I had a 2009 997 C2S before I got my 2012 C2 and I feel like the 991 C2 would run circles around it- much more fun to drive. The chassis is much stiffer and I think safer in high speed corners. So try both and make your decision, but know you will be getting a good car even if you decide don't want to go for the S.

ChuckJ
PS I must say, I'm old and used to driving the venerable 911s where we thought 4000 was the starting point so keep in mind that I'm accustomed to keeping the revs up.

 

This is an endless discussion. OP will have to go testdrive and decide for himself.

Me personally, I was out in my 991 C2 3.4 yesterday for a quick drive on a mild winterday. And I always get the same feelings, come to the same conclusions. The car is soooo much more capable than I am ! It is soooooo bloody fast. People have asked, would you get a cayman if it had 991hp, NO. Would you get a 991 if it had only 300hp, YES, it doesn't need 350 or 400 hp. The Carrera 2 in stock form has PLENTY of hp and torque for me. Just a quick pull or two on the left paddle and you are into warpspeed. I honestly wouldn't know what to do with MORE hp and torque in a carrera, I'm just not that good of a driver, and real world conditions where I live don't lend themselves to use 100% of 350hp. That doesn't mean I would say no to more hp if it would happen to fall in my lap, after all I'm still lusting after a GT3 :-)
But it all depends on how YOU use it and what type of driver you are.

- If it's not a daily driver, or if you are a sporty driver that enjoys "using" the car (ie choosing the right place in the powerband for the maneuvre, braking hard, plotting the "raceline", feeling the chassis etc.) ... by all means get the C2 3.4
- If it will be your daily driver, and/or you are the "lazy" driver that can't be bothered to shift, or just wants the oooomph to floor it in high gear, or are a straight line hero that needs every last drop of hp, or are coming of another higher horsepower car, or want the extra bang for trackdays, get the C2S

No scratch that, if it's torque and power you are after, forget about the C2 or the C2S, go straight for the turbo !

 

+1. I had long and detailed discussions with the Porsche sales associate and manager. They encouraged me to buy the base. They also suggested numerous useful options which I purchased at their cost. Their reasoning was very similar to that of BCCARS. I've driven both cars and even tracked a C4S and a C4 and could neither appreciate nor utilize the extra torque or hp. I owned a 68 Firebird in. 1970-74 and I understand straight line acceleration and raw horsepower. I enjoy the C2 and for me the handling acceleration and ability to put the car where and when I want to at any speed is remarkable. There was an interesting article in the NYT yesterday about the MGTD. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/02/au...a-history.html. It talked about the pleasure of driving that car at. 45-50 mph. As an MGB owner I understood what was meant and the applicability to my 991. The sensation of raw acceleration is over in a flash. The pleasure of motoring a 991 over all types of highways is to be savored

 

I love it!!! THIS sounds like the internal voice(s) in our heads (I don't care which camp you're in).

There is so much involved in getting a sports car these days. What great problems we have...