Between the Porsche 911 964, 993, and 997--which chassis is the best?

OPPOS—which is the best 911 of these three?

The 964, 993, or 997?

I have begun setting aside money to buy a sports car. I have a three year old girl and a boy on the way, so my plan is to raise them around cars, car clubs, and weekends at Cars & Coffee during the summer. I also like working on projects myself and like to learn how to do mechanical repairs. I would also like to use it for long camping trips with my buddies like a drive around Lake Michigan.

In my view, a used 911 is the best all around sports car and if well cared for will not be a horrible investment. My gut says the 997 is the best buy right now (admittedly the 996 Turbo occasionally gets my attention, but I would regret it everytime I saw the headlights). Obviously, I’m only looking for a manual. I prefer two-wheel drive and a coupe, but those are not deal breakers for me.

Here are three that are currently for sale on Bring A Trailer.

997

I think the rear quarter view of the 997 is perfect Porsche. The size is right, it is modern, yet such a return to form. Plus, you can still see the engine, unlike the new ones.

Downside on the 997.1 is obviously the IMS issue—but boy there are a lot of these for sale in the high 20ks and 30ks. I could live with that risk.

Of these three models, I like the simplicity of the 964's interior the most, but would rank the 997 second.

964

I do return back to looking for 964s often. Obviously their prices have gone up quite a bit, but if you are willing to accept higher miles, they still can be had in the 30k range. The exterior and interior look like what a 911 should be.

Driving an air-cooled Porsche obviously brings the mental-baggage of putting miles on a car that could appreciate. But there are worse problems.

I love the simple cockpit.

Side benefit of the 964? If you ever hit it big or win the lottery, Singer Designs will make it beautiful for you.

993

Last is the one I like the least of these three, which happens to also be the most expensive of the three currently.

I think the 993 looks classic from the year, however, the I am not a fan of the nose.

I do like the clean, simple interior of the 993.

What is the verdict OPPO?

Or is the right answer to find an E36 or E46 M3? The 25 year mark just passed for importing European spec E36s!