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Let’s stay with the 997 for a bit. I’ve been looking at these a lot lately in the search for better value among the 911 line. Thankfully we don’t have to travel too far back in time before that value begins to show up. Its predecessor, the 996, still comes in with better value, but many simply cannot get past the looks. There’s also the potential for IMS issues and even if those are relatively rare, buyers on the second-hand market are not looking for that sort of headache. While those issues still remain with the early 997, once we reach 2009 we can consider it a thing of the past. I certainly wouldn’t entirely eliminate those earlier models from my shopping list, but it might be worth seeing how much more that peace of mind might cost you.
Unlike the previous Cream White 997 I featured, I have no question about whether this 997 comes in a color I like. Of course I do! Here we have a Speed Yellow 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe, located in New York, with 19,488 miles on it. Within a sea of similarly colored cars, this bright yellow 997 easily stands apart from the rest. I doubt you’d miss it.
Do I like this color? I realize that’s a strange way to begin a post, but it’s my primary thought when looking at this 2010 Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupe. As noted in the title the color is Cream White. I can think of few times, if ever, I’ve seen it. Or, at least, few times I recognized it. Normally a subdued white would not be my thing. Yet, I’m really attracted to this 911. I find it quite striking and dare I say beautiful. I’d love to see it in the flesh (were I a prospective buyer I’d have to see one in the flesh before committing to the color) because I’m curious how it looks up close and under various lighting conditions. White 911s can look very good. These cream or off-white options have long been offered by Porsche and this one reminds me of Ivory, which can be very pretty on the 356. But this is one of the few times that I’ve really liked it on the 911.
I sort of don’t know what to make of this 911. I like the look. I was drawn to it immediately. I like the model itself: a 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupe with around 85K miles on it. Originally it was Seal Grey, now it wears a red full-body wrap. In general terms, the model itself is a fairly desirable one when considered for performance per dollar. But as should be entirely apparent it isn’t original. Nor are its modifications of the sort that I would think would really attract other buyers.
So I’m curious. I’m curious where bidding will take it. Like just about any modified car of this sort, in order to reach its asking price the right buyer – someone for whom these modifications are just right – will need to come along. Could you buy a similar 997 and perform these modifications and come in under the asking price? Probably not. Could you find a less expensive Carrera S Coupe that remains unmodified and is a lot of fun to drive? Certainly. It all comes down to what these modifications mean to you.
I kind of stumbled into this car by accident. And I like it so I guess it’s a happy accident! This is a 2006 Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupe. It’s done around 61K miles and has a 6-speed manual transmission to deliver its 355 horses to the rear wheels. I don’t know quite how I ended up on its page. I certainly hadn’t set out to look for an early 997. But there I was and here we are.
I have been taking a look at more examples of the 996 lately because they do come in at pretty nice value. I’ve also grown to like the design more on some of the models. It’s all sort of a compromise though as I try to find examples that make the best of the model’s design flaws. When we step up to the 997 those issues mostly fall away. Many viewed the 997 as a return to where it appeared the 911 was headed following the 993. The 996’s divergences were smoothed over or replaced. In general, the 997 design has been better loved and we’ve seen its basic ethos carried on through the 991.
All of this is to say that if you can afford a little bit more car, then you can still do well for performance value with an early 997. And that’s why I stuck with this 911 after I stumbled into it. I wouldn’t say there’s anything particularly special about it. It looks like a nice, honest, 911 and at a pretty good price. There’s nothing wrong with that.
I will admit here I am really stretching the boundaries of what makes sense for a double take. I had already come across this Nutmeg Brown Metallic 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe and wanted to write it up because of its fairly rare and unusual exterior color. I like darker metallic browns a lot and we almost never see them outside of a few years in the 70s and 80s. I’ll admit that brown isn’t the most appealing car color for many, but in the right circumstances it can work quite well.
Then I came across a much newer 911 in a very similar color and thought, why not? So if you are a fan of these dark brown exteriors this might give you a sense of your options and, what for me is perhaps the most interesting aspect of this, the relative cost and performance that’s available to you. Let’s look at the Nutmeg Brown Carrera first:
