Looking to buy first Porsche

I'm considering getting my first Porsche and am looking used. A friend just purchased a used 2009 911 Carrera 4S and swears by it. I was looking at a Cayman S or 911 Carrera S. I have been advised to steer clear of anything 911 pre 2009 and the same friend tells me if I am going to get a Porsche I have to get a 911 over anything else https://mobdro.bio/ https://kodi.bio/.

I'm basically hoping to get some opinions on which model people feel is better for a first time Porsche owner. And if anyone could elaborate on the pre 2009 issue that would be great too.

If anoyone out there rates the Boxster high up I'd be interested in hearing from them too, however it is the least desirable of the three models.

What is the cars intended purpose? Whats your budget? There are troves of boxster owners around here and caymans are praised for the handling capability. 911s are going to be the fastest, heaviest, and most expensive.

I say forget any preconceived notions on the BEST Pcar and drive the nicest versions of each that fit your budget.

For me: 996TT, 996 GT3, GT4 and aircooled are top of my list but a Boxster spyder would be awfully sweet.

09+ is the right answer if you're looking to spend real money on a nice car. The engines are much less troublesome plus the cars got facelifts both inside and out that are relatively small changes but make big differences. Oh and in addition to the reliability, the engines also all got more powerful at that point. I definitely wouldn't say the 911 is a necessity. Which is not to say it's not worth the extra money if you can afford it and want one. As a street car either one is great. If you do go 911, I'd stay away from the 4wd models, that adds a bunch of weight, complication, and failure points without really contributing anything positive to the driving experience.

You know, the next article of the magazine will likely answer your question as we look at great "first" Porsches. The 997, 986 Boxster and 987 Cayman are on the list. Plus we have expert tips for each car--what to know and what to expect. Yes, we discuss the realities of IMS bearings and bore scoring. 

See more here. 

Olemiss540 said:

What is the cars intended purpose? Whats your budget?

The OP question can't be answered without first answering these questions.  I would also add- classic or modern?  Like all makes, the performance has grown leaps and bounds over the last 20 years, but the new ones lack the collectibility/coolness of the old air-cooled cars.  Also, 911 owners will always look down their nose at Caymans/Boxsters even though a newer and cheaper Cayman or Boxster S will run circles around most older 911's, and 911's of the same vintage usually cost 30-50% more in return for extra weight, a pretend back seat, and maybe a slight advantage in straight-line acceleration.

(yeah, if you hadn't guessed I own a Cayman.  If money were no object I'd probably own a GT3 but money is always an object, isn't it?)

I really don't get the cayman/911 grudge...in either direction. Both are great for what they are and either one is worth the money if that's what you want.

Case in point, I have a cayman S. A friend of mine has a 997.2 GT3. My car cost 40% of what his did. I'm sure the GT3 isn't actually 2.5x the car and I love the cayman, but if I had that extra $60k in my bank account when I was shopping (or was willing/able to take on the payments like he was) I certainly wouldn't have come away with a high mileage cayman.

I'm not a P car owner so take this FWIW: 

if you're looking for a car to impress people I guess a 911 would be better than a Boxster or Cayman, but honestly, 911s aren't exactly rare. 
 

If you're looking for a car to drive and you aren't springing for a 911GTx, I see no reason to overlook the smaller car. 

AaronT said:

if you're looking for a car to impress people I guess a 911 would be better than a Boxster or Cayman

Just the badge is enough. I got more compliments on my $2k rusty 944 turbo and $5k 986 boxster that was usually half covered in dirt than any other non-porsche I've owned.

You are right that none of them are particularly "rare" with the exception of 996 and 997 GT cars.

I own an old Boxster so keep that perspective in mind. But I think a Cayman is your best bet unless you need "4" seats. The mid-engine platform is epic, the buy in is a little lower and there is arguably more storage. I think its a better value if you just want to try out P-car land.

I've owned 911s and Caymans.

I think that the Cayman is the modern equivalent of what the 911 used to be.

I've yet to drive a Cayman, mainly because I really, really don't need another P-car hell bent on emptying my wallet as I seem to have a knack for finding those.

I recommend driving both a Cayman and a 911 and see which one speaks to you more. Also, for these cars, buy on condition and maintenance history.

Who here owns the gorgeous blue Cayman? I think they have a build thread, but I can't find it. 

Although 986 (1997 to 2004) Boxsters have a potential failure point in the IMS bearing that the 2009 and later cars do not, consider how many 986s you can buy and enjoy for the price of an '09.

Do you want to Drive a classic analog sports car, or Own a car that will impress your friend?

dyintorace (Forum Supporter) said:

Who here owns the gorgeous blue Cayman? I think they have a build thread, but I can't find it. 

Preach? '07 Cayman S

there are a few early 996  model 911s  that have not had the IMS bearing fixed  , are they just a hand grenade waiting for a BOOM , 

Then in California you have to be concerned about smog inspections so motor changes can be trouble , 

Always something :)

THIS THREAD IS SPAM

The OP of this thread is a bot. I can tell because the actual post was from a different thread. And the user name.....Hinata. Coincidence that a spam thread was made the other day that was a copy of an older thread posted on GRM.That last spam thread was created by username Naruto. 

Naruto and Hinata are characters from a very popular manga/anime called Naruto. Lol

AaronT said:

I'm not a P car owner so take this FWIW: 

if you're looking for a car to impress people I guess a 911 would be better than a Boxster or Cayman, but honestly, 911s aren't exactly rare. 
 

If you're looking for a car to drive and you aren't springing for a 911GTx, I see no reason to overlook the smaller car. 

Your response totally depends on location. My residence in Los Angeles, 911s are Honda Civics in that area. My residence in San Antonio, a 911 is a rarity and a totally exotic thing to see. My ex-wifes/kids house in Florida - 911s are mildly common, the closer you get to the suburbs of Orlando the more they pop-up. 

Out of all the big German manufacturers, they do depreciate the least compared to let's say a BMW or an Audi. 

In reply to yupididit :

Dang, good catch.

Still, we can still talk about first Porsches. 

In reply to David S. Wallens :

LoL, its what I do!

AAZCD (Forum Supporter) said:

Although 986 (1997 to 2004) Boxsters have a potential failure point in the IMS bearing that the 2009 and later cars do not, consider how many 986s you can buy and enjoy for the price of an '09.

To continue my point from before...I previously had a $5k 986 boxster. My cayman certainly isn't 7x the car but there's no way I'm ever going back. But if all you have is 986 money, it's a great deal and you should totally go for it. Basically you really can't go wrong with any model or at just about any price point as long as you're very well aware of what you want and what you're getting.

In reply to yupididit :

Gold star for you. Thank you.

What tipped you off? 

David S. Wallens said:

In reply to yupididit :

Gold star for you. Thank you.

What tipped you off? 

Everything lol 

The username first, then the post looked familiar, and their only post was this one kind of made it obvious. 

You guys really should let go of the IMS bearing fear.  Living in fear isn't much fun.  I did a pretty invasive inspection of my 85k mile 996 this week and it's in great shape.  
 

My 986 will get similar attention soon.  

AAZCD (Forum Supporter) said:

dyintorace (Forum Supporter) said:

Who here owns the gorgeous blue Cayman? I think they have a build thread, but I can't find it. 

Preach? '07 Cayman S

YES!  Thank you!

My first is a 991. My son's first 981 S. Both great cars. Both were CPO. I'm a PCA member and I have never seen anyone look down their noses at anyone's car, no matter year or model.