In todays ever changing automotive world there seems to be a new model entry almost every year. However, there are still a handful of cars that have never wavered and have stayed true to their heritage since inception. It can be argued that the Porsche 911 is the most iconic of them all as for more than fifty years it has stayed true to its mission and form.

Porsche is synonymous with high performance and their 911 sports cars are the vehicles most associated with the Porsche brand even today as they now build sedans, SUVs and crossover vehicles.  Its silhouette is iconic and it still delivers legendary performance and there is no substitute for the cache the Porsche brand brings.  The 2012 model is the first year of the current body style so can you afford one?  The answer depends on what your budget is but it’s closer than you think.

MSRP Range New: $79,000.00

PMPR (Poor Man Price Range): $65,000.00

Current Min Savings Against MSRP New: 33%

Current Body Style: Yes

Total Listed Nationally: 68

For: While being one of the most iconic sports cars in the world it’s surprisingly easy to live with giving you the option of a true manual transmission or Porsche’s fancy automatic known as PDK. The 2012 model years can still be found certified by Porsche giving you the security of a manufacturer warranty.  There are a litany of Porsche specialty shops around the country so it won’t be hard finding a reputable local mechanic to service or modify should you decide to hot rod it out.  As a bonus it has a somewhat usable back seat and can be driven daily.

Against: There’s not much to argue against this car but let me try. It delivers near supercar performance but not as sexy as the Italian brands? The rear seats won’t accommodate a two full-sized adults.  You won’t be the only person at a Cars and Coffee event with one. 

Single Poor Man POV: Many would argue that 911s are a gateway drug to the car affliction as once you experience one you will be ruined for life and nothing other than another high performance car will matter much.  Your buddies will be envious, haters will hate more and pulling up to the “spot” will do wonders to your social life. If you can, you must! 

Married Poor Man POV: Your wife will think you are either fulfilling a childhood dream or going through a midlife crisis.  If you get the best performance transmission it will be the PDK. As noted above it’s a fancy automatic but the good news is it makes it easier for the wife to drive.  To some reading this that might not be good news and maybe reason to get the manual to ensure the wife has no interest in driving your new toy. You can sell the wife on the fact that the back seats will enable you to take your kid(s) and go for a drive and give her some “me time”. You just won’t be able to do any aggressive driving with the kids on board but you’ll still be driving a 911 S nonetheless!

Divorced Poor Man POV: If you still see your ex wife she’ll see you have moved on and having fun.  If you don’t see her every time you hit the start button and put the car in drive you will thank yourself for the separation and be reminded about how much fun life is again! 

Curb Appeal: 9 with the sport package and 20 inch wheels, 8.5 with the other stock offerings and potentially a 10 with the right aftermarket wheels and mods. 

Bottom Line: This is arguably the best looking modern 911 made to date.  It’s without question the biggest and one of the fastest. Many feel it is now more sports GT than pure sports car and they wouldn’t be wrong as Porsche has a version of this car called the GT3 that answers that question. When you consider the performance as well as the brand cache and that this is still the current body style I think this checks all the boxes if you are in the market for either a sports car or daily driver GT cruiser type.

Porsche 2012 991 911 S Online Forum:

Porsche Certified Pre-Owned Program Details:

  • Porsche’s certified pre-owned program is known as “Porsche Approved”. Current model year vehicles and those of eight previous model years with less than 100,000 miles are eligible for enrollment.

  • In term, the CPO Limited Warranty is a total of 2 years or up to 50,000 miles from the mileage on the odometer at the time of retail used delivery not to exceed a total of 100,000 miles.

  • Porsche Approved means all work has been performed by Porsche trained technicians and only Genuine Porsche parts have been used. 

 Did You Know?

  •  Porsche’s new car warranty is 4 years or 50,000 miles, which ever comes first.

  • 2012 is the first model year for the 991 911 S Coupe BUT Porsche was still producing the 997 911 in limited numbers in the form of the Black Edition, Turbo, Turbo S, GTS and GT3.

  • It’s 0-60 time of 3.9 seconds is on par with any performance car in daily street driving.

  • Available transmissions are an 8 speed PDK automatic that can be shifted manually with paddle shifters or buttons off the steering column or put in automatic mode. There is also a manual transmission but the performance heads prefer the PDK, as it is a tick faster to 0-60 than the manual. The difference is barely noticeable in every day street driving.

Other Poor Man Options In Same Price Range:

  • Audi: 2011 R8 Coupe

  • BMW: 2015 7 Series Sedan

  • Maserati: 2016 Quattroporte S Q4 Sedan

  • Mercedes: 2015 S 550 4-Matic Sedan

  • Mercedes: 2014 GL 550 SUV

  • Porsche: 2015 911 Cayenne

Poor Man Options Slightly Outside Price:

  • Chevrolet: 2015 C7 Corvette Z06 Coupe

  • Aston Martin: 2009 DB9 Volante (Convertible)

  • Mercedes: 2015 SL63 AMG Hardtop Convertible