3RsInCarrera

Hello, thanks for taking a look at my thread. I’m new to the prospects of owning a Porsche. Let’s just say I’m a “long time dreamer, first time (hopeful) buyer.” I had been waiting for the new Corvette C8 to upgrade to from my C7, but I just don’t love the new Chevy the way I do the C7–and the way I do the 911.

I’ve got a tightish budget and a steep learning curve to climb so I thought I’d ask for your help!

Most pressing question. 992 Carrera S vs Carrera base.
As far as I can tell, the hp/tq is up on the S, 6-pot vice 4-pot calipers, and a few options are not available on base that are available on S (notably a manual transmission for now). oh, and price! Are those all the differences? It seems like I read something about a handling or traction control feature that the S has as standard that was optional on base. If true, what is it?

I have read that “nobody wants the base, everyone wants the S or above.” Some say the same thing about the C7 Stingray, but sales figures indicate otherwise. The base Vette sells the most. So maybe “nobody prefers” the base, but it still sells alot. How is it in the 911 community?

Say you have $120k budget (before TTL), how would you spec the car? Stripped S or well-apportioned base?

Are any colors less-popular in the re-sale market. Of course I plan to own the car a long time, but I don’t want to spec a car nobody else will want!

If spec’ing an S, what option would HAVE to go on it in your opinion?

If spec’ing a base, what option combinations are going to make it worth spending S-money but getting a base car at $120k?

Lastly, I’m in North LA county. This deal will be mostly cash with about a third trade-in. Who is not too far from N Los Angeles and makes the best deals?

THANKS for any thoughts you may choose to share!

crimewave

Hey man,

I'll be a first time Porsche owner when my 911 arrives in March! From what I've heard, especially with a tune, you'll basically get the same performance from a base that you will an S. I know that there are some performance features in the S that you might not have in the base but as a daily driver I doubt it makes a huge difference. Last year when I was toying with the idea of getting a 911 my SA told me to just go base with some options and get a tune, you're looking at the same, if not more, horsepower from an S. I think there are a few options on the base that would be a must (sports exhaust, 20/21 inch wheels) but other than that I think you should be happy with that choice. And this way you can also opt for a few more luxury items. My S came out to 143,000 MSRP and I also got 4% off of the sticker price. I feel like with a stripped S you might feel yourself annoyed at some of the creature comforts you weren't able to add to your build, things that you can definitely add to your base model guilt free. Another great thing is that with the sports exhaust, cosmetically a base looks exactly like an S from the outside. Just a thought.

I'm really honest when it comes to this kind of stuff, I'm sure I would be perfectly happy with a base but it's more of a status symbol in my line of work to have an S and it's good for business, in a sense. That was my reasoning. I don't go to the track or care too much about the minor differences between them.

Sheikh

First time owner here too. I just wanted to say that, I think S is the sweet spot. It has most of the tech and options and it's not as crazy as Turbo/S. Also from what I know, S is the most selling version, no wonder why. I went for an S model too (point given, at the time I ordered base model was not out yet but regardless I'd go for S anyway). And I specced mine to have almost all of the tech stuff, except SPASM (which I kind of regret not getting it). It's a matter of what you expect from it. I just wanted to fulfill a dream and get the best out of it. If base is going to fulfill your needs and/or expectations, it shouldn't be a problem. Also to give you an idea here is my build PL3U6RZ3.

JHesketh

I cannot speak for anyone but myself. That said, I believe the first question is what type of drive do you want?

The base carrera is reportedly closest to the traditional 911, less computerisation, rear engine character, no limited slip differential but crucially for many, no prospect of a manual transmission. Wait in hope for the Carrera T.

The S opens up the manual transmission option but comes with more ‘safety’ and ‘performance’ systems that refine this rawness.

Further, your options choices can create three classes of car (and everything in between):

- backroad shredder (C2/S manual, chrono, SPASM, PSE etc)

- tooled up track machine (C4S PDK, RAS, PCCB, Chrono, PDCC, SPASM, sportex seats, forged alloys etc)

- luxurious GT (C2 or 4 leather, Burmester, wood, embossed headrests, lane change and adaptive cruise, stock chassis and exhaust etc)

Know what you want and the choice will become clearer.... ish.

rk-d

Even a "stripped" S is pretty nicely equipped. You can get a perfectly good car at $122k.

I'd get that over a loaded up base, personally.

detansinn

Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus aka PTV+, which includes an LSD, is standard on the S models. It is available as a $1500 on the C4, but it's not available for the RWD Base Carrera. You can't get a Base Carrera 2 with an LSD.

LexVan

With your given budget, I'd learn to love the new C8 and save a TON of money.

Or.

Wait 6-12 months, set aside money to increase your budget. That's not very much time to delay your purchase. And why compromise for such a large purchase on something you plan to keep for a long time.

Or.

Wait 6-9 months, and buy an "S" coming in off a trade, let someone else take the first big hit on depreciation. There are always buyers that need to be "first", drive a couple hundred/thousand miles, and chase the next shiny toy. And it will probably be CPO'd.

pitt911

I am always surprised by the idea of get a base car and tune it !!! and save a lot of money
a tune will certainly give you more power but also potential more headaches
loss of manufacturer warranty on drive train … can you afford that !! if a catastrophic event happen and you have to replace an engine
if you want the base car , get it and be happy with it , and it is a great car overall , much better than C7 you have

Hp12c

I’d just want to make one big point as you’re new to the Porsche world... on Rennlist, and amongst other Porsche people elsewhere (say the Porsche club, etc.), there’s one kind of spectrum of reality when it comes to cars, and then there’s the real world.

In the real world, a base Carrera, in red/black/white/yellow with the base interior, with the standard 19/20 wheels, and the “plain” exhaust, you’ll be driving an amazing car and everyone will stop what they’re doing, and stare and smile at your car. Hell, I had a 996.2 that was 10 years old, probably considered in these circles one of the least desirable 911’s ever, and that was pretty much the ownership experience, and it was a thrill to unlock and hop in the car every day.

On the 992, I was actually very impressed w/ the base interior when I saw them in person... (I’m 44, and I don’t think it was that long ago that the nicest Mercedes had a vinyl dashboard, and no one thought it looked cheap) and I agree with many that the drive is likely just what many are looking for, on normal roads, etc... though I bet they’re both too powerful to wind out on anything but the most epic roads.

Still, whatever you get you’re going to love, the buying experience was a lot more complicated/stressful than the owning experience.

gcurnew

3RSinCarrera, the questions you need to ask yourself are how are you going to use the car, and what features and functions are important to you. Do you want 2wd or AWD? Will the car be a canyon carver, a grocery getter or a boulevard bauble? Are you capable of driving the car at 5/10ths, 7/10ths or 9/10ths? How tight is your budget? How important is it to get a car spec'd exactly the way you like it? How long do you plan to keep the car? After answering those (and other questions) I opted for a moderately optioned C4, because it does what I want a 911 to do. With respect to base vs. S, AWD vs 2wd, and what options are valuable, there are no right or wrong answers, only opinions. FWIW, If you ask open-ended questions here such as what color, what are "must have" options, you'll get all manner of opinions that won't help you decide what's right for YOU. Do some reading here and elsewhere, then ask specific questions, such as how does PTV+ work and then decide whether in your use case it will improve the driving experience. Sit in the different seats and decide what fits your body shape and driving style...listen to the base, Bose and Burmester audio systems and decide what works for you. Feel the base and the GT steering wheels in your hand to decide what fits you best.

limegreen

Welcome!

My opinion (likely unpopular), from someone who has owned 911's for 20+ years is that the "base 911" is actually the best 911. The base 911 is the purest form of the car, most true to the design and the best experience for 99% of the time you'll be using it.

GT and Turbo cars aside, all of the upgraded variants that come after the base Carerra (S,4S,T,GTS) are little more than a game of diminishing returns fueled by marketing and ego.

The design / performance of these cars has ensured that even the base model, while very different from the Corvettes your used to, is extremely capable with performance that far exceeds what even experienced drivers would need on the street or light track duty for that matter.... Porsche makes a lot of profit off of the upgraded model variants because what they are essentially doing is making very minor changes to the base car in order to boost performance for what amounts to little more than fractions of a second and minor appearance changes in most cases. So what most buyers are essentially purchasing are bragging rights.

Now, when it comes to the Turbo or "GT" versions of the 911, while the performance may be into the stratosphere and completely unnecessary at that point, the exclusive differences in the drive train, suspension, chassis and body transforms the car and experience so much that the price/purchase is easily justified for those who they appeal to with bragging rights aside.

As for the "base" 911 being less desirable, I would not worry about that in the least. With so many 911 variants to choose from now days, there is a demand for each and every one including people like myself who actually wanted the base car over the S for many reasons.

Best of luck and have fun with your purchase!

ianmSC

As someone who also lives in Los Angeles, you will get to use the power of the S maybe 1-2% of the time. Well, I shouldn't say that. If you live out in the Westlake Village area or Santa Clarita or another suburban neighborhood, then sure. But if you live anywhere near the center of the city and commute, it is just not realistically possible. You'll barely get to use the power of the base 911. Obviously if you go out on weekend morning drives, that's something else, but if you're buying the car to use as a daily driver, or something approximating a daily driver, the extra power is absolutely not necessary.

I've driven a Cayman and now a Carrera T, which has the torque vectoring, and driving on canyon roads in the hills, I don't think it makes a significantly noticeable difference. Nick Murray says it's a huge help in inclement weather, which might be true, but obviously that's not nearly as big of an issue here as it is back east. If you're tracking the car or taking it to the limit more often, sure I could see the torque vectoring being worth it, but again, driving it around town, using the power and handling to go through corners and on freeway ramps and on winding roads...the base is more than enough. The bigger brakes are nice too, I'm sure, but again the base brakes are fantastic, and unless you're driving at 8/10 or above, I don't think you'll really notice a huge difference. I test drove the 992 S for fun and driving around town, I wasn't blown away with the power difference between that car and my car. I mean, who doesn't like more power, and I'm positive it would be noticeable when driving harder, but that's what it comes down to...if you're doing normal driving, most of the time, the power isn't necessary.

There are no "must have" options, it's all what you want and intend to use the most often. Personally, I think the sports exhaust is worth it, it's something easy to use that you can and likely will use almost every time you drive the car. I'm tall, so I want the power seats with the extended thigh support. I don't really use the sunroof very often, and at $2k it's wildly overpriced. But everyone seems to want it, so they can charge that for it. I like the lane change assist, but again, just an absurdly overpriced option for $1k..you get that on a Kia these days.

One thing to consider if you are worried about resale value, options don't retain a lot of their value when it comes time to trade it in. Selling yourself might be different, but when you're trading in, the options just aren't worth much. A lightly optioned 992 S will do better in trade than a loaded up base car. You shouldn't buy your car for someone else, but it's something to consider. The issue for me is that a lot of the options I want, cost the same either way, so it'd be 10-12k in options on either trim level. So is paying $124-126k vs. $111-113k for the power, brakes and torque vectoring really worth it? For me, probably not.

ThomasCarreraGTS

Never, ever load up a Porsche. Having said that, I’ve done it twice even though I know better, but sometimes it’s so hard to say no. Having gotten that out of the way, a base S is a much smarter buy than a loaded base. At the same time, there is nothing wrong with a base at all. My first 911 was a 2003 base with manual and it’s probably the most fun car I’ve ever owned. My current car, which is the most special and the one I will never sell, is a 2011 GTS and while I love my car more than I can describe, I cannot honestly say that it is more fun to drive than that 2003 which I put 96,610 miles on. The newer one is just fancier and a bit more special. But not more fun. Don’t let anyone scare you off a “base” 911 if that’s what makes your budget happier.

KCviper

It's a 911.....and the car that people most associate with the brand (IMHO).....so you can't go wrong either way. I would agree that a lightly optioned S would be a good option to a heavily optioned base. I just bought my first Porsche 992 C2S a week ago and what I have found is that there are many many repeat Porsche buyers, so changes are this will only be your first Porsche and not your last!! Enjoy!

GratedWasabi

I strongly disagree that you should purchase a lightly optioned S over a base. Or the idea that you should worry about depreciation on options. Don't worry about selling a car you haven't bought yet.

IMO, check out all of the options thoroughly. Make a list of your high priority options and then of options you'd add if you had the budget. If you can afford all of your high priority options on an S, do it. Otherwise I'd get a base with your high priority options plus some of your secondary options.

Don't skimp on getting the seat you like best, comfort/assistance systems, etc.. These are things you WILL miss and in the real, non-internet world are much more important than some added HP.