mrsullivan

It seemed innocent enough....an early morning Christmas eve drive. First stopped by the Starbucks for a coffee and paper read, then out for a 30min-1hr highway drive in my car.

Next thing I know, I am near the Ft. Worth Porsche dealership, so decided to go by and take a look (not expecting them to be open).

Well they were open, and they had about 6 997s all lined up on the lot. I pulled up next to them so that I could compare the body shape to my 993....still just planning on a quick look mind you.

The sales guy came out and said "you have to drive one". They didnt have an "S" on the lot, only the standard 997. So, off I went in a red 05 997. Sticker on the car was about $77k.

Cosmetic impressions: The seats are awesome, much more support than my 993...actually, night and day difference. The car is about 1/2 inch wider than a 996 C4S according to the salesman, and that looked about right. It was nice and wide, the 997 body an obvious improvement over the 996. Biggest difference in the rear end between my 993 and the 997, was that my rear sat lower....that 997 rear is wide, but it still sits very high up. From the front, I have to admit that I like the 997 as well or better than my 993...it just made my car look a bit dated. The 19s are a nice touch....and contrary to popular belief, I think the wheels looked good...mean.

Chasis/Handling Impressions: In a word, solid. Granted its a new car and this would be expected. However, the 997 exceeded my expectations in this department. I drove it over very rough bumps, on highway, city roads, etc. It is SOOO solid feeling (suspension, braking, steering, etc). As some have seen from my previous posts, my primary complaint of my 993 from day one has been all the creaking and rattling that comes from the dash, sunroof, etc. This 997 was rock solid and tight...

Driving Impressions: Surprisingly disappointed. The car quick for certain, but I was not blown away by the 325hp the way I thought I would be. I think the reality is that the seat-of-pants difference between 282hp vs 325hp was not as noticeable as I had expected. It felt faster than my 993, yes....but not "wow" faster. The new button to re-map the throttle for quicker responsiveness is sort of cool, but of course just an electronic thing -- has nothing to really do with actual HP. The shifting was pure bliss...very snickity snickity....made my 993 shifter feel like crap...vague, notchy, etc.

OVERALL: Made me feel even better about my 993 ownership. Yes a 993 TT would be the absolute ideal, but if I had to choose between a NA 993 and a NA 997, I would honestly stick with the 993. Perhaps the 997 "S" would be a different story (I suspect that it would), but I was somewhat underwhelmed by the 997 I drove today. It felt like driving a very fast Lexus. Even the exhaust sounded very SUV-like.

Thought I would share....no offense to any 997 owners out there... individual mileage may vary, right?

Happy Holidays

kkim

Thanks for sharing. As many 993 owners have been dreaming/thinking of Porsche's newest offering, it's nice to know the grass is greener on the other side, but not as green as one may think.

Mahalo for the objective review.

JasonF

I sold my 993 about a month ago and picked up my 997 last Monday. I'm waiting until I put at least 1,500 miles and can really open the 997 up until I write a detailed review w/pics...Needless to say, there are areas where the 997 is superior, and others where the 993 just can't be beat...

mrsullivan

Yep - in all fairness, I am writing impressions based on a 30 min drive... may be different once the car can really be put through the paces...

Nice color choice on your new 997... :-)

Carrera Mike

Thanks for sharing.. Very interesting..

Air Kuul TT

Jonathan,

Thanks for sharing.... when side by side (993 & 997) the 993 is probably outdated but IMO the 993 is still the PURIST Maybe if I am fortunate enough my next P-car will be a 997 TT (like after my kids graduate from college, they are 8 & 6) Even then I still would keep my 993 TT.

Wishing everyone a very safe and special holidays

mrsullivan

Maybe whenever they graduate from elementary school you can do it (?)....., and then sell me your 993 TT (in my estimate one of the most perfect cars on the road) at a discount!

993RS

For those of you that missed it: my comparison of the 997 Carrera S and my C4S:
comparison

Arrwin

Congrats Jason! IIRC, you had a Guards Red 993 correct? We'd be interesting in hearing your impressions of the comparison. Please post some pics and a comparo.

Thanks!

Carrera Mike

I'm planning taking my daughter's college funds to get me a GT3 soon

Happy Holidays Everyone...

Speedraser

Jonathan,

Sorry to hear that your 993 is rattly -- that's not typical. In fact, one of the most satisfying things about my 56K mile '95 is that it feels so solid -- no squeaks, rattles, etc.

GrantG

My brand new (25 delivery miles) 2002 C2 was far more rattly than my 96 C2 with 48k...

mrsullivan

yep -- most of the rattling is coming from the dash area, although some with the seats too..

if the windows are down, or the radio is on (rare) then you cant really hear them much... however, with the windows up and radio off, you can really hear the rattle. Its intermittent, but somewhat bothering, and definitely noticeable. A friend was giving me a hard time "gee, I thought the build quality on these was supposed to be superb?"...

Anyways, I have been resistant to take any action, because I dont want to mess with removing anything or cracking open the dash. However, I think I can take out the glove box and get around a little in there to see if there are some loose wires taping against something, or a loose piece of plastic.

I know these cars are well engineered (especially the important stuff -- engine, drivetrain, etc) but it sure seems like they could have used a little higher quality materials on the interior and trim stuff. Example: I took out my spare tire for the first time the other day to install a new battery. I found that the piece of plastic that holds the cables in place underneath the spare tire was all cracked apart at the screws. Not a big deal, but I cant imagine anything causing that over 7 yrs time other than just cheapy materials.

aof

Mine rattles (12K miles), so does my friend's 97 C2S with 16K....

Mark in Baltimore

My experience is the same as Todd's and other 993 owners; my car is as tight as a drum with nary a squeak or rattle. Yes, I noticed this before I put on the Supercup exhaust.