I drove the S and Base at Montecella race track and actually couldnt believe how well the base did versus the S. I wasn't pushed in getting the S.

Also, read Chris Harris' article on the Base 991 in the August Excellence magazine. Very interesting.

To me, it's pretty simple. Most high end consumables have multiple "styles" available to appeal to varying economic strata. So, it's like anything else in life...get the best that you can afford and then don't "look over the fence." When I had my 997, I drove both, and found the "S" better in every possible aspect. Luckily, I was able to afford it, and that is the one that I got. Same will apply with the 991 or the Panamera that I am looking at (currently favoring the GTS over the almighty Turbo). Either way, enjoy your personal purchase and be safe.

This kind of makes sense to me but for me, it wasn't about affordability. It was about value creation and to me, the extra 14k did not justify the cost. And I put both variants on a track pushing the limits. So I agree with you but there are plenty of instances that the value creation is not there in an S for someone (an extra 14k won't break the bank when spending 100k). This is very individual.

That is very well said. It's not always about whether you can afford it. It's about is it worth it to you. Some people don't get that.

I will pay for torque though. :thumbup:

Yup! Nice car from the avatar BTW. Going by our avatars, you and I are ass guys!

What's that song about fat bottomed girls making the world go around?

For a DD and track events, the rwd S beats out even the awd turbo IMHO.

I drove the base & S, when I got my base 997 in '05. This time, I'm liking the S a bit more. To be honest, the base had less than 1k miles on it, so I didn't push it hard. Also, I only spent an hour or so behind the wheel of each. To make matters worse, I sort of like the 997 as well-not having an easy time letting that one go. To make matters even more worse, I hear there is a "magic" power kit now available on top of the S. The problem is that Porsche makes such great cars in all flavours.

There have been so many base v. S threads, but I will add my same post here, too. My 991 is my DD, so the base is already far more than I could ever exploit on the roads. If I were a track guy, I might have more heavily considered the S, but after many test-drives of both, the base was the clear choice ... and I liked how it handled better.

Its beyond me why people complain about a 3.4+ motor being insufficient power wise for a daily driver car. I have built and owned some fast cars, V8 turbo Supra (550HP) and have a track car now, and for a daily driver my 2001 996 cab with 300HP is more than sufficient as a commuter. Why on earth do you ever need more than that for driving on public roads.

Define "need".

Circumstances in which it is necessary.

obviously its a personal preference, but i would not consider a base model. i just got my 991S two days ago and cant say how impressed i am. coming from a 2008 997s its so much more refined and power wise there is a huge difference, i wont track this one either but power is probably the most or at least on of the major things i look at so an S is the only option for me. really if you can spare an extra 20k just go for it

Absolutely.