The Cali ruined me

I think the answer partially depends on what is already in your dad's stable, so that he's got something sufficiently different than the daily driver. I'd suggest you take a look at the Turbo forum on Rennlist or 6speed to see what the maintenance chatter is. I've not heard them to be unusually problematic, although there is more complexity than the normal breathing models. I used to have a base 996 cabriolet and it was great. Turbo would have been even better! You ought to be able to find excellent 996s at your price point, although Turbos at that price may have deferred maintenance issues.

One other consideration would be how mobile your dad is and whether a stiffly sprung car would be tiring on his back after a few miles.

While I haven't driven the sedans you mentioned, my daily driver is a German sedan, so another sedan, albeit even higher performance, wouldn't interest me. I have driven the Cayman and it is very fun, but the Tiptronic would be a drawback if the intent is to be a fun weekend driver.

Good luck with the search. I love shopping for cars with other people's money!

 

for 50ish, a 997 S is the choice in my mind (06 or thereabouts). That's what I just recommend to my brother and he loves it. Sporting. Realiable. Comfortable. Nothing is missing. He could get a cab for a bit more.

fwiw, I'm not a fan of the 996 TT. I'd rather have a 997S all day long and twice on sunday over a 996 TT. Better handling, better linear throtle response, better interior, newer by 3 years dollar-for-dollar.

An M3 at that 50k price point is also a strong contender...

Oh, and your comment about "liked the 996 TT but couldn't agree on price" makes me think that somehow you are only looking locally? I wouldn't with a Porsche. Search the country and try to get a Certified one with warranty up to 6 years and 100k miles. There are loads of them out there. Oh, one last thought. If the extra power doesn't really matter to him, a regular 997 carerra can be had for 5-10k less than an S and thus you can get a few years newer for the same 50k...again with the cert 6-year warranty, that's all good!

 

You should be able to find a 996TT in the 30-50 range depending on mileage, options and year. Ideally you'd want a X50 package car but you can just easily get a nice early model 996tt in the 30's.

 

Coming from a PU and Avalon, I think a base 997 would be plenty exciting, have a better interior and likely lower maintenance costs than a 996 turbo. While the various sedans are nice, I agree that they somewhat overlap in functionality with the Avalon. But maybe you're wanting the Turbo for your driving pleasure???

Would your parents enjoy a convertible, or is it too hot in Dallas for them to have one? A BMW convertible would be a great weekend "fun" car that is reasonably comfortable, reliable and safe.

 

You're leaving out the Mercedes SL and SLK
Look at a SL55 AMG or the SLK55 AMG models.

 

Good point. The base models would also make for nice weekend drivers compared to the daily drivers.

 

Congrats on the new purchase.

 

A Maserati Granturismo has a very similar engine to the Cali and will definitely put a smile on your face. 4.2L examples can be had for around $80k.

 

I have driven both the Cali and the Maser. They are both beautiful and are quite similar in general appearance and build quality. The Maser even a bit better in interior and exterior 'thoughtfulness' in detail and styling.

The Cali is much faster and handles much better. If you drive the cars hard you will feel a big difference. Daily drive to work and such there is little difference.

 

For $50k I would buy an 05 911 Cabriolet and fit it with an AWE exhaust. Reliable, nice noise and good fun all around.

 

There are lots of good options in the $50-$60k price range. I have a 02 996 turbo, tiptronic. I think its absoultely fantastic. Check out sixspeed forums, you will find TONS of useful info. I bought mine in May 2010 for $47.5k with 29k miles, black/black with some nice carbon accents and very clean. I added 997tt wheels for $1.5k used which really update the car and most people mistake it for a 997tt now, and a tune ($1k) and catless Europipe Stage 2 exhaust (used $2.2k) for a wonderful growl and very noticeable turbo whistle. Stock exhaust tt's sound pretty weak compared to the NA 911's. Just a $1k flash will take you from 420hp to ~490hp, and an exhaust will add another 20-35hp. It's been a fantastic ride for a year and a half now and I think is absolutely superb value for money. Here's my sixspeed thread with some pictures an exhaust video http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/996-turbo-gt2/213497-miker397s-porsche-turbo.html

You could also check out some 06/07 Aston Vantages in the upper 60's for a thrill and beauty (95% available will be stick shift), but a performance tradeoff. I drove a M6, Jag XK and XKR, 911, and 911tt and Aston V8 Vantage (09). The 91tt to me was the most for fun for the best price. IMO, 2002 is the best value as the tt model got a stronger trany to handle the power better. Anything under 550hp and you are golden. These cars are very reliable.

I'm saving my pennies for a Ferrari CS or F430 at some point, hope you are enjoying your Cali .
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Id buy a Viper

 

+1 on the 996TT.

1) All Turbos are special cars in the Porsche world and therefore I suspect the depreciation would be less on a 996TT than on a 997 over the next 5 years. This is only a guess based upon my experience as a Ferrari and Porsche owner.

2) The differences between a 996TT and 997TT are useless to most drivers because they don't have the reflexes, eye speed, etc to utilize the marginal extra power, etc.

3) Porsche build quality and engineering are possibly the best (the 996s and 997s have been beating Toyota in the JD Powers initial quality surveys recently) so expenses (aside from maint and upkeep) will be infrequent.