40th Anniv 911 or 997?

There are great deals out there on the remaining 2004 911 Anniversary cars. Basically I am deciding between a 2004 996 Anniversary or 2005 997 (not an S) for about the same price.....$73k. The 997 would be at full MSRP while the 2004 911 Anniversary is at about $18k off MSRP. What do you guys think? Will the Anniversary car hold value in the future consider it's limited production, X51 package, etc.? Thanks for any thoughts

I just sold an X51 and bought the GT3. I think the 40th anniversary is a great buy at $73K. assume you will lose 50% over 5 years. I think a better comparison would be the 997S. The 997 wil be an improvement over the 996, assuming no first year bugs and I think the styling will be a big success, so given limited supply in the first year it might hold it's value better. It might all depend on how long you plan to keep the car, if a long time the 996 and a short time the 997.

I say go for the Anniversary. I bought mine 5 weeks ago, love it. You will need to compre the 40th with the 997S, not the base 997. Cars are NOT an investment so don't worry about 1 holding it's value ober the other, hear that sucking noise, it's depreciation but hopefully your not buying your Porsche because it will hold it's value. The ride is worth all the pennies!!!!

You are right that I do not look at a car purchase as an investment. For me, I always like something a little different (except when I bought the Z06-that car I just love for its raw power)... That said I like the 40th Ann car because of the little subtle differences over a regular Carrera (like the 911 nameplate, the wheels, the turbo front-end, numbered car, etc.). Colm...If I could, the GT3 would be the car I would get over all others....I love that car and I love that engine!

I would always avoid a first generation new model... let them work out the kinks and if you like it, then sell your car 07 and buy a new 997. JMTC.

Get the 40th Anniversary... it's a hot car with LSD AND PSM as well as the X51 kit....

I suppose it depends what your baseline is when determing whether or not the 40the will hold its value vis a vie the 997. If your starting point was $90,000(you have my prayers), it was probably one of the worst drops in Porsche history. If your starting point is low 70's(a demo was on sale for 69,000), it will probably hold its value better then the 7. My plan of attack is to wait till the 997 arrives and see if I like it, by then the gt3 market may have loosened up for some minor discounts or the 40th edition will have even larger discounts.

It's a no brainer really - get the 997, unless you are willing to make the change in couple of years. I have driven neither, but no one else around drove the 997. Do you really think Porsche haven't improved the 996 significantly, with the new 997? I bet they have. If you are going to keep the car for the longer term, get the 997. If not, then it's still debatable. In any case, wait for some press reviews. A new 911 is a hot topic in car magazines, I'm sure soon enough some reviews will be posted and it'll be much easier for you to decide.

Buying the 40th now is a bad idea, wait until the 997 comes out and there are examples on the dealer's lot; by then prices will have dropped significantly on 996s and you'll also be able to do a proper comparison. IMO the 40th will not be a real collector's piece, maybe 20 years from now.

I work pretty damn hard for my bucks, and saved up to buy an Anniversary Car last December, paying $90k. Now I am sitting here with six months of great memories, but they aren't worth the $25-30k I've lost. That would have bought a nice Beck 550 for sunny days. While I still love my new car, every time I see a post about someone considering an anniversary car with a $68-$73k price tag on it, I cringe a little. I'm in this one for the long haul (I sold my three other Porsches way too soon), so I guess it is a really, really good thing that I love everything about this car.

That's a great price and you should get the 40th Anniversary 911 rather than waiting for the 997. I see the 997 as an evolution of the 996, not a revolution as some would hope. You will not get the same value from a 05 997 as you would from the 40th. The 40th comes loaded with options that you could not get in the 997 at the same price. Are you willing to go with a more basic 997? Are there features of the 997 that appeal to you enough to wait? The 40th is a great car. The interior is as good as the 996 will will get and it has a very unique combination of LSD, PSM, and X-51 performance options that make it allot of fun on the track and twisty roads. I assume that the 997 will be a great car, but not a revolutionary change from the 996. The 996 simply drives well and it has few faults. There's not allot to fix on it except perhaps the RMS failure questions and we won't know if this will be an issue with the 997 for several years. So get what you want now. The 40th is a great value. Don't worry about resale value and just drive the darn thing.

I work pretty damn hard for my bucks, and saved up to buy an Anniversary Car last December, paying $90k. Now I am sitting here with six months of great memories, but they aren't worth the $25-30k I've lost Porsche certainly didn't help guys like you when they slashed their prices, but they have to do whatever they can to move their inventory. It's great that you love the car. All you can do is hold on to it for a long time and hope for the best in terms of depreciation.

I seriously considered waiting for a 997 and, apart from the fact that I really "couldn't wait" that long, I figured there would be no good deals on it for a while. I also very seriously considered the 40th, but several months ago the deals weren't there ($5K off, maybe $6K). I was looking at spending +$17K compared the great deal on my Targa (and I had an emotional reason favoring the Targa too), and though I considered it, I opted for the more "sensible" decision at the time (which turned out to be right with the drop in prices on the 40th). With a great deal on the 40th (are they really available for $17-20K off now??), I think it is a great package, and I sort of regret moving too fast. It is a gorgeous car with lots of performance and appearance options, and at that price I think it makes a lot of sense and you can't go wrong.

I think they just over produced the 40th Ann car which is causing most of the huge discounts (in addition to the upcoming release of the 997). Many dealers have more 40th Anniversary cars on their lot than they do standard C2's. Still undecided but will probably wait until the 997 is released so I can see one in person. Only then I will know which car to get. Also, there will be even better deals on any remaining 996's, including the 40th. The other matter for me is I'm not sure I would want a base 997 when there will be a 997S on the market but the extra $10k is not easy for me to come by. Plus from what I read in the July issue of Evo magazine today was that the new 3.8 in the 997S has been reworked completely included the oil management system. The engine also looks a lot better (they showed a snapshot of the 3.8. Perhaps the 3.8 won't have the infamous RMS problems..... I also agree with one of the posters that the 40th will probably not be a collectors car in the future. Decisions, decisions.

Have you considered sending a letter to Porsche explaining your dilemma? I don't think you would be out of line at all if you asked for that $10,000 credit Porsche issued to their dealers as a cash incentive to move these models. If nothing else they should give it to you in the form of an additional boost in a future trade in. Good luck.

997 - the changes are mostly exterior - I wouldn't worry about platform concerns - should be rock solid.

have you seen the pictures? the interior is the biggest change of the 997.