Holzy

Hi All, I am buying my first 911, but not my first Porsche. I am looking at 06-08 997's. My criteria is a cabriolet, S or 4S, manual, sports chrono. I am having trouble finding exactly what I want so was wondering if a 997.2 Non S is comparable? Seems like the HP bump and the direct injection in an 09 Non S might perform better than 997.1 s, all else being equal.
Thoughts?

voiceprint1

I'll bite, I own a non S 997.2, and drove a 997.1 S recently, I can say they feel very different, to me the 997.1 S was nice, hitting the sport button did not change my life or anything, but I drove a tiptronic. Living with the 997.2 is fine, plenty of power and feel. It's a highly subjective question, I have never felt like I am missing out on something with the non S car, but you will hear from Rennlisters that you simply can't have the car without all the Chrono ect.

z3mcoupe

Having owned a 2009 Targa 4 and now a 2009 C4S, I wouldn't be fussed over having to have the 'S'. I'd rather go for the color/options combo which hit the spot for me vs. having the bigger motor/brakes etc. The base car is plenty for most people 99% of the time.

alexb76

This!

You wouldn’t notice much of a difference in performance at all apart from 997.1 S have better brakes though, and 997.2 has better electronics. Find the best optioned car to your liking as in used market that’s more important.

docdrs

If your buying manual , I would go forthe 997.2. If your **** and need the S then , well you have no choice.

docdrs

If your buying manual , I would go forthe 997.2. If your **** and need the S then , well you have no choice.But at the end of the day I look no different at a s or non s , its still a 911 and its awesome.

Hella-Buggin'

I have a 997.1 S and can tell you that even a 997.1 Non S is plenty of car. Taking into account the newer 997.2 DFI engine and it's a no brainer. I track my car several times a year and a woman I know has a 997.1 Non S. We are pretty well matched and when we play follow the leader, the S does not make much if any of a difference. The advantage of the S in my eyes is the ability to swap break pads through the top slots. Not sure if the 997.2 Non S has that feature but the 997.1 Non S does not. Other than what is written on paper, they're pretty equal. Plus, you can add the Sport Button after the fact. Now, if that 997.2 is PDK... it will pull on a 997.1 S manual car just by shifting speed.

Hella-Buggin'

Oh, other than the base car's suspension is a little higher and tighter w/o PASM.

heatz

I was in the same position you are in a month ago but ended up with a .2 non-S. Installed H&R springs and I love the car. It has red painted calipers which add to the look on a black car. Would I rather have a .2 S, yes, but I am much happier with a .2 over a .1 and budget dicated I couldnt get a low-mileage .2 S. As it is, there are very few places around here where a few extra ponies can be used.

Tj40

I did the same - went 997.2 non-S. You lose 10HP to the 997.1 S - how accurate is your butt dyno? People on here decry anyone who claims to have added 10HP and can 'feel the difference'. On a 345HP car that's a 2.8% increase in power, as has been said PDK will get that back on the track with faster/better shifting.
Plus 977.2 you get the DFI engine - no IMS issues, yes the suspension is higher but Eibach/H&R will solve that problem. I can't comment on braking differences (as I brought one with ceramics) but there are spacer kits if you want to add the larger front rotors.

I drove a .1 car (manual) before buying my .2 (pdk) both are great cars but I'd go .2 again over a .1 'S'

LISsailor

I'd go .2 non-s over .1 S for all the updates (visual, mechanical, and technological) in ADDITION to the mitigation of catastrophic issues associated with the .1. Not saying likelihood of failure is high in a .1, just not something I'd be willing to live with.

wjk_glynn

Porsche's own numbers for the .1 and .2 coupes...



Karl.

Holzy

Awesome, great information. Think I am opting for the 997.2.
If anyone is selling a 997.2 Cab 6MT let me know, I will scour the marketplace.

halperin45

i think .2s are much more reliable. prob why their prices are holding firm much more so then .1s

Holzy

I have been trying to buy one for about 9 months, yes I am a bit picky. Had one all ready to go then I read on these forums about the Over Rev report. Got the report back with hits in 3,4 and 5 range. Thanks to everyone I was able to avoid the potential disaster. The prices for an 06-08 S 6MT Cab vary quite a bit and seem high. Seems like there are better "deals" on Non S .2s. That was the reason for my initial question. With negligible difference in performance between the two, I am definitely going after a .2.