You need some counseling if you're going to put the detail that Al puts into his car, that I can promise you. He's got EVERYTHING on that car. He could be top 5-10 in the 60-130 and then go and beat 99 out of 100 TT's at the road course in the same day, and run an enduro while he's at it. I'll leave it at that.

 

My best friend wanted to buy a p-car and I tried to steer him towards a 996TT, but he ended up in a 997 and it was the right car for him.
He can't drive stick, the only mods he's ever done to any of his cars have been wheels and tint, he likes to go fast, but has never been to a track or drag strip and his primary use was going to be driving back and forth to the hamptons in bumper to bumper traffic on the LIE. He wanted no headaches, good looks and a quick car, in that order.
I've driven his car plenty of times and it's a charmer. The engine is very torquey with great throttle response. The interior and creature comforts beat my car hands down (better nav, ipod integration, more modern looking interior) and sometimes, in bumper to bumper traffic, it's a joy not having to work a kevlar clutch. My wife likes his car alot more than mine.
Would I trade mine for his? Nope. We raced on the highway once on the way to his first track day and his reaction summed it up perfectly "For a second there, I thought I had accidentally shifted into reverse."
It all comes down to what kind of "car-guy" you are and what your intended uses are.

 

If you do your research you will see that the NA engines on 996/997 cars have many more issues, some of them catastrophic. The turbo engine is essentially bulletproof.

 

I am not up on the 997's much, I have driven them and they are nice. If it will be a daily driver and you don't care much about boatloads of power then get the 997C2

However, the 997C2 has the liquid cooled $12,000 engine, while the 996TT has the GT1 based engine that comes in the GT3 and GT2. It is a 30-40k engine and much better.

 

This is a tough one. The 996tt is awesome in the power and wiiiiiiiide stance dept (not to mention the modability). I just found the interior to be bland and dated. As everyone has mentioned, the 997 interior is much better. I think all 911s need a rear wing. I don't like the droopy butt look. Just my opinion. I was looking at an '07 997S but after putting wheels on it and a nice TA wing it just didn't make sense to me. The OEM wing on the 911 TTs looks better than ANY aftermarket wing. I will sell my M5 in two years and pick up a used 997tt where I get the best of both worlds....updated interior, no fried egg headlights, more HP, etc.

 

Like others, I was in the same boat... I wanted a newer car and wanted a Porsche - and was looking at the CS2 - Nice car drove it a ton and gave all the reasons why this would be good - and of things that I wanted to do to the car....

I'm a car guy - and like to upgrade things and love power.... I have had turbo cars in the past - that I turbocharged aftermarket - and I wanted something to give me that feeling. The CS2 - Beautiful - but left me looking for more - and there isn't much more you can get out of it with regular bolt ons.

Someone told me to look at the 996TT - and I did. Drove a X50 and by 2nd gear as I took off - I WAS SOLD!!!!!!!!! SMILES EAR TO EAR!

Since it took me over 8 months to find the perfect model for me - and I can honestly tell you - I could not be HAPPIER!

If you are concerned with problems - read this - https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ng-strong.html

Anyways - when I went back to the Porsche dealer and looked at the CS2 again - and told my sales guy that I drove a turbo and was thinking about it - he laughed and said - see ya later.... There is no way the CS2 will ever be able to make you smile like that.

That sums it up well!

Look - lower these cars - but a nice set of wheels with a good offset on them... and do some mods - and it's a freaking dream!

Enjoy and keep us posted on what you find.

 

I must have an optioned out 996tt, because my interior is not bland compared to a 997 at all. The 993 and earlier are bland and sparse inside, but the difference in the 996 and the 997 isn't enough to pay the exorbitant price difference.

 

I've had them both and I can never see myself buying another Porsche that is NA the X50 is a must though. A c2s is nice but a tt is a different class. I also like the interior better on the 996 than I did on my 997 but that's personal preference i guess.

 

someone in here has a daily driver 996 turbo with close to 200k miles on it, all stock.

I can see getting the C2S 997 as a daily driver, but you had better make sure you do not want more power. Because compared to even a stock 996tt they are dogs.

 

Thanks for all the great responses guys...I definitely need the power and after reading it seems like the C2S will leave me always wanting more. In the 996tt I will have the power in stock form and if I want more it seems like I can get a lot more with a few mods.

I'll start my search and keep you guys updated when I find something...there's a couple gray X50's I've got my eye on already.

Thanks again for all the help!!

 

Good luck.

 

Good luck with your search....

Also remember you don't want your 4 door sedan (E55) faster than your Pcar (if you go 997).
996TT is defn the way to go

 

only in a straight line. Hit the bends and that 4 door sedan will be doing the yacht dance.

 

Perhaps bland was not the right choice in words. The 997s have better quality and more attractive bits/pieces and dashboard layout than the 996s IMO. As it should, the 997s interiors do not look dated like the 996s. Is it worth the money? That's personal choice....it isn't to me that's why I will wait another 18-24 months when the 997TTs fall below $70K.

 

wrong again. As I stated above, quality is not lacking in mine, so maybe you saw a different option model. My interior is as nice. No doubt that there are improvements in the 997tt, but those improvements are not as monumental as the ones from the 993 to the 996. Again the difference is minor.