Older Turbo or newer 996

[Terry]

Chris, you didn't ask about 993s and got suggestions anyway, so I'll add to them. Be careful when looking at 993s to check on the secondary air injection system (hereinafter "SAI"). The little holes inevitably fill up with hard carbon, the SAI stops working, and the engine throws a CEL somewhere between 50,000 and 90,000 miles. The SAI does not affect drivability or performance (it's an emission thing) but the car won't pass inspection and the only real fix is to drop the engine, pull the heads, clean out the ports, replace the check valve (they all rot out), replace the valve guides (while you're at it, and they are probably leaking oil) and put it all back together. Total is around 6 grand. So try to find a car where this work has already been done or look for low mileage and plan ahead.