I'm under 30, but decided to get this car as I honestly do believe it's got a timeless design. The goal is to keep it in good condition until I retire. While that's many years away, right now it's my only vehicle, so I shared many of your concerns.

My car's a 07 Manual, Fully Loaded. Most of the issues are very minor and can be easily mended or goes away on its own. Here's a rundown from my first year of ownership.

• O2 Sensor (easy fix at any garage)
• CD Changer (blame volvo for this....)
• DSC Warning (rarely comes, always goes)
• Stuck GPS (fixed by dealer)

Maintenance is not too expensive or difficult. Changing oil for this car was MUCH easier than my old Mini Cooper. I'm always an advocate of having routine maintenance work done by someone you trust, not necessarily a dealer. Money saved can be used for that rainy day when you really NEED a dealer visit, fingers crossed....

 

I have an 06 that has hit 24k miles now! I enjoy driving this car, the way it was designed to be driven. I have taken it to the track as well and have had no major issues (knock on wood).

I also disagree that you should stay away from the 06. It seems that the cars with more miles that are driven somewhat often may have less complications than the "garage queens".

Mine has the AM performance upgrade, handling upgrade and Quicksilver exhaust. I have yet to find a better looking looking/sounding car and the handling is close to that of my favourite P cars.

I bought this car to hold onto due to its timeless design as well.

 

I really wanted a Vantage. Aston Martin has always been my favorite car. However, after a 4 month search, I ended up getting a 996tt. A lot of my choice came down to value. As I need sportshift b/c I'm too tall to comfortably drive manual (6'6''), and can't afford a 09+ model, the sportshift on 07/08 used cars (not available on 06) is almost non-existent, or $90k+ still. It was too hard for me to turn away from a 996tt at nearly half the price for $47,500 that is a much better performer. I've slapped 997tt wheels on to update the car's appearance (see my avatar pic) for $1600, added a Europipe Loud catless exhaust for a truely lovely roar ($2200 used), and will be flashing the car next week ($1100). The flash and exhaust will put me up around 520hp, and I really do think the 996tt with 997tt wheels is absolutely beautiful. Perhaps not Aston beautiful, but there is just so much more value and performance. Porsche's design is pretty bulletproof too, and there's a lot of guys in the 996tt forum that are at 700-800 horsepower, all for less money than I'd spend on a stock 07 Vantage with sportshift right now with 380 hp.

My next car will either be an Aston or Ferrari F430. Most likely I'll keep the Porsche for speed and get the Aston for beauty, as those two combined will still probably be less than a F430, and likely far less to maintain and drive. Ferrari total costs of driving can exceed $4 per mile. Ouch.
Edit: My search: https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...8-vantage.html and my decision: https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...che-turbo.html

 

Mike-
Good to see you made your purchase! There is nothing wrong with the 996TT at all. It is a great performance bargin as it took a much bigger hit than the 993's ever did or the 997's have thus far. Hard to find a better performance bargin. What year did you go with?

I am still hoping that Porsche puts the big engine in the Caymen.....

 

2002 Tiptronic 996 Turbo. Stock 415 HP, add catless Europipe exhaust and Switzer ECU flash to around 520 HP (although I'm not likely going to dyno to check). Paid $47,500 with 29,000 miles, paid $2k to roll over 2.2 year warranty (although I'm thinking the warranty may have been a waste, but it is some peace of mind). I've driven 2,500 miles in about 6 weeks (well 1300 of that was driving back from the Carolinas where I bought the car back to Ohio) and loving it . The way this thing climbs speed above 100mph is just scary.

I don't fit in the Cayman, as its boxter chassis based I think. I have ample room in the 911 range though, especially the 997tt which has better wheel/seat adjustments. The Aston is close, but I could make it work size wise .

 

Mike - congrats on the purchase, sounds like you're pretty happy with it. i agree about the wheels, the 997 wheels look great and the 996 ones definitely make the car look older. i can't blame you for going that route. i've been casually looking around for an AM but my eyes keep wandering to P cars haha.