Has anyone gone from a SL55 or SL600 to a 997?
07-24-2006, 01:13 AM
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Has anyone gone from a SL55 or SL600 to a 997?
Wanna hear any experiences...
I am in the midst of selling my SL55 and am thinking of picking up a 997 C4S Cab... Either that or a '00 360 coupe or AMV8...997 is a cheaper car but it seems to be more fun to drive, albeit the lack of a hardtop convertible, less luxury... and lack of exclusivity (I see more 911's than Boxter's in Malibu & Brentwood/Westwood).. .BUT, like I said -- they're pretty damn exciting to drive...
Anyone else make the transition? Any regrets or is it all groovy?
I am in the midst of selling my SL55 and am thinking of picking up a 997 C4S Cab... Either that or a '00 360 coupe or AMV8...997 is a cheaper car but it seems to be more fun to drive, albeit the lack of a hardtop convertible, less luxury... and lack of exclusivity (I see more 911's than Boxter's in Malibu & Brentwood/Westwood).. .BUT, like I said -- they're pretty damn exciting to drive...
Anyone else make the transition? Any regrets or is it all groovy?
07-24-2006, 04:19 AM
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I think there was a guy on this site who switched from an SL55 to a 997....He much prefered the 997....more exciting etc...He'd also had a lot of problems with the SL roof....so I think he was just happy to be out of the car. Lack of exclusivity shouldn't be an issue for you if you're coming out of an SL, .... I can come to a 4 way stop in BH and the 3 other cars are sl's (not trying to be a wise ***....just can't believe how many sl's roam LA's streets).
I'm not sure I agree with you on the luxury comment.....you can really go to town on the 997's interior....everything from a leather dash to leather covered vents.....granted it's not going to have air conditioned seats etc but you really can make the interior very exclusive......One of my biggest complaints about Mercs are the generic interiors....there's not nearly enough differentiation between their $40,000 car interiors & their $140,000 car interiors
I had a '00 360 (which I brought with me when I moved from Europe)......I'd still have it if it weren't for the ridiculous federalisation requirements.....If you are serious about a 360 and are looking for an F1 version, I suggest that you go for a MY 01 onwards....Ferrari changed the software for the F1 gearbox which improved the longevity of the clutch, and the smoothness of low speed maneuvering....It's also a lot easier for the dealership to tweak the clutch engagement point in the updated box.....My car managed 5300 miles before it had a new clutch and it's a $4500 job...so it's worth spending a little more and getting a MY01 (I believe it was July 01 that the change occurred...can't remember).
Probably not the best thing to say on a porsche site, but I really enjoyed the Ferrari more than the 997.....i'd always wanted a Ferrari and the ownership experience was very special.....that being said the dealership experience here in Los Angeles was just HORRIBLE....I know that Ferrari BH have recently changed the service manager, but the guy I dealt with was a total p*&k!!! My experience with the service guys at Porsche BH has been superb...
I'm not sure I agree with you on the luxury comment.....you can really go to town on the 997's interior....everything from a leather dash to leather covered vents.....granted it's not going to have air conditioned seats etc but you really can make the interior very exclusive......One of my biggest complaints about Mercs are the generic interiors....there's not nearly enough differentiation between their $40,000 car interiors & their $140,000 car interiors
I had a '00 360 (which I brought with me when I moved from Europe)......I'd still have it if it weren't for the ridiculous federalisation requirements.....If you are serious about a 360 and are looking for an F1 version, I suggest that you go for a MY 01 onwards....Ferrari changed the software for the F1 gearbox which improved the longevity of the clutch, and the smoothness of low speed maneuvering....It's also a lot easier for the dealership to tweak the clutch engagement point in the updated box.....My car managed 5300 miles before it had a new clutch and it's a $4500 job...so it's worth spending a little more and getting a MY01 (I believe it was July 01 that the change occurred...can't remember).
Probably not the best thing to say on a porsche site, but I really enjoyed the Ferrari more than the 997.....i'd always wanted a Ferrari and the ownership experience was very special.....that being said the dealership experience here in Los Angeles was just HORRIBLE....I know that Ferrari BH have recently changed the service manager, but the guy I dealt with was a total p*&k!!! My experience with the service guys at Porsche BH has been superb...
Last edited by jfraser; 07-24-2006 at 04:36 AM.
07-24-2006, 04:29 AM
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jfraser... I actually went out with my buddy today to count the number of SL's and 911's we could find on the Westside.. It ended up being about even w/ SL's in Beverly Hills & most of the other parts of LA.. But once we got to the true Westside like Santa Monica, Brentwood, Century City, Westwood, and Malibu it was more 911's than SL's.. Where do you live in West LA where you see that many SL's? (I'm not disagreeing.. i'm just wondering).
Also, how was the "wow" factor in the 360? For under $120K I can pick up a '00 F1 or 6spd, which is only about 20K more than i'd pay for a 911 C4S Cab, but with the Ferrari the long term depreciation would be less, and it seems as if it'd be a more rare car.. Also the appeal of the AMV8 (although that thing is severely underpowered for the weight, and a COUPE -- I much prefer convertibles).
As to problems, it seems like the SL always is on the verge of having something POSSIBLY break..hahaha. I've had 2, and the first one was lemoned, the air-con broke 4 times in a row in 1 month, and after documenting it they bought it back.. the second one has been mostly problem-less...
Also, how was the "wow" factor in the 360? For under $120K I can pick up a '00 F1 or 6spd, which is only about 20K more than i'd pay for a 911 C4S Cab, but with the Ferrari the long term depreciation would be less, and it seems as if it'd be a more rare car.. Also the appeal of the AMV8 (although that thing is severely underpowered for the weight, and a COUPE -- I much prefer convertibles).
As to problems, it seems like the SL always is on the verge of having something POSSIBLY break..hahaha. I've had 2, and the first one was lemoned, the air-con broke 4 times in a row in 1 month, and after documenting it they bought it back.. the second one has been mostly problem-less...
07-24-2006, 04:33 AM
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kilikay,
This is LA. And any of the world's finest vehicles can be found in large numbers here. There are more Lambo's, Ferrari's, Porsche's, Mercedes, than probably anywhere else in the world.
If you want to stand out, you can always paint it pink and call yourself Angelene. Oh wait, that's already been done..
Just get what you want and don't worry about who else has it. Again, this is LA.. If no one else has it, it's probably because it sucks...
This is LA. And any of the world's finest vehicles can be found in large numbers here. There are more Lambo's, Ferrari's, Porsche's, Mercedes, than probably anywhere else in the world.
If you want to stand out, you can always paint it pink and call yourself Angelene. Oh wait, that's already been done..
Just get what you want and don't worry about who else has it. Again, this is LA.. If no one else has it, it's probably because it sucks...
07-24-2006, 04:53 AM
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Sorry Kilikay I was editing my message as you replied....I'm in Beverly Hills....I can drive from BH to the gym on Sunset and can almost guarantee seeing half a dozen SL's and that's only a 2 mile drive!! (and I really do mean half a dozen...It's unbelievable admittedly they're mainly 500's not 55's)
....there is undoubtedly more of a wow factor to the Ferrari....If that's important to you then get the Ferrari over the AM V8....at least you get a car that goes a long way to justify the wow (really fast, great handling & sounds sensational) I think the AMV8 is all mouth and no trousers....I have a couple of friends in London that went for DB9's and they are thoroughly underwhelmed.
I still wouldn't call the 360 a daily driver though...the nose scraping on ramps to car parks etc is enough to bring tears to your eyes...and Ferrari haven't had the forethought to put a rubber strip on the bottom of the nose like Porsche has....BTW you should be able to get a 00 for less than 120k (are you looking at a coupe or convertible).....ask on Ferrarichat what the market is...those guys are normally pretty accurate....it would probably be worth looking outside the CA market and trucking the car in.
....there is undoubtedly more of a wow factor to the Ferrari....If that's important to you then get the Ferrari over the AM V8....at least you get a car that goes a long way to justify the wow (really fast, great handling & sounds sensational) I think the AMV8 is all mouth and no trousers....I have a couple of friends in London that went for DB9's and they are thoroughly underwhelmed.
I still wouldn't call the 360 a daily driver though...the nose scraping on ramps to car parks etc is enough to bring tears to your eyes...and Ferrari haven't had the forethought to put a rubber strip on the bottom of the nose like Porsche has....BTW you should be able to get a 00 for less than 120k (are you looking at a coupe or convertible).....ask on Ferrarichat what the market is...those guys are normally pretty accurate....it would probably be worth looking outside the CA market and trucking the car in.
07-24-2006, 05:21 AM
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Fraser.. yea, I think '00's can be had for low 110's, or private party at below 110 in coupe versions. I'm trying to figure out if the exclusivity balances out for the lack of daily-driving function along with the extra money required to maintain the car..
B-line.. I completely understand what you're saying, but it's just a bad feeling to spend so much of your money on a car only to see 15 of them drive by. Yes, you may enjoy the car but it's only human nature to feel a little dissapointment when the car you dropped $100K+ on drives by you every other block. If none of us wanted any exclusivity and the 911 was merely a weekend car we'd all be driving S2000's here in LA -- you can lease one of those babies for less than your Verizon cell phone bill!
B-line.. I completely understand what you're saying, but it's just a bad feeling to spend so much of your money on a car only to see 15 of them drive by. Yes, you may enjoy the car but it's only human nature to feel a little dissapointment when the car you dropped $100K+ on drives by you every other block. If none of us wanted any exclusivity and the 911 was merely a weekend car we'd all be driving S2000's here in LA -- you can lease one of those babies for less than your Verizon cell phone bill!
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07-24-2006, 06:04 AM
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Oh.. i'd love to have something special but I change cars so quickly i'd probably change my mind on a 911 by the time one i ordered came in.. Plus I am not a big fan of convertibles w/ softops that don't match the body color of the car (especially coming from a hardtop convertible -- the SL55). As to the Targa.. i've never sat in one. .If it truly gives the open-air feeling of a drop top I might consider it..
07-24-2006, 06:31 AM
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Right.. but it'd take a long time to get, at least 3-4 months.. I usually only keep my car 8 months anyways.. Also, it might be hard to resell a car that was specially ordered... As to the targa's, they pretty much look the same as a regular car, with a glass roof..
07-24-2006, 07:50 AM
#11
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Originally Posted by kilikay
Right.. but it'd take a long time to get, at least 3-4 months.. I usually only keep my car 8 months anyways.. Also, it might be hard to resell a car that was specially ordered... As to the targa's, they pretty much look the same as a regular car, with a glass roof..
get a vintage porsche or mercedes.
360 modena isn't exclusive in LA!
if you were going that route why not get an f430 spider.
aston's not a sports car!
jeff
Last edited by icon; 07-24-2006 at 01:52 PM.
07-24-2006, 10:58 AM
#12
I owned a SL55 before I bought my 06 997S cab. I have twin boys who will be 2 soon and waited to be able to take them for a rde in a convertable. I offered the SL to my wife(she thought it was too powerful, it was moded). As far as the driving experience, that would depend on how and where you drive. If you are a highway cruiser type, stick with the SL it is a better car (more comfortable, more luxury, and if you have the voice command, you dont even have to reach to change a radio station). If you are a driver who enjoyed the twisties, get the Porsche. By the way I owned 2 360's now have a 430 coupe, if you want that feeling again, well that is a different story.
07-24-2006, 03:15 PM
#13
Three Wheelin'
Originally Posted by 1Carnut
I owned a SL55 before I bought my 06 997S cab. I have twin boys who will be 2 soon and waited to be able to take them for a rde in a convertable. I offered the SL to my wife(she thought it was too powerful, it was moded). As far as the driving experience, that would depend on how and where you drive. If you are a highway cruiser type, stick with the SL it is a better car (more comfortable, more luxury, and if you have the voice command, you dont even have to reach to change a radio station). If you are a driver who enjoyed the twisties, get the Porsche. By the way I owned 2 360's now have a 430 coupe, if you want that feeling again, well that is a different story.
you have twins that are not even two yet and have owned more than forty six cars???
(39-porsches, sl55, 2-360's, f430, 575, land rover, 745i)
instead of refilling the gas you just trade on a new one?
your wife must have one hell of a jewelry collection!
jeff
07-24-2006, 03:26 PM
#14
Three Wheelin'
If you want to drop panties in BH... get the speed yellow 2007, 997 twin turbo... reliable ALL day exotic masterpiece… want convertible…? Drive the turbo with the windows down… Smokin!