Originally Posted by alexb76

I've slightly fallen out of love with my lowly 997.1 4S, and was looking around for replacement... then started driving around cars in the 50-70K range, either test drive, or I upgraded my rental cars whenever I traveled... OH BOY, nothing, I mean NOTHING is as engaging, enjoyable to drive, sounds as good, handles as good, brakes as well, and looks as good in the price range of a used 997... NOTHING! There are faster cars, more equipped cars, more technology, etc... BUT, I simply haven't driven any car that I enjoyed more than my 997...

The cars I drove:
BMW M3, Lexus IS, Lexus GS, Infiniti Q60, Mercedec C43, Mustang

Now admittedly most are not in the same sports car class of 911, BUT, their prices are the same or a lot more than a pre-owned 997, and they absolutely pale in comparison in driving enjoyment!

• Most turbo cars are simply crap, I owned an Audi S4 b5, and it was an awesome turbo engine, but the newer turbo cars seems to be tuned for fuel efficiency, and basically they're either laggy and slow in "eco/normal modes" or jerky in "sports mode".
• The needless array of display and features and buttons on most newer cars are taking away from drivers focus and basic crap like changing radio stations is now ridiculous in some cars (Infiniti with TWO screens was the worst).
• Most GT/sport cars lack in braking for some reason, and all are heavy and don't come close to 997 handling, none had as natural of a handling as 997. All were auto/dual clutch and I never liked any of their gear change ratios, BMW was probably the best but I still prefer manual.
• I also found a lot of AWD cars (compared to my 4S) do weird things like torque vectoring in cornering which completely takes away your control of the car dynamics, it may make the car safer, or faster in the hands of idiots, but it simply isn't as fun to drive, or as FAST to take corners in the hands of someone who knows how to drive.

So, folks, hold on to your 997, or upgrade within the range of 911, or if you're in the market for one, you're getting an amazing car for an incredible bargain price.

PS. IMS aside (2005), one major plus is that 997 has been an incredibly reliable car too... so no real gremlins owning a used one, unless abused ofcourse!