Look at that steering wheel, you must have been taking a serious corner while taking that pic.

 

If you can afford it, by all means buy the "S". More power, more torque, 200cc more displacement, PASM, Bi-zenons, bigger wheels/tires and various trim bits, and likely to have much better resale potential. If you add up the options to bring a standard car up to "S" specs you'd spend much more than buying an "S" from the git-go.

I love the black interior but would NEVER do it in a convertible. Black in a coupe should be no problem heat wise and looks awesome. Whatever you choose, I'm sure you'll be happy but if you buy the "S", you'll never wonder... what if?

MC

 

S
if $$ is tight, cut out Nav.
i live in NJ, have a a. silver/black cab. no prob. in summer.

 

I went for C4. For me, the benefit of AWD vs more power on S was the critical decision since money is not unlimited here. I drove both S & non S. Base seemed fast enough for me and living in North part of the country, AWD seemed like a good thing to have.

Also, PASM may be nice but could be a bit of maintenance issue in the future. I went through similar decision on my cayenne S and I went without the air suspension. Regular suspension on Porsche is very nice but I may be off the mark here.

I have also become a believer in less is more. I had issues with power seats on Cayenne & E class. Seems like this is another thing that could go wrong after the warranty has expired !!!!. I can easily move the seats manually.

NAV... my take is that portable units are a better way to go. factory build systems are expensive to start with and data update can be significant as well. Portable units are really cheap and for the price of factory install NAV, I could buy 4 portable units over next 4 years and always have the latest data.

best of luck deciding..

 

If your going to spend that much on the Xenons anyway, get the S. That along with upgraded brakes, and other items make it almost a value play (Can't believe I just wrote that about a car at almost $100K. Also consider the resale value when you try to sell a base Carerra vs. and S. You may have regrets later on that you can't go back on after you buy the base Carerra.

 

My vote goes for the 'S' as well. If budget was an issue, I would forgo the Nav etc. and spend the money on the 'S' (plus the Nav can be retrofitted).

With regards to the black leather, I have natural Grey (which is almost black as it is very dark), I live in one of the hottest places, and I have a convertable. No regrets at all. I really do not think the leather gets any hotter than in my other cars that have beige interiors.

 

If money isn't a problem, get the S. The 3.8 and brakes + standard equipment is worth it. Bargain like hell and don't take less than 4% off.

 

My vote: S in Atlas Grey. If you are thinking that you'll need $7k as a reserve for speeding tickets, why not take it to the track? Speeding on the track is much better than on the street.

 

The first thing to consider is that for the $10K difference in price between a Carrera and a Carrera S the S has Bi-Xenons, PASM, 19" Carrera S wheels and a sport steering wheel standard, all of which are optional on a regular Carrera for a sum of about $5K. So, for $5K you are really paying for an engine with 30 more hp, 22 more lb0ft of torque and larger brakes. If you specifically want a car with Bi-Xenons, PASM and 19" wheels, I would say absolutely get an S. Otherwise, you will be very happy with a regular Carrera. For color, my choice on an 06' is Seal Gray. It is one of the most popular colors and is going away to be replaced by Meteor Gray for 07',

 

Another note on interior color - I looked at a silver w/gray and a silver with blue. Both looked great. Had I opted for the silver I would have picked the blue interior. It really looked better than I would have ever suspected.

 

get the S
I have black interior and its great if its hot for a few minutes after in the sun so are all cars!

 

I have the C2, with a boatload of options. I wanted the Xenon, but did not want 19inch wheels or pasm. I never track and the S lower enough to not be able to go over the bumps without scraping. The S is better for ego factor, and sometimes for this i would want the s, so i had my calibres powder coated and with model delete, you cannot tell the difference. I love my car, it is very very quick. either way you will love what you can get/afford, soooooooo dont worry and buy!
2006 Cab 997
Z4 Basalt Black
V9 Black Top
06 NaturalBrown
249 TiptS
Wheel Caps with Colored Crest
P74 Bi-Xenon
498 Delete Model Desig
267 Self Dim Mirrors
342 Heat Front Seats
XX1 Front Mats w/"Porsche"
Bose High End Sound Package
692 Remote CD (6 Disc)
670 Navigation for PCM
801 Makassar PKG.
451 Makassar Str Whl Multifctn
998 Leather Interior Natural Lthr
P15 Power Seat Package
982 Supple Front and Rear
640 Sport Chrono
482 TPMS
666 Module for Tel
Mods:
Clear Bra
SRX Escort
Clear Side Markers
Tubi Exhaust
Tubi Headers XM Radio thru PCM
Red Powder Coat Calibers

 

Get the S. Silver with black interior is classic Porsche. The AC works great on these cars so I wouldn't worry too much about the interior color. I had a MB with light gray interior and it was a major pain to keep clean; the leather showed every speck of dirt and the blue form your jeans would rub off on the leather! Black is better at hiding dirt on the inside and silver on the outside allways looks clean no matter how dirty it really is.
more time driving, less time cleaning!

 

Keep in mind that most of the active participants in this forum are S owners, so therefore most of the responses here will tell you that you absolutely MUST have the S model. The reality of course is that it is an individual choice, and you must make your own decision and purchase what is best for YOU.

If you want PASM, 19's, and Xenons, then the S is definitely the way to go. If you don't need/want these things, then you should seriously consider the alternative. They are both great cars, and you will enjoy driving either of them. Regardless of what you might read on this forum, the diffference in power/torque between the two models is not that significant. And anyone who has tracked the non-S at PDE will confirm that it is a very capable performer.

For the record, I have a 2006 non-S with Xenons, Bose, power seats, heated seats. I had no interest in PASM or 19" wheels, and the 3.6L motor was plenty for me (I do not track the car). In hindsight I could do without the Bose or Xenons, but I love the power seats and highly recommend them regardless of which model you choose. Good luck!

 

Whichever you get I am sure you'll love it. As many folks seem to have said already; it's a choice based on personally where you are and what your limits are. The base 997 is great and IF the bigger breaks and power along with PASM and 19" wheels were deal breakers and MUST HAVES then I say yeah get the S and don't look back. However in my little P-car experience I have found that beauty IS in the eye of the beholder!

Enjoy your choice and send pics.