STG

These kind of threads are USELESS. No right/wrong answer and just cause arguing and drama. What next? PDK vs. Manual?? .1 vs. .2? Blah, blah .....

Archimedes

If you like it, buy it. Both motors/cars are great. My Cayman only has 325hp and I absolutely love that car. And a base Carrera would smoke it.

There is no wrong answer. I came pretty close to buying a total stripper Base Carrera and I'm sure I would have enjoyed driving it.

JonDUnning

I lived this already with Tesla. There was an 85 and a P85. The P85 was like $20K more and had a way bigger motor/inverter. The 0-60 times were like a second apart. I test drove both, hemmed and hawed a bit and then bought the P85.

It's been over three years and I still smoke that thing at every stoplight I get stopped at. Probably have thousands of 0-55 runs (that's our speed limit on most large roads down here in OC) and I never tire of it. Of course the Tesla is a straight-line car and I have no experience "driving it hard" or "burning through twisties".

When you take your Tesla in for service they provide you a loaner and I've driven several 85s. What a difference. Nice cars. Very quick acceleration but NOTHING compared to the P85. I haven't regretted my decision for one second and love every minute of driving it.

Now I have to do this all over again with the Base vs S on the 911. It gets a little more complicated here because we're not talking one second off the 0-60 time, we're talking 3 tenths of a second. We're also talking about the same exact motor. And not to put down the car I have loved my whole life but anything short of a Turbo S is going to pale on my 0-60 stoplight runs with our P85. So I've thought maybe the base will be fine and I can start learning how to actually drive a car again. Maybe even a manual gearbox and really work for the speed.

I'll start my lengthy process of testing all of this next month. I can't tell you how forward I look to the test drives.

And I agree with others - this kind of thread really can't decide for you but it does help you see both sides of the coin pretty well. I did the same thing on the Tesla forums and there were people stating that the $20K for the P85 was a waste of money and nobody cared about a second here or there and there were others like me that found it to be money well spent. You do have to test drive both and decide for yourself.

smster21

And I was one of those who thought the P85 wasn't worth the extra coin. Very happy with my 85 and the torque it provides. Yet, my current search for a 911 is focused on an S, 4s or GTS. Maybe it has to do with the sedan vs. sports car difference. Sure, I would have loved the extra oomph of the P85, but I can live without it. Not so with my anticipated 911.

Porsche Jeff

I had a base then bought a 996 Turbo and now in a 991 base (all cabriolet's). Very happy with the base, but I only drive maybe 4-5K miles per year. I think I would be happier with an S, but can still love my base (7MT). Much more fun than any PDK, imho.

Gripster

This. I loved my 997 base and only ever wondered about the S variant when I was on the forums, reading these S vs base discussions. Behind the wheel I was like a grinning idiot and never felt like the car was anything other than perfect.

I will be 991 shopping soon and will try and stretch to an S, but if the right spec 991 base with 7MT pops up, it will get a serious look.

tyresmoker

Again, I appreciate the feedback. Believe it or not, it is quite helpful to get the feedback from actual owners on both sides of the fence. The point made about the .3 second difference in acceleration is exactly what has me puzzled. Btw....i should have mentioned in my original post....no clutch pedal, no sale...!

NoGaBiker

One thing to bear in mind, tyresmoker, about the "0.3 seconds." I don't raise this because I know it to be the case (I haven't driven a 991 3.4), but only because it often is.

Sometimes two cars will have similar 0-60 times even though there is a significant torque difference between them. But how often do most of us actually pin the throttle from zero and run to 60? Much more often in my case it is a matter of rolling acceleration -- I'm going 30 and punch the throttle. In those cases the difference in feel between the two cars can be significantly greater than the printed specs would indicate.

For instance, I once had a 996TT X50. The official Porsche 0-60 times for it and my current 991 GTS are the same 3.8, iirc. And I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of that. But the TT had 460 torques, where the 991 has 325. When you pinned the throttle from a roll getting on the interstate, say, the difference between the two is startling.

Again, not saying such is the case between 3.4 and 3.8 991s. But it is something to be aware of as you consider the two cars, and I'm sure you'll be able to test that as you're driving them.

Cheers!

studlee

Take my advise...I first leased a base...had S envy...bought c4s. Now I'm happy. 😆

fastdiablo

Gt silver > rhodium
Ducktail > no duck
NA > turbo
A "proper" gearbox is manual, but a properly fast gearbox is PDK.

Ps. Miller lite > bud light

Madisongy

In spite of some of the haters, seems everyone likes your topic ! My mind was set on the S based on the logic that I'd regret the base. Then I drove a base, and said "yep, that's plenty good". After my deal on a new base 2016 fell through..........total of a $7000 discount from MSRP, I found a 2015 "S" with FAR more options at a $23,000 discount. The car had 100 miles, and I negotiated in the CPO. Bottom line, I ended up with the S for LESS than the base by sacrificing one model year and got two years more warranty tacked on.
Since then, have seen quite a number of reviews endorsing the "S" over the base, and based on pricing, made a lot of sense for me, although I think I'd need a week to vet each car.

ArthurVandalay

Since I'm new, can I start an oil thread?

Tcc1999

^^^Well, when I first saw the handle "Arthur Vandalay", I thought well, okay. But that Picture insanely perfect! Weren't they actually originals that she painted?

The thread: I dunno' I love my 997 but I seem to recall having more fun in an old 1990 325i that had all of 168 hp and that I just threw around with non quite reckless abandon. Maybe I was just younger and knew a lot less than I know now.

Dewinator

I used to have a 97 328is with around 200hp that was great fun. A little heal and toe would throw it into the easiest slide.

oalvarez

yes, and make sure you start one for the 3.4l motor and the 3.8l one as well. after you're done with that, let's move on to what tires are best, then iPhone holder. you get the idea.

i'd like to know how many folks HERE have owned a 991 base, 991 s, and possibly even 997 base and 997 s (i have!). what are all of these opinions based on anyways? i'm tellin' ya .....once you have it, and then you don't (the S), you realize just how perfect of a car the 991 base model is when all you're doing is just the normal daily driving routine mixed in with some commuting and the like.

OP, get the Base and save the $20k for something else.

or get the S.....it's a wonderful car as well.