2023's BEST BUYS
Prices may have risen in accordance with Porsche values as a whole, but you can still get hold of a 997 Carrera for around twenty grand in the current climate. Granted, at that figure, you're likely looking at non-S Carrera cabriolets with Tiptronic S transmission and a fair number of miles covered, but if you’re working with a modest budget and have decided you want a 911 above all else, a 997 is a very tempting proposition. And with good reason, too — fast, hugely capable and as refined as it was, the 996 was a pivotal 911, but its production fortunes would be roundly eclipsed by what was to follow.
Development began in late 1998. Porsche design wizards, Grant Larson and Matthias Kulla, ably guided by then department chief, Harm Lagaay, conceived the 997 as a cabriolet first and a coupe second. The rationale for this seemingly unorthodox approach to vehicle design? It was argued the additional chassis stiffness needed for the open-top would also benefit the fixed-roof model. Traditional cues, such as the narrow waist and oval headlamps recalled air-cooled iterations of the 911, while aerodynamic honing reduced the Cd figure
