vtrader

Delete sunroof is a no cost option, not a grand.

Carrera GT

You can reduce the unsprung weight of the 997S with lighter wheels (Forgeline has some light, yet very strong wheels) and the steel rotors can be replaced with a two-piece product.

On a 3300lb production sports car without some upgrades, I doubt anyone short of a professional 911 driver could tell the difference or see it reflected in lap times, stopping distances, cornering Gs etc.

Characteristics of handling are pretty much identical in the cars (the engines are the same weight for all intents and purposes) and I can only recommend taking your brand new Porsche to your trusted service company to get it aligned! I'm yet to see a new car arrive with a good alignment -- including three GT3s in the last six weeks. It's no big deal, just don't base your opinion on a demo drive of a car that's no set up, especially when trying to discern subtlties between the 997 and 997S.

Cheers,

holminator

Originally I ordered a 997S, but my dealership screwed up my trade-in of my 2002 Boxster S. I was traveling too much for work and did not have time to sell the car through the newspaper, test drives to strangers, etc. Hence the trade-in was my only course of action, I guess. The dealership tried to offer me $10k below trade-in market value of the car (the so-called Black Book value). When asked why such a low offer, they told me the car was in two major accidents (one front, one back). My eyes bugged out and my jaw dropped. BULLSHEISSE--I thought, said. I was the only owner and knew for a fact that was not true. The car was in mint condition. The dealership tried to pull a fast one on the day my 997S got off the boat. One hour later I went to Plan B at another dealership and went home that night in my black 997. I test drove a 997S, but had not done so in the 997 before that fateful night. To be frank, I cannot tell the difference between the 997S and 997, equipped with Chrono Sport, PASM, and 19-in wheels. I have almost all the options I ordered on the 997S and I saved $10k on the final price, not including the trade-in stuff. The other dealership not only gave me a fair price on the trade-in, but they informed me a few days ago that my Boxster S is going to be a Porsche Certified vehicle. Some Porsche dealers suck. Others rock. I still have not noticed differences, such as the 0.2 second lag between the 997 and 997S on the 100 kph run. I have not noticed a difference in braking or cornering. It's something to think about.

Tony

Moogle

the cars are very similar, at the end of the day its up to the user to decide if he wants the additional performance upgrades.

i will say that i've seen over a dozen S's on the roads (different ones), and i have yet to see a base car.

i know many people that would choose the S for reasons other than the performance increases.

isnt anyone tired of this discussion yet?

its basically a rehash of the boxster versus boxster S discussion that has been going on since 2000.

Gary R.

I personally liked the S better, but as i'm coming from a BMW, both were a big move forward to me. I will say I DID notice the exaust note difference, to me the S had more of a "rip" to it... but car sound is quite an objective thing..

Good color choice BTW!