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CalBears92 said:
Just to follow up on Pete R's last comment, I too was at the dealership last week browsing, and told the sales rep of my $ concern re: 996TT maintenance and repair. He told me that all the mechanics at his place spoke very highly of the 996TT block -- to the tone of that being the best 911 block to date (in case this point was missed - better than the 997 block). He also recommended that I look at '01 996TT private party instead of a Cayman S.
Well, it isn't actually the "block" only, the whole engine is completely different, they have nothing in common.
The new M97 engine used in the Carrera S and 4S versions is a highly modified and improved engine, based on the M96 engine from the 996. Some people say that this is the same engine but I don't agree. Porsche put a lot of development work into the new M97 engine, getting rid of most of the well known issues on the M96 engine (which in it's last years wasn't a bad engine at all, this is why they used it on the 997 Carrera/C4 versions too, not to speak about the Cayman S). There still seems to exist a RMS issue but to be honest, I still fail to see the RMS issue on cars from my dealer or people I know. But some people claim it has been confirmed on their cars, so I think there is some truth in it. My 997 Carrera S' engine has been very reliable so far, almost 16000 km and not a single problem.
Choosing between a used 996 Turbo and Cayman S is somehow weird. These are two different cars, I don't understand why somebody would choose between both. If you have the money, go for a 997 Carrera S or wait for the 997 Turbo. If you just want to drive and own a Porsche, you can't be wrong going for a Cayman S. If you still want the used Turbo, be warned: DO NOT buy one without a used car warranty, even if it costs more. A lot of owners modified their cars and especially in the US a lot of Turbos were modified using "cheap" ECU tuning or piggy back devices. If you buy from a private owner, you'll never know the truth and even dealers may not be very willing to help you to find out if the engine ECU has been tampered with. But at an official Porsche dealer, at least you get a warranty. And if you're a clever boy, WAIT until the 997 Turbo shows up or at least wait until this car has been announced officially. A lot of current 996 Turbo owners will want to sell their cars and dealers shouldn't only have a larger stock on used Turbos but maybe are willing to lower their prices in the process.
So the choice is yours:
used 996 Turbo
new Cayman S
new/used 997 Carrera S
Just make sure you REALLY know what you want because all three cars are actually three different beasts.
) and it might be the better track-car but on the street 996TT is fantastic + you can add easely 50-70 hp thru various options... 
You're probably ten times better than me when it comes to reviewing cars (and most probably driving them as well) 
