the salesman, even though he knew i wasn't going to buy the pdk, was nice enough to let me take the car on a test drive. to me, it is just a much better performing tiptronic. let me tell you a few problems that i'd found. first of all-no paddles. it is very hard to work the levers on the steering wheel as you are turning the car. second, if you put the car in it's highest performance mode (sport plus) you are driving around constantly at between 4000 and 6000 rpm-your mpg would be horrible. i would imagine that you would turn that setting off as soon as you would accelerate, if it was in the automatic mode. the regular sport setting keeps it about 1000 rpm less. if you turn off the sport mode, then it shifts at 2-3000 rpm, and gets into 7th gear when you are doing 60. to it's credit, if you floor it when you are in automatic mode, it will assume that you are looking for a sportier mode, and go into the sport mode. you also can shift via the automatic gear selector on the console, but if you are going to do that. save the $4000 and get a manual. it does shift very quickly, but i think that the lack of paddles, as a ferrari has, makes the wheel shifting in manual mode very tricky. in my opinion, if you want a much better tiptronic, with a very talented automatic mode, here is your transmission. but if you are looking for a manumatic, you are going to have to get a car with paddles. just my opinion.

 

Doc, you realize that 'sport plus' is REALLY only for the track, right?



Regarding paddles...............meh.................there's a bazillion threads dedictated to that.

 

no, i didn't. thanx for the input-maybe you can help me with my understanding of the pdk-what is your feeling of pdk vs manual-which would you get with your turbo or non turbo-if you could give me plusses and minuses, i would appreciate it.

 

It's actually been an interesting week. Last week, we had an M5 for a trade in. I spent 2 days with her. And after that, I started to really - in a weird way- enjoy the SMG.

Now compared to the PDK, an element that a lot of folks don't realize is that Porsche actually 'encorporated' the 'creeping mode' = the ability to move in traffice w/o actually using throttle with your foot. The BMW 'SMG' does not - just like a M/T it requires your imput via the right foot.

I actually like that about the SMG/Lambo "E" gear and Ferrari "F1".. I don't want it to be 'similar' to an Auto- which is partially your experience Doc. That sensation - combined with rediculously silky smooth shifts - probably - gave you the sensation of a 'automatic transmission'.

What I'm finding is that the PDK changes gears- JUST too damn good. Non of that abrupt 'shifting' feeling that you get when dropping the 'hammer' in a M/T or when an auto transmission 'kick's down'.

Virtually no- ZERO- shift points. You think, i'm going to downshift- and BOOM. she's there.

But- LOOK at your digital speedo; triple digits come at you at STUPID speeds. I've actually found it's very very difficult to go slow with the PDK. With a manual transmission; I'm more aware of my Revs; thus easier for me to maintain speeds.

Now- with regards to the Turbo. I just cannot fathom how fast that car will be. The 997tt is one of the fastest, and SMOOTHEST fast car I've ever driven. It just pourssss on the power. It's truly a 'Super Car'.

I suppose; if I was in the financial position, I'd take a Turbo with a M/T over a PDK car. That having been said, the new DFI engine is so damn addictive; she's a hard toss up.

One will never go wrong with the Turbo. I think it's such a monster of a car.

Apples and oranges, to me, really.

 

again, thanx for your answer. i do have a manual 09 turbo-even though the tip was theoretically faster, i just can't understand not getting a manual in a car like a turbo-it is just so much fun to fool around with that almost 500hp engine and that clutch. even if the pdk was avaialable, i would rather take the 6 speed. i spent a bunch of time with the smg while trying to convince myself to buy an m5 a few years ago-i just didn't like the smg-very rough clangy shifts, ridiculous auto mode that should be disconnected. i just couldn't feel comfortable with it. one more question stoppie-we have been having a bit of an argument here, where some board members feel that a brand new turbo depreciates 40k the second it leaves the dealer's lot with it's new owner-obviously i have a horse in this race-i think 40k is crazy, and innacurate-i would say that a 135 k car would be worth about 122k on trade-what is your educated opinion?

 

LOL- ah yes. The lovely 'depreciation' conversation.

All I would say is if one feels that a Porsche depreciates badly; Might I turn ones attention to the following cars: M5, E63, RS4, ASTON -ANYTHING, Ferrari 360's and 430's at the moment, Lambo Gallardo's and Muci's at the moment, Maserati -anything- Corvette's -anything

and pretty much anything in between.


You show me another car where, historically you can be in a 48-60 month LEASE and get out of it w/o almost ZERO negetive equity in 2.5 years and I'll show you a massive sign that says:

I'M WITH STUPID pointing to me!

Been doing this a while now and the only car(s) that I've seen I could do that with are Porsche's. Especially the 911.


An 09 997Turbo with a 135 list price would have a trade in of about 120-125ish.

It' a 2009 for pete's sakes!

2008's will havea a trade in depending on mileage and options of low 100's to 110k.

 

thanx

 

I'm hoping for very selfish reasons that the PDK and DFI will be very popular, since I plan to purchase a previously owned 997TT in 2009. I also can't imagine not having a manual transmission, but to each his own. I have been watching prices on used 997TTs like a hawk, since I can't spend more than $100K on a car, and I guess the lousy economy is taking its toll - for the first time I'm seeing manual transmissions under $90K, which up until very recently was only true for the auto transmissions.

I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade, honest, because I feel your pain on the depreciation side. But I have waited for many years to purchase my ultimate dream car, and the fact that I'm getting closer and closer to being able to purchase that car is incredibly exciting!

You can make fun of me for all the money I've lost in the stock market!

 

I hear ya porscheholic, we have an expression in German for deriving pleasure from others misfortune, it escapes me at the moment. I think you should be able to land a 100k 997tt now if you wanted, but if it's the pdk you want, wait about a yr into the run.

 

Can you elaborate on the 48 month lease/end theory, not sure I follow.
c

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schadenfreude

 

If you have been putting money aside for the TT, that is money that was not in the market, so good for you.

I told my wife I am a financial genius for keeping money out of the market to buy the TT.

 

Absolutely:


I've had more then a handful of clients who leased their 911's (2006) either via USBank or Porsche Financial- if memory serves me correctly; all but one were in USBANK leases:

So, USbank was notorious for giving Lower residual values; but automatically giving you 12k/per year and much lower interest rates over PFS.

At the 2 or 2.5 year mark the cars actual cash value (real world trade in) was worth almost exactly what their lease payoff was. To use the latest example, the client who traded in his Seal Grey C2S was at 2.5 years of ownership and he was clean getting out of his car -based on what we gave him for trade in value-

And we got him into a 2009 C2S- which was nearly $7,000 more then his previous car and his payment only went up about $60/month.

It worked out just as if he paid cash for his car.

That's what I'm talking about. Usbanks money factor was about 4.5% at the time, which was pretty damn good. He paid not a whole lot of interest and got out of it- ZERO negetive equity.

It's a great way to get into a 911 w/o putting out all that cash up front- and getting into a new car A LOT sooner then 48 or 51 months.

 

Someone beat me to it - Schadenfreude - yeah, a very German invention! I grew up in Germany so I think I can say that!

My wife is a lot smarter than I am, and she insisted that we set aside a savings account for the TT purchase, so that money is safe. I actually WANT the manual, not the PDK.

The ONLY downside of getting your dream car is that once the purchase is made, I can't spend every waking minute dreaming about that car - I guess anticipation is half the fun. But I think I can live with that!

 

stoppie-aren't you really saying that your customers paid higher monthly payments to us bank because of their lower residual values? i think that is why they did well coming out of their lease-the new leases that they got ($60/month more) will not be so easy to walk from without being upside down. i leased a vette with a us bank lease and i found the same thing-higher monthly payments but being in better shape equity wise earlier on in the lease-obviously because you are paying a higher monthly payment. they are not bad leases, they are more realistic.