K5150

New to Porsche, new to the 911 – welcomed a new-to-me 2011 997.2 Carerra coupe to the stable last week after many years of dreaming about it - and some thoughts one week and about 500 miles in:


The good stuff
Performance, power and handling are all what I was hoping for. Lovely balance, fluid, smooth. And the power is quite intoxicating. You want to be in a lower gear just to hear the sounds and feel that shove in your back

It really can work as an errand car – did the farmers market, Costco and Trader Joe run over the weekend, and while I was more cautious about where I parked, it was remarkably normal – eggs did not break, there was plenty of space to put stuff. No plans to use it as a daily driver, but I could - and that was enough justification for my significant other!

It works with two young kids – one in a Cosco top sider backless booster, one in a Recaro Vivo

Rennlist is awesome! No, really Amazingly active, tons of useful info before I bought my car. In a nutshell - get a 997.2 if you're looking at a 997, get a PPI at an indy shop, get a CPO if you can for the first 911, get an extended warranty if first 911, buy the newest you can afford, and if looking out of state, ask for help with a Rennfax!


The not so good stuff
The infotainment is, quite frankly, way behind the curve – and really stands out compared to the rest of the car. I was surprised – this is not something you can tell on a test drive, but man, my other car is a 2007 Prius, and it has better Bluetooth, smoother navigation and more intuitive steering wheel controls. My fixes have included purchasing a Bluetooth receiver to stream music, and, eventually, a new phone holder so I can get better directions.

Cheers
-K

NAM VET

these cars are about driving, not cupholders, phone connections, music, and the like.

have fun, and enjoy the ride......

all the best......

tomc_mets

Welcome aboard! Hope the next thousands of miles are as enjoyable as the first 500. I agree that the nav is dated, but having Google Maps and Waze on my iPhone does the trick. As for the radio, I hardly ever use it, unless my Sunday ride coincides with a Cowboys game...T

theporscheguy

K,
Congratulations. The Porsche community is full of great Porsche's but more than that it's full of great owners and enthusiasts. Please post some pictures and more details when you have the opportunity. Again, congrats and enjoy.

EMC2

Congrats and welcome.
The best cure for the audio issue is an FVD / M&M sports exhaust. It's the only music you'll want to listen to

ogun228

You are correct in every way. I have the same car, an '09 and like you I find the comm system archaic but one benefit is that you pay more attention to your driving and communicate more with the car. Mine is a daily driver and my grandsons (11 and 8) love riding in it. They still fit.

j beede

My aftermarket Kenwood system was expensive to install but integrates perfectly with the iPhone--like a normal car!

chuck911

Infotainment? That's a new one. Tach, tachometer, instrumentation, gauges, never heard em called, what was that funny word again?

stevepow

Congrats on your car. My car is my dream car too - since decades.

Today I'm driving, as a loaner, a new Panamera - base level car I think - doesn't even say Bose and definitely not the Burmester. It has barely changed at all from my '09 C2. Although I'm pretty happy with the C2 and have been - even though the audio is a no go at speed.

As a contrast, we have a 2016 X5 with all the works - incredible tech really, but I'd take my 911 over it any day (unless I need to haul something huge) - or the Panamera for that matter - it's a brilliant driving car, the 911, and Porsche - and that's what it's all about.

K5150

Thanks for the warm welcome. Here are some pictures I took this morning - it was a lovely day!

Blu311

Great post and I agree 100% with what you have said.

I'm about 3500 miles in to my ownership (5 months) and I love the power/handling/balance and daily drivability. I can relate to the 'infotainment issue' as I have an 09 but even though the MSRP is $84k+ it was not optioned with Bluetooth (I think it became standard in 2010 but it was an option in 09 and there are a few 09s without Bluetooth). My bose system is adequate when I want music or talk radio when in thicker traffic, otherwise I don't often have the music on... like others have said, its not about that, its about driving!!!

jsalah

x100. Exactly what he said. Sound system is useless at speed.
(And welcome! -- Enjoy your nice car!)

hollywood1053

Nice looking car.
Congrats....

BIG smoke

Infotainment?
Your spoiled by your phone technology.
Infotainment? Your car is seven years old, with technology from five years before that. Y2Knolowgy?
With 1080 mm of tire traction, no Bluetooth is going to work well. It's just too thumpy. Best is a wire earpiece to you phone. But, really my car is my happy zen place. I don't need my stinkin phone, nor Bluetooth, some music is nice, but its never going to drown out tire noise. Look under you seat? There is bare sections of floor metal right there. No sound deadening. Its loud. Loud like the person sitting in the passenger seat.
Congrats on the new ride. Only thing faster, is the passing of time.

jbachman2

I got my '07 Carrera about a month ago and the first thing I ordered was a spare tire from a 996 but the second thing I ordered was a Tranzit Blu so that I have Bluetooth compatibility for music and hands free for my phone.

The third thing I ordered was oil filter and misc to change the oil. I am gonna do that every 5,000 miles regardless what the manual says.