I'm in the market for a weekend car. Budget is fairly open. I'm more concerned about depreciation over the 1-2 years I plan to keep the car than initial purchase price. But, I doubt I'll spend much more than $35,000 for a car that's not driven very often.

I'm also considering a C6 Corvette, but I've owned Corvettes before and never really enjoyed the driving experience. I've also owned S2000's, M3's, and an Elise which were more exciting, albeit slower. Still, on paper, the Corvette makes a strong case for cheap, reliable performance.

I think an early 997 C2S is right up my alley since I've heard nothing but positive things about it being a great driver's car. I've also never owned a Porsche which will be a nice change. But, the reliability on 06-08 Carreras and expense of repairs has always left me hesitant to pull the trigger. I understand that this is not a Camry when it comes to maintenance expense, but I don't want a car with a fairly high chance of engine failure.

I have a few questions regarding this car:

• What should I expect to spend on an IMS fix that will eliminate this concern?
• What is a replacement engine block going for currently?
• Is there any particular mileage I should avoid? What is too little on a car of this age? Is 70k miles too high?
• Can I expect the value to hold fairly steady due to the mixed opinions on the 991?
• Is the S worth a large premium?
• How solid is the convertible? Is it noticeably worse when it comes to handling and acceleration?
• Any other alternatives that I should be considering? I like the 981 Cayman, but I'm not sold on the 987.

Thanks for any advice.

 

Generally, I think a 997.1 would serve you well as a weekend car. They are fun to drive and very engaging. You won't get straight line acceleration like a Corvette, but it will still give you thrilling performance.

Personally, I feel that the premium for the S is justified. Not only do you get a more powerful engine, but you get better brakes and an upgraded suspension. Additionally, most S cars have more equipment and creature comforts.

Here are my best attempts at answering your questions:

• The IMS bearing can only be replaced on the very early 997.1 cars. Cars produced late in the 2005 production run and after have a larger bearing that requires the engine case to be split to replace the bearing. It's very expenseive. The good news is that these larger bearings rarely fail.
• Replacement engines from Porsche are roughly $20K
• I don't think there is a mileage to avoid. Many people avoid cars with very low mileage because the tradeoff between price premium and potential for problems doesn't make sense. Garage queens often don't get maintenance according to the proper time schedule. 70,000 miles is nothing for these cars if maintained properly
• It's hard to estimate values. The are still slowly sliding downward, but the big depreciation hit has already been taken on a 997.1. If you only drive it for a couple of years, then it shouldn't be too bad.
• I believe the S is worth the premium
• The convertible is very solid. It is a bit heavier than the coupe and a bit "softer", but 99.9% of people who drive them on the street can't really tell the difference. The cabriolet is a wonderful car if you want an open air experience.
• I think the Cayman is a great choice too, and you should look at them if you are interested
  

Good luck with your search!

 

I bought my first Porsche and first convertible six months ago after 7 Corvette coupes and a few Mercedes. It's a 2006 C2S cab 6mt and it's a great car. I was ready to buy my 8th Vette but I was not excited enough.
I agree with everything Dennis said.Buy it.

 

I was leaning towards an 2007 S model but it was out of my budget, so I bought a '07 cab. 4, about 1/10 slower than the S. Surely the S has more torque but numbers do not lie. Unable to post the link but this is what I found after many months of research. 18" tires performed better than the 19" on S, no link available but search.


No problems with the cab. or the car.......just changed the battery... $395 cdn taxes in , installed myself. The car was bought from a dealer, CPO.

 

Agree with everything said here. Find yourself a reputable dealer or indy that knows the late model cars. Have the car checked out before you agree to purchase the car. Be prepared; repairs or maintenance, even the scheduled services for fluids and such, can be scary expensive compared to similar services on other makes. Consider researching for an after-market warranty to offset any calamities that might pop up. Still though, it'll all feel worth it when your are motoring down your favorite curvy road.

 

The others have covered most of your points so I'll just chime in on the question of rigidity of the cab. Is it solid? It's ridiculously solid! To give you some idea, when I put my '06 Cab up on jack stands (I used Jackpoint) lifting at the rear jacking point gets 3 tires off the ground. No squeaking, no groaning, and seemingly no body twist at all. I can easily put both stands under one side of the car when lifting from the rear point.

Driving around corners there is no noticeable body movement at all.

I can't imagine how stiff the coupe must be....

 

1. If you get a 2006-2008, it will have the most reliable of the IMS bearings. I believe a failure in these models has never been reported on rennlist. The reality is that over 10 years of tweaking, Porsche finally got the IMS concept pretty reliable in the end.

2. If you end up having a major engine failure, you could be looking at $10-20K to fully repair, from what I've seen online.

3. Porsches are pretty reliable, and they generally seem to have the normal car ageing issues. So things like seals, hoses, alternator, water pump, clutch, motor mounts, bushings, etc can start going south at 75K-100K miles. Personally, I try to look for used cars with less than 50,000 miles on them.

4. Unfortunately, I don't think the 997.1 is going to hold the most value due to this perception that the IMS is more dangerous than it really is. Also, the 997.2 is really the pinnacle of the 997 series, before they changed to 991 and electric steering.
So I would recommend spending a little extra on a 2009 997.2 if you are worried about depreciation.

5. I think the S is certainly worth the premium because you get a lot of nice things as standard. For instance, PASM, bigger brakes, a little more power, red calipers, and probably some other stuff.

6. Never drove the convertible, but I personally don't like convertibles because all you are doing is dramatically increasing your odds of getting skin cancer, lowering the rigidity of the structure and adding weight!

7. The later model year 928 is a really neat car, except, the manuals are very expensive, if you can find them. You might also consider a 996 Turbo. It's really pretty good looking, aside from the headlights.

Also, the BMW E46 M3 is really good. It is the last true M3 sports car from BMW. Despite what the fanbois say, the later models are larded up, numb steering, smooth riding luxury cars now. I had an E46, and I think it is a respectable drive, even compared to a 997. The prices are so low now too that its tempting to pick one up again. And the SMG really isn't bad (its actually the same as an F1 transmission). The SMG is just a little jerky, but you know what, so am I when I shift!

 

So, I have 72K on a 2008 S Cab daily driver, had almost 13K on it when purchased, and it is still gorgeous, fast and fun! I use the convertible top daily so the wear and tear on the inside shows, primarily on the steering wheel and shifter, tan interior. I have had to replace the top ramps, lowering and closing mechanism, for around $3500, but other than that only normal wear and tear items, tires and oil. This is my 4th 911 and honestly I don't see me driving anything else. Don't think you could go wrong with one as a weekend car.