cmb13

I'm considering a Carrera vs. a Carrera S. With the price of this vehicle, I'd just as soon forgo the S for the extra $14k. I plan on keeping the car for a good long while. I'm wondering if I would even notice a difference between the two.

On the one hand, I very much enjoy driving and would be buying this car for its dynamics and for the fun to drive factor. I would hate to spend close to $100k and find I made the wrong choice by skimping on the extra $14k.

On the other hand, I don't race, don't go to the track, and don't street race. I really don't care about bragging rights. So, if the Carrera feels similar, and the only difference is in the 0-60 times, I'd be just as well off with the base model.

Has anyone driven both? I'd love to hear from those who have purchased the base model to see if there are any regrets. Thoughts?

Carrara

I vote 997.

But if you insist on a 991, base model should suit you just fine. Only thing I like considerably better on the S is the red brake calipers.

Galion

Oh boy here we go again.

I had an "S" demo for the weekend which I drove extensively, I am no expert but honestly, even though I tried, I couldnt feel a difference in performance, sound or handling with my base 991, which I love BTW.
The S is definetely a better car, it has 50+ HP, lovely red calipers and agressive twin tail pipes, but it is difficult to justify the aditional $$$.

Said that, I sometimes regret my decision of not going with the "S" just because I didnt get the free PASM, it makes the car sit lower and look nicer, it has nothing to do with power or performance.

cmb13

So the S adds red calipers, PASM, the 50 hp....anything else?

Of course I plan on driving one, one one of these days, prior to purchasing.

Galion

Twin round tail pipes.

n2cars

From your description you appear to be the perfect candidate for the base Carrera. I actually think the base model is a good deal. I've only driven the S so I can't give you a comparison but I have no doubt the base model is plenty fast. If I were to spec one I would keep the options to a minimum. Carefully look at the options and be 100% sure you can live without some of them. Like you said you don't want to have regrets later. This happened to my brother. He was speccing out an expensive car and the options were around $45k. He decided to could live without a back-up camera. I think he saved $2500? Well, he hates his now because of no back-up camera.

cmb13

Interesting that there seem to be so many more S's than Carrera's though.

n2cars

I have to tell one more personal story about a "base" model. I'm dating myself but this happened back in the 1980s. We were looking to purchase a Camry for basic transportation. The base car had "roll up windows". The next model up had "electric" windows. We bought the base model and kind of regretted not getting the electric windows. We kept this car forever. Put over 250k miles on the car. Do you know what we missed the most when we got rid of the car? Yep, the roll-up windows. Roll-up windows were passe when we bought the car but cool when we sold it. When we looked back we were glad we bought the base model.

cappy1

Your question reminds me of Sachmo’s response when asked about how to define Jazz: “If you have to ask (this forum) you ain’t never gonna know”. Your best bet is to test drive both models and decide which one you like best.

Galion

The S was avaliable since 11/11 builds.
The Base since 03/12 buids.

Alstoy

I went through this in '05 with the 997. Ended up with a base and loved every minute. I'm "window shopping" for a 991 and am going through the same issue again. It also depends on how you spec the cars. I would much rather get a low speced S compared to a loaded base. I would drive both as much as possible and spec each out the way you want. Cheers.

John S 211

I have just gone thru this exact debate in my mind in the last few weeks before making my decision. I was looking to buy a 991 Cab with MT7. I had pored over every detail regarding performance, cosmetic, and comfort options. I'd work all of my likely "use cases" down to a pretty sharp edge. My use likely is similar to yours --- principally a daily driver.

So --- drove them both multiple times, although given limited demo stock at the dealers in my area, was never quite the perfect "apples to apples" comparison I'd have preferred. Regarding the ride, I found the base 991 very tight, very responsive, and as I tested it among some of the hilly, winding roads in my area, powered through curves and accelerated crisply. BTW, not sure if you are considering the new MT, but that was one of my concerns --- now a major plus. It's excellent. Ok -- so obviously I ordered a base 911, right? Nope...didn't do it. Went with the S. In the end, I determined that there was no way that I was going to spend $100+K on a sports car and spend one minute regretting my decision to "economize". Now there were some other factors involved --- my dealer found an inbound C2S Cab that was literally an exact match of what I would have customer ordered, and it will be here in only a few weeks. That was a factor. But I'd be lying if I didn't say that a major factor --- at least for me --- was the "no regrets" element. I am pretty sure my needs would have been well served by the base 911, but in the end, pretty sure wasn't sure enough.

Good luck with your decision....hope this post didn't screw you up!

cmb13

Thanks, I'm looking for a manual also in all likelihood. I like the involvement of the third pedal and love rowing through the gears. I've had manuals my whole life until now. I bought a 335i in automatic and just hate it. I understand the PDK is quicker and more efficient than I am, and I drove one and really did like it, but I just can't wait to get back to the shifter.

iambon

I choose an S because of PDDC, and I don't regret it. A car is very planted when cornering which I like. PDDC is an option available only for an S model.

Last time, I had considered between Cayman S and base 997 then I had chosen Cayman S since I think it is better in term of value/performance. Once I have addicted to Porsche then I have spent on many modifications to get a few more HP to compensate the lack of low end power. It is very expensive to get more HP from natural aspirated engine. So when I have a chance to upgrade from Cayman to 911, I always go for an S.

Selo

There's somehting to be said for simpler. I've found that when I purchase somehting that is supposed to me my "dream" object, it's idealized so much that it leaves itself open to disappointment. OTOH, some of the the things I've loved the most are base model types of things, where my expectations are lower. On a cost per unit of enjoyment basis, I'd bet the base is a better deal than an S.