The Porsche 911 is an icon for a reason. Not only is it the textbook definition of an evolutionary sports car, it’s been embraced by everyone from yuppies to professional drivers, making it onto every sports car racing grid and every “justification for higher education” poster over the past few decades. Perhaps as a result, prices of second-hand ones have certainly risen over the past 20 years.
For those of reasonable means, air-cooled examples are practically unobtanium. Many 993 911 coupes from the 1990s are six-figure cars, and even the more common impact bumper cars are worth new luxury car money. However, if your heart’s still set on owning a Porsche 911, don’t fear. Options still exist.
Granted, these options might not look quite like what you’ve had in your head all these years. Some sacrifices will need to be made to get a decent Porsche 911 on a modest budget, but those sacrifices aren’t all that bad. Let me explain.
What Are We Looking At?
With enduring popularity and a lineage that stretches back to 1964, the Porsche 911 is one of the most recognizable sports cars in the world. It’s also one of the most desirable, with 911 GT3s being some of the hottest machines on the road, often carrying more cachet than certain models of Ferrari and Lamborghini.
However, as we’re talking about cheap 911s, we need to understand the used Porsche 911 hierarchy. Air-cooled models have gone to the moon, as have special cars like GT3s. At the bottom of the generational barrel sits the 996 Carrera, sold from models years 1999 to 2004, the controversial fried egg headlight 911. Sure, you might have to replace the IMS bearing soon, but overall, that sounds easy enough to keep track of, right?
Well, hold your horses. Manual 996 coupes are worth money now, and to get a Porsche 911 for base new Corolla money, you might not end up with the 996 you want. Keep in mind, Tiptronic automatic cars, cabriolets, and all-wheel-drive models that aren’t the vaunted Carrera 4S carry a discount over the base manual Carrera coupe, so all the properly cheap 996s will feature one, if not more of those features.
Regardless, a 911 cabriolet is still a 911, which means it’s still a riot to drive, with all of the classic Porsche 911 dynamic quirks and all of the specialness everyday. It’s even just as quick as the coupe, as Car And Driver attested:
The new Porsche 911 droptop is quite attractive because its acceleration is so close to the coupe’s that the difference is moot. Our test convertible turned exactly the same 0-to-60 and quarter-mile times as a recent 911 coupe we tested (May 1998): 4.9 and 13.5 seconds, respectively. Engine response from the 3.4-liter engine’s variable-plenum intake and VarioCam valve timing is instant and linear. Top speed in the cabrio is 165 mph (the coupe goes 169). Both deliver no-excuses, adrenaline-overdose performance.
Zero-to-60 mph in 4.9 seconds is quick even today, plus if you want to modernize things a bit, Porsche sells a very factory-looking Apple CarPlay-enabled infotainment unit. However, provided you’re willing to compromise on spec, you won’t have to pay anything near new or even certified pre-owned Porsche money to get into a decent 911.
How Much Are We Talking?
When I wrote that you can still buy a Porsche 911 for new Toyota Corolla money, I wasn’t playing any games. A brand new base-model Corolla stickers for $23,145 including freight, but you won’t have to pay that much to get into an iconic German sports car. Take this Speed Yellow 2003 Carrera, for example. Not only is it a coupe, it’s in a desirable color, features a six-speed manual transmission, and it recently hammered on Cars & Bids for a mere $21,000. So, why did it go so cheap? Well, in addition to having 115,900 miles on the clock, it’s also modified with add-ons like a Turbo-look front bumper, OZ wheels, and slightly dubious taillight tint. Those are definitely minor compromises, but they mean someone got into a sweet-looking 911 for less than base Corolla money.
Alright, let’s say you’re looking for something with lower mileage and a stock appearance, but are still sticking within budget. Well, this 2001 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet is a six-speed rear-wheel-drive car with 84,000 miles on the clock, but because it’s a cabriolet, it recently sold on Bring A Trailer for $22,500. It’s even in an interesting color combo, it’s just a cabriolet, and that’s why it’s cheap.
Want an example of how extreme this used 911 hierarchy can go? Here’s a 1999 Carrera 4 Cabriolet that recently sold on Bring A Trailer for a mere $17,750. It has a mere 33,000 miles on the clock, but because it’s an all-wheel-drive automatic cabriolet, it went for cheap. For the right buyer, that was one serious steal.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong On A 996 Porsche 911?
We can’t talk about the 996 Porsche 911 without addressing the dreaded IMS bearing. For 1999, Porsche used a dual-row bearing for this important timing system component, and it was sturdy enough for the most part. However, at some point during model year 2000, Porsche then went to a single-row bearing, and those had rather high failure rates, with catastrophic engine failure as a side effect. Needless to say, sourcing a replacement M96 engine is expensive, but fear not — most cheap 996s are in the mileage bracket to need a clutch soon, and bundling IMS bearing replacement with clutch replacement will save serious money on labor costs since the clutch needs to come out to access the bearing.
Another threat with these larger displacement M96 engines is bore scoring, where the piston rings wear grooves in the cylinder walls, exacerbating blow-by and potentially leading to premature engine failure if not dealt with via a rebuild. It’s not an issue in the small-bore Boxsters as they used different piston compositions and rings, but it’s definitely something to worry about on the 3.4-liter and especially the 3.6-liter 911 models. A good independent Porsche shop can do a borescope inspection of the cylinder walls to check for striations, and that should be an essential part of a pre-purchase inspection. Fortunately, risk of bore scoring can be substantially mitigated in the future by running good oil, changing it often, and minimizing the number of cold starts. Easy enough, right?
Oh, and there’s one more thing you might want to worry about — VarioCam wear pads. Basically, the variable cam timing system features its own set of guides that contact the timing chains. Those guides are made of plastic and can wear down over time, becoming brittle. You can typically catch this by cutting apart your oil filter or checking for camshaft deviation in good diagnostic software like Durametric.
It’s worth keeping in mind that many 996 Porsche 911 examples won’t suffer from any of these issues, and the number that suffer from more than one is incredibly small. Outside of these slight chances, the real issues you’ll see are all typical old car stuff — plastic coolant expansion tanks get brittle, suspension bushings wear out, that sort of stuff.
Should You Buy A 996 Porsche 911?
Over a Corolla? Absolutely not. However, almost nobody looking at these old sports cars is cross-shopping them against a new compact sedan. You buy a Porsche 911 because you’ve always wanted one, and even if you have to make a few sacrifices on spec, they’re still wonderful, usable everyday sports cars. If you’re a level-headed enthusiast with a budget for maintenance, I say go for it. These cars aren’t as scary as the internet would have you believe, and there’s a certain joy in a cheap Porsche 911.
(Photo credits: Bring A Trailer, Cars & Bids)
Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.
-
Here’s Why This Five-Year-Old Volkswagen Golf Is Worth More Than A New Car
-
You Can Buy An Awesome V8-Powered Audi S5 For Less Than $12,000
-
This Honda Prelude Costs More Than A New Toyota Supra
-
You Can Now Buy A Used Tesla Model S Plaid For The Price Of A Kia EV6 GT
-
This Lucid Air EV Depreciated An Unbelievable $200 Per Day, $30 Per Mile Driven
Got a hot tip? Send it to us here. Or check out the stories on our homepage.
“Should You Buy A 996 Porsche 911? Over a Corolla? Absolutely not”
But I should be fine if I pick the 911 over a Yaris, right? RIGHT???
Before the pandemic, you could have bought one of those for around 10-15k. Not sure why covid inflation hit used Porsches so high, since these are more secondary or “toy” cars, but there you have it.
I would say anyone with $25 and an amazon account would be capable of doing a boroscope inspection. Those tools are cheap now. Remove a spark plug and shove it in the hole, and open the app on your phone. It’s also worth doing a leak down test if you’re real curious on engine condition.
Guess I’m weird, as I’ve always liked the runny-egg look. And that green w/ tan is a perfect combination.
I ran across a green/tan base coupe last year for 18k. Guy was awful at responding and thats the only reason I dont own that car.
You can also buy two 944s for $4,500.
I would love to LS swap those to a) upset people and b) have a better car than they do.
Great, unless you live in California. The CARB nazis will jump on you w/ both feet, even if the Chevy E-Rod engine you put in is cleaner than the original Porsche engine.
My fondest dream is that the Supreme Court “Chevron Deference” decision will result in the abolishment of unelected “lawmaking” agencies like the EPA and CARB.
CARB is a state agency, don’t you believe in “states’ rights”?
Sorry, the Free Republik of Kommiefornia, a one party government fiefdom is proof that the electorate is dumber than a box of rocks. Not even other Democrat run states pay $4.50/gal for regular gas (due to go up another 50¢ real soon now). We have the world’s most expensive high speed rail project w/ $11billion spent on planning, right of acquisition & some actual construction (1600 feet of completed rail). We have turned one of the most beautiful cities of the world into a 3rd world slum w/ drug addled vets and junkies pooping in the streets of the open air drug market. The money to buy those drugs comes from the rampant thievery of the few retail establishments still open. The George Soros chosen District Attorneys refuse to prosecute anyone from leftist, antisemite squatters in colleges to murderers.
To make up for that, people who don’t live in the major population centers can’t buy fire insurance for their homes and pay some of the highest income taxes in the nation. CARB are only the final joker in the deck. They have passed edicts against gasoline powered lawnmowers unless over 25hp. Ditto for consumer level lawn equipment like weed eaters, chain saws, hedge trimmers and other small engines. But that’s ok, because the mandatory ethanol laced gasoline effs up the fuel induction systems of anything that is not used daily.
Good luck keeping a can of gas around for a motorcycle you ride infrequently or a collector car driven only in the summer, or a generator to power your house during the Haiti-like power outages in the summer. The stockholders of PG&E make out fine, because the state PUC keeps raising the rates so that they utilities can perform state mandated updates to improve their transmission equipment. Said mandates are to prevent wildfires (currently about 15,000 acres are ablaze).
The unicorn riding inhabitants of the coastal cities believe everything the politicos from the left tell them and keep voting for them in spite of the evidence before them that it all goes wrong when one party runs the state. OTOH, we have a sort of nice climate and one can go from snow skiing to water skiing in a couple of hours.
ma’am this is a McDonald’s.
Sorry, I went on a bit of a rant there. I would leave, but my grandchildren are here and I’m not sure where I would go that is not screwed up in some other fashion.
I don’t live in CA.
I’d rather not have a 911 than pay $20k for the ugliest generation equipped with a slushbox.
I bought an early-98 build year 99 C2 Cabrio 6sp manual about 5-6 yrs ago for approx $15 with around 85K miles on it. The earliest cars (98-99 build yrs) are sturdy dual-row IMS, still handbuilt, are the only ones that have a mechanical throttle linkage, no electronic nannies other than ABS on mine, real heat/ac (important in PHX!), and more. Mine also came with factory LSD and hollow spoke 993 wheels (now mounted on my 00 Boxster S haha) and a factory hardtop, which the later 996/997s charged extra for.
I stripped it out and installed a roll/harness bar, Sparco QRF seats (~11lbs each), installed an H&R racing suspension, 3 CF aluminum radiators, carbon ducktail and hood, modern Apple CarPlay head unit using about $20 in Metra parts, 19″ Sport Classic wheels, short shifter, quick-release steering wheel/drilled racing pedals, better brake lines, rotors, and pads, x-pipe, headers, and muffler delete, newer LED headlights/taillights, and basically built a 2600lb homage (~2700lbs w/ hardtop on it) to the 911 Speedster, which never came in a 996 flavor. I did all this for about $22k total, and I cannot imagine building a better Porsche for less money.
It’s now a real, lightweight 911 that will do sub-4.5 to 60 and runs high 11s in the 1/4, and sounds like a screaming banshee at full tilt. It’s also one of the most reliable and well-built cars that I’ve ever owned. There are STILL no rattles or cowlshake, nothing falling apart, and no nagging “maintenance” stemming from cutting construction corners: it’s a proper Porsche 911, in other words. I don’t care about the “ugly headlights” as I cannot see then grinning ear to ear in the driver’s seat, can’t hear anybody else complaining about them at full howl, and I threw half of the interior in the trash, so that doesn’t bother me either.
The secret is out: buy one before these too are unobtainium like every other 911 before and after. I’ll NEVER sell mine lol
Boy howdy, am I glad I bought my SC when it was cheap, because I couldn’t afford it now.
I’ve decided that if I ever do buy a “toy” it will be a convertible. It will be used on sunny days to drive with the top down, not the track where I might appreciate more rigid structure. I’d also consider a targa, but those aren’t cheap in Porsche land. So seeing the ragtop = discount is good news to me.
With that said, if I ever buy a Porsche (or Miata for that matter), I think I’d have a hard time not rowing my own gears. It is kind of part of the experience, IMO.
Now, a Corvette or something a bit more “lazy”? Maybe the auto is more acceptable there. (Yes, I know modern Vettes are perfectly capable of not being lazy cruisers.)
The sciatic nerve on my left leg says 30 years of driving a stick was not worth it.
A guy down the street from me has a 996.2 C4 cabriolet, black on black. I sort of get the hate for the runny egg headlights, as they certainly aren’t as attractive as the round, but I honestly cannot think of a single generation of 911 where the convertible option doesn’t look odd from any angle but head-on. The targa and hardtop models look fantastic, but the hump in the back for the engine on the convertibles just looks strange, even when partially hidden by wings and whatnot, and even the guy down the street agrees about his own car. Then again, for the price and performance, a little odd looking is probably worth it if you really want a convertible as well.
Seems to me that if you’re going to spend Corolla/Camry money on a German luxury convertible – you might as well get one that’s relatively spacious and reliable, and with a decent sized trunk.
A pre-facelift W207 E Class would be the way to go – either in E350 or E550 form.
I used the term “honda civic money” when buying a used 2014 BMW 335ix GT because I wanted the most car I could get for under $20k.
Viable terms.
Or just, you know, buy a new 2024 MX-5.
I made that choice in 2021 (-v- potentially going used 911 cab) and my MX-5 has been an awesome daily driver since. Of course I can still climb out of it even in my late 50’s. You have to mentally reframe that getting into/out of an MX-5 is like putting on a car shaped jacket.
Make mine a C6 so I can enjoy it without going bankrupt.
My BIL bought a Porsche because the insurance on it was SO much cheaper vs. a Corvette. So you might want to get a quote first.
Any American sports car with a V8 is going to be ridiculously expensive to insure. Hell I remember getting a quote on a V6 Camaro back in 2021 and it was nearly twice as much as my GTI. As a general rule of thumb…if it’s a car that you see a lot of people do dumb shit with then it’s going to be pricey to insure.
I’d imagine Corvettes doing antisocial shit is less common than, say…Mustangs doing it because of the price delta and demographics buying them, but I’m still sure a lot of them get wrecked because they’re powerful, rear wheel drive cars and idiots will always think they can hop in a 400 horsepower car, turn of traction control, mash the go pedal, and be fine.
I owned a new C6 years back and it was not overly expensive to insure and it was very reasonable to maintain. If you drive like an idiot on the street you get what you deserve. I drive conservatively, but with traffic flow. If I was to purchase one, I’d probably take it to the local track perodically. A C6 costs less to insure in my jurisdiction through my insurer than a Porsche, slightly more than my Accord. I also have a perfect driving record and would be insuring it as a non-commuter part time toy.
Well it wasn’t his driving record that was the problem, AFAIK that is to this day unblemished.
Besides if that was the problem or any high powered sports car should get a similar quote. As should zip code or any other common metric.
It’s usually jurisdiction, age, driving record around here. My insurer tells me that if a particular vehicle is costly to repair, suffers a high theft rate or attracts bad drivers the rate scales upward.. I’m a grizzled old boomer so my rate is usually lower than someone younger. The same car in Toronto, Markham would be higher than where I reside (rural) due to greater traffic and much higher theft rates. Sports cars in general are rated higher as are sports coupes.
Cross shopping a Porsche with a Corvette is weird
Is it?
When you a 6’5″ and weigh in at 200+ it isn’t. I also am not fond of the German add complexity and fragility design and engineering philosophy having suffered through owning several German cars over the years
Weird? GM is literally hoping people do just that.
If you’re gonna get stuck with a convertible anyway save even more money and get a Boxster, those can be had properly cheap. Of course then you’ll have to fix/maintain it but you know what you signed up for with the badge.
I recently bought a 996. It’s a high-mile 6-speed C4. To be honest, I didn’t know the 4 was less desirable. To me, it was a benefit. AWD? Cool.
The interior soft-touch plastics are scratching and sticky and the AC doesn’t work right now. But goddamn is it a fabulous car. I really wanted a fun car to drive in the mountains where I live now, and it is practically perfect for that purpose.
Yeah no thanks. I’ll start with stick & hardtop, then add light weight & fun to drive.
I guess a Porsche is just one more thing to add to the list of things I don’t really need.
Bought my C2 Cab a decade ago for $15k and have put 50k miles on it since. It’s great, but expensive to operate. Did the IMS last year and those are well over $10k at an indie, so keep that in mind if you head down this road!
I had no idea the IMS bearing is a 5 figure service….dear god
It certainly can be when you factor dropping the transmission and everything you’d want to do while in there (clutch, dual-mass flywheel, rear main seal). Especially if you’re buying an expensive IMS solution from the likes of LM (absolutely worth it for the peace of mind, just pricey).
Parts alone are $400-2000 depending on whether you’re just replacing or upgrading, but the DIY takes a weekend with a good workspace, friends and tools. I hear it’s more difficult in a C4 or Tiptronic due to more shafts/control modules/vacuum lines that complicate the transmission removal.
It’s a little easier/cheaper in a Boxster, because the transmission hangs out the back, rather than the engine.
It’s not. When I bought mine I had the IMS done at the same time as the clutch, flywheel, rear-main seal, and air-oil separator by an indie mechanic for about 5 or 6 grand.
I had mine done without the clutch (it was still way too good to change out) for $4500, and it included a system to oil the new bearing. $10k is way too much to pay. Granted, that was for a Boxster, but it shouldn’t be that much more for a 911.
It’s absolutely bonkers to me that “desirable” 996s are now $50,000+ propositions. I recently saw a C4S with 60,000 miles on it listed in the high 50s. I love Porsche as much as anyone, maybe even more…but even I’m not going to sit here and tell you that that’s a good buy. For a little while you could get 996 Turbos in the 50-60 range but those days are long gone.
Do I buy into the red headed step child narrative surrounding the 996s? Yes and no. The fried egg headlights have aged like milk, the interiors are pretty awful, and the IMS bearing issue hangs over them like a black cloud. I also think they’re weirdly bulbous looking. They’re certainly not UGLY, but compared to pretty much any other 911 they’re far from timeless.
But at the end of the day, the “least desirable 911” is still a 911. It has flat 6 at the rear, decades of heritage and pedigree, and arguably one of the most dedicated and knowledgeable fanbases in car enthusiasm. There are parts out there, plenty of shops that will work on them, and there are pages upon pages of forums for whatever quirkiness you may encounter.
If you want one of these and can budget extra for parts and service I say go for it. Attainable 911s aren’t really a thing anymore, so get one while you can. You’re pretty much guaranteed to have a great time. That being said, if you can afford a 997 I do think they’re worth the premium, especially the 997.2s because the IMS bearing is fixed and the automatic option is the glorious PDK.
Could I put up with a Tiptronic 911? Absolutely not. But PDK is a different story. I’d probably still prefer stick in a toy car like these, but if you’re actually going to daily your 911 there’s absolutely no shame in going with PDK. You’ll even save a decent chunk of cash.
If you don’t need a super low mile garage queen, these deals are still out there. However, I don’t think I can justify paying $60K for a 996 Turbo either, especially when 997s aren’t that much more.
https://www.cars.com/shopping/results/?dealer_id=&include_shippable=true&keyword=&list_price_max=&list_price_min=&makes%5B%5D=porsche&maximum_distance=all&mileage_max=&models%5B%5D=porsche-911&monthly_payment=&page_size=20&sort=list_price&stock_type=all&trims%5B%5D=porsche-911-turbo&trims%5B%5D=porsche-911-turbo_3.6&trims%5B%5D=porsche-911-turbo_cabriolet&trims%5B%5D=porsche-911-turbo_s&year_max=2005&year_min=2001&zip=60639
This car is an automatic with a rebuilt title on a sketchy buy here pay here lot. It is technically a cheap 911 Turbo, but it’s certainly not one you’d want in your driveway.
I didn’t mean just the top one, there were a dozen or so at or under $60K.
I’m not an expert on the market by any means, but I was so shocked at your statement that I had to verify, because a clean 996 Turbo is still $50K *in my head* and I refused to believe you had to pay $70K+ now. I think the truth lies somewhere in between.
The cheapest manual, coupe 996 Turbo I see on cars dot com is $63,000. You can get still get automatics and convertibles in the high 40s/50s. It looks like most of the manual coupes are now in the 70s/80s. Curiously enough there are some 997 Turbos floating around for similar money.
SOMETHING has to be the least desirable one….
This is incredibly biased, but as a Boxster owner, I can’t recommend the “downgrade” enough if you’re thinking about “settling” for the cabrio.
The Box has a noticeably lighter and stiffer tub due to being designed from scratch without a roof, it had the double-row IMS for 3 years (4 in European markets) instead of just the one, the IMS/RMS job is far easier as the transmission can be promptly dropped, the base models have an Audi-derived 5-speed that’s far easier/cheaper to service, used engines are half the price if you do have a major failure, and you get a trunk in the rear in case you’re worried about the duffel bags you were going to put in the back seat. Also, as roadsters, Boxsters are mostly garage-kept weekend toys with low miles and solid maintenance records (for now. They’re starting to fall into the hands of people like me, though, and will surely meet the same fate as the E30 soon enough).
The biggest “downside” of the Boxster is that the engine is smaller and a couple feet forward of the 911’s, so it’s less powerful and the handling isn’t as quirky.
But I’m not sure the Autopian readership is ready for yet another Boxster article.
986S 4 LYF
Fellow Boxster owner here. Can confirm. I haven’t driven the 911 to truly know and understand the handling differences but the balanced weight and handling of my 981 is so sublime.
I will say that I have taken my Boxster on some rather long trips. It does very well but the GT nature of the 911 would have been very welcome on those extended runs. Other than that I think I would prefer my Boxster to the 911.
I own a 2000 Boxster S and a 99 C2 Cabrio 911, both 6sp arctic silver/over black (matched set lol) and I HIGHLY disagree…for the price difference between the two cars, I’d take the 911 every day of the week and twice on Sunday. The Boxster S is a swell cruiser or GT road-tripper, and it even feels quick compared to modern cars, but when it’s time to drive hard and fast up AZ 89A or another mountain road, there is no substitute for the 911. It’s noticeably faster – legit fast even today, handles better, better-built as an earlier 996, and only a few thousand more to purchase. I genuinely love both cars, but the 986S is in no way better than the same vintage 996 Cabrio. Now, my 996 is heavily-modded, but even stock there was no contest.
FYI – the 996 was also designed from scratch as a cabriolet as well, as it uses the exact same tub from the back of the doors forward. It’s not only no more flimsy than the 986; it’s literally the same car. The S also uses the same transmission, brakes, and more.
And Autopian: happy to provide both for a head-to-head comparison for a story, hit me up and we’ll make it happen 🙂
Good insight from someone with both cars, thanks for that!
I don’t think the Boxster is better than a 911 cabrio per say, just kind of a lateral move in terms of what you get from it (less power, but lighter, softer suspension, no backseat but added trunk), especially in base trim where maintenance cost and fuel consumption take a decent dip. I think it’s a better deal when that’s considered.
I don’t know how much you paid when you got your cars, but a C2 manual cabrio seems to go for 20k-ish with reasonable miles from my research, while my 50k-mile manual 2.5L was well-optioned and taken care of at 12k, and will cost a bit less to maintain due to cheaper parts and somewhat easier DIY labor. Simple consumables like pads, rotors, shocks, control arms and the like will save me a lot compared to a 911, and used engines and transmissions are also fairly cheap for a 2.5 or 2.7 if things go REALLY wrong. I also could’ve compromised a bit on options/condition/mileage to get one under 10k. The Boxster S is a whole other proposition that’s much closer to a 911 in buying/running costs as well as performance.
For a person of limited means like myself, it’ll be a more enjoyable experience to have a Boxster whose engine I can afford to replace than a 911 that could bankrupt me with a scored bore or bad synchro (both of these are reasonable repairs for someone with 911 money, just not for me or for someone stretching their budget to buy a 996). I should mention that the Boxster is my daily, so care and feeding will overtake purchase cost sooner rather than later. Especially in the tire department.
All of that said, I also have weird taste, and specifically wanted a car with less than 250hp so I could enjoy it on the street without losing my license. At 201bhp, I find my 2.5 just right, but I know not many would agree, and the 911’s 3.4L is a major bump to 296bhp. I kind of downplayed that in my original comment. I don’t claim that I’ll ever keep up with any 911 anywhere, but I’ll be having almost as much fun for a lot less.
My brother and I bought my dad a 2.5 5sp car off Bring A Trailer a few yrs ago…$12k including hardtop. It’s also a great car! Everything you said is true including the bit about keeping your speed legal…the struggle IS real!
I will say the maintenance costs are EXACTLY the same for my two cars as they use probably 85% the exact same parts outside rear suspension. Perhaps the 2.5 engine parts are cheaper, but that’d really surprise me…your 2.5 is still very much a real Porsche, which still means “Porsche tax” on all parts!!!
Listen, anything with that crest on the hood is gonna be a freakin’ hoot and probably as reliable as anything else in your garage if you love it enough to take care of it!
Run those miles up!!
Oh yeah, new parts are by no means cheap!
Where the savings are, I think, is that I burn tires slightly slower than a more powerful car, but more importantly, the BIG stuff like engine/transmission replacement is cheaper because there are more used units floating around from crashed examples, and they’re not as desirable for swaps. Basically, only 2.5 drivers want a 2.5 replacement longblock, but all Boxster owners want a 3.2, and everybody wants a 3.4/3.6.
Because all of these blocks share external dimensions, the easy swap makes the big bore units extremely desirable. To the point that a used 2.5 engine assembly goes for 1-4k, while a 3.4 fetches 7-10. Likewise, the Audi-derived 5-speed manual is 1500-ish while the Porsche 6-speed goes for 3-4k.
These differences aren’t huge in the grand scheme of Porsches, but it does give me a little peace of mind when I daily drive my car, knowing that a full drivetrain failure will set me back 3-6 grand, or 1/4-1/2 of my car’s value, which makes it psychologically much easier to run those miles up. And you better believe I’ll drive the wheels off it, then put on new wheels and drive those off, too.
That said, a 996 is a great car for those that can afford it, I’m just not in that club, so I figured I’d share my experience with the Boxster and how it has its own upsides and surprising practicality and comfort.
One complication with the Cabrio is that the roof mechanism is (surprise!) pretty complex.
I bought a verrrry cheap, high mile 996 cab on a lark during Covid and the finicky top kept me from driving it very much because I couldn’t trust it not to freeze partway through its cycle. So I kept it down all the time, which meant sunny days only, and I already have a car for sunny days only.
The other reason I bought it was I thought I’d have a fun car that my kids could ride in with me, but even in a convertible where I could lift them up and in, the back seat of a 996 is a parcel shelf. My at the time 4-5 year old didn’t have room.
So I ended up selling it because it didn’t get driven enough to justify owning it. That said, even my rough example had a lot of redeeming qualities and I *get* the Porsche thing in a way that I don’t always *get* other kinds of enthusiast cars.
In my experience owning my cabrio the roof very slowly leaked hydraulic fluid. Adding a few milliliters to top it off has worked fine to keep it working. May not have been your issue though.
I never noticed any leak, but that’s not to say it wasn’t the issue.
Oh no, we’ll never be able to guess what your sunny day car was!
The top cylinder seals leak, and it’s cheap to have them rebuilt and change them yourself. If you can change a tire or your own oil, you can DYI this job. Did mine for about $500, maybe less, including shipping and paying someone else to rebuild them. Storing the car with the top up help avoid this for longer, but it eventually happens to all power-top Porsche convertibles. The mechanism itself is, in Porsche fashion, very robust.
If I were in the market, this is the one I’d buy. I don’t care that much about the headlights, and even if I did, I would’t have to look at them once I’m behind the wheel.
And the convertible’s cheaper on top of that? Where do I sign up?
Ooo the green one is just lovely.
But seriously, I could get a C5 for half the money. And it also came in a lovely green.
The C5 is fantastic right up until you have to look at it. Love it on paper, but I’ve never been able to get over the styling for some reason. Probably because it’s flanked by the C4 which is cool in a very 80s way and the C6, which is probably the most elegant of the modern Vettes.
There also aren’t very many manual C5s out there. Pretty much all the ones I come across are automatic, and usually the manual ones are in the hands of the DURR THIS IS THE ONLY ONE MADE IN YELLOW OVER BEIGE ON A TUESDAY I KNOW WHAT I GOT $30,000 FIRM crowd…
MAJOR point of view differentiation here. I think the C5 is by far the best-looking Vette, either coupe or convertible. It’s also the first Corvette to run right, and the first one that can be reasonably used as a daily driver.
Now, the bright yellow with purple and mauve 90’s slashes all over it like an RV is not what I’m talking about. Hunter green with the tan interior, convertible, 6-speed.
If you like the looks then more power to you, because they’re great cars. They’re very aerodynamic, powered by god’s own engine, and easy to keep running. As far as weekend cars go you could do a lot worse. They’ll also return highway fuel economy in the 30s if you hang out in 6th.
+1 on the color combination. Hunter green over tan always looks good. Had a ‘73 Comet in that combo & loved the look.
If you think the 996 has an awful interior, wait till you see a Corvette’s haha!
Seriously though, an older 911 or Corvette are maybe the last true high-speed sports cars you can even buy anymore, used or new. Both are easily found with manuals, are super-reliable, legit fast even at 20 yrs old, and easily customizable with huge aftermarket support.
Can’t go wrong either way!
Oh I’m already a fan of GM plastic interiors. They make them out of beskar so there’s no damage.
My neighbors dad used to have a yellow, manual C5. I got to drive it from time to time as he really didn’t and wanted it to get used in some capacity. I had a NA Miata at the time so was comfortable with the nature of what I was getting into. What truly surprised me was just how small the cabin was. I really didn’t feel like I had any more room in there than in my Miata. I wasn’t expecting something where I could lay down in by any means, but the C5 is a bit bigger of a car than the Miata.
Or you could buy one with a dead engine and LS swap it.
https://www.renegadehybrids.com/
The thing I find interesting is that I see multiple 911s of the fried egg generation near me for the same asking prices as Boxters of the same generation. Cayman’s seem to carry a premium compared to cheap 911s and boxters both.
What does in the fried egg generation of Porsches for me isn’t even the fried egg headlights. Or the IMS bearing, because I don’t have to look at either of those from the driver’s seat. What I do have to look at is the hideous choice of font they used on everything in the interior of that era. I just can’t look at it.