Quick advice needed on car purchase!

I am going to make a decision today on a new car.....or keep my paid off 2005 987 Boxster S. it has LN IMS, new clutch and new pagid blue pads. Still need to add extended/baffled oil pan if I decide to keep and take to occasional track day. I will start by saying that I hope to get unbiased responses, although I understand that it's Porsche forum and that's going to be difficult! My trusty 987 Boxster S has been a terrific car and I've loved all 8 years of ownership. It is however getting a little old, with 86,500 miles on it. I've maintained it well and ensured regular servicing and detailing, but the one thing that's always been a disappointment is that I've never taken it to the track for the DE/Porsche track day. Why? I consider myself a pretty decent driver, coming from an E46 M3 which I took to many BMW Club track days and long full day and weekend driving trips where it was driven hard and close to it's limits. Prior track experience is about 7 years on my highly modified Subaru STi, which would give many high end cars a real run for their money, and most often succeed in beating their personal lap times. Anyway, I am faced with two choices and want to get some feedback. I'm limiting my expenditure to about $45K and that has narrowed down to two specific cars. Option#1: Late 2006 Carrera 997 C4 (non-S), in absolute mint condition (not a scratch and no paint chips as it's been protected by a clear bra by 3M), a beautifully maintained vehicle that looks like new inside and out. 31K Miles, which is very low for the year and leaves plenty of future when I average 3-4K miles per year Very nicely optioned, with full leather, heated lumbar control seats, and all the expected toys and creature comforts. First immediate update would be both rear and front lights to LED's giving a more modern look like the 997.2 I would plan to almost immediately upgrade the ECU (VFD), Plenum and Throttle Body (GT3), then in 6-12 months upgrade the exhaust (borla?) and PSS10 coilovers, which should bring it to a point that handles as well or better than the C4S/C2S and more powerful than the 997 'S' variants for that year. AWD is important as I drive in snow during winters and I'm told the C4 does very well. Plus, I prefer the fatter rear end of the C4. P dealer is able to offer 6 year/72K mile warranty that literally covers everything other than wear items like tires, clutch etc for about $4K, which would provide worry-free ownership Option#2: 2010 E92 M3, in mint condition, in new car condition. 15.5K miles, again very low mileage for the year. Pretty much all the interior options, full leather, nav, heated lumbar control seats etc. I would have a year left on the factory warranty, and would need to price additional warranty beyond 2014, but I'm not sure I can buy for as competitive a price as the Porsche Option#3: Keep my 987 Boxster S and do some fun upgrades (TPC turbo is a definite option) and add a new front bumper with DRL's and update rears to LED's - obviously much less money than the previous options. I really enjoyed my E46 M3, and the E92 will be a vast improvement given it's 414HP V8 engine. The M3 is clearly more practical for additional passengers/storage, but we have an SUV so it's not really a huge deal. From reading all of the Porsche engine issues that seem to be ever present (including the recent news of the 2014 GT3 going on fire and all sales suspended until Porsche figure out what it is), I think that the BMW is statistically a stronger and less troublesome engine. Never owned a Carrera and has always been on my dream list, but still concerned with engine issues that are apparently still present on 2006-2008 year cars - oil starvation if pushing hard at DE events. IMS seems less of a worry for 2006+ cars so that's good to not have to worry about! It would be a pain to have a catastrophic engine failure, but the warranty on the C4 makes this kind of a moot point as any catastrophic engine failures would be covered. I'm really at a loss as to which car to buy. I liked the feel of the C4, and with the planned performance upgrades I'm sure that it would be a great car to drive. Similarly, the M3 is a formidable vehicle that has amazing power and handling for a car that is also so practical. Any advice (objective please) would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

Any chance I could coax you into trading it in for a 981S? Try and get $20K for your car, plus $45K will get you into a modestly appointed S, especially if you find a 2013 on the lot. Just a thought.

The prices on 997 is really starting to drop, the why buy a 997 when you can buy a 991?

Thanks for the reply. Trust me, I've tried hard to make that option work, but it's at the very high end of my budget and I can't find any local cars. To be honest, it's near impossible to find any 2013 S models - plenty of non-S models, but there's just too much of a delta between a 2.7L and a 3.4L engine that I would need to spend a fortune to even try to get it close to S performance. I found one S in Florida for $62K, but then I have to get it to Denver and then sales tax and all the other costs. I'm not one of the many Carrera elitist types who can't seem to compute that the new Boxster S can spank their Carrera S round a track as it's quite simply a better handling car.......but I have never owned a Carrera and it truly is the 'original' Porsche when people talk about the brand. Sure it may not be the actual first car they ever made, but ask anyone about Porsche and the Carrera comes to mind. The 997 I'm looking at would keep me to around $41K after I do all those mods, and add the 6 year warranty, so it's really a terrific deal with very very low mileage. But it is still a 7 year old car...even though my upgrades would essentially make it look like the last 997 version so no-one would know it's a 2006. Plus it has enough room for my young daughter in the back and the AWD that the Boxster just doesn't have - I've driven my 987 in the snow every year on dedicated snows, and it's pretty capable, but I wouldn't trust it going into the mountains like I would the AWD Carrera. The M3 with Blizzaks should be ok too. I could just wait it out another year, but then my Boxster is worth less, and to Erik's point (reply above) if the 997 is really starting to drop in price, then that's also going to be true for the 987.

Thanks Erik, but I think we are both drinking different wines. I would LOVE a 991, but I can't find one 2013 S model for less than $90K so it's just way too far out of my price range and I have many other responsibilities than a car.

I assume you have driven a 911 but will ask just in case..........when I bought my 08 CS new, I actually had intended to buy an 08 Carrera CPO. I test drove it and then out of chance (my SA loves Caymans and Boxsters) suggested I try the Cayman. My wife and I drove it and never looked back. A year later, I had a chance to potentially get an 07 Turbo with 3,000 miles as a CPO....again drove it and stayed with my 08 CS. My long winded point is if you are really liking the mid engine handling et al, make sure you will enjoy the Porsche with the lump aft of the rear wheels.............my version would be a 987.2 to get the DFI in 10 or 11 model year as a CPO and continue the great ride you had with the BS.

Great reply and I agree with you on everything. The mid engine platform is just amazing and the handling very forgiving and fun. I have driven the 997 C4/C4S and C2S and they are indeed a very different beast in terms of feel and handling. I know that it would require a much steeper learning curve and that is intriguing to me as I'm always looking to improve my driving ability. I liked the heavier, more 'planted' feel and that I was sitting in a much more substantial vehicle. I don't track much, I enjoy long road trips and twisty canyons. But I will try to find a 2009+ BS or CS with the new DFI engine.

I can confirm the 997 market is getting soft, at least in the Midwest. The winter isn't ending and it's killing sales. Factor in the 991 and the 997.2 is heading south. Their are some rocking deals on 991's and that's causing the 997.2 to just sit! The best deal I found was on a 997.2 was in Texas, 2011 C2S with a Factory Aero Kit and 1900 miles! The dealer offered it at $66k and CPO! I passed and made the jump into the 991, I had a really interesting talk with the sale man after I purchased the 991. He said point blank the 997.2's nicely loaded are sitting way to long on the lots. The problem was the smart money that could make the 991 jump was doing so. Their's also a Porsche dealer in No Cal that prices the cars to move! I prefer to buy cars in the northern states when it's cold and snowing! It's been a very successful technique. Here's the proof!

The Proof!

You may want to make a quick call to your insurance agent. I found out several months ago that a new M3 was 40% more to insure than a new Cayman S. Just one factor.

Not sayin' you should do this, but this is what I'd do... Sell the 2005 Boxster for 20K, then take that 20K and buy this CPO 2013 Porsche Boxster S, $63,996 - Cars.com or something comparable. The car may not be in your backyard, but what's the big deal if you have to travel a bit?

Appreciate all the replies and opinions. I'd love a 991 but can't stretch it right now. Interesting that despite posting this in the 911 section, there's been a few recommendations to stick with the Boxster platform! Perhaps it's finally become of age and is the best design for handling and performance? Not the poor man's Porsche anymore! I looked at a gorgeous fully loaded 2014 Boxster S that would have been over $90K after all is said and done! That's a LOT for a poor man's car! The new 918 supercar is much more like a Boxster than a Carrera..... Maybe Porsche changing platform direction?

Not in our lifetimes. Since the Carrera GT was mid-engined, and that has happened, I wouldn't hold my breath. I know some people wish this would come true but wishing isn't reality. They tried to kill it with the 928 and that didn't happen. No, you don't kill an icon. That would be very bad for business.

Very nice Erik! Base model 991 has a 3.4L engine instead of the 3.6L? How much did you pick up this baby for?

@chows4us - Perhaps I'm a bit younger than you (41), so maybe in my lifetime! But I think that the winds of change are here.....the Carrera's back seats are pretty much useless for all intent practical passenger purposes (unless small children or little people), so maybe they can keep the classic design and move to a mid-engine car? Anything is possible

I bought my first mid-engined sports car when you were a baby in your mother's arms hah. No seriously, in the 1980s PAG tried to kill the 911 with the 928. The outcry was so huge from their core buyers the 928 died. Millions of hours of testing, racing, money, etc. have been poured into their iconic car. There is no way anything is going to replace it. That would be about the poorest business decision they could ever make and have no doubt about this, they are in the business to make money. 911 buyers are their core customers. While the SUV sales will keep them in business, I am sure they know exactly who are their long time and core buyers. It would about the poorest possible business decision they could ever make, regardless if it is not logical, to replace the 911. I know a lot of people here don't want to hear that, but they are running a business. Take a look at their 2013 annual report found here . They talk about the 918 as a technology platform where products trickle down through to production cars to include materials used in the vehicle to hybrids. Now take a look at the pictures of cars. There are a few pannys in there, lots of Macans. How many pictures of 981 vehicles are in that report? How many 911? What's the message that sends? IMO, they tried that once and will not make the same mistake twice. Not going to happen.