The TT is a mean ****, but turbo lag is something to consider. A mod might be able to diminish it, but not sure the OP wants to go that route.

The base 991 won't give the same thrust, but at least the throttle response should be more linear. OTOH, the 991 engines seem to need more revs than the 997, which could be an issue with MT.

 

Lag is not worthy of any consideration imho. Agree the TT is a mean **** but mean in all the right ways. And what little turbo lag there is in these new VTG cars, you'll be launchin that hard when it kicks you will be far too busy concentrating on where the cops might be. During normal driving and mid throttle the engine feels like an atmo engine anyway. It's only if you stand on it when you're in a higher gear (say 4th) at low rpms (sub 2800) that you'll ever get any real lag. Remedy. Just down shift a gear as you would do in your atmo anyway, and then stand on it. All you will feel is the 4 wheels tearing away like crazy at the bitumin..

 

It really all depends on what you want. If you want power and something a little more rare, go with the TT. Like you said, you avoid the big hit buying used in this case. That really is a great feeling to have. This is especially true with a vehicle you aren't going to use on a regular basis.

My TT is great. It has lots of power and you can really feel it. I get thumbs up and positive comments everywhere I take her. I am doing the opposite of you however. I want to start using my Porsche as a daily driver and may end up trading my TT in for a 991S. Still haven't made up my mind yet. I am going to drive the TT as a daily for a week or two and see if it is something I really want to do.

Since you aren't going to use this as a DD, but instead more of a weekend warrior thing, my .02 is go with the TT.

On a side note, the 991 base isn't *that big of a difference in price when both cars are equally equipped. There is roughly about a 10k difference.

All this is imho of course.

 

I agree here. With the 991 PDK, I found you have to keep shifting down a gear and keep it at the right RPM range to really take advantage of the car. So in the end you have to do same thing (at some point) to get the most out of both cars.

 

I should note that I've only driven one TT, and it had tiptronic. The engine and transmission didn't communicate well. I can see how MT would improve the situation.

I'm now leaning toward recommending that the OP go with the 997 TT.

 

I find all automatics have an inbuilt tendancy to shuffle into the taller gear when not under any form of kickdown. I've never driven the TT PDK so can't comment on that. Maybe it's more inutitive in the turbo? I know the Tip/Pdk cars are slightly quicker to the 100 over the manual, mainly because of the faster shift time combined with no boost loss during shifting. I prefer the manual because ultimately there is no substitute for the human brain making the decision when the hammer drops.

The 991 base is a very attractive car and, is no slouch, but offset the adavntages of the newer platform against the massive performance advantage of the 997 turbo, along with its unique muscular turbo body and the picture becomes clearer. It's hard to say NO, "i dont want all that exclusive power and performance"....

 

Just realized we're talking about the base 991...
Don't think that works... at all.
That's taking the "bottom" of the line and comparing it to the top of the line...

Hands down the Turbo.
Love the new 991S but even that can't really compare to the Turbo... I think for a 997 Turbo owner it's going to be very hard to switch to a NA 991.
Better wait for the 991 Turbo or GT variants.

 

To Manifold... we are just spoiled....that turbo lag you are talking about?? I don't have it...my power builds up soo quickly I have no time to check for cops even. But then , I do have some nifty mods that spool up quicker and a six speed that I can " give the signal" by down shifting. I am just holding on. :-)

 

I'm in the same boat and I am opting for a 991. A brand new car, JUST the way you like it with all the new improvements inside and out is hard to turn down.

While a Turbo is a Turbo and is much more aggressive and performs better, at the end of the day, I (you) will be driving a cabriolet!

The 991 base is plenty fast for the spirited driving when you want but it will meet all your other needs IMHO.

 

Fixedup...honestly, you've captured my thoughts as well. While the Turbo is amazing (I came close to buying an '09 a few months ago), when I look at how the car will be driven I'm leaning toward the 991. Yes, you can't compare the 2 from a performance perspective but neither me nor my wife will ever extract the capabilities of the Turbo. The 991 on the other hand will give us the balance of refinement and performance that will meet both of our needs.

I appreciate everyone's $.02...that's why I started the thread. At this point, I'm leaning away from the majority for the following reasons:
* We'll never use/need all the power that the Turbo brings
* I think the interior and exterior changes to the 991 make any 997 (even the Turbo) feel old
* I can order exactly what I want
* I would likely keep a new car longer than a used

What's pushing me away from the 991:
* The horrendous depreciation that it will take
* It's not an 'S' (to an earlier poster, the difference between the base and the 'S' when I configured with my options was more than $15k - that's too much for me to swallow)

I'll keep everyone posted with my decision. Thanks again.

 

this sums up the 991 in a simple way...its the best of both worlds...refinement and performance

best of luck

 

Nthusiast, do try to drive both if you can. That should hopefully settle it clearly. Both are great cars, but different enough that they appeal in different ways.

I can appreciate the argument about the turbo possibly being too powerful for street use. Sometimes I feel that way about the C63, which is a proper German muscle car (6.2L V8) with lots of readily accessed torque, but sometimes it's a lot of fun too!

 

The turbo is definitely a no brainer from an outright perfromance perspective but looking at what the 991 represents i can also understand your reservations. It's hard to overlook the 991 is an entirely new platform, and current for the next 7 years....and it's hard to turn a blind eye to that beautiful new body and interior. It definitely dates the turbo even if not nearly as much as the narrow bodied standard 997 versions.

Tough choice. I think it all comes down to your needs. The 991 isn't a slow car. The turbo on the other hand is a true supercar .

I'm not sure if i understand your thinking on the depreciation part tho especially on a base 991 car. The cheaper buy price would allways allow a cheaper sale price in relative terms, taking less of a loss than the more expensive models, and making it more affordable for those on a budget that wanted to get into a used 911.

 

The Base (I hate this word) Carrera is super capable for everyday usable performance. The interior is miles ahead of my old 997 and since I do not track my car there is not an acute need of extra performance. The Carrera will respectively fill the shoes of the last Carrera I owned, which was a 997TT. I would go for a Manual 991 Carrera, but thats just me. If you do go for the TT, every time you see a 991 you will wish you had not been so greedy about power . I am hoping to keep my 991 C2 until the 991TT comes out .

 

Johtaja can you post some better pictures of your car? taken delivery yet?