New vehicles: 2016 911 GTS 4Cab, 2015 4s coupe. All PDK, all well equipped.

Before I get my late mid life crisis treat, I have some final doubts i need to resolve quickly. Most of my sporty cars have been BMW's, including a 2002 E39 M5. Sometimes, if one wants to stay out of jail, smaller cars can be more fun. I enjoyed driving the Boxster S, and find that even in the Northeast, I like convertibles. I like the idea of having a back seat for luggage, but don't want to sacrifice fun. I have a larger vehicle to tow, or use for people transport, so I don't come close to needing this car. So, if anyone wants to provide any generic advice (tonight) I'd be happy to read it. I also have a few specific questions .

1) The GTS is great, but is it worth getting in a cabriolet? Especially compared to a 4S coupe (about $25k).

2) Are certain colors to be avoided.

3) Are these cars, as a practical matter, OK as winter drivers if snow not heavy, and equipped with winter tires. The GTS has center locking hubs which may make changing wheels an expensive proposition (and I don't know if I can find 18 or 19 inch wheels).

4) How many 911 owners wish they had a Boxster?

Thanks. I know that these questions are (a) commonly asked, and (b) hard for anyone but me to answer, but I'm sort of on the fence. Thanks.

 

The GTS is a great car and if you want a cab, then get it and enjoy. With snow tires, the 4s will do great in the snow, many have run their 911 4s in the snow with no problems.. As far as cost, it's part of owning a Porsche.
Color.. Get what you want. I have never seen any concrete evidence on color and tickets. Stay aware of your surroundings and you will be fine.

 

Thank you. So the cab doesn't have much of an adverse effect on performance?

 

Around here, at least, if you want a cab they are a dime a dozen used. To me a pdk cab is the Dodge Dart of the Porsche world (obviously hyperbole), but maybe I feel that way because I see two year old cars being sold for 60% of msrp consistently.

Personally I avoid black because it's the first color to fade, along with red, usually.

I have never, once, in my entire life, wished I had a boxster.

I know I sound like I'm butter and full of hate, but I'm really not, I just don't understand the purchase of a convertible for a grown man, nor do I understand buying the Porsche that is least likely to hold its value which again could be just a geographic based observation.

Also how many days in Massachusetts can you even put the top down?

Tl;dr you should get the coupe

 

I realize that my question was vague, Vicelord, and that I am later here than May of 2015 but I feel that some despots is called for.

One could put the top down in New England perhaps 60% of the days from May through October. View. Fall colors on twisty mountain roads.

As to the rest, I suspect that you are not butter
(or even margarine), but I didn't realize that real men didn't drive convertibles. Boxsters outsell Caymans I think (even if you wouldn't drive one). Corvettes? Formula one cars? You don't think that waving a finger at melanoma is manly?

I would be concerned about price if it were true, but I'd need some confirmation on that.

Still, thanks for responding.

 

I'm sorry if that cut too deep, but I pretty much just say what's on my mind.

 

I'm pretty sure my ego can handle it. Vicelord, you liked a Targa on the picture thread-that isn't a convertible? As to PDK, yeah I'm surprised too, but it is just that damned good-and where I'd always take a stick in most cars, you've just got to give Porsche credit. I'm even emotionally comfortable admitting that I like the sport exhaust, even though it's more for fun than performance.

I would like to know if a 2016 GTS AWD CAB really will lose its value. Seems to me they move fast. No GTS coupes in my area.

Maybe it's different in the southwest, but it is disturbing how few cars on the road here aren't black, grey, white or dark. I am also considering a well equipped 4s in racing yellow but fear that it would stand out from miles away-in an expensive way. Again, anyone else have experience here?

In any event, time will tell.

 

It's pretty obvious that your arrogance insults us "grown men" who enjoy our convertibles. And you are not sorry at all, must be a Donald Trump supporter.

 

It's like buying the most expensive house in the neighborhood, if you option it up and get the most costly variant, it won't bring you the ROI at resale time - you live and die by the comps. How long do you intend to own this car? As you are concerned about resale and value down the road, your best bet would be to lease a new one where the residual is pre-determined by Porsche financial, or else buy a used one where depreciation has already taken a big chunk out of a new car.

I have owned Boxsters, 911 coupes and 911 cabs. A Boxster is an extremely competent platform, and big fun. The big difference is 1) 911 guys will look down on you, 2) they tend to be claustrophobic with the top up. That's it.

While a coupe has a stiffer chassis in a 991, unless you take the cars to the track and run with R-compound tires or slicks, you won't see an advantage or a difference. Convertibles cost more, for sure, and the vast majority are PDK. If you buy a yellow, manual GTS cab then you are at the specialty end of the 911 market and will find few buyers for it at resale time. But then again, you only need one.

 

Thank you very much, drcollie. I appreciate your taking the time and effort to respond to this question.

I hope to own it for 5 to 10 years. I have found that new vehicles these days are so electronics dependent that their lifespans before inconvenient obsolescence have decreased. I am concerned about resale because I like to have a maximum loss in mind if I find that I am not in love with the car. There are both upsides and downsides to cabriolets, but $25K is a downside, and I am interested in the experiences of others who enjoy driving spirited cars.




True, but until someone designs a lease where the owner gets a piece of the depreciation benefit, I prefer to carry my own risk. But that would be a good idea for many.

as to 1. I'll leave those guys alone in a room with a ruler-or a guy with a Lambo. True as to 2. Also, I have some hope that an AWD 911 has some chance of being useable in anything other than serious snow. Center engined RWD, even with winter tires, could be twitchy I think.

Thanks. During my occasional forays to the track, or M school, I have found that if I am going into a corner next to a 25 year old with no kids, one of us will hit the brakes first-me. I have been told that I have good technique, but leave a lot of speed on the table. I care about feel on the road, but less about 10ths of seconds.

I did not buy a GTS 4 cab with a manual. Great stick. With all due respect, I have never seen a car stereo worth $5K (especially in an open top car), nor was I $2.5K impressed with GT Silver (nice, not thrilling). I've driven sticks for years and have no need to impress anyone with my heel and toeing. I find that PDK, when used in manual, is awesome. When you say "the vast majority are PDK" does that mean sticks are rare and valuable, or that the average buyer wants a PDK?

Unless I flip/flop and go Boxster, I'm trying to decide between a 2016 black 911 4 GTS Cab PDK and a 2015 black 911 4S PDK. There is also a 2015 yellow 911 4S (PDK) that is gorgeous, but doesn't have a feature I want (parking sensors-love those extra high curbs in parking lots), and has some bling that I find unnecessary (also, you'd see it coming for miles in a sea of grey).

I am also concerned that the GTS has center locking hubs (again, only useful if racing, maybe) which makes seasonal wheel changing an issue (both cost, and the ability to find 19 or 18 inch wheels which work better).

I'd just like to get it right. I care more about driving it than looking at it.

Is it true that Cabs are considered generally less desirable as demonstrated by resale value (was Vicelord right about that?)

Does seat ventilation trump Alcantra [sic?] leather on seats?

Thanks again for your effort and patience.

 

Cab versus coupe is really subjective - do you like convertibles? I prefer having a hard roof over my head. YMMV.

Colors to be avoided? Such a subjective question. For example, I couldn't live with yellow but I would be happy with almost any other color. I am happy with my Basalt Black but to be honest every time I see Sapphire Blue, my heart skips a beat. I am also very partial to the silvers. I like the reds, too, but not quite as much.

I swap winter tires for summer tires in the summers (wheel swap - I have summers on 20" Sport Design wheels and winters on 20" Carrera S wheels) and have no problems whatsoever in driving in light snow with my C2S. If the snow became heavy enough that I would worry about bottoming out, I would keep it in the garage and drive my SUV. Or just wait until the plows came through. I mainly have snow tires because the summer Pirellis suck below 40 degrees (they lose a lot of traction) and to be able to drive home if I get caught in an unexpected snow storm while out. Because of this, and the fact that I like to swap out the wheels myself, I am not a fan of centerlock wheels.

As a 911 owner I can honestly say there has been no time at all where I wish I had a Boxster instead. I love the history, styling, and practicality (tiny rear seats for my kids!) that you get with the 911. A long time ago, I considered a Boxster when they first came out. I bought a new Corvette instead that I enjoyed for years...and then another new Corvette (that I also loved!) until I finally came over to the dark side with my first Porsche, my 911 C2S. The Boxster is a wonderful car. I just prefer coupes and have fallen in love with my 911 C2S.

Also, for your question about ventilated seats - after such a hot summer, I am deeply in love with my ventilated seats. I would not want a car without them.

 

Appreciate the thoughtful input Hurricane.

I like the ventilated seats too, but I don't know if it is worth going racing yellow to get them.

 

Some people love yellow. It's just not the color for me, personally. If I had to choose between yellow and ventilated seats or another color without ventilated seats....I would get another color.

 

So now that I'm following this thread and I was under the impression you are purchasing a new vehicle, why would ventilated seats require you get a yellow car?

I think you should buy the car you want but the car that's available.

 

It sounds like a GTS may be above and beyond what you're looking for. This has already been pointed out, but keep in mind that:

1. Center locks will be more difficult to deal with
2. You can't get ventilated seats with a GTS unless you spec the car with leather interior (as it isn't available with the GTS alcantara). It bothers me when half of the GTS models on the lot are specced with full leather, as I think it takes away from the overall package and design of the car. It becomes one step closer to a 991S. Nothing wrong with that, though.
3. GTS will initially cost more.

Something to keep in mind: we all get starry eyed when shopping for cars, especially in the 911 line. Just remember that any 911 you purchase will put a smile on your face (especially from the two choices you've mentioned!). Before pulling the trigger on the car, you're always worrying about this model, that option, etc.

But trust me... once the car is in your garage and you're firing up that 3.8 every morning, you'll smile like an idiot every time.