There have been very few sub-$40,000 Porsche 911 unicorns offered by CarMax in the almost two years I’ve been tracking them. Four to be exact, and one of them I bought. I consider these “starter 911’s”, low miles, a decent price point, and the bullet proof MaxCare warranty to keep us unafraid of repairs. I bought Etta for $34,998 plus the warranty, passed on a $33,998 911 in 2017 (had manual seats – I didn’t fit), and there’s been a convertible for $39,998 that comes and goes on CarMax lots. This $37,998 2008 911 Carrera reminded me a lot of my car, almost identical in mileage, $3,000 more in price, albeit with a 6-speed manual transmission. My car actually listed at $36,998 but also said it had navigation. When I pointed out it did not, CarMax immediately dropped the price $2,000 without me even asking.
I wanted to believe this car was almost as good a deal as mine, except I looked into the history and found it’s had not one but two accidents. Bummer. The left rear, pictured above. Also, a close look at the seats shows far more creasing than I have in mine. But if you really, really want to own your first 911, given the scarcity I’ve seen over time, this is about as good a deal as you’re going to get. I suspect it will be months until another sub-$40,000 911 shos up. It’s still a very pretty car at 10 years old, and still goes like stink. Go in eyes wide open and enjoy this iconic car. Find it here in Albuquerque. If the link is dead it’s sold, on hold, or being transferred.