The 997.1 Porsche 911 is probably my favorite “budget” 911. I wish I could put “budget” in size 82 font quotation marks given we are talking Porsche here, but in the grand scheme of things where a new base 992 C2 is $100,000, your buck doesn’t go very far these days. Now you are probably saying, “What about the 996?” And yes, you are right. But given the very small price difference between the 996 and 997.1, I think it is the perfect sweet spot of having a modern 911 without spending over $50,000 just to get a seat at the table. Today’s 997 has my favorite Lobster Fork wheels and isn’t a boring color. There’s only one problem though – the transmission.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2006 Porsche 911 Carrera on eBay
Year: 2006
Model: 911 Carrera
VIN: WP0AA29966S715392
Engine: 3.6 liter flat-6
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Mileage: 71,249
Location: Houston, Texas
Price: $31,990 Buy It Now
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Yes, this a Tiptronic car. I know, I know, but hear me out. If you are a person who constantly sits in traffic, maybe the 405 in Los Angeles or Boston, but still want your 911, this isn’t a terrible idea. If you wanted a PDK car, a 997.2 is probably putting you close to $50,000. This example? $32,000. Now I do think this example is a little pricey given it has almost no options and has 71k miles, but under $30,000 is probably not a bad deal. We are at the low water mark for the 997, so you are only killing value the more you drive it. Just something to think about.
– Andrew
Nice find, Andrew! I love the color combo. Speaking from experience, the Tip is a compromise that’s easy to make. While manual mode works just great if you want to select your gears, the “automatic” part works well in exactly the conditions you mention – The 405 or Boston, etc.
And while there is no tactile substitute for rowing your own gears with a real stick, the Tip is responsive, bullet-proof, and you won’t need to replace your clutch every XX,xxx miles.
I’ll add that with no mention of IMS-fix (or any other maintenance for that matter), budget $2K to “just do it” if it even slightly concerns you, and any buyer will sleep better with that unknown out of the way.
You cannot replace the IMSB on a 997 without disassembling the engine, unless it is an early 2005 with the smaller bearing, so it is not a $2k fix on this car. Probably more like $10k plus. I’d be almost as worried about bore scoring on a 997.1, especially the 3.8 (which this is not).
I agree with Greg…this one, although a nice color combo, with 71K miles, non-S and a Tip is likely to languish on the market…better to save your pennies and get a 997.2.
Greg, good point! Was not aware of that, so no, $2k would not do it, and I stand corrected! In my own case, I needed a rebuild of my M96 3.6 (2002 Targa with Tip…180K miles then). The original bearing was fine, but bore-scoring was substantial. So while in there, IMS Solution was just one more thing to do, as I certainly wasn’t going to re-install the old bearing just because the engine-builder says it’s “fine”.
It’s really a shame Porsche screwed up the M96 and M97 engines. Just poor engineering. Otherwise they are such great cars. I have owned several 996s and 997s and am partial to the 996 due to it’s lighter weight, and lack of PASM and variable steering. Wonderful cars so long as the engines don’t grenade. IMO the car to buy is a manual 996.2 coupe, just make sure you bore scope the cylinders before buying and replce the IMSB with an LN Engineering.
Roger that.