 6speed manual, low miles, good clean history, 1 owner, California car, no snow, etc.)

In fact when I told my local dealer what I was looking for he said "that's going to be extremely difficult to find, you'll need to make some substitutions" I was like dude, the slogan is "there's no substitute" I'll keep looking. And I finally found her in San Fransisco. :-)