Hi everyone. I would love some feedback from anyone who has had a 997 3.6 and has switched to a 991 3.4 or even if you just have a 991 3.4 would still love to hear your experience.

I am looking at a possible switch in the near future and test drove a Carrera and a Carerra 4S both manual earlier today (also got a chance to to drive an 2011 Turbo for fun- what a freaking beast that car is!)

The 991 3.4 was a brand new car and not a demo with 10 km on it and I was kindly asked not to push it past 4-5000 rpms so I couldn't experience the full range. I currently have a 2009 997.2 and lease is up soon . It almost felt that my car is faster but again I was not pushing the 3.4 991.

I am happy with the power of my 997.2 3.6 and just want to make sure I won't be disappointed with the 3.4 991 should I go that route. The 4S I drove was a dealer demo so I was able to open it up. I was definitely able to feel the power difference at low rpms but looking at the financial numbers the Carrera S has a lower residual percentage so is not as attractive for a lease and that's what I am looking to do.

I know the 3.4 991 has similar hp (5 more)and torque compared with the 997.2 3.6 but the peak power is developed a little higher up in the rpm range so you have to rev the car more to get the performance out if it compared with the 997.2, right?

There is a cab 3.4 I will return to test drive (I will order a coupe though) that I can open up but I know there is a little performance edge to the coupe.

So basically I'd love to hear from 3.4 991 owners - after having your car for a while are you happy with the power and performance - any regrets?

I'm looking at a manual car btw. Looking forward to hearing your opinions! Thanks in advance.

 

I went from a 2010 C4S Cab 3.8 385 HP to a new 2013 C4CAB 3.4 350 HP. The new car is lighter with a 7 speed manual, the old was a 6 speed. I don't miss the extra horse power and love the better mileage.

 

I had a '08 C2S Coupe (Tiptronic), a '10 C2S Cabriolet (PDK), and then a (very) base '12 C2 Coupe (PDK).

When I bought the '12 C2, it was a used CPO. My previous "S" P-Cars were new. I had decided that I really didn't "need" another "S" and should try to save money. After just a few DAYS, I realized I had made a big mistake.

The base C2 is a fine vehicle, but in my opinion, it would probably work best for those who have not experienced "S" ownership (or the other higher-end P-Cars). There were many reasons why I was unhappy with the base C2, both mechanical and emotional, and it would take a looong post to try to explain.

But anyway, after having the '12 C2 for just one month, I "sucked up" the (steep) depreciation, and went back to the local dealer. I "pre-traded" the '12 C2, and ordered a '14 C2S Coupe.

While I'm currently without a car, and have to wait for my new '14 C2S (mid-September delivery), I'm already much, much, happier.

 

The 3.4 is a great car with a great engine. 2nd gear in the power range, 4k - 6.5k puts you at 50-75mph, which is great on small highways and back roads. I don't miss getting the 3.8l at all.

The low RPM oomph is a bit lacking compared to high torque cars, but the car is very rewarding to drive in the twisties.

 

I had a 09' Base 997.2 cab and two base 991 coupes.
IMO the 991 pulls harder in the upper rev range where the 997 loses some air, but if I wasnt allowed to push it over 5000 rpm, I would say my 997 felt a bit faster.
Max torque numbers are the same on both cars, but 1000rpm earlier in the 997, and my butt dyno could definetely feel the difference.
Said that, the 991 is a much better car in every respect.

 

I had two 996 cars (2000 and 2002) . The first came with the 3.4 and the second had the 3.6 as the car was refreshed in 02. The newer car had much better mid range torque . So when Porsche opted to offer the two tier 997 I drove both the base and the S . The S clearly was faster and had more zip. The Gt3 had the most mid range torque and the closest OEM thing in 997 street car was the X51 . In my opinion the X51 in any of these cars is the ultimate modification and exclusive feature but at a huge pricetag .

The base 991 did not even feel much faster than my Boxster S . In fact I have more fun driving my Boxster S (having convertible and mid engine versatility) and the price was very close . I would not even think of buying a 991 unless it were at least an S. I would want a car MUCH faster than my Boxster S. In fact I actually feel at 120+K for a 991S I would want the Turbo S and just go in deepest and call it a day !! But don't count on lease deals in Turbo land.

In fact when i test drove the 991S and compared it to my heaviliy modded 997.2S I did feel my 997 was faster . But keep in mind that my 997.2S had a full FVD sport exhaust with cats plus software plus damptronic coil overs . I still sold the 997 though because the PDK in contrast was far superior in the 991 .

Since you are leasing these cars and it does seem like the base 991 is the most price oriented lease offer but i still think the car is not worth it .
I believe you will become bored with it very quickly after the novelty erodes.

 

Thanks. I respect your opinion as I have read a lot of your posts in the past. Keep in mind I will be driving this car every day and it is not going to be tracked (maybe once a year at most). For background, I had an 06 Boxster S for 4 years and put 90,000 km on it. Loved every minute of it. My current 09 997.2 base I've had for 4 years and currently has 94,000 km on it and have also loved every minute of it. I'm not bored with it at all but lease is up and rather than buying it out would rather move into something newer - my 997.2 was had at a great deal during the financial meltdown as it was ordered by someone who then passed on it - it is VERY basic with only Sport Chrono and Dynamic lights. During the deal I had the dealer switch me to 19's, sport shifter, sport steering wheel and a dealer modified sport exhaust (OEM exhaust hacked). It has been a fun basic 911 and I love it. Still gives me a smile everytime I drive it, "S" or not! But time for change I think.

Of course, I will be the first to admit the "S" is the faster car and everyone has a different idea on value and I respect that. I also drove a manual 4S today (as they didn't have a manual S) for comparison. I can tell the difference in torque right away as I exited the dealer lot. But life is about balance and while I can probably swing the "S" without noticeably affecting my lifestyle I can use the monthly difference in different ways such as investing it, using it on other luxuries, etc.

Other option is to wait for the BMW M4 (I have entertained that thought) but I think I would miss being in a 911 quickly and afraid the novelty of the "M" would wear off quickly.

I would go for a Cayman S but believe it or not, I actually use the backseat of my 911 everyday as my 5 year old son fits in there comfortably and is very happy being in the back of a 911! So Cayman S (Boxster S) is out of the question. And no, I don't want a Nissan GTR.

I love the visual updates to the 991 over the 997 inside and out as well as the 991 being the more capable car. So while getting a 12 997 GTS would be a performance update, I feel it would be too familiar and the 991 will still be fresh for the next few years.

That's why I'm asking people's input who have lived with the 991 3.4 and its performance. Any additional input is greatly appreciated. Thanks again.

 

My 991 c2 is my daily driver. I, like you have little ones who love the back seat experience. I had an 07 cayman s that I enjoyed very much. when I took a kid with me anywhere the other 2 would cry because they couldn't come.

With my 991 I get to drive it every day and enjoy the sound, feel and power.

Does it have the torque of my 5.7 v8 in my Tundra crewmax? no. then again it will spank it all day long while getting twice the mileage.

If I ever really want power I can just hit sport or sport plus and call it a day. There's plenty of torque in those 2 buttons to satisfy me.

If I need more then maybe a Top fuel dragster is in my long term plans. But for a daily driver, who never tracks and doesn't care about the numbers printed in a book when I'm grinning every time I drive it to work its a wonderful machine.

and...now no kid cry...they can all come.

 

We are complelely on the same page . The only difference that I seem to have is bias resulting from been spolied by my modified Turbo and it thus places such a perspective on all of these cars .

That said I also got my 997.2S during the 09 economic and auto meltdown which makes todays pricing seem so much more over the top. The car costs more and the discounts are less so a base car would cost more than a heavily discounted 997.2S did and a 991S costs as much as a 997.1 Turbo did .

I did lust for the GTR Hp value but it slowly diminished when I was met with Nissan sales customer service so pitiful that i was not allowed a test drive .(called 4 dealerships at the time) .

If Boxster and Cayman are out and the car is leased short term the base car is an option . I do not recommend the BMW idea . I myself have had 23 BMWs in my life (mostly as secondary cars) and i can honestly say I am done unless I ever financially had to downgrade . They just lack the amazing driving characteristcs of Porsche even though they are very nice cars , have free service, and offer far better lease choices . In short .. they are great value but not the best car .

My vote would go to the S and the main reason is that it leaves no doubts (it's more car) but if you compare leases and time lines and measure what really fits into your driving needs formula and it points to a base then that's what it will be .

No matter what you get I want to be the first to wish you congrats !!!

 

Thanks!

I understand what you mean by being spoiled by a Turbo (modified Turbo no less!) There was a pre-owned 2011 manual Turbo at the dealership also today that I asked to drive and my salesperson obliged. I drove it for like 10 minutes. Wow! Rocket Ship ! That car is a beast so being used to that power would make everything else seem so pedestrian !! At least I can say that I now know what 500 HP feels like. What a rush! So yesterday was a lot of fun as I got to test drive 3 911s including a Turbo!

I am going to take my time and explore all the options as I can extend my lease month to month at same monthly payment (up to 12 months and can return it anytime) so this gives me more flexibility. Although the itch is getting worse day by day and I'm finding I'm spending way too much time on the Porsche configurator and on 6speed so I'll need to scratch that itch soon!

I thought long and hard about the BMW M4 and while it would probably be faster than a 3.4 991 I just feel I may regret that decision. Plus I like the size of the 911s - the M cars are getting bigger and heavier and I love the fact that the 991 is actually a little (although negligible) lighter than the 997. The 911 still feels special, even though it is the base car.

 

I agree . Maybe getting the base makes a lot of sense for your driving needs .

The M car is heavier and since you like a manual box its by far the weakest trait in the BMW car. The lever in my previous M3 was ill positioned and the clutch feel and gear spacing was deplorable compared to Porsche . The car actually drive great for its size and weight and the current M3 has become somewhat dated but no matter what BMW does it can not be a Porsche 911.

Good luck . Your posts show that whatever car you end up with took a lot of thought and it was fun to read the posts as you go through the process .

 

if porsche canada offers the same lease deals as porsche usa, the base 991 is a great deal for short-term and your parameters mentioned.

for daily driving (work, family, etc), the c2 power is plenty for going stoplight to stoplight with a short freeway stretch for my daily 5 mile commute. mind you, i don't feel the need to redline the car going between stoplights so i may not be the best person to ask--speeding tickets matter to me more than tenths of a second on launch times (or whatever the lingo is )

 

OP, I've upgraded to a 991 C2 3.4 from an 07 Boxster S 3.4

I loved the Boxster for it's open air ability. It had an extremely smooth engine with 290 hp and short shift manual 6 speed. Pleeeeeeeenty of power for me, and that's why I didn't take the C2S, don't need the extra oomph. But I never fell in love with the Boxster. That made me focus on the negatives in the end. It was a bouncy car, scraped every speed bump and driveway you could find (stock suspension), and was not rigid over bumpy roads with chassis flex and squeaks as a result. Didn't feel one with the car when driving it, plus I always felt too confined, strangely enough also with the hood down.

Now I'm only breaking in the 991, so I'm limiting the revs, but I can instantly feel it's a different animal. The engine doesn't feel nearly as smooth as the Boxsters did though up to 4k rpm, but we'll see what happens after breakin. Frankly I'm amazed at what pace you can progress on the road, and how much fun you can have in the twistys, by only using the first 4k revs and half throttle !
The rest of the car is near PERFECTION. It's such a rigid chassis over bad roads. Brakes are much better than the boxsters, as is stability and - this came as a surprise - also turnin. But what I love most is that it really rewards correct driver inputs and I really feel one with it. It is vastly better than my previous car ! More car than I'll ever need. I love it, best car I ever had and I'm only scratching the surface now with the breakin !

 

Galion and a lot of other guys have nailed it. Since you are going to get a MT, it's all going to depend on if you like keeping the revs high (which will of course bring you gas mileage down). I have a 991 PDK Base and had a 2009 C2S and a 2007 C2. I really love the 991 in every respect, but I suspect the PDK has a lot to do with my satisfaction of the low end torque. If you accelerate quickly from a stop, the RPM goes to 3500, keeping the torque up so it feels great, but you really wouldn't want to do that every day with a MT. If you are set on a MT, I'd drive both quite a bit before I made a decision. That said, perhaps you should try a PDK base also. The PDK is great and much more refined and capable than the earlier gen PDK. After a little over a year of driving mine, I'm still not bored, although I will say that I manually shift it most of the time.

ChuckJ

 

@ galion: that sounds encouraging. The official Porsche stats do show the 991 has a very slight straight line edge to the 997.2 but I suppose that is gained in the upper rev range like you said.

@Aranthir: yes, the backseat makes a huge difference. Most journalists say it is utterly useless but it is big enough (in my driving position) to be a really useable 2+2 like in your case to regularly haul 3 sometimes a 4th person. Cheers!

@bccars: Thanks for your insight. Congrats on your beauty.

@ChuckJ: Next time I go back to the dealership in the next couple weeks to drive another 3.4 , I'll also ask to try out a PDK. I've tried it a couple of times before (new Boxster and 09 c4S) but those had the standard steering wheel with the button shifters and I thought I would quickly get bored of the PDK. Like you said, I'll try it again just to be sure.


Most press cars have been the Carrera S that are heavily optioned with all the gizmos and there are only a handful of base Carerra reviews. There was a youtube review by "the Getawayer" on a Carrera 4 Cab and he loved the car in every way especially the auto blip downshift in the manual with the sport chrono (2013 and up) but said he thought it lacked a little oomph. However, the performance of the lighter Carrera coupe at least on paper splits the difference between the Carrera 4 cab and Carrera S coupe.


Does the PSE on the 3.4 sound the same as the 3.8 with PSE? I know the standard (non PSE mufflers are different but if you spec PSE is the exhaust mufflers the same between the 3.4 and 3.8? Do you still get the crackles and pops and is it similarly aggressive and similar in sound levels? I definitely would do something with the exhaust as I have enjoyed the exhaust on my car (both side mufflers modified and centre bypass) but not sure if the PSE would be enough on the 3.4 vs aftermarket (or dealer hacked bypass). Any input from 3.4 owners with PSE? Mine is without a valve so it is on all the time and that's fine by me. If you press the PSE button before startup (after turning the key half way to engage the electronics) do you get the more aggressive startup growl and is it louder on idle also or just louder when you get on it?

For me the acoustic feedback is as much part of the overall experience as the performance and even when driven at normal (legal!) speeds a sportier, more aggressive sound really adds to the experience for me. Unfortunately my dealer does not have a 3.4 with PSE and the 3.8 with PSE may not be an apples to apples comparison.