If you can't afford to DD it, you shouldn't buy it, I say. Waste of a good car.

 

I'd sell all three of your cars and pick up a used Subi Wagon and a 997 Carrera S Cabrio.

 

porsches are great, i wish i had money like you... lol but i would go the cheaper route and buy a 09 997 when the new 10s arrive.

 

Ted which year and model did you drive? The 4S is pretty much the perfect DD if you don't need backseats nor care for aero bits - lots of usable NA power, active suspension, solid aftermarket and performance based all-wheel drive that makes rainy weather driving fun yet secure. I look at them lesss as exotics and more as a step up from m3's, until the current gen m3 which should be checked out before looking at a older 997.

Sometimes the suspension has a few bouncy moments on less than smooth pavements that can be eye opening but probably due to relative soft bushings to balance out the ride. 997's are teh win and they are in the 30s right now for a used one; I doubt you can go wrong with even a base as the S model's power seems to be reserved for the upper most RPMs or you could mod a base for S-like power gains, an old acquaintance is debating adding a supercharger to his base.

 

I was planning this same thing out for myself until this past year when the economy began effecting me negatively financially. I'm now thinking about just getting a Lotus Elise/Exige and saving a shitload of cash.
Anyway, you might as well wait until the 998 911s come out so you can buy a 997.2 for cheaper.

 

I'm pretty sure the 998 won't come out for a full year from now (September 2010). So, you'd be waiting quite a while to see it, plus you probably won't get nearly as good a deal on it.

Some guys have gotten nearly 25% off MSRP with 1.9% financing on a 997S recently. That's a tough price to ever match on such a sports car. I believe Porsche currently has a factory $10K incentive on 997 cars as well, so that's contributing to low prices.

 

Right now, that's looking like the plan. I'm going to wait to see if the 998 would be worth it. I'm hoping it's not, and then I'll just get a '10 or '09 997.


I've looked at the 4S, and I'm keeping that open as an option... but I really feel I can handle the 2 as a Daily. Mainly, I just love RWD. If I end up buying a new one, it will be a 2... no way in hell I'll dish out the cash for a new 4S. If I end up getting a used one ('08-'10), I would consider going the 4S route... but then again, I really love RWD.

 

My plan would not involve making this purchase until at least March, probably towards May of next year. Some reports were indicating that the 998 would be out much earlier than September? Perhaps I'm recalling incorrectly. I'm still a good six months out from this purchase decision, but I like to plan ahead. After driving that car, I think it would be a car I'd plan to keep for upwards of 8-10 years.

 

My buddy bought a new '06 997S and got the 6 year- 100k bumper to bumper warranty and started to drive the crap out of it. He sold it with 40k on the odometer for an E63 (regrets this, btw) and had very, very few problems with it. He took a bath on depreciation, but that was to be expected.

I wouldn't hesitate to daily a 997 as long as you have the money for the depreciation moreso the maintenance.

 

I don't understand this "too expensive to drive daily" line of reasoning. If I spend more on a car, I want to get more use out of it, not less.