groovzilla

Ironman G50 still has a bit of "slop effect - although the G50 a much better design than the 915 in the early 911 which I was referring to. Early 911-911sc poor tranny and 911sc syncro issues drove me nuts.

I won't bring up/remind you of the 997/991 heater or defroster advancements easpecially with winter upon us. Don't want you selling your baby so soon

Ironman88

You should get out and drive a good 3.2 G50. No slop in mine...

Heater works great...

And - by the way... no bore scoring

groovzilla

Glad you're enjoying your new toy. Not sure if I mentioned but remember not to fold the Targa Top - Fits behind seats in open position
Folded tops eventually get ugly and start leaking

Ironman88

Yes - you did convey that - good advice.

Petza914 told me about the Sonderwerks foldable Targa top. It really is a great thing to have for an air-cooled 911 Targa or a 914. Made in the US by Sonderwerks in North Carolina.

They use the same vinyl material that the OEM targa top is made with. It was only $270. I bought one...

sandwedge

Must be hundreds of threads on this topic and I'm sure there will be hundreds more. As I see it, the market and what it demands has spoken for 13 years now since the PDK was rolled out. Someone said manual production numbers for the 991 and 992 is probably down to around 10% now where on the the 997 it was closer to 20%. Numbers that have held pretty steady over the years.

So is it fair to make a general statement that manuals command a premium over PDK's because they're in higher demand? Or is it the other way around where the production of manuals has steadily decreased because of low demand but get a premium here and there because so few exist and those who must have a manual almost get into price wars when one becomes available?

Order from the factory and you'll pay more for a PDK than a manual. Buy a pre-owned one and chances are you'll pay more for a manual if you must have one. As I've said before it almost seems like two separate markets. Some 80% don't want anything to do with a manual anymore and certainly wouldn't pay a premium for one. Then you have the 10% to 20% who will have nothing to do with a PDK car and have to compete over the few manuals available. At least this has been my observation.

Petza914

IMO - there are only 3 reasons to own a PDK 911.

1. you sit in traffic a fair amount and use the car regularly
2. you track the car and want to be as fast as you can be, focusing more on your lines and balance.
3. you have a medical issue that prevents regular clutch use.

If it's primarily a pleasure car and you enjoy the engagement of driving and all the tactile senses that involves, the PDK doesn't match the manual transmission for that.

Personally, I also don't want more than 6 gears in a MT and that 7th one was probably added simply for fuel economy, which I also don't care much about. Then it was cheaper to use the same transmission in the 991 for the manual and PDK but with a manual clutch setup instead of the electric one and yet another reason I have no interest in a 911 newer than a 997. As Porsche releases more cars, I find myself more interested in the older ones than the newer ones and why half my Porsche fleet is from 1984 or older. Someday I'll add a 964 or custom 993 speedster or a 993TT or R-Turbo, but nothing newer than what I already have.

skiracer

Petza914 - I love your wife's pink 997!

Petza914

Thanks - she does too.

Here's the before and after from that project back in 2013. I stole her PCCBs

Wayne Smith

There is a difference between the new buyer (many of whom I suspect are buying the brand and perceived perception of their neighbors) vs the enthusiast buying the used car. And there are a lot fewer MT cars to meet the enthusiast's demand.

That being said, if we are honest, for those looking at 991 and newer with rev matching the only difference between MT and PDK (in manual mode using the shift lever) is that with the MT you can still money shift and/or grind the gears. There becomes less and less difference between the two transmissions as you learn how to drive the PDK. And the debate becomes more and more foolish.

gutenfreibier

I feel a LOT of difference between simply mashing on the skinny pedal in a pdk vs working a clutch, shifter, and throttle on a manual. For outright acceleration speed, track work, and traffic, yes the pdk is probably better. It just depends if you care about those things. My take is that we may as well enjoy the manuals while we can. I'd not want a manual in a Tesla or whatever the cars of the future are.

sandwedge

Door # 1 used to be the reason for me. Have worked mostly from my home office since Covid changed everything so I drive much less these days. Just checked my records and since my last oil change in April 2021 I haven't even put 2,000 miles on the car.

sandwedge

I like it too. Not for me but for my wife. Was the transformation from black to pink complete or just external? With that I mean....is there any evidence anywhere that this was once a black car? Just curious since this drastic of a change in color would take quiet an effort and expense to make it look like it was a pink car since produced. Reason I'm asking is that I've seen some less than satisfying repainting results. Knowing how you do things though I think I already know the answer.

Liste-Renn

I will try and stay out of the PDK v. manual debate...
But will chime in on the transmission improvements PAG has made since the 991 7MT debuted as the only manual 911. (Even the GT3 was available only with PDK.)

So, to sandwedge and the others who tout market forces and percent of overall sales as an indication that the PDK is more desirable to most 911 enthusiasts, I present (yet again) this perspective:

After the 991.1 GT3 was introduced as a PDK-only model, the hue and cry from the GT3 community was loud enough that PAG developed and then offered the 991.2 GT3 with a manual 6-speed transmission (originally developed for the 991.1 based 911R).

Those 6MT 991.2 GT3s consistently sell for a premium over the equivalent PDK models- and there are many more of them, compared to the car production numbers of the 997 6MT.

That transmission found its way into the Speedster and GT3 Touring- both of which did not offer the PDK as an option.

Ergo, PAG deduced that the enthusiast 911 buyer was more attracted to a 6MT than to an ever more refined PDK, or the CAFE-compliance 7MT.

911R, 991.2 GT3 Touring and Speedster...what do they have in common?

They are models built for real roads, with the emphasis on driving engagement. Even more, they scratch the itch of a driver who wants to control the application of power to the drive wheels, continuously choose the optimum gear and manually match the engine, transmission and drive train revs.

There is something about utilizing all four limbs to master a machine...it places a burden on the brain and musculature that challenges one to acquire, refine and constantly maintain proficiency in the coordination of the brake/accelerator/clutch pedals, steering wheel and shift lever while also continuously determining braking points, turn apexes and road conditions...all the while maintaining keen awareness of the engine RPM as it relates to attaining optimal power and avoiding the dreaded money shift that can possibly destroy a $20K-$40K engine in a heartbeat.

A PDK relegates the left leg to standing on the dead pedal, the right arm to a double grip on the steering wheel (or possibly a grip on a fore/aft only PDK gear selector, or fingertips on one of the floppy gear shift paddles).
The part of a brain that monitors RPM-state is freed to concentrate on other matters and the part that considers optimal gear choice based on several ever-changing factors is pretty much given the entire drive off. The right foot is no longer burdened with heel-and-toe rev matching.

With PDK, the left hand acquires a steering partner that is available for 100% of the drive- even on linked curves that formerly demanded one-armed wheel inputs when manually rowing gears mid-corner.

It is just an altogether different experience.
A PITA to some, and a life long quest for the holy grail for others.
That's what driver engagement in a MT car means to me.
YMMV.
Just one guy's opinion.

Well, I tried to stay out of it!

TommyV44

I didn't feel like posting the Senna Heel Toe link again but one look at him driving that Honda NSX is all the argument anyone needs for the manual!! I wanna grow up and drive like that LOL!

Petza914

I did a pretty through disassembly of the car before taking it to the painter. Wish I had a pic of it going down the road with no lights, no bumpers, no rear decklid, etc as that was pretty funny.

The only places you can tell it was ever a different color are in the engine bay and under the interior carpets, but that's why when planning for a color change you buy a black on black car.

Sunroof was removed, mirrors were removed and disassembled into their multiple pieces, doors removed, weatherstripping around the doors and windows was removed so the transition line is under the weatherstripping, engine lid and hood were removed, etc.







Whereas a black engine bay just looks dark, a different color in there would be very noticeable. Same reason we bought the Cayenne in black / black for the widebody conversion and color change to pearl white.