[onewhippedpuppy]

You'll need a 2009 if you want PDK, they were tiptronic prior to the 997.2. You'll also get the 9A1 which eliminates the (slight) risk of IMS issues in the 997.1.

I daily drove both a 986 and 996 on snows, up to about 12" was the max I dealt with on roads that are typically at least semi-plowed. You run out of ground clearance before you run out of traction. Otherwise the 997 is a fantastic choice, they are reliable, robust, fun, and it's easy to find a nice one. As you said I think they are also fully depreciated, with nice 996s starting to creep upwards in value its hard to see the 997 getting any cheaper.