As much as I absolutely LOVE my 2010 4S Cab, I’m starting to really consider making a move to the 992 Turbo Cab. My brother in LA, who has a 997.1 4S Cab, has just gotten an allocation for a 992 4 GTS Cab and it’s got me thinking about making a similar move. I looked at his build and I have to say that it looks friggin’ awesome. My 9Y0 Turbo Cayenne has all of the latest tech that’s in the 992’s, and it all works great. I just toyed around with the configurator to build a Turbo Cab, and while the headline number (before tax) is rather eye-popping, I can justify that in my own mind by telling myself that: 1) I’ve had my 997.2 for 10 years and plan to keep the new one for at least as long, so I think I can feel good about that over time, and 2) I think this may be a great time to get a market price for my 997.2 with a nice bump in demand for these cars over the last 2 years.

I’m wondering if any of you guys have looked at making this move and what I may be missing (other than a fair number of Benjamins in my bank account…). Does anyone want to talk me into or out of this idea…?

 

Too rich for my blood but I have a dear friend who has a 992 turbo S cab. One of the fastest cars I've ever been in. It looks great, I'm a big fan of the 992. I see a lot of them here in South Florida and I personally love the styling the more of them I see. Make sure you get the 930 leather package, it keeps the retro feel in the interior. If money is no object I'd order one with you.

 

For the things I value when driving my 997, it's the newest platform I have any interest in. The newer cars are larger, feel larger, are very tech-heavy and it sounds like you like that in you other Porsche, so you'll probably love it, but I like the noise, smells, switches and buttons and fewer screens (don't even like CarPlay and just do BT in my cars wiithout the rest of it). Don't like the driver assistance aids that steer my car, distance my car, limit the power because it senses water inside the fenders (rain mode), etc. I like my 40 year old Porsches more than I like anything they've made in the last decade, but that's just me.

 

I feel the same exact way!!

 

Like @Petza914 alluded to - if you love all the tech and having the fastest/newest car (and many less dollars) go get it! Effortless speed is certainly addictive, as are many of the newer technologies! The real question is - what will you love MORE about the 992? Size, style, comfort, tech, newness, performance? If you know what those are the decision should be pretty easy to weigh against the cost.

 

Is more really better?

Porsche, like most other premium car manufacturers, just keeps on piling on more features. Why? Because they have to demonstrate "value" to substantiate the big price tag.

Styling is purely subjective. You clearly like the 992 - and that's certainly fine. I think it's WAY overdone. Look what they've done with the size of the thing. Pork chop on tires. The size alone restricts any sense of driving connection.

How much control does a driver really have with a car like this? Computers / systems control most of it. So your connected experience really consists of being connected with micro-chips. Just like any new car.

So you drive the "go faster" machine 20 times or so, and then what? What is it about this car that constitutes value? After owning it for 5 years or so, it will be dated and stale looking. There's nothing classic or enduring about the look of a 992.

You've already said that you have all of the modern features that you want in your Cayenne. I would recommend that you keep your 997.2 so that you remain connected to a pure driving experience - something that is absent from all new cars.

 

I think the 992 is going to age really well. The rear looks great to me and from straight on it has a narrow windshield compared to the newer larger front fenders, has a slight 356 proportion from the front that I love. I wasn't a huge fan at first but it has grown on me. I'm with the rest of you in that the tech heavy down side just complicates what should be fast, simple and small. I find it hard to believe what comes after the 992 will be more of drivers car. Unless they go back to their real roots I bet the next one will be to far off the original definition of 911. Fast as sh*t though.

Someone had an idea in one of the other forums to make the 911 a separate brand and go back to tiny lightweight sports cars. I could see it working.

 

The rear is way too busy for my liking and very disappointing when the rear spoiler is deployed with the black underside and curved shape - possibly the ugliest Carrera rear ever when the spoiler is up IMO, and looks like a 90s Mitsubishi Eclipse. I disagree that it will age well - it's a larger, rounder and more bulbous version of the 911 shape and actually looks more like a descendent from the modern VW beetle than the classic 911.

 

I think it’s a foregone conclusion that since your bro is going newer, you’ll prob do the same and want someone here to stop you, if possible, but doubt it. The newer ones are greatly improved in terms of modern tech and power/comfort, so if that’s what you like, it’ll make you happy I’m sure.

I don’t mind the larger size of the newer models per se, as I still think they retain the feel of a sports car, and with better performance over previous models, but I don’t like they are no longer easy to work on since you can’t even pop the engine lid to check status of your drive belt, coolant tank/hoses, etc. Heck, to change out your air filter, you have to spend 30 minutes removing the tail lights and rear bumper just to get to it on a 991 or 992. I also am not a fan of all the electronic/digital iPad like displays that take me 5 minutes just to figure out how to change the radio station. Give me real gauges, buttons, and a manual transmission in my sports car please.

 

I agree that the 992 rear design is a step back. It looks too much like a Panamera to me from the rear. I think the 991 range is the best looking 911 so far, as it actually looks like a 911 still, but modern and sleek too. The 997 is starting to look long in the tooth to me, especially with those ugly rear bumperettes, but I still love it overall.

 

"The 997 is starting to look long in the tooth to me ...." if so what does the 993 and previous models look like; it seems like looking long in the tooth for 911's is a good thing given the prices they are fetching. Anyway, to me its just more classic, or "old school cool" haha,
Agreed the newer ones are way tooo busy in the backside; for me 991.1's and 997 's are my favorites aesthetically...

 

The 997 looks older to me cause of the longer front and rear overhang whereas the 991 and up are more sleek looking with the wheelbase stretched out and the more modern head and tail lamps, especially the thinner rear tails. Look, I have a 997 so I’m criticizing my own car, but that’s how I feel. The 993 and older ones, I feel look old but still great to look at but yeah, they look like old cars to me. Nothing wrong with that. To me, the 991.2 looks the best.

 

If you can you should rent the car for an extended period of time. I wasn't in the market but I did rent one for a long weekend through Porsche's rental program. It was such a fun car to have for the weekend and I would definitely not be mad to own one but they are very different from a 997. Don't get me wrong... it felt like a Porsche and the driving and feel was great, but just different from our cars. The same way I felt when driving a 993 or a 991.... you can feel that the cars are all connected to one another but each has it's own flavor.

It was nice to have all the modern stuff in the car but at the end of the day all that didn't matter to me... it was more about the driving feel and unless I am in a 992 GT3, I think I still might prefer the 997. The real move would be to own both =) Like I said, you gotta live with it for a few days (not just a test drive) if you can. I know Porsche even allows rentals for longer periods and you can get one for a month for about 3k (I think). Worth it for sure if you are considering buying.

 

the 992 turbo is a great car. It looks + drives amazing.

If you feel you've gotten enough enjoyment in your
- decade of 997 ownership
- it no longer makes you 'happy'
- have no affordability issues with the 992 (esp. since you factored that it is a great time to sell a 997)

then why not? life is short.

different priorities for different people.

Especially since the affordability (all life priorities considered - given the cost of the car) isn't a problem.

ps. I do agree that the spoiler in the up position for the 992 carreras - looks tacky from the back.

 

Thanks gents, this great - and honest - feedback on the differences between 12 years of evolution of these amazing cars. You guys have made a lot of great points, so here is where I think I'm landing (at least for now...).

I agree with the comments that there is something undeniably satisfying about driving a car that feels connected to the road as well as the satisfaction of a more analogue car in a world of almost purely digital cars, and that is certainly a big trade off of moving to the 992 platform. One key fact that I neglected to note is that I am blessed to regularly drive my fully restored 1968 911L (the car in my avatar), so my stable of P cars runs the gamut from air-cooled '68 to 997.2 manual 4S Cab to 9Y0-series Cayenne Turbo. If I swap the 997 for the 992, I'll still have (and will always drive) my air cooled 5-speed alongside the more modern 911 as well as the totally different latest-generation Cayenne Turbo. So for my own circumstances, while I would NEVER swap my '68 for any modern 911 out there for pretty much all of the reasons that you guys have listed here, I am finding myself more open than I thought I would be to swapping the 997 for the 992. For me, that swap doesn't substantially reduce my available driving experience since I have all the seat-of-your-pants, row-your-own-gears fun of the '68, while getting into a 992 Turbo Cab will give me all the benefits of 12 years of 911 evolution plus a jump into a Turbo which I think was always going to be my eventual destination.

To be honest, carerralicious kinda nailed it when he said "I think it’s a foregone conclusion that since your bro is going newer, you’ll prob do the same and want someone here to stop you, if possible, but doubt it. The newer ones are greatly improved in terms of modern tech and power/comfort, so if that’s what you like, it’ll make you happy I’m sure". What can I say, sibling rivalry is alive and well in my family But you guys have helped me think hard about all that I would be giving up in moving away from this undeniably awesome 997 platform so I haven't jumped ship yet. I've got some more work to do to figure this out, so thanks for all the food for thought as I keep noodling on this!