A friend was thinking about buying a 997 and wanted to drive one before visiting the dealer. He drove mine and decided he really liked the performance, steering, the gear shift, the brakes and the engine noise. HATED the road noise and hated the sharp "thumps" at the rear from potholes etc. So no 997 for this guy.

So he asks "What should l look at that has the good qualities of the 997 without the bad ones?"

I offered Audi S5, BMW M3 & M6, Jaguar XK-R, Maserati Gran Tourismo, and Mercedes SL. Do you think that a) any of these cars get close to that ideal b) are there any others I missed?

MTIA

 

Audi RS4

 

Honda Accord Coupe V6 6 spd

 

I *love* the S5. If my business were going better I'd upgrade from my S4 to the S5. Certainly not as visceral as a C2S but striking and pretty good going down the road up to 8/10ths or so.

Your list is a good one - I'd take a look at a new CTS-V and see if there are any "going out of business" fire sales going on for that car.

Come to think of it - a Z51 'vette might be more comfy than a C2S and still goes like stink!

GT-R would also be on my list but it isn't all that much more comfy than a C2S.

 

The only thing I don't like about the SL is that where I live thy are a dime a dozen....if that is not an issue, then I think the SL has a much more luxurious ride.
abe

 

Well if it wasn't a 997 for me than it would have to be a E92M3 without a doubt.

Dave

 

I believe your friend is not looking for a true sport car. He should try a sport sedan, perhaps the M3.

 

Since my friend is getting rid of his old M5 (it truly is shagged) as a left field I might also suggest the M5 and the new XF-R. I'm not sure how much space he really needs but I know he hauls two pre-teens around occasionally in the back of the old smoker.

 

If it couldn't be a 911, I would be driving a Vantage, no question.

 

I would have to go with the new M3. The audis are nice, smooth, quiet and pretty, but they are far removed from even the BMW in road feel and performance.(remember the RS4 is no longer with us).. I have had a few S4 models before and they are two large steps down from the porsche in sports car merits, and perhaps 1 large step from the M3. You just can't make 4000lbs to (oh my god!) 4400 lb AWD vehicles with 62% of their weight in front of the front wheels, pretend to be what they are not. Just as you can't expect a 3500lbs M3 to be an elise.
As has been noted in about 400 magazine tests, The M3 is arguably the subjective equal of the 997, non-s model, in all but braking and steering feel. Objectively, it is slightly superior in performance. It is also about 3 decibels quieter at 70 mph and has a far superior ride to the base 997. I would not say it is much smoother in ride than a PASM model,at least according to my tender buttocks. The M3 is very nicely isolated from road noise and thumps. I cross shopped the M3, 997S and TT-S before deciding that the M and audi would let me down on track and autocross. But, I think as a daily driver, I would have been very, very happy with the comfy and quick M3. But, since the 997 exists, I could never own one knowing I could have had the porsche!

 

Tire howl on interstates in the 997 can become unbearable I would agree but it depends upon tread depth of the rear tires. I changed my tires last summer and there was a remarkable difference between howl pre and post tire change. It got quieter. I also switched from PS2s to Bridgestones which seem more compliant, less jarring, and quieter over bumps and expansion joints.

 

Agreed... I went from 997.1 to RS4 to 997.2. I, unlike your friend, missed the 997 experience.

 

ditto.

 

M3 has a pretty supple ride, but also leans a bit in corners. Still handles great though.

 

S5 is much more luxurious than a 997. Most times I'm grateful to be in the S5 instead of the 997.2. The roads in RI can be punishing.

However, the S5 tracks impressively flat when taking corners at high speeds. And I'm talking being in the "auto" mode and not the "dynamic" mode.