johnireland

I prefer to change the tire and get back on the road, rather than wait for however long it takes to then have a flatbed take me to a dealer or tire store. Of course that depends if it is at a time when a dealer might be open, and if the tire store has your replacement tire. My system allows me to continue on my way even in the middle of the night, or go home, etc.

And yes it can be dangerous changing a tire on the side of the road. And it can be dangerous sitting in your car on the side of the road. That is why most auto safety people recommend continuing to drive on the flat tire (even at the expense of the fancy wheel) until you are in a safe area where you can change your tire or you car can be loaded onto a flatbed.

My 996 C2 is a fully inflated spare that will work on front or back wheels. The C4 use the old style inflatable spare. I'm not a big diy person but changing my own flat tire is the least I should be able to do. Right up there with making my own bed and brushing my teeth.

With the new cars, Porsche is degenerated into a marque for dandies and posers. Weekend toys that get changed every three years for the next trinket. Exhaust sounds that are piped into the car to create the video game impression that "something big is happening." Driving aids to make up for the general like of driving skills in the new breed of owners.

Tarek307

Adaptive sports seats are a Must for me! 997 is in my opinion the perfect 911

Ben Z

I'm perfectly capable of changing a tire, done it many times. Being self-employed, throwing my back out or mashing my fingers would cost me way more in work down-time than waiting 30-40 min for a tow truck.

hockenheimr

I have a low mileage 997 C2S and a 964 that I am currently rebuilding. I personally think the 997 is probably the best 911 ever produced...and I've tracked a 991 and I wasn't impressed so I also think it will be the best ever produced. It has the perfect balance between sport, feel, luxury and comfort....and the interior always smells amazing. The 964 is the best of the air-cooled, drives amazing BUT hard and unless you spend 20gs it lacks power....and the interior always smells like gas which is amazing in a different way!

If you can keep both...otherwise make your choice.....but I can't imagine living without the 997....it's just perfect!

ADias

I agree that the 997 is the best water-cooled 911. However, the best air-cooled 911 is the Carrera 3.2, especially the 9186 model - the most evolved early 911, still with the basic architecture including torsion bar suspension. The 964 is a major departure from the early generation - heavier, cushier, more refined.

Air-cooled cars lacking power? All relative... they are lighter and the engine needs to rev high. If you understand that an '80s 11 is gobbles of fun.

Just my opinion.

halo777

Those are the types of 997 reviews I like to hear

I can't say I have tried an air-cooled Porsche's. But I friggin love the 997 I recently purchased. It just seems to do everything right.

I may just end up being a 997 lifer. Considering that, glad I chose a manual.

halo777

Yeah, I agree there are benefits to having a spare. For me, when Im within the city, I dont want one, and even removed them from my Audis that had full sized ones.

But on any long trips (like up North to the cottage), I feel it is a necessity. Breaking down without a spare on a trip outside the city could ruin the entire trip, and potentially cost me a small fortune.

That being said, I wouldn't let the lack of a spare influence my car buying decision in any way. The flat situation comes up so rarely. I base my decision on how the car feels and drives everyday. Not the one time every few years when I get a flat, and there is no flat bed around.


I would love to see what the actual cross section of buyers of brand new Porsche buyers looks like. New car sales don't cater to the car enthusiast. They cater to the guy with the money to buy the new car.

New car buyers, don't take this the wrong way, but I always have felt that there are a lot higher percentage of 'real' car guys buying the cars used. The large percentage of people who buy new, are those who like a fancy new toy, and can afford it.

I have no scientific data to back this up, so please don't ask

Porsche runs a business, so they're goal is to sell as many cars as possible. And the average Porsche buyer doesnt want raw and challenging. They want fast, comfy, spacey, and packed with toys and flashing lights.

Maybe you are right, it wasnt always like that way(pre-Cayenne). But, if Porsche didnt make a major change in their way of thinking, then maybe they wouldnt even be here today.

Anyway, I'm extremely happy with my 997 C4s. So, I don't really care what they do in the future. I'm not planning to let this car go for a long, long time.

dw.metro

My wife just purchased a 1992 Pink (called Rubystone) 964. I'll have to post pics alongside my 997 when we take delivery next week. It will be a pretty awesome combination and it will be the best of both worlds...modern vs. classic, air vs. water cooled and bright blue vs. bright pink!

halo777

Nice! Looking forward to pics.

I am surprised you still have the 997. I thought it would have been sold by now, as there seemed to be lots of interest in the other thread. Did you change your mind, or is it still up for sale?

I think you would miss that car if you sold it. It looks pretty incredible.

johnireland

Hello Halo777. Your points are well made. I'm just getting old and cranky. If I do surrender and get a 997 I know I'll put a spare and a jack in the frunk. Yes I enjoy some of the modern car conveniences ... but when I get behind the wheel, I want this kind of experience...

halo777

Wow! What a car!

Argon

Beautiful A6G. That Maserati would, of course, have been the epitome of modern sports car convenience and refinement for its day, so it's interesting to hear where people who are not of the mindset of simply wanting to own the most modern car 'draw the line'.

I suspect that this often has a lot to do with how old you are - we tend to be particularly drawn to the cars that were cutting-edge when we were in our impressionable teens/early 20s and were starting to thing about these cars as viable ownership prospects.

The other important factors are probably price/affordability, practicality, and number of cars owned. To take these additional factors out of the equation and 'solve for' pure emotional preference, you have to imagine that you have a limitless budget. It then becomes a question of simply imagining which era's cars would dominate the enormous Harrah-style car collection that would follow.

In this scenario, I would imagine I'm outside the norm as, being in my early 40s and not having a burning need to own the latest, I should be looking at cars from the 80s and 90s (assuming my previous reasoning holds). In reality though, my collection would be concentrated in sports cars from the '50s and 60s - ones just like that Maserati. Sure, I'd throw in a few Zondas and LeFerraris and Alfa 2900Bs and whatnot, but '50s and '60s sports cars is where the concentration would lie. For me, that era is the sweetspot of refinement, performance, mechanical feel, and purity of form.

ljpviper

The 997 is the best mix of old and new. My friend bought a 2013 991 sight unseen, after having 2 997s, and numerous air cooled cras. He hates the 991, numb, different seating, etc.

I will keep my old mezger!!!!

mike9186

Thanks for all the comments. As far as pricing goes, there really aren't many 964 C2 coupes for sale so I'm using my best judgement considering miles and the amount of general and preventative maintenance I have performed on the car. Color Combo is personal but I find it hard for someone to be offput by a black Porsche with a whitish interior. I always liked a lighter interior in a small car as it provides a sense of spaciousness where a dark interior can make an already small car feel claustrophobic. My opinion.


I really love the 964 and would keep it but it is already a 3rd car in a 2 person household and it stays at my house on Long Island (I also have an apartment in Manhattan). As much as I would LOVE to have both an air cooled and a newer 911 I just can't rationalize having 2 toy cars. Also my OCD is already in overdrive just maintaining the 964. Obsessing over 2 cars might drive me to the brink of insanity!!!!

A few years ago my wife sent me to Porsche Driving School in Alabama and I got to rip around Barber Motorsports Park in a bunch of 997.2s and I really liked it. Hence my decision to move from the 964 to the 997.

I hope the car does go to an enthusiast who wants to learn about the car and turn a wrench every once in a while. I find a large part of Porsche ownership experience comes from working on the car myself. And as far as build quality, the 964 really is built like a tank.

Lastly, even though there is a spare tire in the 964, it is 24 years old and I wouldn't use it on a dare.

Dennis C

John, I think that if you do "surrender" to a 997 you'll find that all the things you like about the 996 are there. The 997 is an incremental improvement over the 996 and the driving experience is still pure Porsche. I've spent quite a bit of time behind the wheel of a 996, a 997, and a 991. The 997 is much closer to the 996 than it is to the 991 in terms of driving experience.

The 997 still has hydrolically assisted power steering. It still has a mechanical hand brake lever. It doesn't have electronically enhanced sound pumped into the cabin. The electronic driver nannies can be deactivated with the touch of a button.

You'll also find that the 997 improves upon some of the things that you might not like about the 996. I won't talk about physical appearance; that's a very subjective thing. You will find that the 997 offers increased power, improved handling and a much better ride. I find the 997 headlights to be far superior in terms of night time performance. Little things like TPMS are nice additions.

I used to say that I was going to skip the 997 when I sold my 996 and go straight to the 991. I obviously changed my mind when I bought the 997 TT and I'm glad I did.