£50k 911 - which one?

[codieskid]

Hi all

I've decided that I want a Porsche 911 as I currently have a 1967 Jaguar E-type S1 that is just not getting the use it deserves and as I have a young son I’d love to be able to find a car that is more usable with the family and the 911 seems to offer everything I currently want in a sports car.

The problem I am having is knowing what 911 is the one to go for. I initially decided on a 997.1 C2S, looking around £30-35k as they seemed to offer everything I am looking for and seem like good value. However I’ve been doing some research and after reading a number of threads about IMS failures I started to think maybe I should raise my budget and look at a 997.2 C2S.

However good 997.2’s seem to be commanding strong money at the moment and for similar money it puts them pretty close 997.1 turbos. So the question I have is do 997.1 turbos also suffer from IMS failure and with a budget of up to £50k what 911 would you go for?

Thanks

Trev

[Fl0pp3r]

There is a long answer geeza, but the short one is this - yes you are better off with a DFI 997 gen 2 carrera if engine worries concern you (as they would most people), but you could still either consider a gen1 that has had the remedial engine work done by Hartech, or keep £10k to one side for that rainy day, should it arrive. Still a bargain of a car by any standards.

The gen1 997 Turbo is by all accounts pretty rock solid engine wise as it’s the fabled Mezger, but running costs will likely be a bit higher, and you might struggle to find under budget. Worth considering the 996 Turbo also therefore. The turbo’s are a lot more car no mistake, and have the advantage of allowing you to scare your family quite adequately with just a small flex of your right foot

Happy hunting!!

[Essential]

£50k give access to whole range of 911s

991s starting there with a few miles. PDK 3.8 with higher miles. Manual cars have 7 speed boxes.

997.2 with low miles - 3.8 Manual feels like a good buy at the moment.

996 & 997.1 turbos

Good 993s too at that figure.


My pick or th bunch would be a good 997.2

[Paynewright]

There was a recent article in 911 & porsche world (March 18) asking the same question - they compared a 991 c2s, 997 c4s and 996 turbo.

Author picked the 991 as his favorite but commented still potential depreciation.

Ian

[ishay]

I upgraded from a 997.2 C2 (for sale at Ashgood for £36k) to a 997.1 Turbo. I won’t be going back, for me the torque is just addictive. Both are great though.

Although the cheaper, decent 997 Turbos are a little over £50k, a few have been around all winter. It could be worth a cheeky offer on one listed at ~£54k, I reckon. I’d be interested in the answer!

[codieskid]

Thanks for the reply chaps. Good to know that the 997 turbo isn't effected by the IMS issue so they have been firmly added to my list of 911's to look at along with a 997.2 C2/4S. The only other car I may consider would be a 991. Ahhh, the man maths is kicking in . I think the best thing I can do is get down to a specialist with a good choice of cars and have a good look at each car and see which I prefer.

[ishay]

You didn’t say if you want a manual or auto. If manual, a 997.1 Turbo is perfect, if auto I’d go Carerra PDK (because Turbo PDKs are out of your range).

Caveat: I haven’t driven a Tiptronic, and I’m always cautious of handing on second hand information, but as you are new to 911s you should make up your own mind if you want one.

[codieskid]

ishay said:

You didn’t say if you want a manual or auto. If manual, a 997.1 Turbo is perfect, if auto I’d go Carerra PDK (because Turbo PDKs are out of your range).

Caveat: I haven’t driven a Tiptronic, and I’m always cautious of handing on second hand information, but as you are new to 911s you should make up your own mind if you want one.

Could go either way between manual and pdk as I drove the new 718 cayman and the PDK box is really impressive. I think ideally a manual would be preference though. Not considering tiptronic cars, those steering wheel switches are a non starter for me

Trev

[Steve Rance]

For the budget You might something like a 964 or 993? A little more in keeping with the classic status of your Etype but a lot more easy to live with on a day to day basis.

[codieskid]

Steve Rance said:

For the budget You might something like a 964 or 993? A little more in keeping with the classic status of your Etype but a lot more easy to live with on a day to day basis.

I really fancy a newer 911 so am only considering 997's or newer cars. I had looked into a 993 C4S but budget starts to get a bit out of hand

Trev

[GameofCars]

I've had both a 997 Gen 2 C2S PDK & a 997 Gen 1 turbo tip. I thought the C2S i had was really good value & a great daily. The turbo I only had for seven months. The tip box in the gen 1 cars are a bit limp & I missed the noise of a NA engine. You will never make a turbo sound like a NA engine. The turbo has awesome straight line power but I missed a stick & noise. I ended up selling the turbo for an Aston V8VS manual which growls like an angry lion My choice would be a 997 Gen 2 C2S, ideally manual but the PDKs are way better than the tip boxes in Gen 1 cars.

[D.no]

I had a 997.1 C2S manual for nearly 4 years and truly loved it. I've now got a Gen 2 , again manual, with the sports PASM and LSD (had it for 14 months) and it's just the most fantastic road driving tool - there's nothing like them once set-up properly.

I wouldn't discount the first generation car. The IMS issue isn't half as widespread as the interweb would have you believe, and the gen-1 engine sounds more characterful than that in the gen-2. The front end feel and behaviour in the gen 2 has been "normalised" somewhat too, so it's not quite as talkative but the flip side is that it's more accessible for the uninitiated.

Either way it's a great choice. Enjoy the hunt...