ekstrom

Hi,

presently i have a track car 944 Turbo. I want purchase 911 for have fun on street and maybey long ride. I think the 993C2 or 964 Turbo are more fun but little old. Need your help for do the best choice. Presently my heart is with 964 Turbo 1991, very agrésive look and look like fun to drive. But this car is very expensive, with low millage is the same price of 997C2 2005. Thanks

David A

the 997 will handle better than any air cooled 911 but the engine on the 964 & 993 are bullet proof.A 997 for the track needs a 3rd radiator and an oil pan with baffles.

911Dave

Take the Turbo. You can get an excellent low mileage one for $35-40k, much less than an 05 C2. And the turbo will be a lot more fun.

nkhalidi

With all due respect, no it doesn't. The beauty of modern Porsches is that they "need" nothing to be competent and reliable at the track, except maybe high-temp brake fluid and racing brake pads.

MrBonus

What? Since when?

Le Chef

Go 964 Turbo - a real classic. The only other two cars I would prefer would be a 2.7RS or a 993TT. The 997 is vanilla bland by comparison to any of the above. It may have better grip due to more modern and wider, lower-profile tires but I don't think you get better handling than on the air-cooled models unless you go for a 996/997 GT3.

MrBonus

You can't honestly be serious. You don't think with over a decade of chassis advancements, stiffening, and the inclusion of a sophisticated multi-link suspension over the archaic trailing arm suspension leads to better handling?

911Dave

I've got an '86 911 in addition to my 997 S, and I've driven both a 964 and a 993 a couple of times. Without a doubt, hands down, the 997 is the best handling Porsche I've laid my hands on. A GT3, Boxster or Cayman might beat it, but I haven't driven any of those.

But I still think the 965 would be more fun, if you're looking for a more visceral experience.

WAC

For the same money for the purposes you described buy the 997.

Edgy01

With the 997 suspension it is better than many race cars. (This from a friend of mine who owns 8 race cars and used to race for Porsche in the 70s).

Vjgtrybno1

I faced the same issue and went 997. No regrets here. The Great White truly is.

Corky Rodriguez

Since I own a 2006 Carrera 2S and my track car is a heavily modded 1988 951 (Vitesse Stage 3 and all sorts of suspension work) I think I can give you some fair advice. I've owned 6 classic 911s including a 1989 Carrera with a Bodymotion 3.8L swap and a stock 3.6turbo. The earlier cars are lighter, have a raw edge and are more engaging. My Carrera S will smoke them all. Better grip, compliance and when you get the variocam plus to open up, it sounds like a different engine (especially with the sport exhaust). I think people take the 997S for granted because it is new, and in certain parts of the country they are a common sight. 4.5 sec 0-60, 182 mph out of the box is hard to argue with.

Le Chef

Clearly some of you value the feeling of safety and stability over fun. The 964 and 993 are far more communicative steers than the 997 which feels numb by comparison. They also feel much more fun when you push them a little. Both 964 and 993 leave you to do the driving where the 997 nanny's. The 997 understeers far more (particularly the 4 and 4S) and PSM steps in earlier than would be ideal. So if handling is all about having fun then the old girls win. If you want stability, grip and no surprises then go for the 997.

Frankly if my wife didn't drive the car I would look for a 993TT and be very happy with that.

texas911

True about the 997, but the limits of the 997 are so so much higher than the 964/993, that it begs to question, what is a sports car to be? A feel good machine with low limits or an all out, high envelope machine?

nkhalidi

Both.

That's why there are different cars for different people. Some of the most fun I've ever had on the track was driving a friend's stock base Elise on street tires: totally communicative, tossable, responsive, and feelsome, even though most everyone was passing me.