Quadcammer

Why do you enjoy it the most and do you daily drive it?

I have no desire to DD any porsche, but I feel like I could with the 993.


Your 997.2S can keep up with the last generation of AMG and M5s. It cannot keep up with the new ones (maybe to 60, not much past that), then again, that is kind of a silly comparison given the sizes and nature of the vehicles.

rodsky

I do DD it. I have a sedan but i barely use it . I almost didnt plan to DD it but i do. Rain or shine - I didnt buy it to be a museum piece and i could care less about brake dust or a swirl makr here and there. Its totally liveable daily. I love the SPASM, the steering, the adaptability (from Lexus auto in PDK normal to race car in SPASM sport SC plus). Its also very comfortable for a sporty car.

A 997.2S with PDK will be as fast if not quicker in a straight line than a CURRENT M5 or AMG to probably 200+ KPH. At that point, the extra horsies may help. Watch this. The 997.1 S 6MT could not keep up. The 997.2S - different story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swKfF...ayer_embedded#

and thats not from a dig. PDK is very fast off the line.

Take care Quad

Mike in CA

The A series Mercedes isn't sold here because Americans like bigger cars. In Europe they sell well and do not diminish the Mercedes cachet for Europeans.

I stepped up from a Boxster S to a 997.2 S. I had owned two 911's previously so maybe that's not a totally fair example, but I know 3 people in our local PCA chapter who started out in Boxsters and moved to 911's. I don't have specific statistics but I think it's fairly commonly accepted that "entry" models from any manufacturer, although perhaps excellent in their own right like the Boxster, help introduce the consumer to a specific brand and later upscale purchases.

So, what exactly is your point? That you're bothered because Porsche's focus used to be more narrow? That the 997 is somehow a lesser car because Porsche offers it in many variations and builds other vehicles too? I don't get that. The 997 is either a great car or it isn't (it is). It's either measureably better than the 911 models that came before or it isn't (it is). What Porsche does with the rest of their product line is irrelevant, especially since virtually everything they make is at or near the top of it's segment. It's not like they're building Yugos.

Is it that the newest 911 is no longer a hairy chested sports car? From the days of the 356, every generation of Porsche owners has complained about the next improved iteration. You talk about the 993 relative to the 997. When the 993 came out some who owned Carrera 3.2's like mine were impressed but felt that the heavier, less visceral, more benign handling, more GT like new model had given up some of the classic Porsche qualities. Sound familiar? Thing is, while maybe a bit was lost, the new car was so much better in most every way that it was a silly concern. The same is true of the latest 911. Sure, maybe some of those old traits are masked. But by choosing the right model, the right options, and with a few tweaks, you can reproduce almost all of the old flavor and the overall car will be so much better it's laughable.

If you're saying that you personally prefer a 911 like the 993, that's fine, I get that. But that's completely different than saying, like Harris apparently is saying in his article, that Porsche should actually take the company back in that direction. For Porsche to do that, to limit their offerings and focus only on hard core sports cars, would be stupid and suicidal in the marketplace. Despite their affiliation with VW (the merger itself is still in question) Porsche doesn't see themselves as a niche manufacturer. You may disagree with that, but as long as they keep making cars as good as my 997.2 S, I don't really care what else they do.

rodsky

Mike in CA, that's an excellent post. I 100 % agree..

Tcc1999

I'm glad you finally said what I've been thinking for a while. I don't trash my 2S and detail it myself but for me it's more fun to drive than to look at. But I appreciate those that are meticulous about caring for their cars, they can be quite stunning.

equ

Interesting. I pulled back from buying a 997.2 precisely for the same reason. I test drove perhaps the perfect one (color, options, condition, price) for me. The sound and perhaps the feel just wasn't there. It was incredibly competent but lacking for me, personally. I felt that the soundtrack was a step down from my 987.1 and the 997.1's that I have driven.

This one didn't have PSE, but in the past I haven't needed an option to enjoy a Porsche's sound.

tpenta

When I first got mine, it had the full AWE exhaust system installed (headers, cats, muffler) and the car had a fantastic sound, and even different feel because of the added vibration you felt throughout the car. I would urge the OP to try a car with not just a sports muffler but a full system change.

As for Porsche itself, it will change just as everything else in life and it will change to meet the market conditions of the time. Sure the history is still that of a sports car maker but in general companies don't have a good track record of maintaining their original blueprint after the company's visionaries pass away.

Having said that, what are we really complaining about here? There is no such thing as a perfect car that does everything right for every condition. You can have a raw 911. It's very possible given some mods or by chosing the right model. But then you lose other things.

I loved the whole AWE system but had to remove parts of it because my son was complaining about the noise levels in the back. So my own little subjective world defines "perfect" as something that works for me and for my family for the time being.

-T

Alan C.

I started out in 1970 with a 70 T and worked my way through the models up to my current 09 997.2S . When I go back through some of the ones I think I should have kept the 73S, 93 RSA and 94 3.6 turbo are at the front. Neither of them in stock form would be quicker than the 09. The sound of the 73S with a sport exhaust and the RSA, again with an exhaust, sounded better. However, that can be fixed with an FVD or whichever one sounds better to my ear. Of the group I had the most fun on track with the RSA. But the RSA didn't have air and I got caught one too many times in stopped traffic with high temps and humidity.

When I was looking this time I looked at a perfect lightly optioned 07 GT3 with PCCBs prior to deciding on the 997. I almost bought the GT3 but then I thought about the marginal amount of track time that I would put on the car. In the end the 997 was the better choice for me and I'm happy with it.

Prior to this car I had an 09 Cayman S PDK. If you just want to go out and have fun with a great car you should look at one. No frills at <$65K !

utkinpol

it is a bot odd from my opinion to see how much worth of resources Porsche spent on research and build of those 'new' engines when in reality they STILL have only one engine worth mentioning built be mezger who knows how long ago. if they would spent all those money they spent on m96, m97 and those new dfi engines, so, if instead they would spent it on smart redesign of gt1 dry sump block making water cooling intgration internal and making it more cost efficient it would make much more sense.

I still do not understand what is going on with them and why they say now they will have new dfi engine in turbos if gt3 rs and cup cars still get good old gt1 block. it is just plain stupid to manufacture 3 different engines and have all that supply chain if gt1 block 450 horses one is the best one.

OldGuy

I have some qualifications in this area. I started with a 97 993 TT, then I moved to a 996 GT3 Manthey Version, then a 997.1 GT3. I was on the way to a 08 997.1 GT3RS, but I stopped at my dealer shortly after the PDK came out and took one out for a spin.

When I got back it was like having sex with that college girl who BLEW your mind(Among other things).
I just couldnt believe it. This was after tracking all three previous 911's. I couldnt get that car out of my mind. Later in the early summer I drove it again. It was better the 2nd time! Now I have had it for 1.5 years and have no intention of buying another one. It dazzles my senses everytime. Ihave the Sharkwerks Center pipe and it really gives it a mean throaty growl. Very nice, Not GT3 like but still very nice for a std 911.

Here is the deal with a C2S with Sport Chrono is 3 cars in ONE!! In regular mode I call it Merritt mode
in honor of my wife. Its very nice to drive around town in regular mode.
In Sport mode it transforms itself to almost GT3 like, and very good for agressive street mode driving. JUST a pleasure!!
Then in SPORT PLUS OH MY!!!! Its pure track car through and through! It wont shift till redline and its just an animal!!!

To me its three cars in one.
1. to drive to work in and be the docile DD for you or your wife.
2. In sport mode its very like a GT3 and faster than the 996 GT3 and the 993 TT and the 996 TT!
3. Track animal!!!!

I have never been so satisfied with one car like this. I have no intention to sell it(not this week)
This C2S is NOT dilluted, NOT ill focused but exactly focused on what you want it to do.
Its the best car I have ever owned! And its just a beautiful car!!!!

FlatSix911

GT1 forever ...

Chris from Cali

Having now lived with a 997.1 C2S, 987.1 Cayman, and now a 997.2 C4S (almost all used in the DD role), I am certain A) I would prefer a GT3's power delivery, noise, etc. and B) a GT3 would be driveable near year-round in my area. I would only have to "steal" my GTI back from my wife for winters and get her something else. There's just something about cars with tachometers that love to zing to redline, that have incredible responses, etc. I am also certain that my wife will hate riding in it - more validation that it's the right car.

LastMezger

Not sure why people get so worked up over this. They've literally given their customers more choice than anyone else in the industry. Want a basic sports car? Buy a 3.6 without anything. A really fun car. Want a luxury GT? You can double the MSRP with options if you like and have it EXACTLY the way you want it. Hard core? GT3RS is incredible.

The 991? No question is will be fundamentally more refined and more comfortable as a DD. The GT versions? I'm guessing more extreme. Sounds good to me.

cgfen

Please describe why you prefer Sport Plus over Sport or Manual mode.
When I've driven / tracked Chairman Meow's 09 2S, i didn't understand the value of Sport Plus.
It typically did not shift when i wanted it to, (held RPM too long before shifting and would downshift earlier than i wanted).
I preferred the Sport or Manual modes.

cheers

Craig

Mike in CA

I know your question was directed to OldGuy, hope you don't mind me chiming in. I autoX and have found SportPlus perfect for that venue. Contrary to your track experience, mine has been that PDK in S+ is very intuitive and almost always has me in the right gear. I don't really see how I could improve on it's responses by shifting manually, and it leaves me free to concentrate on other aspects of driving the car.

Virtually every test I've seen that discusses using PDK on track touts the advantage of leaving the tranmission in auto mode. Walter Rohrl was quoted in Panorama as saying that on the Nurburgring his times shifting PDK manually versus leaving PDK in auto/S+ were literally the same. I figure that if my car is able to shift on it's own as well as Walter Rohrl, I should probably just go with it.