My almost 3 month review of my C2 and options I chose
03-20-2021, 12:09 AM
#1
Pro
Thread Starter
My almost 3 month review of my C2 and options I chose
Pre 911; Spent many years in a miata and then moved up to the 718. Loved the 718 but always felt myself drawn more to the 911.
Preordering: After an extended test drive in both a C2 and C2S ( friends cars). I opted for the C2. Reasons I did so was that I felt that the C2 was plenty fast and since the C2S was just so powerful I would not really appreciate the wind up to speeds that were acceptable on todays roads. I did not want a manual as I long ago (on my Boxster) fell in love with the versatility of the PDK especially in manual mode. While the S was within my budget I was still price conscious and so this did also factor into my decision to go C2 Coupe. MY Boxster had been a stripper and I never wanted for any pf the options I did not have and so wanted to go with the same basic idea with my 911
Options I went with
I opted for
SC
PSE
20/21 wheels
Night blue
Sunroof delete
4way SSP
At the last minute I thew in partial leather as who does not like looking leather. stitching on the dash
Post ordering I spent a lot of time on Rennlist where if you spend enough time you can get to second guess even the importance of breathing. The standard arguments between C2 and C2S raged, PDK vs MT, wheel size, you name it - got interesting at times especially as so many posters were frustrated by their ridiculously long wait with their cars sitting on the piers
My ordering was pretty simple, walked into my dealer at the end of September with a base boxster and left with a an allocation, a build date for mid October and a delivery date of Dec 30.and a 6% discount I pretraded my Boxster and was given what I had been offered a year and 12-13K less miles ago ( Covid prices)
Car was delivered two days before new years and two days ahead of schedule
I have now had the car for 3 months and have 3K miles on it with winter wheels and tires and what follows is an honest appraisal
The car in general I love, I do not miss my Boxster and although the boxster was more nimble the back engine feel of the car more than makes up for it and with the power it has it does not feel nearly as large or heavy as it is made out to be. There are corners that I take and bends that I drive that make the 992 actually feel more nimble than my boxster. I will possibly miss a the lack of a roof on some summer days but in reality when drive I am so focused on the drive that often with the roof down in the Boxster I did not even realize the roof was down - that said it might give me the perfect excuse to get another Boxster as will to make my wife happy as she will miss the ride to the beach in the Boxster, As an aside I found myself getting very burnt in the boxster and except for early mornings or late evenings the sun was often too hot to fully enjoy.
Base vs C2S. I do not regret my choice at all and in many ways am thrilled I took the C2. I will admit there have been one or two times that I wish for a tiny bit more power on the high end of the revs but that is by far the exception and the other 99% of the time when I am pushing 4-5K RPMS around the twisties near my house and feeling that amazing torque but yet still staying at a passable if not totally acceptable speed I am thrilled with what this engine delivers. The wind up from slow speed to faster speed is amazing and I am almost never left wanting for power or left with anything but amazement for this engine. I do want to go back and try my friends S again as there is a part of me that thinks that holding the mid rev range in the S would have me going at an unacceptable speed. There are in fact times where even the base seems to powerful and I resent having to hold myself back in fear of what is waiting to pounce around the next corner. Some of the power concerns that I had initially were corrected by bieng a little more forceful with the pedal ( I was initially very tentative even coming out of break in
19/20 vs 20/21. I got 20/21's as I could not get comfortable with the 19/20 look. That said my car was given to me with my winter 19/20's on and so I have not actually seen my car in summer 20/21 shoes. That said I have no issue with the 19/20's and do not even notice the larger spaces in the wheel wells that drove me crazy when spec'ing the car. Will see how it looks in the 20/21's (and how it drives) but I think I would have been happy with 19/20’s. When I walk to the car and get in I do not even notice the wheels and when I am driving all I care about is the fun I am having
Sports Chrono - I ordered as I felt it was a must have and am not sure anymore that it is. The car is a PDK and I drive in manual mode almost all the time. I think that if you do not use manual mode the addition of sports plus is great but if you drive in manual mode you can largely replicate sports plus by raising your shift points. yes there are the engine mounts and other settings that you get with SC but I am not sure that it is a must have and possibly not needed if you drive PDK manual mode most of the time. If you do not it probably still is not needed but might be nice for the track. Do I regret getting it - no - It would have bugged me had I not (like it did in my Boxster) and while I do believe all options are money losers on resale I think SC does possibly have a little bit of return on it but I think as a purist/drivers car I am not sure SC is needed and would likely not spec it on a repeat
PSE - I got it as who does not want more noise. I do not truly feel that there is that dramatic of difference between the regular sound and the PSE and while it is a little better the regular exhaust and might also mature as the engine does I am not sure that it is worth the added cost. Do I regret getting it - not really - like PSE it would have bugged me to not have it but doing it again would have dropped the PSE and if I truly felt down the road that I needed it an after market choice would have been better
4 ways SSP - love them. Love the sports seats and as the only driver I had no need for memory. I also hate lumbar support and so did not need that and did not need the adjustable bolsters and so for me was perfect
Night blue: Beautiful color but is labor intensive to keep clean especially in the winter but cleaning the car is so easy that it is not a major issue. If there is no rain or snow I can go a couple of weeks between even a wipe down
Leather dash - very pretty but totally not necessary and relatively overpriced for what you get. It is nice to stare at the leather but if I do that once per day it is a lot and I am sure I would have been totally fine with the standard interior.
Extended fuel tank: The truly only must have. I drive very spirited all the time (once engine warm and so my average fuel consumption is around 15MPG (12-13 MPG early on the weekend when no one is around and 18 on a combined highway/regular roads) and so the smaller tank would have my filling up a LOT more often
Lack of all the other options I did not choose - when I get into the car I am blown away by how beautiful it is and how beautifully it drives and honestly not only do I not miss the multitude of options I did not take but for the life of me I cant even remember what they are. When that engine roars to life all I think of is the road, the steering, the pedals and the gears - nothing else matters
The only thing I use in the PSM is apple car play and as long as that works I am fine. Forward arrow controls songs forward. Diamond on wheel controls prior track and diamond on the center pulls up my garage opener. The rest I never use.
I opted not to go with PPM as this car was bough to be driven and road chips just do not bother me. That said after 3K miles/3 months of winter driving I have not had a single road chip. When I get them I will shrug my shoulders and say oh well and accept 1K less on trade in
I also have not yet heard a single creak, groan or rattle and aside from the PPI guy over filling my coolant and hence a coolant puddle at 100 miles and after my first spirited drive, I have had no issues
Would I do it all over again - in a heart beat
Is the 992 everything I wanted - absolutely
Is the C2 enough - you better believe it
What would my spec be if I did it all over again:
Midnight blue C2,, PDK (not that I have a choice in a C2) 19/20 wheels, standard interior. no PSE but S exhaust tips (love them over the base standard exhaust tips), extended range fuel tank and 4ways SSP. SC would still have me perseverating and I would probably take it as the only indulgence (in a car that is nothing but an indulgence)
I have total respect for all of those buying S’s. Turbos and pushing those options. Each to their own but it is also possible to experience the 992 in its purest simplest form.
Preordering: After an extended test drive in both a C2 and C2S ( friends cars). I opted for the C2. Reasons I did so was that I felt that the C2 was plenty fast and since the C2S was just so powerful I would not really appreciate the wind up to speeds that were acceptable on todays roads. I did not want a manual as I long ago (on my Boxster) fell in love with the versatility of the PDK especially in manual mode. While the S was within my budget I was still price conscious and so this did also factor into my decision to go C2 Coupe. MY Boxster had been a stripper and I never wanted for any pf the options I did not have and so wanted to go with the same basic idea with my 911
Options I went with
I opted for
SC
PSE
20/21 wheels
Night blue
Sunroof delete
4way SSP
At the last minute I thew in partial leather as who does not like looking leather. stitching on the dash
Post ordering I spent a lot of time on Rennlist where if you spend enough time you can get to second guess even the importance of breathing. The standard arguments between C2 and C2S raged, PDK vs MT, wheel size, you name it - got interesting at times especially as so many posters were frustrated by their ridiculously long wait with their cars sitting on the piers
My ordering was pretty simple, walked into my dealer at the end of September with a base boxster and left with a an allocation, a build date for mid October and a delivery date of Dec 30.and a 6% discount I pretraded my Boxster and was given what I had been offered a year and 12-13K less miles ago ( Covid prices)
Car was delivered two days before new years and two days ahead of schedule
I have now had the car for 3 months and have 3K miles on it with winter wheels and tires and what follows is an honest appraisal
The car in general I love, I do not miss my Boxster and although the boxster was more nimble the back engine feel of the car more than makes up for it and with the power it has it does not feel nearly as large or heavy as it is made out to be. There are corners that I take and bends that I drive that make the 992 actually feel more nimble than my boxster. I will possibly miss a the lack of a roof on some summer days but in reality when drive I am so focused on the drive that often with the roof down in the Boxster I did not even realize the roof was down - that said it might give me the perfect excuse to get another Boxster as will to make my wife happy as she will miss the ride to the beach in the Boxster, As an aside I found myself getting very burnt in the boxster and except for early mornings or late evenings the sun was often too hot to fully enjoy.
Base vs C2S. I do not regret my choice at all and in many ways am thrilled I took the C2. I will admit there have been one or two times that I wish for a tiny bit more power on the high end of the revs but that is by far the exception and the other 99% of the time when I am pushing 4-5K RPMS around the twisties near my house and feeling that amazing torque but yet still staying at a passable if not totally acceptable speed I am thrilled with what this engine delivers. The wind up from slow speed to faster speed is amazing and I am almost never left wanting for power or left with anything but amazement for this engine. I do want to go back and try my friends S again as there is a part of me that thinks that holding the mid rev range in the S would have me going at an unacceptable speed. There are in fact times where even the base seems to powerful and I resent having to hold myself back in fear of what is waiting to pounce around the next corner. Some of the power concerns that I had initially were corrected by bieng a little more forceful with the pedal ( I was initially very tentative even coming out of break in
19/20 vs 20/21. I got 20/21's as I could not get comfortable with the 19/20 look. That said my car was given to me with my winter 19/20's on and so I have not actually seen my car in summer 20/21 shoes. That said I have no issue with the 19/20's and do not even notice the larger spaces in the wheel wells that drove me crazy when spec'ing the car. Will see how it looks in the 20/21's (and how it drives) but I think I would have been happy with 19/20’s. When I walk to the car and get in I do not even notice the wheels and when I am driving all I care about is the fun I am having
Sports Chrono - I ordered as I felt it was a must have and am not sure anymore that it is. The car is a PDK and I drive in manual mode almost all the time. I think that if you do not use manual mode the addition of sports plus is great but if you drive in manual mode you can largely replicate sports plus by raising your shift points. yes there are the engine mounts and other settings that you get with SC but I am not sure that it is a must have and possibly not needed if you drive PDK manual mode most of the time. If you do not it probably still is not needed but might be nice for the track. Do I regret getting it - no - It would have bugged me had I not (like it did in my Boxster) and while I do believe all options are money losers on resale I think SC does possibly have a little bit of return on it but I think as a purist/drivers car I am not sure SC is needed and would likely not spec it on a repeat
PSE - I got it as who does not want more noise. I do not truly feel that there is that dramatic of difference between the regular sound and the PSE and while it is a little better the regular exhaust and might also mature as the engine does I am not sure that it is worth the added cost. Do I regret getting it - not really - like PSE it would have bugged me to not have it but doing it again would have dropped the PSE and if I truly felt down the road that I needed it an after market choice would have been better
4 ways SSP - love them. Love the sports seats and as the only driver I had no need for memory. I also hate lumbar support and so did not need that and did not need the adjustable bolsters and so for me was perfect
Night blue: Beautiful color but is labor intensive to keep clean especially in the winter but cleaning the car is so easy that it is not a major issue. If there is no rain or snow I can go a couple of weeks between even a wipe down
Leather dash - very pretty but totally not necessary and relatively overpriced for what you get. It is nice to stare at the leather but if I do that once per day it is a lot and I am sure I would have been totally fine with the standard interior.
Extended fuel tank: The truly only must have. I drive very spirited all the time (once engine warm and so my average fuel consumption is around 15MPG (12-13 MPG early on the weekend when no one is around and 18 on a combined highway/regular roads) and so the smaller tank would have my filling up a LOT more often
Lack of all the other options I did not choose - when I get into the car I am blown away by how beautiful it is and how beautifully it drives and honestly not only do I not miss the multitude of options I did not take but for the life of me I cant even remember what they are. When that engine roars to life all I think of is the road, the steering, the pedals and the gears - nothing else matters
The only thing I use in the PSM is apple car play and as long as that works I am fine. Forward arrow controls songs forward. Diamond on wheel controls prior track and diamond on the center pulls up my garage opener. The rest I never use.
I opted not to go with PPM as this car was bough to be driven and road chips just do not bother me. That said after 3K miles/3 months of winter driving I have not had a single road chip. When I get them I will shrug my shoulders and say oh well and accept 1K less on trade in
I also have not yet heard a single creak, groan or rattle and aside from the PPI guy over filling my coolant and hence a coolant puddle at 100 miles and after my first spirited drive, I have had no issues
Would I do it all over again - in a heart beat
Is the 992 everything I wanted - absolutely
Is the C2 enough - you better believe it
What would my spec be if I did it all over again:
Midnight blue C2,, PDK (not that I have a choice in a C2) 19/20 wheels, standard interior. no PSE but S exhaust tips (love them over the base standard exhaust tips), extended range fuel tank and 4ways SSP. SC would still have me perseverating and I would probably take it as the only indulgence (in a car that is nothing but an indulgence)
I have total respect for all of those buying S’s. Turbos and pushing those options. Each to their own but it is also possible to experience the 992 in its purest simplest form.
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03-20-2021, 12:25 AM
#2
Rennlist Member
Great write up! Nice to hear an insightful owners perspective.
In regards to SC. I drive mostly manual mode in sport+. It may not seem any different than sport mode without SC, however - it eliminates the exhaust overrun crackles & pops - while keeping the turbos spooled with instant power delivery on-tap. If you drive manual in normal mode - there’s a slight delay when shifting gears. So that IMO - makes SC a must have option.
In regards to SC. I drive mostly manual mode in sport+. It may not seem any different than sport mode without SC, however - it eliminates the exhaust overrun crackles & pops - while keeping the turbos spooled with instant power delivery on-tap. If you drive manual in normal mode - there’s a slight delay when shifting gears. So that IMO - makes SC a must have option.
Last edited by smiles11; 03-20-2021 at 12:32 AM.
03-20-2021, 12:39 AM
#3
Pro
Thread Starter
Great write up! Nice to hear an insightful owners perspective.
In regards to SC. I drive mostly manual mode in sport+. It may not seem any different than sport mode without SC, however - it eliminates the exhaust overrun crackles & pops - while keeping the turbos spooled with instant power delivery on-tap. If you drive manual in normal mode - there’s a slight delay when shifting gears. So that IMO - makes SC a must have option.
In regards to SC. I drive mostly manual mode in sport+. It may not seem any different than sport mode without SC, however - it eliminates the exhaust overrun crackles & pops - while keeping the turbos spooled with instant power delivery on-tap. If you drive manual in normal mode - there’s a slight delay when shifting gears. So that IMO - makes SC a must have option.
Will need to play a little more with manual S+ and see if I can discern that dramatic of a difference. Thanks
03-20-2021, 12:42 AM
#4
Rennlist Member
Thanks, definitely agree about regular mode and I actually am never in regular mode. I switch to sport before I actually kick on the engine. I drive 80% sports and 20% sports plus. I have not discerned that much difference between sports and sports plus but perhaps I need to play around with it a little more. Remember that without SC you still get sports mode. I personally believe the only reason regular exists is for the regulators and especially in the C2 the regular mode has a significant delay in its engine mapping which makes it almost unpleasant to drive - IMHO.
Will need to play a little more with manual S+ and see if I can discern that dramatic of a difference. Thanks
Will need to play a little more with manual S+ and see if I can discern that dramatic of a difference. Thanks
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craig66 (03-20-2021)
03-20-2021, 09:44 AM
#5
Great post. Your experience has been very similar to mine.
03-20-2021, 10:24 AM
#6
"What would my spec be if I did it all over again:
Midnight blue C2,, PDK (not that I have a choice in a C2) 19/20 wheels, standard interior. no PSE but S exhaust tips (love them over the base standard exhaust tips), extended range fuel tank and 4ways SSP. SC would still have me perseverating and I would probably take it as the only indulgence (in a car that is nothing but an indulgence)"
Great write up .It mirrors my experience with the 992
I came out of an M5 Monaco blue fully loaded and choose a C2 after driving and comparing the C2 with the S for daily driving.Mine is jet black with standard interior in beige,S pipes, sport Chrono, extended range fuel tank, 14 ways seats. For me this is the most fun enjoyable car for daily driving , if feels special its quick and the ride is very pleasant . This car is so good that when coming from work I always take the long way home . I would not spec it any other way.
Midnight blue C2,, PDK (not that I have a choice in a C2) 19/20 wheels, standard interior. no PSE but S exhaust tips (love them over the base standard exhaust tips), extended range fuel tank and 4ways SSP. SC would still have me perseverating and I would probably take it as the only indulgence (in a car that is nothing but an indulgence)"
Great write up .It mirrors my experience with the 992
I came out of an M5 Monaco blue fully loaded and choose a C2 after driving and comparing the C2 with the S for daily driving.Mine is jet black with standard interior in beige,S pipes, sport Chrono, extended range fuel tank, 14 ways seats. For me this is the most fun enjoyable car for daily driving , if feels special its quick and the ride is very pleasant . This car is so good that when coming from work I always take the long way home . I would not spec it any other way.
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craig66 (03-20-2021)
03-20-2021, 12:30 PM
#7
Great review
It is really helpful to have reviews by actual users
The YouTube videos are great but often do not reflect what 90% of us do with our cars. Videos also become predictable for many reviewers with JayEmm never missing an opportunity to cr*p on a Porsche and many of the others focusing on track use rather than daily use although Janko Lind is becoming my new favorite and loved what he did with the winter C2 review
I too have found that less is more and that the sweet spot is a lightly specked C2, although only in the Porsche world can one consider a car with 10K in options as lightly spec'ed.
It is really helpful to have reviews by actual users
The YouTube videos are great but often do not reflect what 90% of us do with our cars. Videos also become predictable for many reviewers with JayEmm never missing an opportunity to cr*p on a Porsche and many of the others focusing on track use rather than daily use although Janko Lind is becoming my new favorite and loved what he did with the winter C2 review
I too have found that less is more and that the sweet spot is a lightly specked C2, although only in the Porsche world can one consider a car with 10K in options as lightly spec'ed.
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craig66 (03-20-2021)
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03-20-2021, 12:57 PM
#8
This confirms my choice to go with a base. After owning a 964, which had enough power for the street, I bought a BMW 335 and it was even faster than the 964, and now knowing the base will be even faster than the bimmer, I know the base was the right choice for me. As everyone says, there really in no wrong configuration if that's what rings your bell, and for me I know I won't need more power for street use. I also owned an original mini, (10" wheels) which was built for fast street use with a cam, bored over, head work, twin carbs and it was a hoot to drive. Not fast, but as the old adage goes, I'd rather drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.
Thanks for taking the time to write such a concise, detailed ownership review!
Thanks for taking the time to write such a concise, detailed ownership review!
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craig66 (03-20-2021)
03-20-2021, 01:26 PM
#9
Base C2 is a heck of car. I’m still taking it easy on it as I’m on my first couple hundred miles, but even so, it scoots to 50mph under 4K revs with ease. When most speed limits around me are 45, tops, doesn’t make sense to have anything much faster (I know, I know, can never have too much power, etc. ).
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craig66 (03-20-2021)
03-20-2021, 01:31 PM
#10
Wonderful honest review by an actual owner who drives and enjoys their car. Bravo!
It's quite startling to remember the base C2 is a very, very capable sports car. I am not in the market for a new 992, being pretty happy with my 991.2 at the moment, but I can see going down this same path, if I ever get to that point.
It's quite startling to remember the base C2 is a very, very capable sports car. I am not in the market for a new 992, being pretty happy with my 991.2 at the moment, but I can see going down this same path, if I ever get to that point.
03-20-2021, 03:27 PM
#11
Advanced
Pre 911; Spent many years in a miata and then moved up to the 718. Loved the 718 but always felt myself drawn more to the 911.
Preordering: After an extended test drive in both a C2 and C2S ( friends cars). I opted for the C2. Reasons I did so was that I felt that the C2 was plenty fast and since the C2S was just so powerful I would not really appreciate the wind up to speeds that were acceptable on todays roads. I did not want a manual as I long ago (on my Boxster) fell in love with the versatility of the PDK especially in manual mode. While the S was within my budget I was still price conscious and so this did also factor into my decision to go C2 Coupe. MY Boxster had been a stripper and I never wanted for any pf the options I did not have and so wanted to go with the same basic idea with my 911
Options I went with
I opted for
SC
PSE
20/21 wheels
Night blue
Sunroof delete
4way SSP
At the last minute I thew in partial leather as who does not like looking leather. stitching on the dash
Post ordering I spent a lot of time on Rennlist where if you spend enough time you can get to second guess even the importance of breathing. The standard arguments between C2 and C2S raged, PDK vs MT, wheel size, you name it - got interesting at times especially as so many posters were frustrated by their ridiculously long wait with their cars sitting on the piers
My ordering was pretty simple, walked into my dealer at the end of September with a base boxster and left with a an allocation, a build date for mid October and a delivery date of Dec 30.and a 6% discount I pretraded my Boxster and was given what I had been offered a year and 12-13K less miles ago ( Covid prices)
Car was delivered two days before new years and two days ahead of schedule
I have now had the car for 3 months and have 3K miles on it with winter wheels and tires and what follows is an honest appraisal
The car in general I love, I do not miss my Boxster and although the boxster was more nimble the back engine feel of the car more than makes up for it and with the power it has it does not feel nearly as large or heavy as it is made out to be. There are corners that I take and bends that I drive that make the 992 actually feel more nimble than my boxster. I will possibly miss a the lack of a roof on some summer days but in reality when drive I am so focused on the drive that often with the roof down in the Boxster I did not even realize the roof was down - that said it might give me the perfect excuse to get another Boxster as will to make my wife happy as she will miss the ride to the beach in the Boxster, As an aside I found myself getting very burnt in the boxster and except for early mornings or late evenings the sun was often too hot to fully enjoy.
Base vs C2S. I do not regret my choice at all and in many ways am thrilled I took the C2. I will admit there have been one or two times that I wish for a tiny bit more power on the high end of the revs but that is by far the exception and the other 99% of the time when I am pushing 4-5K RPMS around the twisties near my house and feeling that amazing torque but yet still staying at a passable if not totally acceptable speed I am thrilled with what this engine delivers. The wind up from slow speed to faster speed is amazing and I am almost never left wanting for power or left with anything but amazement for this engine. I do want to go back and try my friends S again as there is a part of me that thinks that holding the mid rev range in the S would have me going at an unacceptable speed. There are in fact times where even the base seems to powerful and I resent having to hold myself back in fear of what is waiting to pounce around the next corner. Some of the power concerns that I had initially were corrected by bieng a little more forceful with the pedal ( I was initially very tentative even coming out of break in
19/20 vs 20/21. I got 20/21's as I could not get comfortable with the 19/20 look. That said my car was given to me with my winter 19/20's on and so I have not actually seen my car in summer 20/21 shoes. That said I have no issue with the 19/20's and do not even notice the larger spaces in the wheel wells that drove me crazy when spec'ing the car. Will see how it looks in the 20/21's (and how it drives) but I think I would have been happy with 19/20’s. When I walk to the car and get in I do not even notice the wheels and when I am driving all I care about is the fun I am having
Sports Chrono - I ordered as I felt it was a must have and am not sure anymore that it is. The car is a PDK and I drive in manual mode almost all the time. I think that if you do not use manual mode the addition of sports plus is great but if you drive in manual mode you can largely replicate sports plus by raising your shift points. yes there are the engine mounts and other settings that you get with SC but I am not sure that it is a must have and possibly not needed if you drive PDK manual mode most of the time. If you do not it probably still is not needed but might be nice for the track. Do I regret getting it - no - It would have bugged me had I not (like it did in my Boxster) and while I do believe all options are money losers on resale I think SC does possibly have a little bit of return on it but I think as a purist/drivers car I am not sure SC is needed and would likely not spec it on a repeat
PSE - I got it as who does not want more noise. I do not truly feel that there is that dramatic of difference between the regular sound and the PSE and while it is a little better the regular exhaust and might also mature as the engine does I am not sure that it is worth the added cost. Do I regret getting it - not really - like PSE it would have bugged me to not have it but doing it again would have dropped the PSE and if I truly felt down the road that I needed it an after market choice would have been better
4 ways SSP - love them. Love the sports seats and as the only driver I had no need for memory. I also hate lumbar support and so did not need that and did not need the adjustable bolsters and so for me was perfect
Night blue: Beautiful color but is labor intensive to keep clean especially in the winter but cleaning the car is so easy that it is not a major issue. If there is no rain or snow I can go a couple of weeks between even a wipe down
Leather dash - very pretty but totally not necessary and relatively overpriced for what you get. It is nice to stare at the leather but if I do that once per day it is a lot and I am sure I would have been totally fine with the standard interior.
Extended fuel tank: The truly only must have. I drive very spirited all the time (once engine warm and so my average fuel consumption is around 15MPG (12-13 MPG early on the weekend when no one is around and 18 on a combined highway/regular roads) and so the smaller tank would have my filling up a LOT more often
Lack of all the other options I did not choose - when I get into the car I am blown away by how beautiful it is and how beautifully it drives and honestly not only do I not miss the multitude of options I did not take but for the life of me I cant even remember what they are. When that engine roars to life all I think of is the road, the steering, the pedals and the gears - nothing else matters
The only thing I use in the PSM is apple car play and as long as that works I am fine. Forward arrow controls songs forward. Diamond on wheel controls prior track and diamond on the center pulls up my garage opener. The rest I never use.
I opted not to go with PPM as this car was bough to be driven and road chips just do not bother me. That said after 3K miles/3 months of winter driving I have not had a single road chip. When I get them I will shrug my shoulders and say oh well and accept 1K less on trade in
I also have not yet heard a single creak, groan or rattle and aside from the PPI guy over filling my coolant and hence a coolant puddle at 100 miles and after my first spirited drive, I have had no issues
Would I do it all over again - in a heart beat
Is the 992 everything I wanted - absolutely
Is the C2 enough - you better believe it
What would my spec be if I did it all over again:
Midnight blue C2,, PDK (not that I have a choice in a C2) 19/20 wheels, standard interior. no PSE but S exhaust tips (love them over the base standard exhaust tips), extended range fuel tank and 4ways SSP. SC would still have me perseverating and I would probably take it as the only indulgence (in a car that is nothing but an indulgence)
I have total respect for all of those buying S’s. Turbos and pushing those options. Each to their own but it is also possible to experience the 992 in its purest simplest form.
Preordering: After an extended test drive in both a C2 and C2S ( friends cars). I opted for the C2. Reasons I did so was that I felt that the C2 was plenty fast and since the C2S was just so powerful I would not really appreciate the wind up to speeds that were acceptable on todays roads. I did not want a manual as I long ago (on my Boxster) fell in love with the versatility of the PDK especially in manual mode. While the S was within my budget I was still price conscious and so this did also factor into my decision to go C2 Coupe. MY Boxster had been a stripper and I never wanted for any pf the options I did not have and so wanted to go with the same basic idea with my 911
Options I went with
I opted for
SC
PSE
20/21 wheels
Night blue
Sunroof delete
4way SSP
At the last minute I thew in partial leather as who does not like looking leather. stitching on the dash
Post ordering I spent a lot of time on Rennlist where if you spend enough time you can get to second guess even the importance of breathing. The standard arguments between C2 and C2S raged, PDK vs MT, wheel size, you name it - got interesting at times especially as so many posters were frustrated by their ridiculously long wait with their cars sitting on the piers
My ordering was pretty simple, walked into my dealer at the end of September with a base boxster and left with a an allocation, a build date for mid October and a delivery date of Dec 30.and a 6% discount I pretraded my Boxster and was given what I had been offered a year and 12-13K less miles ago ( Covid prices)
Car was delivered two days before new years and two days ahead of schedule
I have now had the car for 3 months and have 3K miles on it with winter wheels and tires and what follows is an honest appraisal
The car in general I love, I do not miss my Boxster and although the boxster was more nimble the back engine feel of the car more than makes up for it and with the power it has it does not feel nearly as large or heavy as it is made out to be. There are corners that I take and bends that I drive that make the 992 actually feel more nimble than my boxster. I will possibly miss a the lack of a roof on some summer days but in reality when drive I am so focused on the drive that often with the roof down in the Boxster I did not even realize the roof was down - that said it might give me the perfect excuse to get another Boxster as will to make my wife happy as she will miss the ride to the beach in the Boxster, As an aside I found myself getting very burnt in the boxster and except for early mornings or late evenings the sun was often too hot to fully enjoy.
Base vs C2S. I do not regret my choice at all and in many ways am thrilled I took the C2. I will admit there have been one or two times that I wish for a tiny bit more power on the high end of the revs but that is by far the exception and the other 99% of the time when I am pushing 4-5K RPMS around the twisties near my house and feeling that amazing torque but yet still staying at a passable if not totally acceptable speed I am thrilled with what this engine delivers. The wind up from slow speed to faster speed is amazing and I am almost never left wanting for power or left with anything but amazement for this engine. I do want to go back and try my friends S again as there is a part of me that thinks that holding the mid rev range in the S would have me going at an unacceptable speed. There are in fact times where even the base seems to powerful and I resent having to hold myself back in fear of what is waiting to pounce around the next corner. Some of the power concerns that I had initially were corrected by bieng a little more forceful with the pedal ( I was initially very tentative even coming out of break in
19/20 vs 20/21. I got 20/21's as I could not get comfortable with the 19/20 look. That said my car was given to me with my winter 19/20's on and so I have not actually seen my car in summer 20/21 shoes. That said I have no issue with the 19/20's and do not even notice the larger spaces in the wheel wells that drove me crazy when spec'ing the car. Will see how it looks in the 20/21's (and how it drives) but I think I would have been happy with 19/20’s. When I walk to the car and get in I do not even notice the wheels and when I am driving all I care about is the fun I am having
Sports Chrono - I ordered as I felt it was a must have and am not sure anymore that it is. The car is a PDK and I drive in manual mode almost all the time. I think that if you do not use manual mode the addition of sports plus is great but if you drive in manual mode you can largely replicate sports plus by raising your shift points. yes there are the engine mounts and other settings that you get with SC but I am not sure that it is a must have and possibly not needed if you drive PDK manual mode most of the time. If you do not it probably still is not needed but might be nice for the track. Do I regret getting it - no - It would have bugged me had I not (like it did in my Boxster) and while I do believe all options are money losers on resale I think SC does possibly have a little bit of return on it but I think as a purist/drivers car I am not sure SC is needed and would likely not spec it on a repeat
PSE - I got it as who does not want more noise. I do not truly feel that there is that dramatic of difference between the regular sound and the PSE and while it is a little better the regular exhaust and might also mature as the engine does I am not sure that it is worth the added cost. Do I regret getting it - not really - like PSE it would have bugged me to not have it but doing it again would have dropped the PSE and if I truly felt down the road that I needed it an after market choice would have been better
4 ways SSP - love them. Love the sports seats and as the only driver I had no need for memory. I also hate lumbar support and so did not need that and did not need the adjustable bolsters and so for me was perfect
Night blue: Beautiful color but is labor intensive to keep clean especially in the winter but cleaning the car is so easy that it is not a major issue. If there is no rain or snow I can go a couple of weeks between even a wipe down
Leather dash - very pretty but totally not necessary and relatively overpriced for what you get. It is nice to stare at the leather but if I do that once per day it is a lot and I am sure I would have been totally fine with the standard interior.
Extended fuel tank: The truly only must have. I drive very spirited all the time (once engine warm and so my average fuel consumption is around 15MPG (12-13 MPG early on the weekend when no one is around and 18 on a combined highway/regular roads) and so the smaller tank would have my filling up a LOT more often
Lack of all the other options I did not choose - when I get into the car I am blown away by how beautiful it is and how beautifully it drives and honestly not only do I not miss the multitude of options I did not take but for the life of me I cant even remember what they are. When that engine roars to life all I think of is the road, the steering, the pedals and the gears - nothing else matters
The only thing I use in the PSM is apple car play and as long as that works I am fine. Forward arrow controls songs forward. Diamond on wheel controls prior track and diamond on the center pulls up my garage opener. The rest I never use.
I opted not to go with PPM as this car was bough to be driven and road chips just do not bother me. That said after 3K miles/3 months of winter driving I have not had a single road chip. When I get them I will shrug my shoulders and say oh well and accept 1K less on trade in
I also have not yet heard a single creak, groan or rattle and aside from the PPI guy over filling my coolant and hence a coolant puddle at 100 miles and after my first spirited drive, I have had no issues
Would I do it all over again - in a heart beat
Is the 992 everything I wanted - absolutely
Is the C2 enough - you better believe it
What would my spec be if I did it all over again:
Midnight blue C2,, PDK (not that I have a choice in a C2) 19/20 wheels, standard interior. no PSE but S exhaust tips (love them over the base standard exhaust tips), extended range fuel tank and 4ways SSP. SC would still have me perseverating and I would probably take it as the only indulgence (in a car that is nothing but an indulgence)
I have total respect for all of those buying S’s. Turbos and pushing those options. Each to their own but it is also possible to experience the 992 in its purest simplest form.
great write up. My Guards Red C2 is due in July with 20/21, Bose, large tank... and I added Chrono yesterday. That’s it. I can’t wait. I test drove a C2S and was a bit overwhelmed. That thing would really get me in trouble. My plan is put at least 15 thousand miles a year on it. I’m glad you are enjoying yours.
Last edited by timjab; 03-20-2021 at 03:31 PM.
03-20-2021, 03:35 PM
#12
Rennlist Member
Nice write up, thanks for sharing. Still loving my C2 after a little more than a year with it!
03-20-2021, 03:58 PM
#13
Great write up!
Originally I was going full 992 Turbo S....money no option “you only live once” build.
After a test drive the turbo S wasn’t required... a C4S was more than enough... so I picked one up 9th Jan.
Originally I was going full 992 Turbo S....money no option “you only live once” build.
After a test drive the turbo S wasn’t required... a C4S was more than enough... so I picked one up 9th Jan.
03-20-2021, 09:46 PM
#14
Pro
Thread Starter
Thanks all, apologies for the horrendous typos. Wrote it last night and pushed send before I had a chance to proof read. It is great to see so many of us driving our cars and actually using them as they were designed and that my experience is not unique.
03-20-2021, 09:55 PM
#15
Great right up!
My C2 spec is also “lightly optioned” at around $11K. My biggest splurge was full leather with deviated stitching. After sitting in a base and a full leather interior at the dealership, I immediately noticed a difference....and spending 6 figures on a car, nothing but full leather would do. But that is just my humble opinion!! I passed on PSE based on reviews and no added HP. I also feel like there will eventually be aftermarket choices. I have no idea if this car will feel slow or not as a I’ve never driven one, but after Car and Driver was able to manage a 11.5 @ 120 in a base C2, I’m less concerned with going base. An eventual APR tune will scratch any itch I may feel for lack of power. My only potential regret in not going S is lack of PTV....I’m hoping I Won’t ever notice a difference. Most reviews I’ve read or seen seem to be that the lack of PTV is imperceptible. Anyway, congrats on your car and awesome review. I’ll be the proud owner of my first Porsche end of May.
My C2 spec is also “lightly optioned” at around $11K. My biggest splurge was full leather with deviated stitching. After sitting in a base and a full leather interior at the dealership, I immediately noticed a difference....and spending 6 figures on a car, nothing but full leather would do. But that is just my humble opinion!! I passed on PSE based on reviews and no added HP. I also feel like there will eventually be aftermarket choices. I have no idea if this car will feel slow or not as a I’ve never driven one, but after Car and Driver was able to manage a 11.5 @ 120 in a base C2, I’m less concerned with going base. An eventual APR tune will scratch any itch I may feel for lack of power. My only potential regret in not going S is lack of PTV....I’m hoping I Won’t ever notice a difference. Most reviews I’ve read or seen seem to be that the lack of PTV is imperceptible. Anyway, congrats on your car and awesome review. I’ll be the proud owner of my first Porsche end of May.