The affordable 997 thread
 

All:

Since I just can't bring myself to own a 996, I've been looking at 997's. Saw this one recently & it really got me thinking. If I can find a C4 for similar $ in a couple of years, I'm in!

2005 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe 2D 6-Speed Manual Bose Sunroof

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1428348635.jpg

2005 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe 2D 6-Speed Manual Bose Sunroof - $29900 (Portland, OR)

VIN: WP0AA29975S715531

Title status : clean

2005 Porsche 911 997 Carrera Coupe with 77k miles. 6-Speed manual transmission. Drives great and very smooth! Extra clean and in excellent condition. Finished in Arctic Silver exterior on Black leather interior. Well taken care of, always serviced. Must See!! Included with the following options: 6-Speed Gearbox, Power Rear Spoiler, Sunroof, Dual Power Seats, Memory Seats, Bose Premium Surround Sound, Leather Interior, Privacy Glass, 19" Wheels, Climate Control, CD Player, Power Window/Mirrors/Door Locks, Homelink, Cruise Control, Remote Keyless Entry and more. Clean Title, Carfax Guaranteed! Visit Grand Prix Motors Inc. | - Used Cars - Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Jaguar, Rover - Portland, Oregon- or call 503-954-3431 for more details. Trades Welcome. Financing Available!

Make: Porsche
Year: 2005
Interior Color: Black
Stock #: 2868
Drivetrain: RWD
Mileage: 77610
Engine: 3.6L 6 Cylinder Engine
Trim: Carrera Coupe 2D
VIN: WP0AA29975S715531
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual
Model: 911
Exterior Color: Arctic Silver

Cheers,

Paul.

subscribed.

I've been toying with the idea of a 997 daily for a year or two (prices are slowly dropping). My only concern is I put about 25,000 miles a year on my daily. I'll have to go in knowing full well that tires will be expensive and Porsche parts prices in general are going to be more than your typical Honda. My current DD is an 11 year old 325i so not a huge leap in the price of upkeep (mostly).

I wonder how a 997 will hold up going 150,000 miles or more in six years.

I predict that a 997 would hold up extremely well but obviously tires, brake jobs and oil changes will cost a lot more than an appliance car. :cool:

I've heard that by the 2nd Gen ('09?) Porsche had finally solved the IMS issues, but for $30k I'd be tempted to take a gamble. With SC/Carrera & 993 prices so strong, I reckon the 997 is going to be the clear option.

The 997 up to late 2005 had the 996 style IMS that was replaceable. After that point IMS replacement requires a case split. 2009+ is the second gen car with the 9A1 motor that doesn't have an IMS. On the upside, the later style 997 IMS has proven to be much more reliable. They are great cars and should last a long time. Lots of 996s are now over 100k and still going strong.

You could get a 996 Turbo for that money and not worry about the engine.

$30k does not get a 996 Turbo, at least not anywhere I've found.

Put a few more coins in the piggy bank:

Porsche 911 996 Twin Turbo | eBay

The fact that you can find 997's for the same price as 964 C2's is ridiculous.

I've put lots of miles down in both and I don't care how nostalgic you feel about the aircooled cars, the 997 is twice the car in almost every way.

OH DEAR... "IF" I lived in the US this would be the one. :D
I can't think of anything else for 35k Id' rather own.

Same car in Aus would is well over $100,000!

Bingo!

You can honestly make this same argument with the 996, which is significantly less money than a 964. The 997 is just a restyled 996 with marginally better performance.

Agree, but the changes were enough to make it an option for me, whereas the 996 isn't. Much nicer interior, better front end styling, and a whole different feel when you sit in it.

I really like the 996 for a few reasons: dipstick, spare tire and voltmeter, all of which are missing in the 997 and a lot of newer German cars (yet you can still find spares and dipsticks in everything from Hondas to Hyundais).

The interior is a huge deal breaker for me in the 996, it's awful. That's where I have to sit.
So the 997's improved interior and exterior make the decision easier.

+1 ... The interior is very important

What's with the dipstick? That would have to be one of the most practical inventions ever.

So how do you check the oil on a 997?

Check the oil on the computer. My cayman is the same way.

I really dislike the water cooled 911 interiors - the colors offered are offensive to me. That said I am very happy with the black/carbon interior of my '03. The car has 145K miles and is squeak/rattle free. The seats are in very good shape and all materials are in like new condition. No fancy screens, GPS, or DVD players thanks. If I could change one thing it would be to have a leather covered dash. The 997 interior is definitely a step up in luxury but has too much technology and bling for my taste. YMMV.

True, just acknowledging that underneath the pretty new styling, a 2005 997 is basically a 2004 996.2.

I had read/heard/inquired about that and was told that it was the same deal with the 997 as for the 987. There was no way to tell FOR SURE when Porsche switched from the old to the new IMS until you pulled the tranny off the engine and looked. For the 987 the lawsuit has some VIN ranges in it but even that has proven not 100% accurate per the posts on forums... Do you know that cutoff is "for sure" ? Because if so, a 997 will be mine shortly ;-)

Having owned a 996, (early, modded coupe), and driven a 997, I can say that the 997 seemed like a pretty huge improvement in nearly every way. From the obvious improvement in looks and interior to the increased power, active suspension, (perceived) better build quality, etc., it seemed not at all similar to a 996 to me. And I really liked my 996. It was a tough car.

Granted, my 996 was a beat-up example but it was still tight and I've also driven cream puff 996s. The 997 dash, especially without the sport chrono option, is one of the best looking 911 dashboards ever, IMO. The 996 is the worst. Same with the 996 door panels, etc. If all you care about is performance:buck and don't care about aesthetics, buy a beater Z-06 'vette. That will walk all over a stock 997. But who wants to live in that interior?

I think the 997 was a sweet spot for 911s, they are now overboard with technology, (almost) no manual trans, etc.

I'm not aware of any way to know with absolute certainty which IMS a 997 has. You can narrow down based on VIN and engine SN, but eventually you have to verify visually.

I totally agree on styling. But if you drive a late 996.2 and early 997.1, apples to apples, they are very similar driving cars. Underneath when turning wrenches they are nearly identical. Start adding goodies and all bets are off. PASM, Sport Chrono, and the S all give the 997 an edge. But they aren't cheap either.

I think someday the 997 will occupy a 993 like space in the waterpumper market. The 991 is more GT and not DIY friendly, the 996 isn't nearly as pretty.

Quick look on Autotrader revealed several sub- $35k 2005-on 911s.

Autotrader[POR[911[]][]]&listingId=396549249&Log=0

Autotrader[POR[911[]][]]&listingId=397212720&Log=0

Autotrader[POR[911[]][]]&listingId=396236302&Log=0

Autotrader[POR[911[]][]]&listingId=396212218&Log=0

Autotrader[POR[911[]][]]&listingId=395010913&Log=0

I'm not sure exactly when the IMS issue was solved, I heard it was Gen 2 from '09 on. Hopefully we can get a firm answer?

I answered the IMS question on page 1. It was greatly improved in late 2005 and eliminated in 2009 with the introduction of the 9A1 engine, which does not have an IMS.

Lowest price I've seen for a 1995 Carrera - 36K (Pano Classifieds)
Lowest price I've seen for a 2005 Carrera (or was it an 06 S) - 35K (local Craigslist)

I'm still wary of the IMS thing, though my buddy has had no issues with his, and he has an 06. If I had the money, I'd get a 993 AND a 997. :)

You don't have a Cayman, you ****ing robot. :)

Don't quote the bot, or at least, get rid of the hidden images.

No affiliation. 32k miles, speed yellow, new factory engine due to IMS failure, with 2 year warranty:

2005 Porsche Carrera 911 997 " New Engine "Mint. Condition" - $39500 (flushing)


2005 Porsche Carrera 911 997 " New Engine "Mint. Condition"

Sport seats too, my favorite option. $40k is getting steep for a base 997 though, you can find an S with a few more miles for the same price.

I have a 997S as my daily and love it. Like someone else said, the 997 will occupy the same space as the 993, a beloved return to a familiar shape. I have the ceramic bearing upgrade some suspension upgrades and a Tubi of exhaust. I will replace it with a 997 GTS eventually.

This would scratch the cab itch nicely...

2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S Convertible

Amazing that the 997 is coming down hard too.

I still don't have an interest in one of these IMS engines. So how about the TT, is that still nosebleed territory? Can we throw a few TT in there? My dream of once trading my 993 for a 993TT is out the window. It used to be a $30k upgrade, now it looks like a $100k upgrade ...

I thing the 997 GT3s are still high. That'd be fun too, but I really am due for a Turbo.

G

The 997 turbos are still at least $60k wholesale, and the GT3 are still over $100k wholesale for the 3.8. I suspect that the turbos will come down a little more, but with the 996TT generally bottomed out at $40k, I don't see the 997TT ever getting that cheap. With the 997 GT3 being the last manual transmission GT3, and the 996 GT3 already appreciating to $60k+, I don't see the 997 GT3 ever getting much cheaper. The 997 GT3 4.0 are already selling for nearly double their MSRP.:eek:

I just bought a 2006 997S today, it has 90k so it will be at the low end of 997S pricing. Atlas Gray (great color) over black, PASM, silver console, 19" Carrera Sport wheels, sport exhaust, sport chrono, and some other stuff I'm probably forgetting. Looks like a very nice car.

Where'd you find it? I may be interested. :cool:

Manheim Auctions, it had a really good inspection report. Probably no service records except for those on the Carfax (clean), that's the only big downside to the auctions.

What's the money on a pristine, low mileage 2009 997 or 997S with the 9A1 engine? I'd consider selling my '85 and upgrading.

60-70.
Nowhere as enticing as 05-08s sadly... And not a lot of them for sale either, low production numbers those years.

I'd say the 2009 997 is getting more spendy than I'm comfortable with. Not wanting to risk a total engine failure, it seems the way to go is with a 2005 with the old IMS style bearing that's been updated or have it updated. This sure looked nice, but I wouldn't want to risk the engine failure at all, and splitting the cases sounds too brutal.

2008 Porsche 911 Targa 4 with only 9,000 Miles Loaded

So worst case on a 997 is that you have to replace the engine. What's the chance of that? 5%? It looks like a replacement engine is about $15k installed. Yeah I'd take the 05-08.