[mpetry]

As stated above there are a LOT of ways to go with this question. If your friend wants a weekend driver that is fast, fun and reliable, here's what I'd suggest - find a nice 2001-2004 Carrera with low miles for around $25K, do the big fix and put the clutch, water pump, and IMS bearing in it, along with all the other stuff that should be done at the 60K service, pay the bill ($8k), drive and enjoy.

I passed on a real nice 2001 Carrera for 17K and it was a lot of car for the money. If I didn't have my SC I would have bought it.

I think the main thing on these modern cars is that the newer they are, the more expensive they are to maintain, and less "friendly" to owner maintenance / repair. An oil change, plugs, and belts on a turbo can approach $1000. But I see no reason to avoid the 996 cars, as long as you do a PPI and are can afford the "big fix".