996's - Is there another model worth owning besides the TT?
 

Looking at 996's. Not a crowd favorite (styling, IMS/RMS, etc). but I do like the 4Oth Anniversary and/or 4S models, 2002 and on. 4S is turbo lite, 40th is special. More aggressive styling and not the ordinary 996.

The TT is the best of the lot and probably worth saving for, but are the others worth owning given the rapid rise of TT prices? Not looking for Air Cooled appreciation, just another fun car to drive with my wife with a little more comfort than my 1985 Targa. Something fair priced that will at a minimum hold value - with better performance.

P.S. I drove the 997 S, great car, but not a fan of silver hard plastic interior - while fast, not enough wow factor.

Nope

I would buy a 4S. I think its great bang for the buck. Any of them are really a decent value for a sporty DD. It was the same line of thinking that led me to buy a 986 a few months back. I almost bought a 996 4S Cab, but it was twice the money and I just didn't see the added value. My priority was top down motoring versus a Carrara coupe. I've got an AC 911 for that.

For 2-3 times the money.

I can buy a $20k 996 and invest $40k or I can buy a 996 GT3. Which has a greater financial upside?

You can buy a 20k 996 and drop another 15k when the engine lunches itself and you will still have a 20k car. 28k or so for a C4S. Both feel slow today.

The GT3 isn't (IMO) going to lose value.
But to drive on the road I'd pick - and did - a TT.

Depends what you invest in.
Might actually be a fun theoretical exercise - come back in a year and see how you did vs the GT3.

Buy or finance a Turbo. Even though chances are you won't have a IMS failure on the NA, if it happens it will cost you $20k or so for a new engine.

4S...still has great lines...

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I never invest in the market for only a year. That's not investing. I also never buy a car for just a year.

996s are great deals. With some preventative engine work, they are so fun!

You can still find reasonably priced, higher mileage turbos.

There are a few well known issues with those cars so if you find a 100k+ miles car where they were fixed or preventatively taken care of by a good owner you might get a decent deal.

I drove a low mileage '00 C2 last summer and thought it was a great car, don't listen to all the 996 hate. There's a reason the press praised it as the best 911 ever when it debuted.

Ok be pedantic. Make it 5 or 10 or whatever. Same idea.

996 are great fun car... 997 is almost the same w/ a few more option buttons :D

I really enjoyed my 01 c4. It felt like a more neutral driving car, but I would get another for the right price, no doubt about it.

Sorry that I let doing such a test realistically get in the way.

The underlying point is I don't think 996 GT3s will go up much more in the next few years. You might be able to drive one for "free" for a few years if you offset operating costs to price gains.

I'm seeing 15-20k for a 996 engine. I can get one for $5-8k. If I popped the engine in my Boxster I wouldn't rebuild it. I'd just buy a used 3.4 for half the price or sell the car off unrepaired.

Doesn't make sense NOT to step up to the TT. For the difference in money (although the spread is increasing) you get 400 HP easily taken to 575+, with a bulletproof engine.

Thanks to aggressive marketing, many people are convinced that buying an aftermarket IMS bearing solves the achilles heel problem of the n/a 996 engine. I am not one of those people. I suspect failure rates for the aftermarket kit are higher than the Porsche-engineered parts. Having had a friend suffer catastrophic engine failure in an 03 C4S, it's more than just statistics.

When the aftermarket IMSb manufacturers offer a 3-5 year warranty covering consequential damages, I'd consider recommending an n/a 996.

I will say that I believe most of the IMSbs that are going to fail have done so by now. And the failure rates were, I believe, 8% in the pre-05 models; 4% in post-05.

Damn that's higher than I expected. I've heard the horror stories. I do like the looks of C4S.

Problem is IMS is just ONE failure point. There are many in the engine. That said, if they are addressed they are solid engines even for the track. I agree stepping up to the TT makes sense, unless you are like me and are pretty much done with turbo engines and have fallen in love with NA.

Choices....
 

About two years ago I was at the point you are in the hunt for my next Porsche. Looking back at the choices that included: 996C4, Cayman S, Boxster S and 996TT as options, I'm very happy I chose to buy at the top of the group and get the Turbo.

They are as close as most of us will ever get in performance and pedigree to owning 959 and at a fraction of the cost. $45-50K will buy a low mile, great condition Turbo. $50-55K will buy a gem, possibly a '05S.

I agree with TW as well. Mezger Turbo, AWD, modern interior, great lines and solid value.

'03, 996TT, X50, PCCB and Sport Seats (32K miles)
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