cvtbenhogan

I travel alot and rent cars now and then. Really makes me appreciate the 997. Even if I come back from the airport at 10pm, I always go for a late night drive. :+)

Its so true about how fast these cars go or how fast these cars entice you to go because they are so competent.

Got an S because my research pointed to PASM as a must have. I liked the idea a very sport setup on demand, plus PASM in normal mode softens the ride of the 19s. In retrospect, I'm fairly certain a base would have been just fine in terms of power and ride. Even with 18s. I do however love the white gauges . . . . :+)

wjk_glynn

A week later (last Saturday to be exact), I test drove a stock '01 996TT w/48K miles from a local lot.

I didn't drive the 996TT on the same piece of road as my friend's 997S, and having the sales-guy along side did temper things a smidge... but somehow the 997S felt 'quicker', more 'agile', more 'alive'. The 996TT felt softer by comparison in such areas as throttle and suspension response -- by quite a long way.

Now by any objective measure, the 996TT is faster accelerating than the 997S. It has loads of grunt and it certainly pinned my head against the headrest.

The '06 997S and '01 996TT are roughly the same money in today's market (in the mid-$40K range). But based on my experiences of those two cars, I think I'd take the 997S.

I wasn't expecting that...

Karl.

PS: I've heard that a UMW re-flash does wonders for the 996TT engine performance...

Tarek307

The 997 non S is also pretty quick- its still a Porsche i ended up getting an S because of the standard options you got on it + yes it did feel quicker than the non-s. AMAZING CARS OVERALL! on my 2nd now!

simsgw

I agree with the last paragraph. Not so sure about the middle one. Before my back slowed me, I used to catch 996TT's regularly at track days. Not novices. We were in the yellow or red run groups each time. I surmise they have lots of power but don't have the chassis to keep up with a 997.2S.

I did test drive a 997TT a couple of weeks ago back to back with a 991. I bought the 991. Personal opinion of course. Just that real race cars will pin your helmet against the seat far more effectively than any of the turbos, and anything from a base Carrera upward has more power than you can use on public roads safely. That alone doesn't sell a car in this category to me. Overall, the 991 was more of a pleasure to drive. And it still will run down those 996TT's at the track if I care to bother.

Gary

Zeus993

Now Dan, don't get started or I'm going to open up another can of 'turbo whoop-***' on you! LOL.

The truth be known I love all these cars. To the OP, go grab one buddy. Live some life.

rotesAuto

have really been enjoying my Targa......which is beasically a Carrera with a glass roof??

BHMav8r

I get the yurning for a TT from time to time, but in reality I dont need the additional power, cost, maintenance, or trouble.

I was thinking the other day that my '05 997 was probably faster than that '94 turbo I was contemplating - NOPE.

FrankyV

The first time I put my foot all the way into my 997.1, I involuntarily laughed out loud at the rush, no other car has done that for me.

USMC_DS1

I let one of my buddies drive my 997.1S around the neighborhood. He had recently rebuilt his '70 mercury cougar with a hopped up 400+ HP engine but in the 997 with 355 Porsche HP he laughed with glee the entire time. I told him my car story/search for the perfect 997. How I waited a lifetime b/c I believe in paying cash. And did not test drive one until I had saved enough $$ b/c I knew what would happen next. He curse me as a "richard cabeza" for not warning him upfront before the drive. We were both in tears from laughter by the end of that drive. We're all truly fortunate to have such fine cars to put a smile on... each and every day. Enjoy the ride brothers.

wjk_glynn

Hi Gary,


You got me thinking and I went back and looked at a comparison of instrumented tests between the 996TT and 997.1S... http://www.weissach.net/996-997_RoadTestSummary.html

There were 6x tests of the 996TT 6-speed Coupe, and 11x test of the 997.1S 6-speed Coupe.

I usually focus on the ¼ Mile trap speed as I think it's a decent indicator of real world grunt.

When I looked at the data again, the actual differences between these cars was less than my recollection. The stock 996TT is quicker than the 997.1S, but the margin is small. The measured spread on the ¼ Mile trap speed was:

996TT: 111-116 mph
997.1S: 109-115 mph

So the 997.1S is damn near as fast, lighter and more agile, and probably cheaper to run (if you don't happen to fall on the $22K IMS grenade)...

Karl.

PS: Now a modded 996TT... whole other story... both good and bad...

simsgw

Did you see any 997.2S times from those same test sources? I'd be surprised if the dot two were not faster than both of them, but it's fruitless comparing tests from different sources. Even the same people test on different days and often at different venues.

Bottom line, they're all damned fast cars.

Gary

simsgw

You are so right. And it isn't limited to people coming out of other marques and experiencing Porsche for the first time. I had a well-trained student in a Cayman R who had asked for advanced training. After the morning to learn he was very good, I offered to let him drive my 997.2S in an afternoon session. He spent the first lap exclaiming at the power, the second feeling out the handling differences I had taught him to see, and from the third lap to the end of the session we just had fun. As you say, he was laughing out loud at the great handling. The lively response to every input. And this guy was comparing an S to the R model of an excellent mid-engine design.

The Carrera is an amazing car. A high point in the history of automobiles. Now that I've owned them, I see how the configuration has survived fifty years and one CEO determined to bury it.

Gary

ADias

And it's not only the engine. It's the unique all-in-the-rear architecture, which provides superior traction, superior braking dynamic balance, and fabulous rotational dynamics (for those who know how to drive them).

BTW... this has been true since '64 with the original 901.

wjk_glynn

All of the mainstream auto magazines (e.g. R&T,etc.) have their road test result from the past 10 years on their sites.

Karl.

simsgw

Yes, but they all differ. That's why I asked if you have 997.2S data from the same sources you used for that paragraph I quoted.

Gary