those not trying to "keep up with the joneses" as far as HP and spec sheets go are just fine with the 3.4 and its epic and pure N/A character. the other kind is constantly looking for the best Hp/$$ spent equation, most of them freak out at the fact that their $100K plus car may be slower than anything else at the red light. people like that are constantly evaluating other cars in other lanes and on the road instead of just enjoying their ( people like that do the same about finances and careers), its a symptom not a problem...That slippery slope never ends..

 

Absolutely. I'd have friends be like "Hey my buddy has an early 2000s Mustang GT w/ a Kenny Bell supercharger on it, I wonder who'd win off the line" and I'm all "I don't have a Turbo S, so I'd lose lol. But, come see me at the track in a month and we'll see who's 'fastest' in their car' lol. I drive my car too much to worry about that stuff, but I understand others don't and your example is a real thing.
So if that's your worry, just get a Turbo and squirt at every red light to show how much of a badass you are lolol. But you're missing the point, and a lot of fun, with these N/A engined .1 cars, IMO anyway.

 

My in-love Porsche is my 996 C2 base manual. That car checks all the boxes for me after I did all my suspension and driving dynamics mods. It was the right amount of power, I had fun no matter where I was driving. Like all Porsche owners, I yearned for a Turbo. I ended up picking up a 997.2 C2S Manual (385hp) instead. For me, that car was too fast. I no longer enjoyed driving to work in it. I get on the highway, I accelerate, then back off and cruise. It had power in all gears. When I am in 6th and I need to pass, I do not downshift, I just press on the gas. If I downshift to 3rd, it is way too fast, and my acceleration is over way too quickly. I grew to love the car, but I could not sell my 996 because it was my 'slow car that I drove fast'. My 996 gave me ultimate driver engagement.

I picked up my 991.1 base C2 manual, and for me, it is the perfect amount of power. I describe it as brisk, but not fast. It will get to triple digits speed briskly, but I don't feel the shove of the torque as my 997.2 S. This car, turned out to be the right balance in power vs fun. I have fun rowing gears on the highway. On the backroads, all 3 generations of 911 gives me the exact same fun. I lead groups with friends with Turbos and dedicated track drivers, and every single person that has ever driven with me leading, no matter which car I am in, they have a crap ton of fun on the back roads with me.

As others have said, it is way more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.

 

If the 0-60 time or straightline acceleration is very important, the turbo sixes are much faster. I had the 3.4 in a 981 Boxster S with a manual and that car was plenty fast for me. My 991.2 4s (gone soon) feels much faster but less usable in street driving. Too much power for me. Most high performance cars these days seem to have forced induction engines (and some with electric motors to improve acceleration) so in comparison the 3.4 is a dinosaur. An electric car will probably give the best rush of speed and acceleration. The 2025 electric Cayman and Boxster should be very fast.

 

I love the thoughtful discussion in this thread. Great community.

The concept that the best peformance enhancement value is track tracks is absolutely true. Not sure if you are in PCA, or if you live in an area close to the Porsche Experience Center. If not, these are great options to start picking up skill. Also, There are several Porsche driving schools (Skip Barber is my local one) and for a few thousand and a nice long weekend you will get more personal training and instruction that you can imagine. You'll learn what your car is capable of and the best news is that the training and skills you develop have you no depreciation, in fact, they become more valuable with time.

You'll carry that knowledge with you for the rest of your life, and thus, improving your skill as a driver is the best investment you can make to improve your enjoyment of driving.

 

Don't fall into the "I need more power" pit, the 911's of any generation has significant power for probably 80% or more of the population. The "problem" is that we're driving them on local roads and cars all around. The 911 is literally built for a track and going fast, so we're more putting the car out of it's element. I have a '13 C2 Cab and have been to a few driving events now, and it's more than enough power to keep up with most of the other variants. On local roads, you can only do so much... more HP and more torque, just means you have even more HP and torque to hold back when you're driving on regular roads. For me, I still love my wife's '13 with PDK, but I missed the manual, so I recently got a '01 996 with a 6-speed and let's just say, the experience is totally different and I'm loving the '01 even more. Everyone has to find their needs, but don't just go right into the "I need more power" trap.

 

If you want a 0-60 car, get an EV. Then keep your current car for track days and fun weekends in the twisties. I'd go with 99.9% of drivers cannot even get close to the capabilities of their car. I don't care if we're talking GT3 or Miata. Take even your fairly experienced track day driver, stick a pro in the same car and watch the pro go considerably faster. I'm a pretty good driver and I'd put myself in that top 0.1%. But pro drivers are in that 0.001%. In my opinion, putting someone without the skill to push any car to the limit and putting them in a very capable car like a 911 is just asking for more trouble if they try to drive aggressively. These vehicles have higher limits, so when those limits are exceeded, the consequences are much greater. We've all seen the stories: driver takes brand new McLaren 720S and crashes it 5 miles from the dealer. Or is the case around Los Angeles, another car crash in the canyons.

Auto-x is a great place to learn the limits of a vehicle because the speeds are lower. When you DO mess up, and you will when you start finding the limits of a vehicle, the consequences are much lower; you'll killl a few cones in auto-x. After a few auto-xs, I'd recommend going to a track day with an instructor. Or go straight to a proper driving school. Being a better driver will also reduce the likelihood of you getting into an accident in the real world. There are a handful of instances where I've had to make an emergency maneuver to avoid an accident and knowing how vehicles handle at the limit was key to staying out of accidents.

 

A PDK tune will make the car drive better on the road or track. I have a 7 speed stick in my current car but I owned a 3.4 cayman S with a Cobb 91 octane tune and their PDK tune it was night and day difference.

 

What did you like about the tune? Was it more enjoyable on the street? I usually drive in manual mode, and I would think that would be more “engaging” but I could be wrong.

 

The PDK tune would hold in a lower gear when driving, there is several deference modes to choose from,I don’t remember what mode I used but I did try all of them. The engine tune Made the car crisper and I could tell it felt faster. I have a Cobb tune now in my 991 with Fabspeed street headers and AFE air filters. I run 93 octane tune most of the time , I never have to use sport or sport plus button but they do work and I can tell the change when I do use them.

 

I bought 991.1 C2 for the NA engine and bombproof durability. I choose gears to stay in 3500-4500 rpm where torque buries acorns and pots of gold. How you drive and your skill matters more than the machine. Finally, compare it not to a Lambo or GT; rather aChevy Cruise!

 

Exactly, there are always bigger and faster cars, no matter what you get (although there must be a FASTEST car out there). Don't compare your porterhouse to a wagyu steak, but compare it to Salisbury steak, and you'll be happier.

 

In Texas you can do a PCA weekend for less than $350 and that's a n00b, totally green, Green Group with instructor and 8x20 minutes sessions, plus class time, over 2 days. You quickly realize what your car was made to do, and also figure out quickly why (on some tracks) you can't catch that ragged out Miata ahead of you, no matter what lol. I know our 'base' cars are quick in a straight line but I quit worrying about that a loooong time ago once I started getting some real seat time and instruction.

But don't get me wrong, if I had the $$ I'd be at TX2k every year with my Underground Racing Huracan also!!