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Did you actually get the car? Last I recall you decided to hold off???

 

Did you drive the car with sport mode on and PASM set to normal? It's more compliant on regular roads.

 

Are you talking about an S with PASM or a Carrera without?

 

Tires will make a huge difference.

 

I would think a nice coilover suspension would help but it seems like a panamera might be the best option.

 

I think the stock suspension on soft setting was way too soft and lincoln town car like! Consider working with a suspension pro and going coil over with careful attention to spring rate choice. On the flip side, perhaps the 911 is not the right car?

 

Hi. The car you test drove, I would say with near 100% certainty, either:
a. Has had suspension/tire mod, or
b. Was set to PASM Firm (a no-no, read Bilstein link in my signature) during your test drive, or
c. Has tires that were way over-inflated, or
d. I'll walk on my head if one of a/b/c is not true.

Kidding aside, what gmoney wrote above is right on the money. The stock Turbo is a VERY soft car, Lexus like in its ride, and actually SOFTER than the non Turbo 997 (this took me by complete surprise when I first switched from 997 C2 to 997 Turbo). If your derriere sensor is such that a stock, non-modded Turbo feels too stiff (which I seriously doubt), then none of the 997 is the car for you. I do not think this is the case.

Porsche knew it made a mistake with the 997.1 suspension, it was way too soft; you could tell by the way 997.2 was revised: stiffer spring, stiffer sway bar. At any rate, used 997.1 Turbo is an incredible bargain and those who are buying used 997.1 Turbo are making an extremely wise decision IMHO. Perfect car for practically nothing ( yes I bought mine new LOL). Good luck and have fun.

 

On the Turbo, PASM set to normal is soft. I usually drive sport on PASM normal on the street. PASM on sport for track and harder backroad twisties.

I find the PASM setting fairly compliant on bumpy roads, but a floaty, as some said they feel it is too soft. Spending money on the suspension to soften it is kind of counterintuitive but that's just my opinion.

Most people on here mod everything, but they make the suspension more track ready as opposed to softer.

Maybe a Panamera?

 

if you didn't like it during a test drive, you'll hate it once you own and drive it every day.

How about an SL AMG?

 

You should consider the good information provided above, but if the car you drove was in the soft suspension mode, etc., then putting more rubber (sidewall height) between the road and you would soften the ride.

You'll lose some quick turn-in snap going to an 18" setup but my guess is that it would be a compromise you could live with. It might also be a less expensive route as the tires are less expensive I believe, and the rims can be made lighter so you can gain in the braking and road compliance departments. Better on pothole cratered roads as well.

If you want to have a more sporty ride later, all you have to do is put your current wheels back on or some other, lighter 19" wheel.

 

I will add tire pressure makes a HUGE difference. Every time I take the car to the dealer they mess with the pressure and for whatever reason change it to full load, full passenger or whatever it is. Reading the manual it clearly states the correct numbers for partial load and that change alone makes a world of difference.

 

Buying a pillow and a blanket really do the job for a sore bum.

 

I suspect the car in question had some sort of suspension mod. As noted tires and. Tire pressure would also make a huge difference.

 

LOL. My dealer does exactly the same and it drives me CRAZY! Every -- single -- !%$#*^&! -- time I bring the car in, they do this. Perhaps they inflate to the pressure on the side wall (?) of the tires, meaning 3-4 psi over what's recommended for our cars.

At any rate, point is true: tire pressure makes a huge difference. I could easily feel 1 psi difference in my car when it comes to ride (not necessarily handling). In this sense, TPMS is truly a God-send.