Item: Used Porsche 911 Cabriolet 2005 - 2012
Rating: 5
Author: What Car? Team

<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/bmw">BMW</a> doesn’t offer a direct rival for the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/porsche">Porsche</a> 911 Cabriolet, but either an M3 Convertible or <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/6-series/sports/used-review/n264">6 Series Convertible</a> might tempt you. Of these it’s the M3 that comes closest to offering the fun driving experience of the 911, even if ultimately its heavy folding metal roof blunts the performance of the V8 engine. The 6 Series on the other hand is more of a cruiser, and outstanding value too on account of heavy depreciation - prices start from as little as £5,000.

A soft-top <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/jaguar/xk/sports/used-review/n407">Jaguar XK</a> might also prove tempting on the value for money front, and is a fine grand tourer, but can’t hope to compete with the 911’s sublime handling.

<a href="http://www.whatcar.com/classifieds/used-cars/porsche/911-carrera-997">Find a used Porsche 911 Cabriolet in the What Car? Classifieds here</a>

<a href="https://pages.haymarket.com/whatcar/wcar-form.html">For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? Newsletter here</a>

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

Our recommendations

Alternatives

There are a few examples of failed engines with Gen 1 997s, which can result in a bill of £8,000 or more for a new unit. Warning signs include a blackened exhaust tip or a ticking sound at idle, so look out for these when viewing a car. Gen 2 cars with the direct injection engines are proving to be extremely reliable, as is the 911 Turbo.

With all 997s including Turbos it’s important to check the condition of the radiators and air-conditioning condensers behind the front bumper, because they are vulnerable to damage and costly to replace at about £600.

You might find a 997 Turbo is fitted with carbon ceramic brakes, signified by yellow brake calipers. These are durable and extremely resistant to fade, but also hugely expensive to replace (as in several thousand pounds), so don’t be alarmed if a car that had them from new has been switched to conventional brakes with red calipers. The steel discs too can corrode on the inside, particularly if a car isn’t regularly driven, so ask a specialist or inspector to check this for you.

For a car of its performance and pedigree the 911 Cabriolet is proving to be reliable, particularly in Gen 2 guise with its direct injection engines, or as a Gen 1 or Gen 2 Turbo. That’s not to say that faults can’t emerge, however, and it is important to understand that costs for parts and labour can be high due to the car’s specialist nature.

In terms of the brand, Porsche itself finished 15th of the 32 manufacturers included in this year’s What Car? Reliability Survey, putting it behind Audi but ahead of BMW and Jaguar.

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

Sports

Porsche is best known as the quintessential sports car maker, but its line-up is increasingly diverse, interesting and successful, from its SUV family to the Panamera hatchback and shooting brake and, in time, a planned family of electric vehicles.

Whatever your choice, What Car?’s testers rate the cars highly; Porsche has an unusually high percentage of five and four-star cars.

Without exception, its sports cars are class leaders or among the class leaders, standing out for combining driving thrills with surprising luxury and comfort. Likewise, its SUVs are among the sharpest handling, as well as offering high levels of practicality and quality. Meanwhile, the Panamera is a true rival to the very best large executive saloons.

Porsche also sees itself as an electric car pioneer and has already enjoyed sales success with its plug-in hybrid range. Its first all-electric sports car is imminent, signalling the firm’s intent to stay relevant for many years to come.

PORSCHE

The Porsche 911 Cabriolet proves that chopping the roof off a sports car isn’t always as terrible an idea as it sounds

Used Porsche 911 Cabriolet 2005 - 2012

A gently driven 997 Cabriolet can return as much as 30mpg, which is impressive when you consider its performance potential, as is the fact that a set of tyres can be stretched to 20,000 miles or so. However, start to enjoy having all that power under your right foot and you can soon see yourself with fuel economy in early-20s, as well as wearing through tyres at an increased rate.

Insurance and road tax aren’t cheap; expect to pay at least £300 per year for the latter, and that’s if you have an early Carrera. Later models come in at more than £500 per year.

That service intervals are every two years or 20,000 miles might sound like it’ll ease the financial burden, but in reality each service can potentially run into a four-figure bill if a couple of extra bits need doing above and beyond what’s normal. A replacement clutch alone is about £500, for example, and with these tending to last for about 50,000 miles there will be a lot of cars on the used market that need the work doing.

One way to save money is to find a good Porsche specialist to maintain your car rather than using the official dealer network.

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

The Porsche 911 Cabriolet proves that chopping the roof off a sports car isn’t always as terrible an idea as it sounds

High-mileage <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/porsche">Porsche</a> 997 Cabriolets are down to the £20,000 mark, or for £25,000 you can pick up an early Gen 1 car with about 70,000 miles on the clock. Manuals are more popular than the early Tiptronics and the Carrera S is favoured over the Carrera, all of which is reflected in prices. Gen 2 cars start at £35,000 for a car that’s covered about 90,000 miles, while £40,000 opens up the door to a lot of 911s with good histories and sensible mileages.

For a GTS you’ll need to spend at least £60,000 but with these holding their value well you could stand to lose less in depreciation in the longer term. 911 Turbos cost from about £54,000 for an early one, rising to close to £100,000 for a late, low-mileage Turbo S.

Buying an Approved Used car from a Porsche main dealer will cost you more, but don’t rule it out entirely as doing so also gets you a two-year, manufacturer-backed warranty.

If budget allows, our favourite version of the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/porsche">Porsche</a> 911 Cabriolet for driver enjoyment and in terms of maintaining resale values is the GTS. However, with these also being among the most expensive models on the used market, we can well understand why a more basic Carrera or Carrera S might appeal. Of these, we think the latter is the better bet, both for its increased power output and its higher specification.

Additionally you might want to opt for a Gen 2 car to minimise the chances of any expensive engine problems occurring, although again buying a Gen 1 car from a respected specialist should help to ensure this isn’t an issue.

Our favourite Porsche 911 Cabriolet: 2009-on Carrera GTS manual

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Ride comfort shouldn’t be sacrificed at the altar of handling sharpness</li> <li>Plenty of power from a melodic engine</li> <li>Handling that doesn’t come at the expense of a back-breaking ride​​​​​</li> <li> Practicality is not essential but nice to have </li></ul>

Driving fun is right at the top of any sports car buyer's priority list, and every one of our award candidates has backroad entertainment coded into its DNA.

The Mazda MX-5 embodies sports-car spirit without wearing an exotic price tag, and has deservedly gained a strong following over the years. Much newer to the scene is the mid-engined Alpine A110. It may carry a name from the past, but this potent, mid-engined sports car was designed with the very latest lightweight thinking.&nbsp;

Rounding off our shortlist, though, is a name that'll be familiar to even those to whom sports cars hold little interest. The Porsche 911 was born an icon in 1964, and the latest generation bridges the gap between sports car and supercar. Yet, somehow, it manages to preserve a distinctly civilised character.

Despite being so easy to live with, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/porsche">Porsche</a> 911s are still specialist pieces of machinery that require expert maintenance, so look for a car with a full service history from either a Porsche main dealer or a well respected specialist. If you’re buying the car privately or from a dealer that isn’t a Porsche specialist a few hundred pounds spent on a professional inspection is a wise idea, as an expert in the marque will be able to look for problems and quickly weed out any potentially troublesome cars.

The roof system itself should open and close smoothly in around 20 seconds, and be in good condition. Also check the carpets are dry. If not suspect blocked drainage holes inside the wheel arches as the likely cause. It’s good practice to clean these out every six months or so to avoid problems, as water ingress could also damage electronic systems in the car.

Rust isn’t an issue with 911s, but engine abuse can be. A decent specialist will be able to check how many times the engine has been over-revved, as well as trace the cause of any misfires.

The Porsche 911 Cabriolet has long been regarded as one of the most rewarding wind in the hair driving experiences money can buy. However, it wasn’t until the arrival of the 997-generation model in 2005 that you could genuinely claim there was a soft-top 911 that could be driven with the same level of precision as its coupe cousin, on the road if not the track.

With the 997 coupe already representing a benchmark of 911 design and engineering, this makes the Cabriolet reviewed here a seriously enticing option, not least when you factor in it is also reasonably practical for a high performance sports car, with a decent boot and even two very small rear seats which can either be used for kids or as extra storage space.

The roof itself is a fabric design rather than a folding metal hard-top, which helps to keep weight down (the Cabriolet weighs only 85kg more than the coupe) and takes up less space when folded away. This can be done at the touch of a button at speeds of up to 31mph.

With the roof down you don’t only get the benefit of the sun warming your head, but are also that much better exposed to one of the greatest engine sounds money can buy: a naturally aspirated Porsche flat-six.

On the downside the Cabriolet loses out a little in refinement when the roof is in place compared with a 997 Coupe, particularly in terms of the amount of traffic noise you hear over your shoulder, although it should also be said that the roof is perfectly watertight and well insulated for warmth.

The 997 Cabriolet range mirrors that of the coupe, meaning there’s a rear-wheel-drive 3.6-litre Carrera with 321bhp, or a 3.8-litre Carrera S with 350bhp. Alternatively opting for a Carrera 4 or Carrera 4S buys you these same engines but with four-wheel drive.

In 2009 a revised version of the 997 Cabriolet was introduced with new direct injection engines that resulted in the Carrera having 340bhp and the Carrera S 380bhp, as well as the optional automatic gearbox switching from a Tiptronic torque converter to a more responsive dual-clutch unit known as PDK. These later cars are known among enthusiasts as “Gen 2” as opposed to the earlier “Gen 1” cars.

For even more power there is a four-wheel-drive Turbo version of the 997 Cabriolet with 480bhp in Gen 1 guise or 500bhp with the later Gen 2, which used a different engine. If that’s still not enough, the Gen 2 Turbo S produces a whopping 530bhp. Towards the end of the 997’s life a GTS model was introduced with a small increase in power, lowered suspension and centre-locking alloy wheels, creating what remains today one of the most desirables 911 Cabriolets of all.

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

Used Porsche 911 Cabriolet 2005 - 2012 review

Every 2021 Electric and Hybrid Car Awards winner

Alternatives

What alternatives should I consider to a used Porsche 911 sports?