Need Opinion on whether I shoud buy a 996 or spend the money on something else.

Dear Friends, I have finally saved up 31,542 dollars. I have been wanting a car I actually like for a very very long time. I have a audi right now and im a 21 Year old college student with a couple of businesses on the side that generate me about $2000 a month. I found a 99' 996 3.4L 50,000 miles for $30,000 obo that is Silver with black interior 6spd with sunroof. I havent seen the car physicaly myself but a friend that lives in the area told me that the car is in nice shape. This car would basically be my daily driver and I am fanatical of having cars in perfect condition so I know I will take great care of it. Especially it being one of my favorite cars of all time. I would like to know your opinions on me having a car like this as a daily driver and whether or not I should buy it. I can think of several other things that I could use the money on (expanding businesses, down payment for an appartment since I rent now etc...), but I think I would be extremely happy having the porsche and would definetaly enjoy driving it. Thanks, Charles Cars listed in the Sig are All my fathers and I live alone so I really dont drive any of them. I would be buying the porsche and having it in Mexico City untill I finish college and return to the US.

spend it on something else - like the apartment. a set of tires can cost $1000, servicing can be > $1000, the up-front cost is only part of the financial equation if you want a nice car, get yourself a boxsterfor $15-20k and then upgrade in 3-5 years when you have a few more life accomplishments under your belt. (not trying to be patronising) i'm not a crusty old guy in his 40's envious of you wanting to get a 911 - i'm 26. I bought my boxster when i was 23 because the 996 was too pricey and total cost of ownership on a 993 was horrendous (insurance also high), previous to that I had a BMW. I also was in full time employment with a reasonable salary like many things, its a case of dimishing returns for your investment. the boxster gives 80% of the enjoyment of 911 ownership at a much more manageable cost. In fact - as a younger guy (I presume you don;t have kids), the boxster is the more selfish and fun choice, pure 2-seater, lots of luggage, drives like a go-kart, space for weekend jaunts with a significant other....

Well if I use myself as a model, I'd say go for it. I was 23 when i bought my 996 cab (last year) with 20k miles on it. I estimate that I'll lose around $15k on it at most by the time I have to sell it to buy a house or pay for b-school in a couple of years. In the meantime I'm using it as my daily driver in the summer (by summer I really mean about 8 months of the year, haha) and loving every minute of it and feel that i'm getting my money's worth. One thing to watch out for though are repair and maintenance costs (which may come up right away on the 50k mile car depending on prior service), but it sounds like you're going to pay for most of it with cash (whereas I have a decent monthly payment) so you should be able to save some $$ out of your $2k/month after rent etc. As far as a daily driver the porsche should be fine as long as you keep up with maintenance etc. Heck, in 10 years I could find myself saying "damn I should have spent the money a different way" but I could also be saying "man I'm glad I bought that porsche, that thing was fun" I've got mixed opinions from people both my age and older. Some say buy a house, others say buy the porsche and enjoy it before you have to buy a minivan.

P-car Fanatic Do you mean a Boxster S? This has become a dificult desicion, is the regular boxster 5spd enjoyable to drive? Ive driven a tiptronic one and it was fun but im planning to have this car for atleast 4 years, thats why I am considering the 996. Are the 996's reliable?

I agree with P-Car Fanatic .. This is not a car to own when money is scarce, IMO. Tires are expensive, service is expensive .. My last Porsche (99 996 CAB) had a complete engine failure at 60K miles and if I did not have the extended aftermarket warranty it would have cost me $10-12K to get it back on the road. Other small things would go wrong all the time that were continually $500-$1000 to fix. Note that I purchased that car when I was 25 and am 29 now and on my second Porsche, so I can definitely say I know from experience that it is a fantastic car but I would be very nervous to buy a used one with that many miles and to not have a serious reserve fund to cover the inevitable maintanence costs that will creep up.

I would say yes to spend 15G on a boxster then i could use the rest for the down payment but that would probably be the same story for the boxster as a high milege 996. I assume high maintenance aswell on the boxster. Correct?

Most young guys buy Sports Cars to impress the ladies. Well if you really want to impress the ladies get a super apartment with a great view and drive a used Honda Civic. Porsches are great cars for guys with a lot of disposeable income who aren't concerned about throwing money into a rapidly depreciating asset.

either one - I had the manual 2.5 non 'S' and it was fantastic the first one I test drove was owned by a balding dentist (no joke) and it was a tip - awful, it nearly put me off the car. i don't think the engine has enough torque/the right character to work well with an autobox in my opinion. take a MANUAL 2.7 out for a drive on some twisty roads and rip the nuts out of it. when i used to live in england, the only thing that kept me sane when driving to the office was the winding country lanes maintenance and insurance on the boxtser are less than on the 996 even small things like stock narrower and smaller tyres bring costs down. I just noticed where you live. that pretty much closes it. if you lived in michigan, USA then a boxster would be a crappy option as a daily driver, but in Mexico city you will be set. i used my boxster all year round in the UK - at the time in my life, even if I could justify it (I could afford it, just not justify it) a 996 would have not given me as much as the boxster did get a non-depreciating (hopefully) asset like a property, finish school and you will find in only a few years things will slot into place nicely and then you can get a 996 coupe or cab without the stress of stretching yourself financially

the above is totally accurate. if you hook up with a girl at a bar and take her home, then the only time she will know you have a p-car is when you maybe drive her home the next afternoon if you enjoy driving then i would not advocate getting a honda civic, but likewise a 911 is at the other end of the spectrum. try out the boxster - its a good choice from the sounds of your circumstances. also - bear in mind you may have to sell the car when you return to the USA at the end of your studies. the department of transport have tough regulations for importing of cars

I think you should drive your Audi for a while, I think you have done well for yourself thus far, however why dont you let your money work for you instead of working for it. I am 33 years old and i finally bought my car ...NEW ...and paid cash for it.I have wanted one ever since i could speak, with that being said, i waited, worked hard , invested wisely and bought it after my house was paid for. I have been very fortunate and i am very Proud my car is paid for....again I am pretty lucky and still work everyday, but boy what a ride.My 04 C2 is my daily driver and it does this task very well..

Charles, Looks like you and I have a lot in common. We love P-cars and I also attended UNAM. Albeit at the engineering school. I agree with P-car-fanatic. I would use that money on something else, and certainly would buy property (eliminate renting) prior to buying a P-car. These cars are wonderful and they are a dream to own. But when things go wrong (as with any other cars) P-cars are very expensive to fix and maintain. And the dream can diminish very quickly with money concerns. Besides once you establish your medical practice here in the US, your questions in this forum will be more like, should I buy the new 997 GT3 Cup, or should I settle for the 997 Turbo? BTW, I'm curious how much is labor charged at the dealership in Mexico City. Any idea? Here in the US is at least US$90+ (some places US$145) the hour. And on top of Mexico's 15% sales/service tax ("IVA") isn't there an additional import tax that must be charged for parts coming from Germany? Saludos.

yeah i guess i overlooked a few things re: labor costs. I do all my own labor (oil changes, brakes, etc.) so that certainly helps keep the costs in check. Didn't help saving money on my new tires though :-) I also work full time and get paid pretty well. I didn't notice that you were a med student in which case you're not going to be having a paycheck coming for a while. That being said, I think everyone that responded was older (and presumably wiser) than me and I think the vote was unanimous to go for a cheaper car. I'm not changing my opinion, but you have to assess where your priorities are. I know I love cars and driving and the decision was fairly (though not entirely) easy for me. Boxster is a great car to drive, albeit underpowered (my father has one - non S model) , but I enjoy the 911 styling much better.

Thanks for all your opinions. I have decided to wait to buy a porsche and instead invest into a property. I have to resist the temptation. I plan on saving some more time and maybe I can get a boxster in a year. I have concluded that it is better for me in the long run to buy a property than a car. Hopefully I can find a good house or appartment now with a low monthly payment. I am considering financing something in Brooklin and renting it out untill I finish college. I have never done anything like that before so I dont know if I should. Im also considering buying a property in Mexico City. I still have bout 3.5 years to go untill I get my MD. About labor costs here, Im preety sure that its cheaper here than in the US. I have several friends that know good places to fix high end cars. I wasnt to concerned about finding a place to service it. Thanks again, Charles

Fast40th, When did you leave Mexico to go work in the US? I never expected to hear from someone who also studied in Mexico. Saludos, Charles

Sorry but I disagree, buy what you want, you never know what's down the road. You might get hit by a bus prior to owning your pcar........... Older 996's probably won't go too far below the $30k mark and I'd consider them a reasonable investment as far as cars are concerned. Get in, get out, try to lose as little as possible, invest what's left in the next pcar. I agree with the Boxster alternative as well, that would be a nice car in your climate. ENJOY LIFE!!!

Charles: I've been here for about 14 yrs. About 2 yrs after graduation from UNAM, I came over to get my Masters at UCLA... and as they say the rest is history, but proof that hard work, patience and perseverance have their rewards. And dreams do come true if you let them be. I know, I drive it everyday! All the best!

Wouldn't the 996 get jacked in 5 mins in Mexico City? $30k sounds like an unheard of deal. If you can dump the audi at good price, you got yourself a good deal. Since you know how to work on cars, your expenses should be low esp since 996 is pretty low maintenance. Where would you invest in property? If it's in Mexico, better make sure the price appreciates well. I'd go for the car if that's what you always wanted and have the time to take care and enjoy it.

Since I have a little experience in this area, I'll chime in. Forget the car, concentrate on your studies. If you're in your first yr of med school, you have at least 10 yrs to go before you start making any real money, sorry to be the bearer of bad news. 4 yrs of school, board exams (not easy for non-US grads either), 3-8yrs of residency(not exactly high paid), more board exams, starting a practice , ( unless you join somebody) look forward to struggling for several yrs, and if you do go in with somebody you won't be partner ($$) for another 1-4yrs. Of course practice expenses, malpractice ins continue to go up, while ins reimbursements drop. Maybe I am a crusty old 42yo surgeon, but unless your well off. I'd hold onto my money for now, you're way too early in the game to be worrying about buying 996s. I only bought my first one last yr. BTW, 996 in Mexico City, bad idea, dangerous place. Just some friendly advice.