Newbie, Hi, Intro, Question, Help, The Usual.

Hi, My name is Michael, I am 28 year old young professional with no student loans and no credit card debt. I currently own a 2006 BMW M5 & 2011 Audi S5. Now to the important stuff, I am looking to purchase a new car. Porsche has always been a dream of mine. Currently my new car options are, Corvette Z51, BMW M4, Hellcat or a used 911. I am leaning towards the 911 because as mentioned a dream of mind. My price range is $72k and I found this one, I wanted to get everyone's opinion on price and the fact that it was a rental. Used 2014 Porsche 911 For Sale | Evanston IL I would love to have a 911 S but not in my price range . Also, I am concerned that this one doesn't seem to have many options. Any advice would really help. Best, Michael

IMHO opinion I would buy a 2 yr old nicely optioned CPO'ed Cayman S or Boxster S (latter if rag top suits you like style) which with. If you are trading/selling either the M5 or S5, then but the Ca or Bs new. Either are way more fun than any others you listed and Wow! they are both Porsches.:dance: the Forget the Vette and Hellcat unless all you want to do is drag race others out there. :2cents: :cheers:

I would agree that a 2014 CS or BS is a much better option. It'll be cheaper, hold it's value comparably to a base 911, and you'll have a lot more fun driving it. However, to address your original question...don't skimp out on options. If you're going to spend that much on a car, make sure it has what you want. I, too, am in my mid 20's, and have owned a Z4sDrive35i, GTR, and now my 2013 BS. It's the 11th car I've owned, and only the second that I've truly felt connected to and enjoy. It has all the options you can get minus park sensors, and I have no regrets. Step "down" to the mid-engined Cayman/Boxster S, save some money, enjoy the driving experience more, and get it fully loaded, all for less. Also, the fact that the original car you posted a link to was a rental is a big red flag to me. No one treats rentals nicely, no matter what the car is! If you're set on a 911, however, try looking at 2013's, and even late 2012's. There's really no big changes between those years at all.

Everyone will have an opinion - so here goes (you asked for it). You dreamed about a 911 and now you can squeak one in. I would suggest the following (based on looking back at many of my purchases) <Generally> While they are solid cars, the newer the Porsche, the better. Less maintenance, likely comes with some warrantee remaining, new tech. Cons to this is a higher cost of entry. Buy used and you may have great luck, but you also carry the risk of added out of pocket maintenance costs, older tech. In the end, the costs may be equal over say 5 years - they just occur at different times. If you are comfy wrenching the car on your own or have a great local indy shop - maybe this is more attractive to you? Personally, I would do a bit more thinking / testing before you pull the trigger. 1) I would have done 2 car purchases differently in hindsight. If I had waited another year or two and kept saving, I could have gotten a better/newer model vs 'settling' for my current price range. 2) Ensure the 911 is the right one for you. Have you driven one? Have you compared against say a new Cayman S (brand new, full warantee, no stories)? Everyone wants the 911 due to its legend and history. I did the same thing - learned that the Cayman is the better fit for me. However, if I never experienced a 911 - I would have always wanted to get into one. So just put the purchase in perspective so you are not disappointed in a year. best of luck

I would keep looking. You should be able to find a car optioned the way you want. I'd suggest looking CPO.

Welcome and good luck with your search and decision. my 2c would be don't be in a rush and test drive lots of cars to make the best decision for you. You'll tend to get more support for the Cayman/ Boxster on this site. The 911 vs Cayman/ Boxster debate will go on forever. I have and do own both and while they are very different they are both "fun" to me. I do a lot of track driving and the Hellcat and other challengers are pretty heavy so not high on my list. The C7 Z51 on the other hand is a fast car around a track as well as in a straight line. By all means do a test drive and see what you think. Haven't been in a new M4 yet, but seems it would be the most practical of those you listed. Best of luck.

I wouldn't be concerned about the relative lack of options, so long as the 911 in question has the options and features that are important to you. Given that this is primarily a Cayman/Boxster focussed site, most people here consciously chose a 986/987/981 over a 996/997/991 . To those of us who have owned or own both the mid-engined and rear-engined Porsches, I believe most would agree that - for better or worse - a 911 is a different ownership and driving experience. To some, the difference in platforms is subtle; to others (I include myself in this group) the differences are quite profound, and despite numerous visual and trim similarities the cars really don't compare on many levels, especially when driven at 7/10s plus. Many find the edges of the performance envelope more approachable in a 981 vs. a 991, and the handling characteristics of a 911 less confidence inspiring than a Cayman or Boxster. Some find the reverse to be true. If you are buying a 911 because you can feel and appreciate the differences compared to its mid-engine brethren, that's one thing...if you think the 911 has more history and cachet, that's quite another rationale. Figure out why you really might want a 991 over a 981, then spend a bunch of seat time in each to see if your biases remain intact the day after back-to-back test drives.

I'm a newbie too although I've wanted a Porsche for years (literally longer than you've been alive). I just picked up a 2011 911 C2S (15k miles) for under $70K. I might have got it a little cheaper by waiting or dickering harder but was the color I wanted (inside and out) and had the options I wanted (and then some) and of course I might not have got one that fit my desires so well by waiting. Test drive both the 991 and 997.2 as well as the 981 (Boxster) platforms. You can save yourself some serious money by dropping down to either the 981 or 997.2 platforms. I liked how both 981 and 997.2 felt and handled but I didn't like getting out of the 981. To me, it felt like the Mercury astronauts described their capsules: you don't fly (drive) it, you wear it. Don't get me wrong, it felt GREAT while I was driving but getting out of it felt like I was undressing or crawling out of a sleeping bag. If you drop "down" to the 997.2 platform, you "give up" the auto stop/start and about 1 mpg. Congratulations on even being able to consider this as an option at your age and enjoy your P-car!

Hi, You guys are amazing! The nicest and most informative forum I have ever been a part of. That is saying something because I have had 18 cars in 7 years. I failed to mentioned that I was invited to the Porsche Road Show and raced all the Porsche's models. I love love love the Cayman and in fact had equal or maybe a tad bit more fund driving it than the 911. With that said, I am a history guy and that means so much to me. I am down to two choices now. BMW M4 Brand new and a 2013 Porsche 911 4 with good options for $73,900. Going to test drive the M4 today and go from there. Thank you all again for the feedback and suggestions. Best, Michael

Hi Michael - 911 all the way! I've driven the M4 multiple times. Nice car. Very nice. But still feels "sedany" to me.

The M4 looks nice but for me the fact that it's a BMW and hasn't been out for long is a red flag. If you have your heart set on the M4, I suggest you wait a little longer before pulling the trigger. Or looking at your car history (18 cars in 7 years - in comparison I've driven the same car for the last 8 years and would like to drive the Cayman for the next 5-6 years at the very minimum), you might be OK with getting an M4 under maintenance and getting rid of before maintenance/warranty expire. As for everything else, I get that the PDk is superior (efficiency), shifts faster than an eye can blink (0.01 seconds versus 0.3 seconds) and is the future. I however wouldn't want to buy a sports car (let alone a 911) without 3 pedals. *looks out for chow and k-man*. No seriously, the snick-snick bro. It's super cool and megaultrafreaking-A+ awesome.