LONG post, sorry! Lots of pent up Porsche-less anxiety here.

Hi all, I used to be an active member of this forum a few years back when I had a 991.1 C2. Loved, loved the car, but bought a boat, and sold the car. Rule in the house is one toy per boy. I've got a new Porsche on the way, so you can deduce what happened to the boat. And yes, it's true what they say about the best 2 days of boat ownership!

Here's how my purchase went. I was pretty sure I wanted a 991.2 C2S PDK. I wanted more power than my 991.1, and while I knew the new 99.2 base was supposed to be quicker, I just had it in my mind that I wanted more power. So I began looking and found a really good deal on a 2018 991.2 C2S w/ PDK in GT Silver. Really nice car, but found that it was imported from Canada, and while it was probably just fine, I was a little worried about resale value. So I pushed pause on that one and continued to look. There was another nearby, but it didn't have the PSE, which for me is a necessity.

I saw a 991.2 C2 for sale at a local dealer and figured I should go test drive it and see how the base engine felt. I also wanted to check it out because I was looking at some Carrera T's online and they had the partial fabric seats, which strangely enough this 991.2 C2 had (I though the Sport-Tex were unique to the T's, but guess not).

Turns out, I learned a LOT on that test drive. I learned that:

1. I didn't want a PDK. My last 991.1 was a PDK, and it was phenomenal, and it still is. However, over the past 3 years I've been driving a VW GTI Sport w/ a manual, and I love it. So when I got into the C2 with the PDK, it literally took me about 2 minutes before my brain shouted "you need to get the manual". As good as the PDK is, and as fast as the shifts were, I immediately missed the added engagement of the manual.
2. The fabric seats looked great. Any fears I had about the Sport-Tex seats were laid to rest the second I saw them. To me, they didn't look cheap at all. They looked sporty, and I liked the contrast with the leather portions. Now, this all being said, it's not like I decided there and then that I needed Sport-Tex. Rather, I decided that if I found a car that I really liked that had Sport-Tex, it wouldn't be a showstopper.
3. The base 3.0L engine was more than enough for me for street driving. I don't plan on tracking the car. If there is one thing I learned in the VW GTI, it's that sometimes it's more fun to drive a slow car fast. While the GTI is no Porsche, it does have great steering feel, a great shifter, excellent brakes and a great driving position. It's just a fun car to drive despite not being very fast by today's standards. So by comparison, the 991.2 base engine seemed more than enough for me, especially with how accessible the power was compared to my base 991.1, which you needed to get to around 4,000 to 4,500rpm to get to the meat of the powerband.

So the 991.2 base car I drove wasn't going to work. Not only was it a PDK, but while the exterior was immaculate, the owner wasn't nearly as careful inside, as there were deep gouges in the center console armrest, leather worn away on the bolsters from the seatbelts rubbing against them, scratches in the door sill trim pieces, etc.

So the search continued for a 991.2 base, when I started to look at the T's more seriously. The look of the T spoke to me, as did the way Porsche positioned it as a more focused, lightweight 911 variant. Now, once I dug deeper, I found that the weight savings was pretty negligible. Having owned a 2015 Lotus Elise, I know what lightweight really means! But I did like the additional performance goodies the T came with, and more than anything, I liked that it was sorta unique. Not 911R unique, but still somewhat unique.

I ended up finding a manual 2019 Carrera T with 2,900 miles and got what I feel is a good deal on it. In fact, given the fact that there are currently only ~12 low-mileage manual transmission 991.2 C2s out there, I didn't see any opportunity to grab one for much less than what I paid for the T. Furthermore, there were only a handful of C2S in manual that fit my main criteria, and none of them worked based on color, equipment, price, etc.

On the T I purchased, there is literally not a single option on the car, as it stickered at ~$103K, but honestly, it's got everything I need. It even has a backup camera, which my 991.1 didn't have. In looking at available options, I'd say there are only 3 I sorta wish it had, but none are dealbreakers. They are: PDLS, Entry & Drive and the Carrera T interior package.

My 991.1 had PDLS, and I really liked it. I'll definitely start cursing after having to put a key in an ignition in the year 2020. That's just ridiculous that it isn't standard equipment. All Toyota Corolla trim levels include push button start today. I mean, really. And the interior package was a pretty inexpensive option that got you colored door straps, seat belts and pinstripes in the fabric seats (and colored stitching as well).

I've read people say you "need" to get the rear wheel steering, ceramic brakes, etc. I've also heard arguments that "you should just up the budget and get a GTS". Or buy the 992. Etc., etc. But I had a budget, and was disciplined in sticking within it. Okay, some of that discipline might have had something to do with my wife telling me I was crazy if I wanted to spend "that much money" on a car. Still. :-)

Lastly, this was the first time I've purchased a car without ever driving it, or seeing it. So wish me luck that all the homework I did, including calls to dealers and scrutinizing high-res images, serves me well and that there are no surprises once it arrives at my doorstep in a covered transport! It's also got almost 3 years left on the factory warranty, which is comforting.

Only other thing I'll add is that in my research, I found that the T seems to be a bit polarizing. Some absolutely love, love, love it. Others think it's purely a marketing exercise. For me, it doesn't really matter. Given the options, I felt this was the best fit for me. But honestly, whether I got a base, T, or S, I would have had a big smile on my face regardless. No question.

Anyway, great to be back in the Porsche family. Thanks for bearing with me on this long post if you've made it this far!

 

Nice, but your spoiler is up.

 

Gorgeous! Now get some euro-spec side markers.