Best Porsche 911 value ? The 996 Turbo, 2001-2004
There are only two truly desirable 996-generation Porsches in our market: The 2001-2004 Turbo and the 2004 GT3. They have the effectively bulletproof split-cased engine, and they're both fast enough to keep up with modern performance cars. Values for these cars are already on the upswing. Feel free to jump on the bandwagon, if you have the $40,000 or more that's required to get a good example.
For everybody else, I would suggest buying a 997-generation Porsche instead. Although the pre-facelift 997s continue with the troublesome M96 engine, they are much nicer-looking inside and out. If you squint a bit, a 2005 997 looks quite a bit like the current car. That matters to people regardless of what they say or write on the Internet.