Return to Porsche via 996 ?

I'm considering a return to Porsche as a daily driver after a long absence. In the past , I drove Porsche for the price of an Accord : - 1979 , bought a 67 1912 , drove it for 3 years and sold it for about the same I paid for it. - 1982 , bought a 73.5 911T , kept it for about 6 years , sold it for slightly less than I paid for it. ( great DD 911 ) - 1984 , bought a 73 911S Targa , kept it for 8 years , traded it for a 944 that I sold for more than I originally paid for the car On all 3 of these cars , my cost ( post R&M ) ended up being equal of less than what I would spend to drive an Accord. I have a race car ( miata ) to scratch that itch ( 996 will never see the track ) , and I instruct with a couple of driver's schools. The last few schools , the organizers gave me Porsche students. So now I have the Porsche itch. I'm thinking I should pick up a solid 02/03 996 , do the IMS bearing , drive it 6,000 miles per year for 5 years , rinse and repeat the process. What am I missing ?

Not a bad plan. IMS and RMS issues aside, the 996 is a fairly inexpensive car to service and maintain. Mine has been rock-solid reliable. With the IMS update just completed, I'm planning on keeping it for years. I would recommend a peek at the depreciation thread currently running here.

those where the tail end of the inflation years, so used car prices tended to move up. Remember people thinking autos were an investment /asset (WTF)? I think 996s in the mid teens/mid 20s should hold it's price for a few years but they continue to trend lower in price althought at a slower pace. I don't think you can be the price/performance of a 996. DO IT!!!

yea, do it

yup, great car for a small price.

You should be able to get into an early 996 for low $20's. The problem that you're going to have is that you will want to spend another $20K on mods so that it drives the way your students' PCars drive on the track. Can't believe that you traded an early 911S for a 944. OUCH. larry

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Doesn't look like such a bright move now ... I needed a daily driver , live in Houston , as you know the AC was pretty pathetic. Plus At the time Houston traffic was much worse than now , I remember getting caught on the wrong side of town several times in traffic when the oil cooler could not keep up ... Drive a few miles , stop to get the oil cooled down , drive a few more miles. Plus The 73S could only do about 4 laps @ TWS before the oil got too hot After I did that swap , I bought a Honda CRXsi for a daily driver and a formula car and went racing. However , If you just look at dollars and cents , it was a terrible investment. BTW : I'm having a hard time finding these 996's in solid condition for low to mid 20's

You have Porsche ownership experience and hopefully can locate a 996 in your budget of low to mid 20s. I'm kind of happy hearing that the prices may be firming up a bit, but that doesn't help you much.

I just finished by 6 month search and for what its worth. 1. prices are firming up for good cars, with good history and maint. 2. the IMS/RMS problem is overblown, but still an issue You can always find cheap ones, harder to find good and cheap. I would spend to get the right car as we all know it is not inexpensive to do R&M on these cars. They are not assets in the true sense, but can quickly become painful liabilities. Best of luck.

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Yeah... sometimes the theoretical price quotes around here are a bit off, depending on whether the poster is giving selling or buying advice.

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well stated

Go for it! Let us know what you find

What are you missing? A set of keys in your hand, the windows down and the obligatory smile on your face when you are on the road........there really is no substitute.... for a well sorted 996. Look forward to "seeing" you in here with pix of the new baby.

same here im looking for a 996 sat in one yesterday ,i felt back at home when i had my 928

tstiles, you have an interesting background with Porsches in that it's somewhat similar with mine. I don't have any regrets selling my early 911s, but I do remember fondly about the fun times I had with those cars. Other than a 930 that I disliked so much that I traded it for a significant loss to get another car of my dreams, my Porsche ownership costs have been better than owning an Accord. On some, I've even made some money, which is not a bad thing in our car hobby. I also got away from 911s for a few years and raced formula cars, then I returned. WRT 996, it is the best bang for the buck in my opinion right now. Buying a good one now would be right in line with your past Porsche ownership experience. The current cost basis on mine (which I've owned twice) is in the teens even after my maintenance and service costs. For peace of mind, you can opt for the IMS upgrade. I've elected to wait on mine until the clutch replacement for several reasons. If something happens in the meantime, I may have an excuse to do a GT3 engine upgrade. At any rate, do your homework and own with confidence.

The 996 is the best deal for a real sports car that is reliable, practical (seriously), and still makes me smile every time I take it out!

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Agreed. A very clean, well documented, lower mileage 996.2 will be in the high 20s if not more.

I have seen two 99 coupes with ~70-100k on craigslist in Boston Area for like $16-20k. So to those saying low $20s I think you can do even better if you are ok with 996 mk1

Thanks for all the positive feedback guys , I love the fact that you can ( conceptually ) drive a 10 yr old 911 for the same money as an accord. I'm on the lookout for a solid / well priced car.