$19k on a T. For me, it's mainly psychological, a balancing act between (i) trying to keep the price comfortably below how I'd spec the next trim up with a bit more discipline, and (ii) making sure I don't neuter the car and I have everything I really want. This gets harder with each new car, as I get used to more and more features. It's hard to go backwards...

 

Is Market Adjustment considered as an option? Because that is the most expensive single option equipped into my car after the base price.

If there are must have options, you should get them and not let a 'budget' limit those. Personalization (colored seat belts and dials, stickers, badging) should be based on budget if any. I have learned my lesson.

 

We didn't compromise, but I left off a lot of options that add no value to me.
Having owned various cars, including Porsche, since the 1970's I know that anything that can break very well might, especially as a car gets older. I sold my last two cars after 15 and 20 years, so we might have this one just as long.
PCCB's? Really? $10,000 just so you get less brake dust, or theoretical performance on the track? No thanks.
Front axle lift? With normal ride height front scrapes are rare and mostly very minor. I'm already seeing stories about failures. And I know this can be really expensive to fix when out of warranty.
Sunroof? No thanks. Never used it when I had it. Needs maintenance to the drains annually. Reduces headroom and allows more noise.
Rear axle steering? Another expensive and complicated option. Not needed in normal driving.
Four wheel drive? Reduces steering feel, adds weight, maintenance cost. Not necessary. Rear drive is more fun especially with standard limited slip differential.

Our total was a little over $17k on a C2S. Mainly just three things: Premium package, club leather interior, and Paldao wood trim. We did splurge for one custom item: rear strakes painted body color (Guards Red).

I think with the options we left off we saved not only a LOT of money, but also probably several hundred pounds of weight as well.

 

Couldn’t agree more. You nailed it on all five options.

 

@garthg 100% agree with you. I spent $12k and could've done $1k. Not because I'm on a budget but because many of the options are just dumb money pits. However, I disagree with PCCBs. I know of a GT3 with over 200k mi on the original PCCBs. No brake dust is nice but the main benefit is durability followed by brake feel. PCCBs are a terrible option for track due to cost.

 

Add me to the this list but I do have RAS and love how it improves handling on fast, tight turns. Worth it? I don't know, but I do really enjoy it.

 

Optioned 2K for 992, and 4K on my 991 GT3. I have money, just bought the cars to drive, I don't care about leather, stitching, fancy doodads. I expect if I am tracking a car I should know how to see around the car without surround view etc. To each their own though and that's why Porsche makes so much money from people optioning their dream cars.

 

Don't forget that the Buff Magazine "editors" and YouTubers who review these cars, and say that you have to get this, and this, and this option, aren't spending their own money, and have no plans to spend the next five or ten years with this car.

 

One year out of high school, with the help of an uncle, I drove away from the dealership with a new 356SC. The car was loaded with just about every option available from a very short list; $ 5,630. Working a little overtime, had enough for the payment & a few cans of Dixie, $ 0.25, in the evenings.
Almost sixty years later, I have reached a great place in my journey, except for the fixed income :-) No roommate, no house, no more art, no library, but the fully optioned 991.1, Targa 4S sits in the driveway….paid for! I have enjoyed great success & endured miserable failures, but the one constant through it all has been Porsche.
In reflection, there are probably a few things I would do differently, but if there was ever a doubt about a Porsche decision, it was quickly dismissed every time I turned the key.
Just an opinion; get the car equipped the way you want it; do not compromise. For awhile, don’t stay at the Ritz, step down from the French Bordeaux & wagyu, and check the boxes. You will never be sorry.

 

I would not consider consciously choosing not to load up the car with expensive and unnecessary options to be a "compromise".
I would consider a loaded C4S Targa to be bloated, overladen and with a Targa top that is extremely heavy, complicated and not that great when open. Such a car is probably about 500 pounds heavier than our C2S, like having two heavy passengers in the back seat.
Porsche engineers finally made a model that was lighter than the outgoing model. I don't want to spoil that with unnecessary geegaws. That's a choice, not a compromise.

 

Yes, we definitely disagree. Heavier, yes, but the car is rarely tracked. Complicated, yes, but the top is closed only when i run into rain or parked. Not a single fault in almost two years. Not that great open? Really? I appreciate the interior upgrades and not an option on the car I do not use or appreciate.
The option list gives every driver the ability to build his car for his personal use and preferences. This will be the last 911 for me. A car driven on weekends, short road trips, 100 to 1K miles, to SEC games, and longer, 8-10K mile, summer roadies. The additional weight is not noticed running the Dragon, or sitting on cruise at 100++ in ND.
Sorry, that all sounds like I am defending Targa, which is really absurd! :-) Option a car for your individual use & enjoy, but sometimes, better to have it & not need it, then need it & not have it.

 

@rwbern and @garthg : I don't think either of you are wrong. It's silly to cut corners on a six figure car. If you're going to penny pinch, hold off until you can afford not to compromise. That said, Porsche is a brilliant marketer and sells things that get even people like me, who are mindful about what they buy. My build was $12k and if I did it all over again tomorrow, I'd spend less than $1k. That's not because I'm cheap or on a budget but because of the type of car I'm buying and the intended use. $4k for better night vision? Are the PDLS+ really $4k better? I don't think so. $5k for Brumeister? On a noisy car? Spend $20k on your home system but Bose is all anyone needs on a 911, audiophiles included. I spent $11k on what amounts to color and a few strips of leather. I built the cabin I want to spent time in but when you look at where your money went, it's ridiculous. So, neither of you are wrong. It's just a matter of perspective. The clear winner? Porsche. Buy the stock. They can sell ice to eskimos.

 

You can debate individual options, but for me, it came down to this:

My first Porsche. I wanted EXACTLY what I wanted. I wasn't going to leave out an option due to cost, so I built the car I wanted.

If I needed to shave off 5-10k, I probably shouldn't be buying a 185k car. The options are outrageously over priced, but I got exactly what I wanted and have 0 regret. And to me, that's worth a lot.

 

No one needs a Porsche.

People want a Porsche.

As an object of desire, best to get it as you want, not as you should.

So option it the way you want, be it no option, or all boxes ticked.

These are "want" items, and I never want to buy a "want" item and feel left, ahem, wanting.

 

I'm glad that Porsche offers a bespoke order business model for a mass manufacturer. One can option out a bare bones lightweight track car or a luxury/tech heavy boulevard cruiser and everything in between. One isn't superior over the other as it depends on what the buyer wants to do with their dream car. What's important is for the buyer to be honest with themselves as to what they want out of the car and less about succumbing to peer pressure on what they "need" to get or what "isn't worth it" to get. There is no right or wrong. Everyone is different and Porsche recognizes the money to be made off of many of their customers' desire for individuality. I know it stresses some people out to have so many choices but I enjoy the process. I encourage those who have the opportunity to spec out their own car to take the time to look at colors and options in person by attending local Porsche events to see cars with different options. Now if Porsche can get their supply chain issues sorted so that all the option choices can be available all the time instead of waiting for the planets to align, that would be great.