limbo

Hi all - trying to decide what direction to go in; keep what I've got, or swap to a Turbo.

I've been in a '10 997.2 C2 PDK for the last four years, with a lease coming due in the next several weeks. It's been an excellent car - truly no complaints, and I'm thinking hard about buying it out. Of course, a lease coming due makes you always think about doing something different.

I've driven many other things recently (991 C2S, F-Type Coupe, V8 Vantage) and keep coming back to the 997.2, so I thought "hey, more power might be nice" so I went looking for Turbos. Found and drove a couple locally but am having a hard time trying to wrap my head around valuations and whether or not it's truly "worth it" to me at current prices.

The first I drove is a CPO '10 6MT with ~37K mi. GT Silver on Dark Grey natural leather - PTV, heated seats, 19" RS centerlocks, Dynamic lights, sport chrono, BT/Univ. Audio/Sat Radio and adaptive sports seats, gearshift, handbrake and dead pedal in Al. The exterior of the car is -flawless- ; not even so much as a single rock chip or paint defect I could find, but the interior is starting to show some real wear. There's the usual driver's seat bolster wear (no biggie) but there's some fairly alarming abrasion in the seat bottom, scratching and nicks in the seatbacks, some nicks in the leather glovebox, the aluminum handbrake is really chewed up, the steering wheel has seen better days, and the one that's probably the most expensive - a slight nick/crack in the dash right around the center speaker. Dealer wants low $90s, claims that they'd go into the high $80s.

The second I drove is a non-CPO '11 PDK with ~12K mi. GT silver on black leather. 5-lug Turbo 2 wheels, Ventilated seats with memory, center console in leather with Turbo logo, paddle wheel, Sport Chrono, BT/Univ. Audio/Sat Radio. The car is flawless inside and out, but the dealer is holding firm near $115K /without/ the CPO coverage - a bit more than I want to spend.

Both cars drove very, very well - the power differential is pretty staggering and I can see how it'd be addictive. I wouldn't mind rowing my own gears again, but am not kidding myself - PDK can shift better than I can.

Should I keep looking or simply 'give up' and wait a few years for prices to drop a bit before making a swap?

Thanks in advance for your opinions and getting through my novel.

Igooz

You are obviously a car person...get a 7TT now and don't wait a couple of more years...just do it.

I can't comment on those cars, and you'll have to decide for yourself on PDK vs. manual.

rotesAuto

this is a question???

go TT!!!

4ocious

I'd bet car #1 had some extensive presale reconditioning work to remove rock chips, scratches and etc. IMO it's very unlikely to have a perfect exterior without a near-perfect interior. Pass-

Car #2 sounds nice but I too would go for a MT and a car with a CPO.

Unless you're adamant about buying a 997.2 broaden your search and look for a nicely optioned 09 997.1 MT, it's the best of both worlds (Mezger, PCM 3, last of the 1's, etc.). When my 07 sells that's what I'll be looking for.

Nothing wrong with your C2S but a TT is in a totally different league.

PasPar2

you lease for a reason. move on to greener pastures. You have a c2, if you dont want to stretch for a turbo, get a GTS...

ArizX

2 thoughts I have. I own an 09 6mt turbo and absolutely love it. However if you are looking to mix things up and ur in that kind of price range you should also check out the gt3 and compare that to the turbo. Both will offer you more power than u have in ur c2 but are two totally different animals. Your driving style and personality will determine which car you prefer.

My second thought is that if you are anything like me and many other 997tt owners you will want to at least upgrade the exhaust and probably throw a tune in there as well. The problem in my opinion is that the stock TT is a little tame and adding an exhaust and tune turns the car into the animal it's really meant to be. I would factor the cost of these upgrades into the price if you think you would also feel the same way about the stock TT.

limbo

Good feedback so far - thanks for the opinions!

4ocious - I think you hit the nail on the head w/ Car 1 on the reconditioning front. The thing I'm kicking around in my head is whether or not it actually represents a value - given that on a nationwide basis the mileage is still below average and it's been a west-coast car for its history - assuming I could get it for $15k or so under comparables around the country. The Experian history report on it is "clean" but that's not a panacea. Thanks for the tip on the 09 cars; I had excluded them from my initial search because I thought they didn't have PCM3, which would be a deal-breaker.

PasPar2 - Haven't driven a GTS yet; sounds like I should.

ArizX - A machine as 'firm' as the GT3s I've been in isn't really what I'm looking for. With no real time for regularly-scheduled trackdays, it's probably not the right call.

tcsracing1

If the lease buy out is attractive, then you must buy it. besides, it is clean and you like it.

A turbo is a fun car. You have to ask yourself first if you want a manual or automatic?
Since it is replacing your PDK car, i would suggest a 2010+PDK turbo.

If you really want a stick then go for a 2010 turbo since you are accustomed to the 997.2 series.

If you wanna save a couple of bucks you could look for a manual 2007-2009 997.1 turbo.....Forget about tiptronics as an automatic alternative... one you go pdk you never go back.

550bryan

I was recently shopping for mostly 997.2 TTS's, so with a PDK. I was aware at the time that significant depreciation was in the offing over the next few years, but the cars are wonderful. I also concentrated my search on 11 models as their software on the PDK is suppose to superior to the 10's, so that contributed to higher asking prices. At the same time I kept my eye out for an 09 6spd 997.1 (no tip for me) but they only sold 321 turbo couples in CY 09 so they are fairly rare. I was really lucky to find an 09 CPO car with just about a perfect set of options in one of my first two choices in color. I really love the car and consider myself luck to have snagged it. I paid in the low 80's (the dealer was asking 90) which I think was a good price, the miles were a little high at 27K but the car was in really good condition. I think I'll be in a good place depreciation wise while enjoying a really modern, fast car. It's a great combination, while my friends mostly desirable my TT as "bad-***", it's at the same time relatively comfortable, well equipped and civilized. My opinion, if you can find a nice 09 6 spd, go for it.

Zeus993

Well, the other option IMO as others have said is a very nice 997.1 3-pedal TT. You may be able to sell your C2S .2 for enough money to move nicely into the .1 TT. They are GREAT cars and really a different beast than you are driving. And... you get the excellent Mezfer GIT1 derived engine. My 2 cents.

limitedslip

Turbo: there is no substitute :P

TT Surgeon

09 6mt, the holy grail of 997 turbos.

docfink

Love my '10 TT with its short shift kit. Only you can decide. Driving around town, I'll doubt you'll notice much difference, but put the hammer down, even a bit, in sport mode, and all bets are off. There is no comparison between a normally aspirated 911 and a Turbo.