Bob Z.

Some have said the aluminum one can get hot in the sun.

V999

You don't like the PDCC or just don't see it as enough of a difference to be worth it?

The alcantara in the showroom cars I sat in, and in the Targa GTS I drove seemed fine to me. But those are poor substitutes for having lived with it. And a lot of people, like you, who've lived with it clearly don't like it. So we'll see. I'm guessing that, at this point, I'll probably live with it. Who knows, in a couple years, I might trade it in for a 992 for a change, and try out various other options at that point.

It looks like I have until 12/19 to make changes for this car, although my SA seemed to indicate that changes now could delay the build. He also said if I hadn't added the smoking package and voice control before submitting the build order earlier today, making those changes would've incurred a charge. So not sure if adding the free shift **** will add a charge or not, or how much the charge is. I'll ask him in a few days.

There's been some great feedback in this thread, which I really appreciate.

J**2

evilfij

CloudJumping

where do you live?

im in west LA and been okay without FAL. a few scrapes but nothing problematic.

i would only get it if your home driveway has a hard entry angle.

have you tried out the seats?
that is important.

just about all cars have keyless entry now, but i think there is something special about unlocking and putting actual key into ignition. keyless entry way more convenient of course.

Bob Z.

If you get the package that includes keyless entry & drvie you can still remove the dummy key and use your key just as if you did not have the entry & drive option.

If I had to do it over again I would have gotten the aluminum shifter (manual) even though it does get hot for some...just thought I would mention it. With that said if someone wants to trade with me let me know!

CloudJumping

ohh I didnt know that, very cool for porsche to do that.

I think the S2000 was one of first with "Start" button, and was very cool.

the audi s3 i had been driving has the start button and keyless, and doesnt feel that special.

PCA1983

Im not owning another 911 without RAS and PDCC. I love em both on mine. The factory test team said just those two options improved the 991.2 GTS lap time on the Nordschleife by 30 seconds.

sampelligrino

Congrats on speccing your first Porsche, cool feeling and exciting time

Here is my input which is very very subjective, trying to consider what you said in your initial post about budget. I think silver on black is a great choice for your first Porsche to be honest, very classic. I never tire of the color combo whereas I feel like if I did a crazier color that could have been the case, and I like being a bit more subtle/understated. Both of my 991s are Silver on black FWIW

- 14 way seats are my least favorite 991 seat **IMO** for my body type (have them on my .2 C4, and had the 4 way sport seat plus on my GT3 before buckets). I much prefer the 4 way sport seat plus instead first, then second is the 18 way sport seat plus. Both just a bit more snug, fitting, contoured, supportive for me (6 feet 175 pounds), and the 14 ways have my lower back crying after an hour or two of driving. I also like how on GT silver, you get the silver seat hardbacks on the 4 way and 18 way seats. Some hate the plastic silver backs but I liked it for a more sporty touch to match GT silver. On another exterior color, I would opt for leather backs or go 14 way which has the faux leather backs. You can also eliminate the plastic silver seatbacks on the 4/18 ways I think.

- CL wheels are a PITA IMO, but I really like the TurboS CL look and you get them for free on the GTS. Makes the car feel a bit more sporty, would add those back in personally. Unique to the GTS in all black

- Bose is a must for me. Part of why I love driving so much is my music cranked to 11, I find the quality great and price reasonable

- I would skip FAL on the GTS personally, I don't have it on my .2 C4 and don't scrape. My C4 should sit 10mm higher if I am not mistaken though due to regular PASM vs SPASM on the GTS. You can also opt for the regular PASM setup for free on the GTS I believe if you want the ride height a bit higher (less sporty) to compensate for lack of FAL. Since you are price conscious (I was too) it's an expensive option and I would apply that $ elsewhere. I don't find lack of FAL as a "GTS spec killer" unlike on the GT3 which is a must have for me.

- Sunroof - personally don't like sunroofs as they can have rattles/issues down the line but that is a very personal/subjective thing, and I never use them as much as I think I will. The sunroof in glass will open up the black interior a bit more though

- Freebies - I would add in smoker's pack, luggage net in footwell, floor mats if not standard

- I would ditch entry and drive, I actually took out the dummy/keyless fob in my .2 C4 as I prefer to put the key in the ignition. Feels like an option you want on an Acura or BMW, not a Porsche 911. That being said, it is kind of nice to lay your hand on the front bumper to pop the frunk. But my God is it annoying when I am pressure washing my car and the frunk keeps popping open when the water hits that section

- If you are able to nix some options, consider adding RAS. I like it and do find that it makes the car feel a bit more nimble, but then again I could also live without it/sometimes ignorance is bliss. I notice a difference between my C4 (no RAS) and my GT3 (RAS), just feels like the car can turn much tighter trying to ignore the other differences

- I like PCCB but very high cost option. Brake bite just feels incredible and I do like the yellow touch in all honesty. Since your wheels are black less concern of brake dust with the standard red steel brakes though

- very subjective but I did a model designation delete for my .2 C4. I like how it just says "PORSCHE" on the back since the car titles are getting so long now. This is totally up to you, same goes for the GTS badges on the sides.

- Another nice option are the LED headlights, I think they look a bit more futuristic and the halo DRLs are cool during the day time, but many on here do not like the LEDs for that reason and much prefer the standard xenons so that is subjective. I have the LEDs on both my 991.2s and I'm glad I do. Just looks cool to me

At the end of the day you can't go wrong and what's great is we get to personalize these cars the exact way we want (if given the opportunity). Looking forward to your delivery and have fun with it!

V999

To be honest, I don't much care about heated or ventilated seats. Don't get me wrong; I'm sure they are great. I have heated seats in my spec, but it was incidental and comes packaged w/other stuff I do care about. Heck, if the base, manually adjustable, seats had the same lumbar support the 14 and 18-way seats did, I'd just stick with that.

Lumbar support is pretty critical for me. I roll a couple towels up for additional support because the lumbar support in my Herman Miller office chair isn't quite enough, although it has plenty built in. But I hope to avoid that ratty rolled up towel look in the Porsche. Not that really care what anybody else thinks. I just don't want to take away from the beautiful good looks a Porsche 911; it wouldn't feel right to me.

V999

I should be more of a cheapskate with this car than I'm being. I set a budget and, as is typical of me, blew way past it. But WTF, we only live once, right?

I tested a car w/the 4-way and it was okay, but I also tested one with 18-way and could immediately feel the better lumbar support. And that was before knowing there were any differences between them other than electric vs. manual controls. Sat in the 18-way without even knowing about the seat differences, and was like "oh... nice". If I had a good lower back, I wouldn't do it though.

V999

I have a steep driveway entrance, although the real problem is the crowning of my street. The edges of the crown meet the entrance to the driveway at exactly the wrong angle.

But also, I live in a densely populated Northeast area where I constantly encounter steep entryways or speed-bumps. I really need to get over to my local dealership and take measurements and do the math vs. my current lowered car so I can make an informed decision.

IIRC, I can tweak the build right up until the mid-December freeze date. It's odd to me that the "expected" freeze date is December, but the expected delivery date is late March. Most of the 991 build chronologies listed in the thread about people waiting on their 991 builds seem to have the freeze date much closer to the build date.

V999

I'm going to visit my local dealership and see if they have any to compare. I'm used to keyless entry and start, so I'll stick with that. Funny thing is that, most of the time, I have my key in my hand out of old habit anyway and unlock the car using the key while I walk to my garage.

V999

Thanks for that detailed post. I really appreciate it.

I actually had no idea the seat-backs are different with the GT Silver exterior. That's something I'm going to need to go look at somewhere to see if I like or hate it. Do you know if it's true of a Cayman as well? Because I know there are some GT silver Caymans in inventory at a reasonably local Porsche dealer to me, so I can check them out. I'll check w/my SA about it tomorrow.

I actually like the 5-lug wheels a bit better, style-wise, although it's pretty close and I'd like either one well enough. The thing about center-locks is just that I'd have to invest in some additional equipment to change between summer/winter setups, if I did it myself (which I probably will do since I have all the equipment to do so). But I could see changing it back to CLs and just getting the equipment. I also need to get a tire plug kit (or so I've read here, and it makes sense to me since there's no spare). I already have a good portable pump.

Glad to hear you like the Bose. I'm going to stick with it. For short trips around town, and at the start and end of longer trips, I'll be listening to the engine. But if I'm driving for hours, I'm going to want to listen to Spotify cranked up. I love music and driving while cranking tunes is a joy. I've heard mixed things about the Bose, but unless it truly rattles the doors (which is something I read somewhere here). The Bose audio in my Mazdaspeed 3, while nothing remotely as good as my speaker set up in my family room, are actually perfectly acceptable for in-car audio. Although I'm sure the Burmester setup is brilliant, it's (a) out of my budget and (b) probably, IMO, overkill for a car listening in a sports car with sound deadening removed. But then again, I could be completely wrong, not having heard any of them.

I'll probably do measurements for the FAL. Pretty sure it's a good idea for me though.

I love sunroofs. And while I like the exterior look of the solid gray top a bit better, I love the inside experience of the light flowing in from the roof. And it'll be tilted up a lot, in all but the coolest couple months of the year, and often slid back as far as it goes in the warmer months. I do worry about rattle or creaks, though. But there are usually ways to correct those things, in all but the worst cases.

I did add smokers package, but not the luggage net and I'll check the floor mats. Have added them to a list I'm compiling of things to review before it's too late.

The frunk auto-opening would drive me nuts (although I have an apparently well-respected detailer 300 yards away from my home that is used by my local Porsche dealership, so they will probably do most of the cleaning/detailing - so it would be driving them nuts). Which reminds me of a pirate that was walking down the street with a steering wheel in his pants. Pirate walked into a bar, ordered a Rum (of course) and the bartender asked him "Why do you have a steering wheel in your pants", to which the pirate replied: "Aaaar, it's drivin' me nuts". Yeah, I know - don't give up my day job.

I watched a pretty good youtube review of the LEDs vs. Bi-Xenons and would like the LEDs, but it's not gonna bug me to stick w/the default Bi-Xenons I think. They LEDs do look very cool, though. Can't argue that.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. Very helpful.

Bob Z.

Speaking of the FAL, what is the ground clearance on the models, about 4"?