wintershade

I’m looking for opinions on a C4S vs a Turbo coupe as a DD. Likely no track use. I’d buy a GT4 if I ever had time to get back into that. CS4 is pretty maxed out at $170K vs Turbo is lightly optioned at around $195K, because my wife arbitrarily gave me a budget (my car can’t cost more than my dad’s house, which seemed reasonable).

The plan is to keep this a longish time (10 years?) and add a second “fun” car in a few years (probably a 993 or 964 resto mod).

While I’m sure the power of the TT is intoxicating, aside from the occasional freeway blast, I’m wondering if the C4S is more livable (attract less attention, easier to street park in downtown Boston, etc) and perhaps more “fun” for the occasional back road jaunt / long way home.

I have a C4S allocation for June delivery but a Turbo might be harder to come by obviously (dealer couldn’t commit to a timeline). I’m fine waiting. We have a X3 M40 family hauler and I could buy something else at the bottom of the depreciation curve (996?) in the meantime.

I could probably drop some of the frills on the C4S to get it down to $165K or so and save some budget for a Boxster or ND Miata or something, which has its appeal for days I want to row my own gears.

Bluehighways

I believe my vote would be for a nicely optioned C4S. I just don't see the value in the extra $$ for a TT. That and if the interest is in having the best of the best performance wise, the TT wouldn't do it. I'd have to have a TTS to scratch that itch and now you're talking quantum dollars difference. A difference more than sufficient to pick up a very lightly used Cayman with a stick or two Miata's.

br911

I'm not sure this is comparable, but I used to commute with a 997.2 C4S and replaced it for a 997.2 TT. No doubt I enjoyed the TT better for DD, but the difference in the case of 997 was between a NA and a Turbo. The Turbo for DD is more comfortable and it requires less revs to achieve the same performance. So on a daily basis, it makes a difference in comfort, IMO. This is not applicable in the case of a 992. But my sense is that if you want to keep the car for 10 years, if you have a thing for a Turbo, you will spend the time in the C4S thinking about being in a TT. That was my case, and why I decided to buy a TT. But I was not constrained by wife. Try to drive both and see how you feel would be my recommendation.

rumnyc

As a recent owner of a 992 c2s that is my dd, the last thing i want is more power. already its hard enough to floor it without worrying about losing my license or going to jail. for daily driver i vote for a perfectly optioned c4s as the little options make more difference in a dd vs a weekend queen which need fewer options imho.

aquatone

I faced the same dilemma and stuck with my well-optioned C4S at $165K arriving in a few weeks. I also purchased the C4S as a DD and long-term purchase and have no plans to use it on a track. I could not bring the TT configuration I wanted down to under $195K and had better things to spend that additional $30K difference on. The C4S is still very fast and looks exactly the same inside. Unless you can maximize the TT's capabilities without risking your license, I did not feel shaving that extra 0.4 seconds or so to 60mph worth it. I personally would have more buyer's remorse being in a stripped-down TT than a well-optioned C4S. I also reasoned that having lived with the C4S for a bit, if I really did get the TT itch, I would go straight for a depreciated 992.1 TTS in a few years.

rk-d

One way to look at it - $30k over a 10 year horizon is not as significant a difference. You can build a very nice TT at $195k that is very well optioned - likely equivalent to a $165k C4s.

There is no such thing as "too fast". All these cars are very civilized and even at the speed limit, you can feel the difference in power between a C4s and a TT. The C4s is definitely not TOO powerful, where a TT would make no sense.

The power band of the Turbo cars are very accessible and they aren't like GT3s where you need to wind them out. For daily driving, the TT makes a lot of sense.

There is an argument to be made that at this price range, a TTS makes more sense. Though the stock configuration of the TTS at $205k is pretty well equipped, the average TTS build runs about $230k. It's likely you'd be in the $220k ballpark and that's well above your budget.

I'd never argue that the C4S isn't fast, but I'd dispute the idea that a TT is not viable, or meaningfully different when driving legal speeds. It's a completely different powertrain - with a ~3.8 liter engine and reinforced PDK. It also looks awesome. I think it's the more special car. If you have the option, I don't really see you regretting buying one (aside from the potential FOMO of not getting a TTS).

PorscheSince2013

Manual = C4S. PDK = Turbo.

pitt911

I agree that there is no such thing as too fast
I dd an M5C and it has 620 HP , yes I have to be careful with the right foot , but the few times a drive I floor it, it puts a smile on my face , and this is coming from a guy that every car in the garage currently and in the past few years has/had 450 plus HP mostly 500 hp and above
having said that I am getting my C4S in two weeks. One reason I chose the C4S over a TTS , because I drive a lot and I don't want to take a big hit on a 200 k car with a lot of miles
but if i drive 5-7 k miles a year , I would have picked a TTS or a Turbo

wintershade

Thanks.

I agree the $30K delta isn’t a big deal. I wouldn’t say the cost difference is the biggest driver.

With the C4S, some options I’d have (that I wouldn’t have on the TT) include PDCC, RWS, FAL, and ACC.

I was originally pretty set on the C4S because I wanted a manual. But the more I thought about PDK, I was attracted by the ability to spec ACC (for frequently encountered stop-and-go traffic commuting and returning to city from my summer home) and the ability for my wife to use the car, plus I’ve heard mixed review of the 7-speed gearbox. Since I’ll eventually get a 2nd “fun” / vintage 911. So I kind of started leaning PDK which brought the TT back into the picture.

I do kind of feel you on the TT (non-S) being a “Turbo Sh**ty” and the badge envy. I don’t want center locks though (for one) and it’s just not worth the argument with my wife (who basically lets me buy whatever toys I want) to push budget into the $225K realm. And at that kind of money, I do think there are others things I’d rather do with the incremental $50K.

I always used to prefer the looks of the TT. Those side scoops and rear hips are beautiful. But they’re also really aggressive looking and draw a lot more attention (mostly negative in my social and family circles) unfortunately.

rk-d

TT comes stock with RWS - so you can take that off the list.

Personally, I have an air cooled car as my "fun" manual transmission car. Because of that, my C2S (and TTS later) have PDK. For me, it's ideal for a daily driver and really does maximize performance potential. And I still get to scratch that manual transmission itch with the a/c car. If you plan to go that way - you won't regret it. I love having both kinds of cars. They are totally different experiences that compliment each other.

Badge envy depends on the person - I had a 991.2 TT and I never once felt like I was shortchanged on performance. But in hindsight, I did have some regrets not going TTS, just on principle. It's one of the reasons I am going TTS this time. If that's going to be you - it may be best to pass on the TT, because (odds are) you will dump it before your 10 year window. At this price point, you need to be 100% happy.

I'd question how much more attention a TT/TTS will attract, BTW. The C4S is a wide body and has a lot of presence. I suspect most civilians couldn't even tell the difference. If they negatively respond to a TT/TTS, they'll do the same for a C4S.

Richard_Wallace

I cross shopped the 991.2 GTS (manual) and TTS when looking for a 992 C4S manual for my DD. (The 992 TTS was not out or announced when I was looking last March). I honestly would have gotten a 992 Base if it had a manual. The power in the C4S (and frankly base) is more than enough for a DD. I also decided that I wanted as less flashy as a porsche can be as it is a DD. I decided on the 992 C4S - due to the tech above the 991.2 gen, you - of course do not have that issue.

I also have a few other fun cars for more speed if needed. If this was my only fun/fast and DD car, I would probably opt for the 992 TT or TTS. However, I do not think you are going to miss more performance in the C4S/CS - as I have the manual, and it still gets up and goes and not even a PDK. The good news is you cannot go wrong either way, and it depends on if you want the best/fastest, or ok with a little slower and 30K in your pocket. Also, I got my C4S really nicely optioned (before discount) at 150K, that difference being more significant for a DD than 195K would make my decision a bit easier as the gap could be used to buy something else as well.

detansinn

There's no such thing as a 911 that attracts attention. That's why many of us we buy these cars. The public can't tell the difference between a Turbo and Base Carrera. It's going to attract the same amount of attention regardless of the 911 trim or how it is equipped. I know that in some parts of the country, a 911 is a rare sight, but they're quite common in the northeast. From my front porch, we watch them drive by the house all day long. In fact, last summer, we saw six go by in less than a half hour.

I own a nicely equipped 992 C4S and while I have considered the step up to the TTS, I haven't been able to justify the additional $70k premium that I would pay for a similarly equipped TTS build. For that kind of money, I could add another very nice car to the stable. TBH. the experience isn't different enough for me. Sitting in the cockpit of the TTS isn't going to feel any different than my C4S. The thrill of speed wears off with anything after a while.

If you live in an area with 70-80MPH roadways where the flow of traffic gets into triple digits, I think that the entertainment value of the 992 TT/TTS might be worth it for some people. Having driven my C4S in those parts of the country and having spent time driving the pandemic autobahn last summer, it's not like it's necessary. Without the shadow of the 992 TT/TTS, you'd think that the C4S was the fastest thing on the road.

Here are a few other things to consider...

• The TT/TTS depreciation curve is steeper than the Carreras, especially in the initial years. So, the actual cost delta is bigger than the premium of a new TT/TTS vs new Carrera is quite larger than it appears. Not so much an issue if you're holding onto it for 10 years, but something to consider if your eyes wander when the 992.2 or hybrid comes along.
• Depending upon where you live, a TT/TTS can be substantially more expensive to insure than a Carrera. Be sure to price that out before making a decision.
• The TT/TTS cars are a bit thirstier than the Carrera 4S. While no one makes a 911 decision based upon fuel economy, when gas is over $8/gallon in 10 years, everyone is going to feel it.

Note that none of these are deal-breakers. They're just some additional considerations. If I didn't already own a C4S, I'd be giving serious consideration to a TT/TTS given my tendencies towards cross country road-tripping.

casaforte9

Richard has other cars to get that rush, lol . I think this generation the 992 TT feels more sportier than 991 TT due to Porsche GT getting involved during development . I am wondering how the actual 992 TT owners who moved from 992 carerra feel about the 992 Turbo

BDivine

I think you answered your own question. I recently moved to a C4S from a McLaren 570S. The McLaren was strictly a toy to drive on the weekends and have fun. The C4S I use as a daily that I can also go have fun driving in the canyons. Your comment about occasional freeway blast in a TT is similar to how I felt in the Mac...it's just too fast to have fun on public roads. The power is absolutely intoxicating, but you're very quickly in triple digit speeds before you need to back off. The C4S is by no means slow (actually a quicker car in the canyons) and you can actually go through a few gears and have a little fun with the car in ways you would not be able to do in a TT without spending a fair amount of time at "go to jail" speeds. I can say that for me moving to a slower (but not slow) car was absolutely the right move and I don't regret it for a second. Good luck with your purchase!

rewardforsuccess

Turbo S. So the excuses can stop.