Can't decide between 996 or 997

First post but I have been lurking for a while reading the wealth of info on these forums. I am looking a buying my first Porsche soon and 2 cars have caught my attention. Which one would you choose? 1st: 2004 996 40th anniversary edition C2 6 speed manual 47k miles Is at a dealership and they have no service records with the car. 2nd: 2005 997 C2 6speed manual 79k miles Private seller who has service records and has kept the car well maintained. They both are the same price which one should you choose?

The 996 40th AE is a fantastic car but so is the 997 with many improvements over the older one. No service records isnt a huge deal but you need a thorough PPI done (and not by the dealer). I no longer trust Porsche dealers from personal experience. I suggest you drive both to help decide. What are the asking prices? In summary, the 40th AE is a very special car with many extras. The 997.1 Had some great improvements, so its personal preference. The 2004 is about right for an IMSB CEF if it hasnt already occurred.

I am not saying that private owners can't beat their cars, but i have seen our local dealer beat their cars on DE's. I won't buy one from them. If you are looking at keeping the car for a long time, i would say go with the 05. If you are looking at keeping it only a few years, i would say go for the lower mileage one. Trying to sell an 04 with say 60k vs an 05 with 90k might be easier depending on the buyer.

Run a carfax on the 40th. X51 engine in the 996 > is better than the 997 car and probably have better options. What is the price? Should be low to mid $30s

If you're comparing a 40th anniversary 996 to a base 997, then I would lean towards the 996. If the 997 has more equipment, then the choice is a little harder. Drive both and then decide. You can't go wrong with either one.

997 100%

Tough one! 997 lovers will say 997, 996 lovers will say 996. It's close enough that, for me, it would come down to likeability issues -- what color? Wheels? Interior? That's assuming, of course, that the PPI comes back clean. If you care about resale, I'd go with the 40th 996 because of the mileage. Once that 997 hits 100K it gets awfully tough to sell. If you don't care about resale, I'd just pick the one that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up when you drive it.

Service records would be a big plus for me, so I would be leaning towards the 997 right out of the gate. Is this going to be a daily car or weekend? Drive both then report back.

hard choice. good luck.

Personally, I'd go with the 997, all else being equal. I like the front end styling more (read: the return to round headlights) and the interior is a bit more modern.

you need to tell us more about about the 997. But keep in mind that the 996s 40th anniversary was close to $100k including a great deal on goodies. Base 997 vs. 40th anniv 996 is a no brainer (996) if your concern is performance & value (especially given the mileage advantage of the 996) if your concern is looking good & having a nice interior, then tougher choice.

40th AE for the win but I may be slightly biased The x51 is sweet upgrade on 40th AE as is the full leather interior.

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+1.

x51 ftw, that was like a $15k back in the day... 996 to 997 was not a a drastic change performance wise... but the 997.2 is totally diff.

Another opinion: I would get the 997 if you don't like leaving things stock and plan on putting some miles on her(daily driver), and if you're preference is that of the 997 interior/headlights. I would get the 996 if the 40th AE was pristine to begin with and you're only planning on using it as a weekend driver and keeping everything stock. This would technically be more exclusive and better possible resale down the line if you ever want to graduate up to a 991 within a few years time. my $.02

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I went with the 40th..... and I plan to use it as a weekend toy, but I am modding it to my liking (coilovers, Fabspeed Supercups, Kinesis wheels, Numeric SSK, etc). But I will always have the factory parts to go back on if I needed/wanted to sell it.

It depends how you feel about these few things: 1. How much do you prefer the exterior look of the 997 over the 996, if you care at all (to me 997 wins by a slight margin, but not much. I have a 997.2 myself) 2. How long do you plan to keep the car. If you plan to only keep a couple of years, the low mileage 996 40th will be a better bet. Once you get a 997.1 over 100k miles or close to that, you'll be getting at most a $20k trade in value, $25-27k private sale. And that's now. Imagine a few years down the road. 3. How much do you care about how the interior looks. The 997 obviously looks better, but when you're talking about a base 997 vs full leather 996, quality wise the 996 will be a better deal, more leather, etc. I don't care about the interior that much, it's a sports car not a luxury car. Plus I've sat in a few 996s before, it feels much nicer in person than in pictures, especially with full leather. 997 interiors feels about the same sitting in one or seeing it in pics. 4. 40th can upgrade the IMS or even go with the solution to eliminate the potential issue. For the 05 you'll need to figure out the production date/in service date to see if it's one of the earlier ones made. To summarize, just between these two cars, given both cars passes PPI with great score, I would lean more towards the 996 40th. The only advantage of the 05 over the 40th is the exterior and interior cosmetics (997.1 electronics still sucks, no AUX, bluetooth and Nav is pretty bad as well). The 40th will have lower miles, better equipped from the factory and a stronger engine (with X51). Can't complain.

Tough choice.......everyone's motivation is different but I chose a 40th over dozens of good 997's and a handful of 964's due to the uniqueness of the model. Candidly a 996 was at the bottom of the list but I'm a sucker for special models. The car is a blast to drive and provides all the performance I am looking for and makes me giggle like a school girl every time I drive it hard. I like the design of the 997 a bit more; the interior in particular but the 996 is a great-looking car too and I've grown to like the head lights quite a bit. Buy the 996 and get it serviced so it's current and love it from there. Good luck with either one you choose.

OP, I think you owe us "something"....which car "SINGS" to you and why??

Had both, 997 by a mile.

I would get 997 only if it still has the pre-redesigned engine or post mid-2009 or so with the complete new designed engine Heard the IMS is nearly impossible to replace in the tweaked models, meaning 997 between 2005-2009. Definitely no doubt 997 front end is more attractive, especially with RS front bumper.

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I agree...pick the car you enjoy driving more. The rarity and lower mileage of the 40th appeal to me (1963 made, right?), but the lack of records must be considered as a factor. Either way, get a thorough PPI so you can sleep at night and then ENJOY IT!

All other things bring equal I would pretty much always go for the newer car if within budget.

I'm guessing price is close to $40k ? 997 is nicer - but at 79k miles that's a tough call. Personally I'd find an '02 or '03 at < 60k miles for < $30k or spend a bit more to get an '06 with <60k ... There are lots of 911s out there do don't feel the need to jump on only these two ....

the 40th has x51 motor which has all the oiling mods for tracking.... the 05 997 doesn't... and the 996 40th makes more hp and also has LSD.... my pick would be the 996 40th... but lack of service records is a red flag.

Personally from what i just went through , and was one of the huge 996/997.1 supporters, neither. Save for a 2009 dfi car or 996 turbo. And when my engine went, sitting beside it at the shop was a pristine 40th anniv. car, with a blown motor as well.

Thanks for all the replays. Does the 997 have the same IMS bearing issues as the 996? I am leaning 996 at the moment because of the lower miles but haven't fully decided yet.

On the 40th, you should ask the dealership to contact the previous owner and ask about service history, as well as contacting the nearest Porsche dealership for a printout of warranty work done. Most dealerships will toss service records as they don't want to pass along private info from a previous owner.

yes basically the same up to 2008. My motor had the LN bearing in it, 50k miles etc. Connecting rod failure. These motors are not robust period. Some are fine, some are not, for the extra money get a turbo. I would do a lot of research on here first as it is clear you dont know enough (no offense, just wanting to share so others make informed decisions). I loved the car but overall very unsatisfied with the end result. Other opinions may vary because if you own one it is hard to believe because you have a vested interest.

I would get the 40th because of the lower mileage, and I'm slightly biased.

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how many kms did you have on your 2002 3.6 when the conrod went?

Oh no, its quite easy to believe. If he really wants the non-sugar coated facts, well here it is; The 996 40th AE has some great equipment and engine upgrades, but,,, its still the same M96 POS that loves to have unannounced CEF's. The 997 does have some imropvements but a plain C2 997.1 with that many miles is nothing special. And, the engine is still a POS. I hope that helps.

I had 80,000km (52k miles). Changed the oil every 3500KM and tore open the filter. New AOS, IMS, RMS etc etc. The car was in amazing condition, hence it sold sans motor in a week for nearly asking. And I don't want to be that guy but seriously the M96 and M97 motors are crap in factory form. So much so I would never buy one again from 1999-2008 unless GT2, GT3 or Turbo. And if you think the new , ie 2006-08 997 are not prone to this, check the forum. Recently one person blew up on the way to the dealer to trade in on his new 991. Luckily Porsche decided to still take the trade, according to the thread. I was always a huge supporter, but when you see your own $$ go down the drain so fast for no reason that I can think of other than a poorly built factory motor I can never support the cars again. I thought KrazyK was harsh (no offense) but now I think he is right on, even though I wish it was not that way. I am sure plenty of guys have 996/997 with high mileage and no issues, but for me it is not worth the $15-20k gamble for a new motor. I just want people to see the risk for what it is, nothing more or less.

There are definitely a few % of engines with early failures ( before 100k) .. Seems like most common of which is ims .. But others with different failure modes - but remember , many on this board run hard with no issues - so I think overall these cars are very reliable compared to other high performance cars. You can't compare to Japanese engines -but I've been looking at mini and mercedes forums and there are plenty of owners there with expensive engine problems also. If you want a guarantee , get a Toyota - if you want fun - get a 911.

I was looking for a 997, went to check one out, but ended up driving the 40thAE home. I wasnt even considering 996's but 40th is just different. I saved 7-8 grand that i will use to make the car look and perform exactly the way i want. The front lights i couldnt care less about as i can't see them while i am driving. The 20HP you get from the X51 do matter as i have confirmed it in a race with a regular model. Still when i see a 997 i think maybe i should've just waited a little longer, but in general i love my car and i will keep it for a long long time. Maybe until i can afford a 2010

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Sorry about what happened to you but just to be clear, do you know 100% sure that the IMS contributed to your con rod failure? Had you tracked it before and have any type2 over revs? Did you buy your car used and do you know 100% if the bottom end has ever been worked on previously? Con rod failure seems a bit odd to me without other factors.

If other models are on the table, then definitely consider the 996 Turbo. I think it's the best value Porsche right now and would expect prices to climb eventually. Plus, no IMS/RMS issues and it's an amazing drive! There's a couple in the Classifieds here and over at Pelican that I would start with. Again, you need to fork out some money for a PPI when you finally do find a car (my PPI was $600 including the leak down and compression checks). I don't have my Excellence buyers guide handy, but I think you have to remove the rear bumper on 996TTs to get the leak down (is that correct?)...so might be more expensive, but well worth it in the long run. If you don't have the Excellence buyers guide, it's a good place to start reading...it's not a comprehensive analysis of cars and you can certainly argue some of their assertions, but it's a starting point. Again, just my opinion...but if you do the due diligence, you'll end up with a great car that you'll love. Good luck!

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Honestly no not sure 100 percent what caused the rod failure, however it was NOT the IMS and the motor had never been apart. Having said that the motor is fragile beyond acceptable norms, I have owned and built many performance cars. No overrevs, checked on PPI and i did an Oil analysis on PPI and no issues. Believe what you want it happened , denial did not serve me well,. Hopefully others fare better. Car was lady owned and clearly not abused with good records. Finding faults is like looking for a needle, usually the answer is in front of you....the engines are weak. Period. I know you all love your rides, i did too but it is what it is.

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Remember these motors were hand built to a certain degree and it appears that quite a few parts could have been outsourced to more than one supplier throughout the production run. Couple that with a company that has never built on a wide scale to the masses before and the fact that they were trying to get out of financial rut...I think you know there could've been many things that could go wrong with the motor. Not necessarily the design itself but who assembled it with what parts and if it went through a rigorous QC control and testing amongst other things. Remember, the Ferrari guys always thinks the grass is greener on our side.