This one kind of snuck up on me. Not necessarily the car itself, but the price. I write about a lot of Porsche 911s, but rarely about the 997 and when I do feature a 997 it is almost always one of the cars with GT in the moniker. Now, $40k doesn’t really make for an inexpensive second-hand car, but in relative terms there is a lot to like here. With values of air-cooled 911s steadying, but still remaining high and in an upward trajectory, those who desire a 911 with which they can spend some quality driving time must either accept quite a few faults or they must risk degrading the long term value of their investment. With the water-cooler 911s we don’t face such a conundrum. They are still fairly new and neither the 996 nor the 997 has yet to receive significant love from buyers. There also is surely more depreciation to come. But with a 6-speed manual, more than 300 hp, and a lot more refinement than most any air-cooled 911 as a driver these have lots going for them. Added to that, the 997 mended many of the design elements that were so despised on the 996, leaving us with a 911 that possesses classic 911 aesthetics combined with modern performance. While the example here is a fairly straightforward 2006 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe it does have a couple of nice options to help it stand apart.
