30 Oct 06
Back in the mid-1970s there were those inside Porsche who wanted stick a bullet in the iconic 911 and replace it with something more modern. However, once that rumour leaked out the public outcry and the continued sales success of the 911 forced its detractors to re-holster their guns and forget about the funeral.
Now in 42nd year on sale, the 911 range remains as popular as ever. Its appeal lies in the fact that while blessed with extraordinary performance, it's one of the few extreme sports cars that you can genuinely use every day. They're robust, reliable and, thanks to a reasonably generous boot and 'occasional' rear seats, they're practical too.
And although you'd scarcely call it cheap to buy, even the most costly model seems within the realms of a modest lottery win; in other words the 911 is a dream car where there's a chance that the dream might actually come true.
To differentiate it from the many other 911s that precede it, the current car is referred to as the 997 series. That figure could almost refer to the number of model derivatives in the range, because since its launch in 2004 as a coupe with 3.6-litre and 3.8-litre engines, new 997 variants have been introduced every few months.
Consequently there's far more choice within the 997 range than you'd think really necessary for a car designed with the singular purpose of going exceptionally fast. So now that the line-up is pretty much complete following the arrival of the race car-derived GT3 RS, let us guide you through the ranks to find the right 911 for you.
Be warned, though: don't expect bargains. Some models are simply too new to have filtered down onto the traditional secondhand market; the classified ads that you might see for, say, the 997 Turbo, are likely to be from speculators asking several thousands more than the £97,840 list price in exchange for you not having to put your name on a year-long waiting list.
Even early 3.6-litre 997 Carreras (2004 vintage) haven't shed much of their original cost in depreciation - you'll be lucky to find one for less than £50,000 and they were only about £58k new (although options could add another £10k or more to that figure). Still, you'll be thankful of that value retention when it's time to sell your 997.
First, though, you've got to find one. There aren't that many 997s out there and very few for sale privately. This limits your choice and the chances for haggling. Approved Porsche Used Car Centres are the obvious place to start looking, followed by the Porsche specialists you'll find advertising on the internet.
