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911 ownership Journey so far - Love to see yours...
Thought I'd share my 911 journey so far in a few pictures and adding some notes.
Please keep in mind that the Pro's and Con's are purely based on my own observations/Likes and dislikes.
1. My first ever 911. A MY2002 996.2 C4S which I bought back in Jan of 2013. Had read all the "horror" stories about the IMS and MRS and how the engine would 99% mostly likely blow up after 2 days of ownership.
I loved the car to bits and drow it to Germany, Italy and France without any issues ever. Maybe I was the lucky 1%.
Pros: Handled amazingly and loved the Seal Grey metallic paint work, Cons: A tad dated interior and no PSE. Closing the doors didn't sound "solid"...
After 4 years of ownership, I moved on...
2. My second 911. A MY2009 997.2 C4S which I part-traded my 996.2 C4S for back in March of 2017 at Porsche Center Geneva. Had read great reviews of the PDK and vividly remember my first test drive. Coming from the 996 the 997.2 felt much more raw and much more up to date.
The PCM 3.0 was light years ahead of the good old PCM 1.0 with cassette tape player. Loved it so much I decided after 5 min of driving that this was what I wanted.
Pros: Loved the sand beige interior, and that it had Crono. Felt much faster than my old 996 and more solid, PDK. Very fast shifting for being the first generation. Cons: The basalt black paint coat was difficult to keep shiny and new looking, the PSE didn't make much of a difference. Closing doors still didn't sound "solid"...
Then in April 2020, after 3 years of ownership, I felt it was time to move on...
3. My Third 911. A MY2014 991.1 Turbo S which I part-traded my 997.2 C4S for back in April of 2020 at Porsche Center Bern. Not sure why all of a sudden I wanted a Turbo, and an S in addition. Maybe because my local OPC had one at a reasonable price, maybe because I had gotten the COVID-19 isolation blues or maybe something third.
Took the vehicle for an hour test drive and was blown away by it's out-of-this world rocketship acceleration (even in normal mode). I think I may have been "star-struck" and decided to give it a go, so I bought the car and brought it home on April 28th 2020. This specific spec'd 991.1 had rear wheel steering and I actually felt it and was not overly filled with joy tbh. Gave a weird feeling during turns - maybe it was just me...
And just to add, my better half hated the yellow seatbets and deviated yellow sticking (as some of you may have seen/read/known) but I was ok with it. One thing I also noted is, that it brought a-lot of un-wanted attention (I'm ultra introvert) and every single 19 year old boy racer in their souped up hatch-backs wanted to race me or tailgate me as much as they could at all times. Generally speaking, I didn't get the 991.1 Turbo love I had expected. The 18 way seats are IMO not worth it...
Pros: Loved the the acceleration, the GT-Silver coating and updated PCM 3.1 from the 997's PCM 3.0. The ACC was brilliant, maybe because it's a Turbo but the PDK felt a little quicker than the 997's PDK Cons: Rear-wheel steering, Optional lowered suspension (but looked quite good) and tbh, the Turbo's "fixed" wing never did it for me BUT not a deal breaker... Also, entry and drive didn't do it for me (frunk open is very sporadic unless you wash the car). Lastly, hated that I could NOT switch off the PSE when in Sport or Sport+ mode...
So after 6 months and around 3'000 km (1'875 miles) of ownership, the love was simply not there and we had to end the relationship (it's not you, it's me routine).
4. My forth 911. My local OPC had gotten a MY18 911.2 GTS with only 23'500 km (14'700 miles) on the clock and I decided this was the way to move forward. I learnt an expensive lesson via the Turbo S, but hey, that's life...
Went for a test drive on November 5th and took my usual 40 min test route and thought it was just amazing. It felt so much more "solid" than my 2014 Turbo S and up to date with the gadgetry (which I'm a sucker for). Picked the new gem up on November 13th (yes a Friday so extra excitement driving in home)
The handling was a tad different from the AWD Turbo S, and acceleration was up there, but not as crazy wild as the Turbo S (GTS 450Hp/550Nm vs Turbo S's 560Hp/750Nm peak). It was also much quieter and just much more comfortable to drive (the suspension and shocks are standard and I'm comparing to the optional ones added to Turbo S)
Pros: Apple CarPlay (yes you read right) and PCM 4.0, better sound insulation than my old Turbo S, killer colour combo (white and black GTS Alcantara/leather interior), PSE is fully controllable no matter what mode you're in. Individual mode setup.The PDK seems much more responsive (don't know how that was possible from the Turbo S, but that's the feeling I have)
The 996 should in a way be on the number 1 spot as it was my very first 911 and I loved it. Had so much fun in it and at a cost much less than that of my current 911.
My Journey so fare has been both exciting and excellent, and I have learnt a lot through the different MY's ownership and would not have been without any of them. I'm not feeling the love for the current 992. rear end looks like any other Porsche out there and the spacecraft interior is not for me, so the 991.2 is in my own person taste the last best looking 911 available
The 996 is, based on my own experience, the best way to start any 911 ownership path.
Last edited by Frank996; 11-20-2020 at 05:12 AM.
Reason: corrected 2929 to 2020
Started here. My Dad bought this Targa back in the 80's. I was into RX-7s at the time, eventually moving up to the FD twin turbo with the R2 model. Later I got into C5 corvettes when they came out, culminating in the Z06. When I married, I entered my off road phase with WRX STi, Fj Cruiser, various 4x4 trucks and ATVs. It was during this time I kept this Targa in my barn for about 7 years. I didn't drive it much, just enough to maintain it, maybe 50 miles/year. I had a 1/4 mile gravel driveway that made having a nice car an arduous task as it would get dirty immediately. I sent this car back to my Dad and traded for his FFR Cobra project.
About 3 years ago we sold our little farm and moved into regular house, so no barn/workshop. Good news was I had a paved driveway, bad news was I didn't have the space to finish the FFR, so I sold it.
I ended up buying another C5, 22 years old, modernized it. I was enjoying that, but now I found I was not putting any miles on my brand new F150. Even though we left the farm I still bought another truck, but it seemed such a waste of fuel to be hauling myself back and forth to work, just me. Corvette did a much better job of it, was cheaper, and I didn't have to volunteer to drive for lunch when there were 5 of us. The truck ended up getting maybe 100 miles a month as I only used it when the weather was bad, and it was in it's steepest phase of depreciation. It was time for a change, it was time for a 911.
I started looking at 996s, then convinced myself I needed a 997. During the search I came across my 991. I had not been researching the 991 and did not know there was a Sport Design package, though I was familiar with the earlier aero kits. When I saw this car it was a must have and I pulled the trigger, just before the pandemic hit. This one ticked all my boxes and had so many extras I wasn't even looking for, but now I don't know that I could do without. So far I am loving it!
Never had the possibility to try a 996 Turbo, but every person I have talked to who has, have told me it is excellent and a joy to drive.
Pity that the 996 (generally speaking) has such a bad reputation as most pre-owners have nothing really bad to say about it (other than the usual dated interior this and that, which I tend to agree to).
I've been fortunate enough to own three 911s, each from a different generation. I also owned a Cayenne S, which was a wonderful vehicle during my 10 years of ownership.
The 991 is the best of the bunch so far, although I loved them all.
First Porsche I bought in 2005 a base Boxster, then came a 2006 911S, 2014 Panamera, 2017 718 Boxster S, then this summer I just had to get back into a 911S! For daily drivers I have driven a 2013 Cayenne Diesel then upgraded to a 2015 Cayenne Diesel that I still drive!
I’ve owned many cars, but not many Porsche’s. For a few years, I have had the opportunity to own a Porsche, but was nervous about doing so. I had loved these cars ever since I was a little kid and only dreamed of owning a 911 one day. Being able to own one, seemed like it was wrong and that I would be somehow disappointed, because it may not perform to what I always thought they would. Boy was I wrong, and I missed out for a while. Anyways. First Pcar was purchased in 2018, it was a 2014 911 S PDK. Loved it. PDK was not my first choice, but the lightning fast shifts convinced me that I could deal with it. Nothing sounds as good as a NA motor. That I miss. But, a little over a year, I couldn’t stand not having a manual transmission Porsche. It was always a manual that I wanted for my 911, and so I moved on. Traded the 991.1 S in for my 991.2 GTS manual. It was a great move. Only gripe is exhaust note, but I have always known that of any turbo charged car. It sounds good enough, but everything else about it is just better.
white one is the 991.1 S and black is the current car.
Started with 997.1 convertible...hence name porscheconvert. Was also a converted to the porsche brand for life! Found I wasn't a convertible guy and bought new 997.2. Oh..,but I missed those champion wheels from the 997.1! After few years, left the brand for 2 years and then returned to 997.1. Drove that car few years and then scratched the air cooled itch with a 993. I had such a bad experience that I don't even have a pic to remind me . In short, I bought a car that had heating unit re wired and spent 7k in six months and still no heat. I dumped it as i was staring at another few thousand without the promise of it working. Traded for a high mileage 991.1 gts (now have 74k mikes) that I have been driving for about year and a half. I keep my cars about 2 years at a time, so likely time for the next stop. 992? Taycan? Don't know yet...
Our 991.2 T is our first 911. My only regret is not getting into a 911 much earlier in life. Not sure why that is other than to say life has all sorts of priorities. Live and learn. We also have a 2015 Macan S which has been extremely reliable and is our Canadian winter weather beater.
Love hearing about everyone’s long and storied 911 journey...
11-16-2020, 04:42 AM
911 ownership Journey so far - Love to see yours...
i still have the 993 and the 991.
