I hear you. I rotate between two Rolexes and between a Porsche and a BMW M5. I have more miles on the Rolexes, and can get back more than they cost new, and it goes higher every year. I am not ready to trade the Rolex or the Porsche, but they are not exactly comparable from a "preservation of value" standpoint.

 

Tim,

She has been nothing but a pleasure to drive and issue free (minus my self induced scare about the cable loom issue). A thrill to drive each day - how many cars are you excited to drive each day after 3-4 months?? To be fair, I get bored easy

Mike,

looks like we are on the same page here. I also like all the money I save on batteries. Its like the watch paid for itself already

 

+1
I have gotten quartz movement watches in the past-and when the battery goes, they usually wind up in a drawer and then on eBay. I always go back to my mechanical watches for everyday.

 

It comes as no surprise the 991 performance envelope has been improved over the 997. You would expect that. Everyone expected that. No one thought Porsche, who bases its reputatoin on performance would release a car that didn't exceed it's predecesor in performance.

It also comes as no surprise that as part of the price of stretching the performance envelope and providing a car that relies less on the driver it has left behind much of what was characteristic of the 911. It has lost character. It's reaching the electric blender performance of the GT-R. Less vices or/No vices, less driver effort and skill required to tap it's full potential, Panamera stbility and ride, electric steering, Panamera interior ques and styling, more electric nannies, fewer and fewer 6 speeds, noticalbe increase in size but lower in profile. Short, upright and stout it is no more. A classic Porsche 911 character.

While the 991 has taken a step in front of the 997 in overall performance it has also taken a step back from the character and essence of what made a 911 a 911. Imperfect perfection.

Bottom line. The performance of the 991 and 997 are still close enough that the major factor and the deciding factor around any track is still undoubtedly it's epi-center and most important feature...the driver.

Bottom line in MHO. The 997 is now a classic and the last of the line of the 911s with 911 character foibles and that classic 911 look. I think it helps make even more desirable the limited produciton 997s even more desireable now.

Will I own a 991 one day? Probably or I hope so. But the 997 is the last of the classic "short wheelbase" (think I can say that now) Porsches. Do I lament the 991. No. It's evolution.

But, in the not too distant future I think many of you will be lusting for that 997 feel and drive just like many do now for the 993s etc... Perfect? No... but classic 911..yes... both in feel and look inside and out..Just my observations. You'll see.

 

Just for the record, there was a quartz Rolex -- and it was a handsome watch with a handsome bracelet. I had one but found it clicked so loudly once each second that it was annoying to wear at night. (I am not in the habit of taking off my watch.)

I switched to the original Audemars Piguet Royal Oak quartz that I was given. I liked the look and have stuck with APs although I haven't worn a quartz watch in many years. I found a very nice slim automatic with a skeleton back that looks great and has proven to be comfortable, reliable and accurate.

For what it is worth (and we are getting very far off topic), to me all Rolexes (except Cellinis) look pretty much the same -- and are sadly indistinguishable from the knockoffs. And the recent AP Offshore Royal Oaks are ungainly, clunky and huge -- and ostentatious as hell. I'd feel like a Mafia boss or a Russian oligarch in one.

I have to wonder, if, like my watch, Porsche did not make the 997.2 so good, that I will not be much tempted by the real -- but comparatively minor -- improvements offered by the new 991. It may be newer or better but, as the saying goes, perfection is the enemy of good enough. (Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien.) I am still completely satisfied with my car and, like my watch, I am not feeling any real temptation to replace them.

 

I'm so happy with my new purchase, its going to take me a while just to get used to this car...and what a car it is too !.....wow

 

The sunroof is nuts and not classic to say the least, the front and rear don't look right - they need to fix it like they needed to fix the 996. It needs to look like a 911 and right now it looks like a messed up 911 - mismatched front and odd creases up and down the rear. Great that it performs well - not sure I want it to be cushy like a limo... - no I'm sure I don't. I went through that with BMW - e39 M5 was epic and the e60 M5, epic fail. It can happen. Maybe it is just car industry evolution. Some things about the 991 seem really nice, but overall - no. And I do not think it is a matter of getting used to it. The 997 was immediately attractive and clearly a 911 - looked great / felt great - required no getting used to. Sorry to not be a fan, but...notta fan.

 

This is humorous;

Did you actually expect the mag/rag guys who truly make a living off of "new stuff" to say anything different???

I must say I wasn't aware of a "drone cone" diaphragm that augments exhaust notes, but I will say that it's a "tell". The simulacrum of POWER. What a laugh.

Here, all the armchair/deckchair racers can go out and plop some megabucks hoping to catch a whiff of "performance" as they commute to and from the office (or supermarket) in their snazzy new "lighter" and "smoother" and whatever 991's. Hey, German bonds are tanking so we Americans must do our part to inflate the failing EU economy. After all, we could do worse and buy a Fariryarri or Lame-boghini and pretend that we are in rare air.

I had a whiff of electro-steering in my now-departed 7-CUP. If it's anything like that I don't know how the reviewer felt the "light front end" is gone. But he's paid to write such drivel. As a very knowledgeable gentleman who used to come here once wrote; "...just look at the pretty pictures and ignore the words...."

The World has gone soft , cupholders are in. Yes, the new seats are a second skin and the RR-tracks seems as Limo... that's what girls call "very nice". There is no such thing as a "bad" Porsche in my experience. So the 991 is likely a very good car. But it will be made to a different standard now for many reasons.

Methinks some very good used 997's will be available very soon at a very good value...

 

+1.

Simply put the 997 is now the 993 of tomorrow.

 

If Porsche has the goal to increase sales, they will need to design their cars to have broader appeal. So, for their $100K, many prospective buyers ( does anyone actually buy cars anymore?) will want a more luxurious, quieter, smoother riding car with more electronic bells and whistles. This sounds like Porsche moving to the 996 from the 993. True, the 996 was all those things and was a higher performing car than the 993 but something was lost. The 2005 997 was an attempt to bring back some of those things that were lost. And let's hope they don't make the 911 any bigger. My 997 already seems very big compared to the 993... oh... that's right, more potential 911 buyers are looking for a luxury car, not a sports car. Bottom line.. I am happy with what I have.

 

Me too!

 

How is that possible? Where do you draw the line. Will the people in 20 years time say the 99999 is the 991 of tomorrow?

The 997 is luxurious and much larger than a 993. The 993 is larger and more luxurious than a 1973 911S. If we lament progress, why not just buy a 993 or a 3.2 etc.

All this hand wringing over progress is funny. We've had 48 years of 911s. Of course it's going to change.

 

I totally agree with your assessment, basically the GROWTH is in luxury market vs. sporty market and they are responding to that with 991. The one thing they however improved in 991, is the exhaust note vs. 997.2 (which was muted compared to .1), now I am not sure how much of it is true exhaust note, and how much of it due to some trickery... have to wait and see.

I will probably wait, and upgrade to a 997 GT3, I'd just add rear seats, vollah! No DFI, light, exhaust/engine note of another calibre, and as much power you can possibly use on street or track!

 

EXACTLY! The only thing different, is that there has been A LOT MORE 997s produced than 993, hence it will never have the same kind of premium!

 

I draw the line in the fact that Mr. Walter Rohrl could NOT slide the car even when he tried to do so, and the fact that the pure Porsche steering feel may have been lost due to electrical steering... now, those two are some of the top characteristics that DEFINED 911... now if that is gone, it will be the end of an era, similarly as 993 was end of an era!