New Vs Used: Would You Rather Buy A GT86 Or A 997 Porsche 911?

It's a car buying dilemma you might have experienced before: you've got a big enough budget to buy a decent, new car, but on the used market, you know you could get a whole lot more bang for your buck. With that in mind, we're pitching the brilliant new GT86 against a slightly older Porsche 997 911. Both cost around £25k, but the question is, on which car would you rather spend the cash?

Our first subject is the Toyota GT86. We've grown quite attached to our one. However, while it proves that you don't need huge power to have fun, there's no denying that some people will get bored with the relatively low power output of its 2.0-litre boxer four. You'll need £24,999 to bag one of these new, which also opens the door to some tempting used cars; enter stage left the 997 Porsche 911.

Prices for 997s currently start about about £17,000, so £25k is enough to get you a very tidy Carrera 2, or even a Carrera 2S. You'll get a lot more firepower than the GT86: the 3.6-litre flat-six in the Carrera 2 develops 320bhp, meaning this 911 will dispatch 0-60mph in just 4.8 seconds and top out at 177mph. That's more than enough to blow the GT86 out of the water, which takes a more leisurely 7.4 seconds to sort the 0-60mph sprint, and will run out of puff at 140mph.

Of course, if it were as simple as that it'd be an easy choice: you'd be mad not go for the 911. However, there's no getting away from the fact that insurance, tax, and servicing are all going to be pricier than in the GT86. That said, it's not all bad news. Firstly, while 996 911s have lots of potentially ruinous common faults - such as cracked cylinder liners - such issues are less common on 997s.

Servicing intervals were increased to 20,000 miles for the 997, so while a service isn't going to be cheap, at least the pain won't be so frequent. There are also residual values to consider: buy a brand new GT86 and you'll bear the brunt of the depreciation, whereas the £25k 911 will have reached more of a plateau in terms of value. So, while the overall running costs of a 911 will be dearer, you'll lose less in the depreciation stakes.

With all this in mind, then, which car would you rather buy for £25,000?