hello all!

1st time poster here
happy owner of a GR 987 (6spd, PASM) in Pittsburgh, PA
the 987 is my first p-car and I'm definitely bitten by the p-car bug


my other car is a 225 Audi TT Coupe Quattro
presently, the TT is my 'winter' car and the box is the daily driver on non-snowy days (which we've had lots of this year)

i thought i had the perfect combo until the p-car bug hit me.. the box is so much fun that my poor TT is becoming a garage queen.... and i just can't let that happen, sooooo... I'm leaning toward having just one car as a daily driver

987 feels lighter, 997 more powerful, certainly different animals but both fun
I haven't driven the 997 cab yet .. drove a 996 cab a few years back and wasn't too impressed but loved the C2S

obviously i need to go out and drive them but I'd love to hear some opinions from here

requirements:
1) need to be able to drop the top (it's been over 15yrs since my last convertible and I'm having too much fun now to go without)
2) need all-weather capability (we USUALLY have snow up here in winter
3) has to be fun

my top choice right now is the 997 C4S cab
which means bye-bye to TT, 987, and $35K!

am I completely nuts?

I blame CoochasTT who changed from his Audi TT to the 997 4S coupe in a cool speed yellow... thanks a lot dude

what do you guys think of a C4S cab (with winter tires) as a daily driver in the northeast? Is it worth spending the extra cash? should I stick with the 987/TT
(I realize that this IS the 997 forum but all opinions are welcome)

btw, $100K for a car is REALLY stretching my budget!!!

Cheers,
AudiologisTT

 

Yes, you are completely nuts.
Welcome to the club.

 

Congrats on the choice, you will not look back. The 997cab is one hellova treat.
Is that a new c4scab or used you had in mind?

 

thanks!

I've been looking for both

if i can find a decent deal on a used that would be great
tempted to bite the bullet and order new with everything I want

including, perhaps, a spec order color from looong time ago p-cars

 

If you're looking for an older color let me know. I've been through the wringer with Porsche AG on this ad naseum.

Dan
Edgy01@aol.com

 

Audio, this is something you should think about carefully. Many of us are stretching our budgets, including me who has to cut one of my two annual month-length trips into the wide world. But when you are stating that you are REALLY stretching your budget, I'm wondering if you shouldn't go with a less well-equipped p-car. I don't think a p-car is much fun if you cannot afford anything besides it. Just my opinion.

 

Here is a silly question (perhaps).. why not fit 4 winter wheels and snow tires to your boxster? I'm in Montreal and I have plenty of friends who drive Boxsters in OUR winters (not so mild and way more snow) with no problems at all. AWD is nice but not a real must. If on the other hand you need an excuse to buy a C4S Cab then AWD is a must have safety feature which is priceless .. yadda yadda ...

Rgds,

 

how many snow days do you get in pittsburg a year?? in maryland, we get 3-5 days a year recently...and if you have several inches of snow on the road with salt and ice and a bunch of yahoos driving around,do you really want to be driving around in a 100k $$ car??? i had an 99 blazer i pickup for $4k 2 years ago for hauling things and snow days..just sold it to a friend and this year i decided to rent a 4wd pickup from entriprise each time it snows or a storm is coming...it has cost me a total of $35 for one day this year so far...i figure on a heavy snow year it will cost me $350, i dont have to worry about someone hitting the car..and with ice and snow on the ground, i dont really care about carrera like g forces or acceleration, and with 10-12 inches of snow on the ground, i dont think the c4s has enough ground clearance to do much.....

 

Dan:
thank you, I'll keep it in mind.
I love the dark grey (dolphin?) on 356s-- looks like Audi's nimbus grey
also green (conda?), and orange (gulf/signal?) on early 911s

if I'm taking the plunge for a new one I may as well go for a 'different' color

 

Thanks for the reply; I really should have explained it better.
I'm a 'cash-only' kinda buyer so my cars are paid in full, $0 debt.
I have the extra $35-40K so it won't really affect my lifestyle

the question is whether I want to leave that cash in the bank, make an investment in real estate, stocks, etc, etc... OR if I want to have a hugely expensive car that will take a big depreciation hit in a few years...

My rational side says: SAVE the $$$
My impulsive/emotional side says: GO FOR IT and worry about retirement later

 

I can see me explaining the 997 purchase to my wife: "really honey, you NEED the C4S because of the AWD, and it HAS to be a new model because of safety "

seriously, it's been 15yrs since my 85 MR2 that had snows...mid engine/RWD, no "PSM" and it did ok but many times I had to park it and walk!

a friend here with a BMW 330ci (DSC traction control) has had a tough time in our neighborhood (hills) while my Audi TT Quattro (with snows) never noticed a problem... perhaps the box with the better weight distribution/polar inertia/PSM would do OK but I think I'd feel more confident in an AWD car

cheers

 

you nailed it scycle.. that's my dilemma... $100K is a lot of cash to be drifting on snowy roads and I don't plan on pulling 1G with snow tires
hadn't thought of renting! interesting!!!!

I checked with my insurance and going from TT/987 to C4Scab will save me $900 a year.. more to think about.. thanks

 

Thanks for the clarification. As far as that issue is concerned, we recently had this discussion as part of another thread:

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-forum/249878-i-saw-research-peice-on-porsche-target-customer-for-997-a.html

 

i was in a similar situation as you. i can tell you that if you try 997, and have the money, there's no way back. its just a matter of time till you decide. i'm 36 years old, and thought buying it ten years from now would't be the same fun. so i started thiking about retirement from today, cause i already have the 997s. i also choosed a special color, rayher old style but very racing, not as exclusive as the ones you said. i took it in white with black clocks, so its a mixture of agresive and clasic. i think i've done the right thing. but i think you're never sure of it when you buy such a expensive car. in spain my cost 92500€, so i in america thery are much cheaper. when you become glad of your choise is every time you drive it. i dont use it as a dayly car, just for fun. the only problem is that ysour mnd is often trying to find time to take it out for a ride in some twisty road. i paid it cash. never would buy it another way cause i wouldnt feel good. if you can i recomend a new one, fully of your choice. its imposible to find the one you like. only one recomendation: never take a tiptronic. it kills the cars. and take into acount thas awd wont be as fun as rwd, but thats your choise. the porsche bug exists, and its very addictive and obsesive. but also very satisfying. luck with your election, and dont force things too much.

 

I live in Pittsburgh as well. I have a 2001 Audi S4. I had the same decision (ie C2S Cab or C4S Cab). The issue is not traction (although in Pittsburgh, even with a light snow coating, we need it with the hills). With a decent set of winter tires, I think the C2 can handle the Burgh. The real issue is for those 7-10 days per year where there is little ground clearance since the snowfall is 5-7 inches. I would not relish the ride home from Oakland to the South Hills if it snowed while I was at work. In addition, the salt from the winter roads is pretty crummy. Interestingly, when you read here and elsewhere, apparently most of the time 90% or so of the traction is at the rear wheels of the C4 anyway.

The C4S Cab, reasonably optioned, looks to be about $110K or so, where the 2006 C2S is about 10K less. In Pittsburgh, Sewickley Car Store would probably give $5K off (I have no idea where you got your car) and Auto Palace would probably match it. Personally, I like Auto Palace (close to work, and they give Cayenne loaners where Sewickely Car Store does not) but I almost bought my 911 from Sewickley Car Store and I think they are great as well.

I went for the 2005 C2S Cab (bought it in June 2005, from Autohaus in Lancaster, a long story) and kept my S4 for the winter (worth about 17K in trade, so I lost 7K on the deal). It turns out that I have driven my S Cab for most of the winter here, and even popped the top on January 13th when it was 67 degrees out (anything over 55 is fair game).

To each his own, and I have friends and collegues who have C4s as well as C2s with cheap winter beaters. My take--go for it.

Here is one way to make the decision (as only a Pittsburgher would):

Steelers win the Super Bowl on Sunday--buy the car with the extreme joy of the occasion.
Steelers lose the Super Bowl on Sunday (doubtful)---buy the car to get over the pain of the loss.

Good Luck.