Ditchhanger

So I recently saw this post on Craigslist. I texted back and forth with the owner. It's a Chicago car, third owner, clean CarFax and history, current owner bought it back in April of 2015 with 21k miles. PPI when he bought it came back clean, no rust or corrosion, rear brakes replaced recently.

I currently have a 997 C4S (manual, aero front bumper, turbo rear decklid, TechArt wheels, PASM, PSE, full leather, 22k on the odometer) and I'm just looking for opinions from whoever wants to share some constructive advice. The owner is open to negotiations on the price, but I don't know if there are any red flags or things that would make me say no.

gotgolf52

I am also from Hawaii and I did the same thing you asked. I owned 997.1S but always looking to upgrade and it is a natural pathway going from regular Carrera to the king of 911. You can’t go wrong with the legendary Mezger engine and tons of aftermarket modification parts. It’s raw, loud and reliable but coolant line need to pin or weld to prevent fallout. However, Mezger engine with manual transmission are held very steady in price and actually went up in values the last few years. Tiptronic transmission are about $5-10k cheaper. Yeah crazy right?
. Personally I love the turbo but I don’t keep cars more than 3 years, so I am moving on to the gen 911. Regret selling my manual 997.1TT everyday.

Petza914

Drive a couple and see. The power and the way its delivered is a major difference but there's a ton of it - like a runway takeoff. The turbos are awesome, especially if you're already used to the way an AWD 997 feels - personally, I prefer the RWD models for the front end feel nuances.

Coolant lines as mentioned need to be addressed - I think that's a few thousand and cam gears (or something) also need to be pinned but those are really the only unique issues to that motor.

The turbos don't sound as good as the NA cars as the turbos are like another muffler.

If I was buying a 997 now, I'd buy a MT turbo and do a RWD conversion on it. Price should be $75-$85k for a really good one, give or take a bit.

yelcab

The king of 911 is actually a GT3 not a Turbo. But hey, just my opinion. I think the Turbo is too heavy and is very expensive to maintain and it is not as rare as a GT3. I also think that the 997 GT3 is a faster car than a 996 GT3 but it is not as special as the 996GT3. There is always something special about the first one, warts and all.

Best of luck.

Bob in NY

I owned a 2006 C4S and traded up to an 07 997 TT back in 2009. The car was awesome and after 7 years I foolishly sold it. I love the amazing power delivery and body shape with the side air intakes.
I drove mine 40k miles and had nearly no issues, just a leaky water pump. Make sure it has the adaptive sport seats, a must have in my opinion. If the car is super nice with low miles and priced right think about it. The pricing seems to be upper 70's to upper 90's. They are appreciating in value and it's a keeper. I've had my eye on a few I'm also considering. Good luck and try to drive one locally, you'll be amazed!

MexicoBlueTurboS

The 997.2 C4s always felt like it had more than enough power and more than enough brakes until I got a TTS with PCCBs. A test drive will hint at this but it's something you learn over a few hundred miles or more.

The best way I can phrase it is this - The C4s will get it done. The TTS will do it effortlessly.

It's just a whole other experience.

Balr14

I'd do it if I could afford it. I got to try an upgraded 2003 996 TT before I bought my C2S. It was a blast to drive! I would have bought it in a second if if it was a 997. But, a 997 turbo was about double the price.

terrydf

I just bought one and picked it up yesterday (2009 Turbo Cabriolet - Tiptronic). I had a 350 mile drive home. I just about broke my smile muscles. They need rest.

SpeedyD

I think it depends what you want out of your car.

For a feeling of balance, better sound, more usable power (wringing it out) then the carrera 4S is a keeper. Not sure if I missed whether you have a 997.1 or 997.2 but that would make a slight difference to me.

For power that pushes you into the seat, for a legendary engine, and for ultimate GT performance, the turbo ticks those boxes +++

I think if I wanted to daily drive a power car, I would get a 997 turbo.

For summer fun / backroads / occasional GT jaunt, I would stick with a 4S. On the roads I run on, the only upgrade would be a GT3+... running a turbo would not be as enjoyable, so for me not an upgrade.

Ditchhanger

Well...I almost pulled the trigger on trading in my C4S for a 2012 997.2 TTS the other day...

https://www.porschehawaii.com/invent...ad2a91cs766684

The car is amazing...all the bells and whistles of the 991 but in a 997 body and drivetrain. The power is like God himself reached down and pushed you along with his finger! It is a PDK, but that didn't bother me...it's actually a way better option than a tiptronic TT and the only other way I would consider a TTS. It has heated and ventilated seats (which the ventilated part is awesome here in Hawaii), sport chrono plus, full leather and PCCB which are standard on the TTS and of course CL wheels. The CL and the lack of the sport adaptive seats were some things that I didn't like (I currently have the sport adaptive seats in my C4S), as well as the final deal. I could have made it work, but I decided on keeping the C4S and will just save up for a TT. Did I make the right choice? I know it will be harder and harder to find 997 TT's in the upcoming years. Any thoughts?

Petza914

It's really a shame you can't get the adaptive seats with the ventilation feature.

Ditchhanger

I was wondering if that was a possibility, but I’m guessing it’s either one or the other?

Bob in NY

You made the right decision to pass on a car without adaptive sport seats. The new gen cars such as 981, 991 offer adaptive with heat and ventilation but not 997 models. Keep looking, you'll find the right combo.