New 997.2....900 miles in two days!
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New 997.2....900 miles in two days!
As promised, here's my impressions after 1200 miles of driving.
I picked up the car (997.2 PDK Cab) a week ago and decided to take her out for a little drive two days ago......well, it ended up being a 12 hour excursion.
A little background: This is my 5th 911 variant and believe it or not, my 3rd 997! I had a 997S Coupe 6 speed in 2005, I had an 08' 997TT Cab 6 speed as well. My first two 911's were a 99' 996 Cab 6 speed and a 2000' Cab Tip.
From 2001 (divorce) till I bought my first 997 I was without Porsche : (
On Dec 31 2006 I bought my first Ferrari. 2006 F430 Coupe F1! I drove it into the ground.....27K miles in two years. It was my daily driver. I finally couldn't stand the CONSTANT trips to the shop and the fact that I was becoming good friends with the ALL CITY TOW guys....It was a Lemon.
When it drove right, it was amazing. So much so that I have missed it everyday since I sold it a year ago......
UNTIL NOW....
About two weeks ago I said to the wife. "The Turbo just sits in the garage, you never drive it so Im selling it".....It was supposed to be her "fun" car. Since I had the 430 and was obsessed with it, she wanted her dream car "911 Turbo Cab 6 speed".....I said fine, they are brilliant cars.
Why sell it?
Well, I sadly never bonded with the 08' TT. I just didn't enjoy driving it, felt unsafe pushing the car on turns, and in general I just thought it was boring compared to my 430.
Anyhow, I did my homework and decided that I needed a 997.2 with PTV or PVT (whatever it's called) and I needed PDK.
I fell in love with the PDK in my Panamera 4S that I picked up in November and when I found out that Paddles would be offered in the new Turbo I was happy. I like the buttons on the Panamera PDK but paddles make sense on a 911.
I found a car with all the important equipment (to me) on the ground. I took it around the block and new instantly that I would buy it. I traded in the 08' for the new one. That was a week ago.
DRIVING: This Thursday morning 10:00am. The wife and I put the top down, hit the Pacific Coast Hwy and head north. As a joke I said, "Lets drive to Monterey and back".....She agrees! OK, lets go......
We drove almost to Carmel and decided to turn around at 4pm. For those of you that don't know (I didn't and Im a native Californian), some of the most scenic and gorgeous driving in the world is up the California coast.
It was hot, sunny and stunningly beautiful.......Top down the whole way.
The best part of the trip is a series of twisting mountain roads along the Pacific Ocean that go for miles and miles. It was epic! Once the car hit the 600 mile mark and had been running for a good 3 hours I really let it rip.....WOW!
I WAS SO BLOWN AWAY BY THE POWER! This car is brutally quick and had so much power in reserve that it feels endless. The steering is precise and on point, the breaking is perfect, and the PDK.......The PDK with paddles is so perfect in that car!
The handling is so much better than my 08' TT that It almost feels like a new variant all together. In this car I feel like it's on rails where in the 08' I always felt like the tail would kick out at the wrong times. The new TT feels as balanced as a mid-engined car to me. It's that good!
In normal, sport, and sport plus the car has VERY different dynamics. It's so cool to be able to dial up the perfect setting on the fly. The most common setting is Sport with the suspension set to normal. On really smooth roads Sport Plus is really fun, but on most roads it'll knock your teeth out of your head.
The PDK is just about perfect. There were moments when I with I had a higher rev to work with like the F430, but it was only once in a while when I wish I could have downshifted to 2nd from 3rd but the car wouldn't let me.
I run into this in my Panamera as well. I think after 2 years of driving a car that redlines at 9000 I got confused : )
On the drive home I got to really feel what this car can do. I am honestly shocked at how well this car drives in EVERY situation. From rolling along at 15 mph in traffic to pushing the limits of traction on a mountain pass the car just performs perfectly. The linear power delivery is like nothing else I have ever driven. The way the car can carve up a canyon road with such ease is simply mind blowing.
After 12 hours of driving, a sore lower back and being just plain exhausted....I hopped in the car yesterday and put another 200 miles on her! YEP, Im addicted! I FINALLY don't miss my F430 and don't need to look back! I have all the fun of the F430 BUT with AWD, MUCH more power, a reliable and perfect Transmission, and Porsche quality.
Oh yeah, I actually like the exhaust note in the new TT! It has a MUCH cooler sound than the last one.
That's all for now.
Ape
I picked up the car (997.2 PDK Cab) a week ago and decided to take her out for a little drive two days ago......well, it ended up being a 12 hour excursion.
A little background: This is my 5th 911 variant and believe it or not, my 3rd 997! I had a 997S Coupe 6 speed in 2005, I had an 08' 997TT Cab 6 speed as well. My first two 911's were a 99' 996 Cab 6 speed and a 2000' Cab Tip.
From 2001 (divorce) till I bought my first 997 I was without Porsche : (
On Dec 31 2006 I bought my first Ferrari. 2006 F430 Coupe F1! I drove it into the ground.....27K miles in two years. It was my daily driver. I finally couldn't stand the CONSTANT trips to the shop and the fact that I was becoming good friends with the ALL CITY TOW guys....It was a Lemon.
When it drove right, it was amazing. So much so that I have missed it everyday since I sold it a year ago......
UNTIL NOW....
About two weeks ago I said to the wife. "The Turbo just sits in the garage, you never drive it so Im selling it".....It was supposed to be her "fun" car. Since I had the 430 and was obsessed with it, she wanted her dream car "911 Turbo Cab 6 speed".....I said fine, they are brilliant cars.
Why sell it?
Well, I sadly never bonded with the 08' TT. I just didn't enjoy driving it, felt unsafe pushing the car on turns, and in general I just thought it was boring compared to my 430.
Anyhow, I did my homework and decided that I needed a 997.2 with PTV or PVT (whatever it's called) and I needed PDK.
I fell in love with the PDK in my Panamera 4S that I picked up in November and when I found out that Paddles would be offered in the new Turbo I was happy. I like the buttons on the Panamera PDK but paddles make sense on a 911.
I found a car with all the important equipment (to me) on the ground. I took it around the block and new instantly that I would buy it. I traded in the 08' for the new one. That was a week ago.
DRIVING: This Thursday morning 10:00am. The wife and I put the top down, hit the Pacific Coast Hwy and head north. As a joke I said, "Lets drive to Monterey and back".....She agrees! OK, lets go......
We drove almost to Carmel and decided to turn around at 4pm. For those of you that don't know (I didn't and Im a native Californian), some of the most scenic and gorgeous driving in the world is up the California coast.
It was hot, sunny and stunningly beautiful.......Top down the whole way.
The best part of the trip is a series of twisting mountain roads along the Pacific Ocean that go for miles and miles. It was epic! Once the car hit the 600 mile mark and had been running for a good 3 hours I really let it rip.....WOW!
I WAS SO BLOWN AWAY BY THE POWER! This car is brutally quick and had so much power in reserve that it feels endless. The steering is precise and on point, the breaking is perfect, and the PDK.......The PDK with paddles is so perfect in that car!
The handling is so much better than my 08' TT that It almost feels like a new variant all together. In this car I feel like it's on rails where in the 08' I always felt like the tail would kick out at the wrong times. The new TT feels as balanced as a mid-engined car to me. It's that good!
In normal, sport, and sport plus the car has VERY different dynamics. It's so cool to be able to dial up the perfect setting on the fly. The most common setting is Sport with the suspension set to normal. On really smooth roads Sport Plus is really fun, but on most roads it'll knock your teeth out of your head.
The PDK is just about perfect. There were moments when I with I had a higher rev to work with like the F430, but it was only once in a while when I wish I could have downshifted to 2nd from 3rd but the car wouldn't let me.
I run into this in my Panamera as well. I think after 2 years of driving a car that redlines at 9000 I got confused : )
On the drive home I got to really feel what this car can do. I am honestly shocked at how well this car drives in EVERY situation. From rolling along at 15 mph in traffic to pushing the limits of traction on a mountain pass the car just performs perfectly. The linear power delivery is like nothing else I have ever driven. The way the car can carve up a canyon road with such ease is simply mind blowing.
After 12 hours of driving, a sore lower back and being just plain exhausted....I hopped in the car yesterday and put another 200 miles on her! YEP, Im addicted! I FINALLY don't miss my F430 and don't need to look back! I have all the fun of the F430 BUT with AWD, MUCH more power, a reliable and perfect Transmission, and Porsche quality.
Oh yeah, I actually like the exhaust note in the new TT! It has a MUCH cooler sound than the last one.
That's all for now.
Ape
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 142
From: california
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sounds like me
I fell in love with this car the day I got it. But after I broke her in and was able to unleash the full power, I became addicted.
Its my daily driver but I also have another commuter car that I sometimes mix in. Well I haven't driven the commuter car to work yet!
Its my daily driver but I also have another commuter car that I sometimes mix in. Well I haven't driven the commuter car to work yet!
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 843
From: ca
Rep Power: 130
congrats on your new car. i think i enjoyed your write up as much as you driving it. felt like i was traveling w/you.
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 54
From: Massachusetts, USA
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Congratulations. I also swapped a 997.1 (07 TT Coupe manual) to a 997.2 ('10 TT Cab PDK w/ PTV etc) and the difference is astonishing. I expected it to be better, but the difference is epic.
I am glad the .2 makes you not miss your 430 - I feel better knowing this! I grew up with Ferrari pictures everywhere, and my brother's posters were all Porsche. When it came time to indulge the brain won over and I got the TT coupe over thoughts of a Ferrari. The TT was great, but I was still thinking of a Ferrari (am I being unfaithful?). I recently jumped to the 997.2 despite my heart and my friend telling me I needed to get the 430... if for no reason to get it out of my system. I must say the 997.2 PDK is so good I am not even thinking of the 430 any more.
Enjoy your car and be safe...
Stormeister
I am glad the .2 makes you not miss your 430 - I feel better knowing this! I grew up with Ferrari pictures everywhere, and my brother's posters were all Porsche. When it came time to indulge the brain won over and I got the TT coupe over thoughts of a Ferrari. The TT was great, but I was still thinking of a Ferrari (am I being unfaithful?). I recently jumped to the 997.2 despite my heart and my friend telling me I needed to get the 430... if for no reason to get it out of my system. I must say the 997.2 PDK is so good I am not even thinking of the 430 any more.
Enjoy your car and be safe...
Stormeister
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 41
From: Malibu
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Ahhhh! I wish I hadn't read your great review. Now I think I know what I must do; trade up as well to a 997.2
Is it worth the $70-80k spread I am going to have to eat between trading in and buying new??
Is it worth the $70-80k spread I am going to have to eat between trading in and buying new??
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 54
From: Massachusetts, USA
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Only you can answer this for yourself.... head over to a dealer and take one for a test drive. What's the worst that can happen?
Stormeister
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 134
From: CT
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Great write up. I have to say that I wish we had such a rode out here in CT. The only difference I find is that the suspension in sport mode isn't so earth shattering. In fact I think it adds to the overall sportiness and feel of the car. And sport plus is a different animal all into itself. Enjoy and keep breaking her in. I'm at 1600 miles and trying to find additional time to log as many miles as I can.
Jay
Jay
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 319
From: Tn
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Glad to see the great write ups I won't get my new car till Oct. Looking forward to my write up and drives in the fall air.
But base on my Turbo Test drive it will be worth the wait. I too have been wondering should I just get a F 430. Hearing this makes me glad I stuck with bullet proof Porsche
Gj
