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Hello all! When I first went out to find my P car, I specifically wanted a 997S. But after driving both the 997 and the 996, decided the 997 was not worth twice the $. But now I find myself at a bit of a cross road. I am really enjoying the Porsche experience, but want to go newer. Thinking of either 997 Turbo or 991 Targa. I have not driving the 991 yet--but am really enamored by just the shape of the car, and the interior appointments. The Porsche is just a 3rd fun car, so I don't need anything remotely practical. I suppose I just need to find 2 good examples of each and drive them back to back. Anyone else made the jump? Kept the 996 too?

991 GTS, Sports Chrone Package. In orange. My instructor said it is "the best and most balanced out of all of the 911s right now". As in it is a perfect middle ground between the S and hard-core GT3/RS cars. http://flatsixes.com/cars/porsche-99...s-new-991-gts/

My 996 is on the market, and I'm also pretty unsure of what to buy next, other than knowing it'll be some form of P-car and having a strong preference for an open roof (the primary driving factor for selling the 996). It's not a bad problem to have, I'll give you that much. 991 Targas are real money still, I'd wait for them to fall further down the depreciation curve before going there. But I love almost everything about it - the classic Targa look is unbeatable. I'd be apprehensive about how that mechanism will age (maintenance could end up being painful, like the 996 Targa sunroof), but not enough to stop it from being my favourite 991. 997.1TT is a pretty good value right now, I think, as it continues to depreciate and 996TT values rise. In that $60-70k range, that's where my money would go right now. Probably a more old school driving experience than the 991, but I say that having driven neither a 997TT nor a 991 anything (981S is the closest I've gotten). Interestingly enough, the delta between nice 996 and the bottom of the 997.1 market isn't a ton anymore. Lot of $28-32k 997.1s and if you search enough, you can find an S for around there too.

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Hey! I've seen your car on CL. Nice one you got there. I know we are forbidden from liking interiors, but the 991 is simply fantastic. It's a car I see myself growing older with, whereas the 997T just seems like a stop gap kind of car, and may make me want something more modern. If the 993Ts aren't so insane (price wise) I'd have one of those in my garage and keep it as a 'forever' car.

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Oh yeah, the new Porsche interiors are excellent. The 981 was a nice place to be. Interior is a bigger factor in thinking about a 987/997 than I probably should admit here. I don't have super high standards, but the 996 doesn't really do it for me. I think the forever car for me is a 997 GT3, and everything until then is just a stopgap.

I went from a 996 C4S to a 997.1 turbo cabriolet to a 991.1 turbo s cabriolet. All three were excellent. Each one was progressively better than the one before. Obviously that is subjective, but I've certainly been happy with the upgrade with each generation. The 997 felt more like an incremental improvement over the 996. The 991 feels like a completely different car, in a good way. It's all good....

If you don't need anything practical, why not look at a Cayman? They are less expansive and the mid engine layout has advantages over the 911

Early Cayman S will be my next car. I have a '99 996 Aero and several 986 Boxsters along with some project P-cars. I've thought about a Mk2 996, a 996 turbo, a 997 or 991. I think the 06-08 Cayman S is the best bang for the buck, and prices are falling below early 996 territory.

It depends on what you want to do with it. I went from a 997TT to a '99 C2 and couldn't be happier. I've owned multiple AMG's and M cars and the C2 is my favorite. The TT with fatback exhaust and tune is an animal. But it's like a roller coaster in that after you stomp it so many times it loses its appeal. And all of the luxury items just isolate your connection to the road in my opinion. But if looks and status are important to you, I got a ton of compliments and comments on my turbo and very few on my C2. For me, this is another advantage of the C2. For track use, an NA engine is much more fun than a TT. As you progress in your driving, the ability to predictable manage the rear end with the throttle is why the majority of Porsche race cars are NA. But for a flashy cruise around town car to destroy the on and off ramps with, the TT is tough to beat.

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I have considered a Cayman GT4, but prefer the 2+2 layout of the 911 since I like driving with my toddler in the rear seat.

Here's a bit of a different angle...I'd like to find that sweet spot where the depreciation curve flattens out a bit but the likelihood of expensive repairs is still low. Maybe a Porsche in the 5-7 year range...maybe a CPO with warranty and you don't walk away with half your purchase price when you sell. If you're willing to spend some money up front and can swing a turbo or GT variant, that seems to be the way to go...that is if you're look to buy something and move on in a few years before something expensive happens. Those seem to hold their value and if can get a deal, you may be be able sell higher than you buy. I'm personally am going to start at the 997.2 when the time comes. My preference (wallet) is for a base C2 coupe and I'm done looking at the IMS debates. I haven't done any research yet, let us know what you decide and why!

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An early CPO 991 S seems to be a great compromise between entry price/performance, and reliability. Well optioned ones can be had for low 70s now. Tonight, I will be looking at a 991S PDK - and see if I can do with the sunroof, or if I really want the Targa. I have zero interested in Cabs.

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I've bolded what you said above because that is really how I felt too. I only considered a 997S at the time. Thanks for the feedback! Status is of no concern to me. I am a gear head, who appreciates fine engineering... Besides, cars will never be as exciting to me as my motorcycles. the 911 is really just a toy for me.

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Its the same reason I no longer have a Boxster S and have a 911. Two kids fit back there. You're in a predicament. But when in doubt, "buy the newest/nicest 911 you can afford."

Or better yet, buy the cheapest 911 you can love. To me, the 996 is the best of the 911s. It's nice enough to drive long distances but old enough that you can buy it without nannies and other tech that does the driving for you. And it's the epitome of 911 quirkiness. So truthfully, I have no idea why you would buy a newer 911. But this is the 996 forum, WTF do you expect me to say?

Sometimes I want to change from 996 to Cayman GTS.... personally. However, Honestly I just love my 996 and hope to save my money and keep driving it. It has suspension, intake and exhaust and is a blast as my 3rd car.... when I bought it, I had the intention to actually own it for the next 10-20 years and never get rid of it. Drive it till it literally dies.

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Lol, perfect. To be honest, I'm in your camp more often than my own. The newest 911s are usually the fastest with the most technology and engineering. If you have the money and are after those things, go big. Otherwise, the older a 911 gets, the more interesting and unique and special they become. I like going after the oldest 911 that is practical and affordable, which is right where the 996/997 sit today. Nothing against the 993, 964, or 3.2 Carrera, but those cars are classics/antiques by now.

GT2... http://bringatrailer.com/listing/2002-porsche-911-gt2/

You got me there. A rear wheel drive track equipped Turbo is brilliant. Even though I prefer NA engines, this build might be the exception.

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You're tempted by the widow maker....

I play with this idea from time to time, that a 997 would be nice, however the price difference is quite huge for basically the same car, and apart from the interior I don't see the benefits of the 997 (love the uniqueness of 996 headlights) I also have collected lots of bits and bobs for my 996 and it is nearly converted to a GT3, since I understand a real GT3 is out of reach for me, I would go 996 turbo, but selling a 996 at a good price at my end of the globe will be pretty hard, so I will stick with my car, with all the speed cameras and all the limits and high fines for speeding, i don't see why a more faster car would be needed. I'd rather get another 996 for me as I really love them

I'm with Slakker. I bought my 996.2 with few options specifically because it was simple, no nannies, and relatively low cost. It's a value proposition for me. Fact is, these cars are still competitive and represent a Big Bang for the buck. Course I am biased as the 911 is something I have wanted since I was a kid. I considered, very seriously, a Cayman. They handle better, are smaller and look real nice. Ultimately, I sucombed to the heritage of the 911, and it's relative practicality for a sports car. And, most importantly, the car is quirky, headlights and all.

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Did you already sell your car? If so, what did you get for it? Or are you thinking of trading it in when you get something else?

I went from a 40th ae to a perfectly modded 996tt with around 500hp. Yet I'm back here lurking regularly. I absolutely love my turbo, but I do miss certain aspects of NA and RWD. I want to love the 997s more but I can't get there. I like the nose of the 996 - it's bolder and unique. I like the rear end better too. From the rear 3/4 angle it's slimmer looking than the 997. I also don't get the hate for the 996 interior. When the 997 came out, I remember thinking, boy this could be in any car. Just drove a 997.1 S and they just don't feel special to me like my turbo or 40th. Maybe I just need more seat time in one. 996 NA's have IMS issues, at least you can address it if you choose to. In post 05 the IMS is not easily replaced and they also have the cylinder wall scoring issue. Plus I don't like the extra electronics, which is also an issue on my turbo. When you get it loose with psm off it still kicks in and Interferes. I personally think the 996 (especially the NA) is best variant of the water cooled era along with the 997gt3. Granted those of us that feel this way are the minority..... For now.

On my 997 the PASM was my enemy. Sport was too rough for daily driving but normal had too much roll for on ramps. So any time I found a nice section of road, I had to reach down and hit sport mode just for the car to feel proper. I think the DSC would have solved this issue. But basically I just despise having to fight a computer for control of my car. It's even worse than having my wife tell me how to drive.

997.1TT values have been on the rise also but just not as fast as the 996TT so a 7.1TT is the car to buy today with legs to appreciate more than the 6TT. You were able to find a 7.1TT with 55K miles for $55K a few years ago. Not the case anymore..

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If you search, you can still find those I think. I was looking at one for 56k, and there were a handful around here in the 60kish range recently. But yeah, you're probably right about this. I guess I'm more seeing the price delta between 7.1TT and 6TT drop, as opposed to the absolute values of 7.1TTs.

I'd like to find a white mk1 aero coupe...

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Check it out... https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...8658/overview/

[Image-only post; no author-written text. Original image references:] https://rennlist.com/forums/graemlins/bigok.gif

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Good find! I should have mentioned a 99, although I'm not opposed to bumping the MY up, I'd just rather have a 99 coupe to go with my 99 cab. Ideally something in 60-70k mile range with a 6 speed would be right up my alley

Well, you know that the 2000 is prolly built in 99 and may have the dual row IMS.

That car is super clean from the pics, I plan on emailing the guy for some more questions..just more miles on the car than I wanted...but it's not out of the picture...if I end up buying it, I'll send you a finders fee!

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hahaha... no worries my friend. Hope it works out for you.