Hey guys,

Pull me back from the brink!

Ha I woke up yesterday with the sudden realization I am , well, bored with my 09 C63 AMG. I had a 997.2S PDK, that I loved (and autocrossed), that I sold and bought the C63 because I felt it would be "still special, but more practical". I love the engine roar (my goodness... love you AMG!) and the backseat of the C63 but the problem is this. As a 2nd car (We have a midsize SUV), I never use it when we need to use a "practical" car. So I'm just wondering if my thesis in having my second car (the 'toy') be practical, was wrong in the first place. The C63's handling just comes nowhere near a 911 which, for me, is a (the?) big part of the fun factor of a sports car; and overall it just isn't as 'exotic' or special (to ME -- others' opinions may differ).

In general we don't drive much. I literally drive 6 times a month. I am beginning to think I should zigzag in the opposite direction and get a 'ridiculous' car as the toy... give up my pretense once and for all that it's "practical" in any way, e.g. stop bothering with the winter wheels / tires, just winterize the car and drive it when I want to have fun only for the other 8 months of the year...

So I started looking at base 997.2 PDK's (I'm not a manual guy)... boy have those prices stayed solid! The only ones with appealing prices I can find, don't have Sport Chrono, and from what I understand the PDK is just way lamer without it...

Enter a beautiful '07 Turbo tip... PCCB, sport chrono, carbon fiber interior, just loaded and selling for the same price as a lower mileage 997.2S ??? It has 50k miles but is still under Porsche cpo warranty for 11 more months...

Now I understand the Tiptronic gets a ton of hate (here and everywhere). Additionally I got used to the PDK (and now on my C63, tho the tranny isn't as good, I've gotten used to normal sport paddle shifters which I really like).

I plan to test drive tomorrow, and going in am preparing myself to not love the Tip (or the steering while shift button setup), and, being a PDK-fanboy, I just wonder if it's something I can learn to live with. Because for the price (roughly half its original sticker), it's a supercar under warranty, and goodness everything beSIDES the Tip on this car gives me goosebumps. PCCB, factory carbon fiber interior highlights, sport chrono (with the overboost)... I actually don't think I have ever even driven a turbo charged car is that crazy?

So I know I need to go test drive it and see what I think, but just curious what you all think.
1) Has anybody else 'learned to live with the tip' having tasted the PDK?

2) Do you all agree with me the 997.1 Turbo's are a huge amount of car for the money if they're priced in 997.2S range?

3) I understand turbo cars don't have the same sound. Is the factory exhaust pretty quiet? Do a lot of folks around here get aftermarket exhausts?

Thanks in advance for your help... I missed my 6speedonline days, it's fun to be back (and back in the hunt!)

 

I think you will like that turbo tip. The tip trans is a very good automatic. For reference-I had an 07 tip and then got an 09 .2S PDK-I now have a highly modded 08 turbo tip. I like the tip-it works just fine. I see no down side. Let us know how that test drive goes. good luck

 

The 997 tip turbo is a great car. Of course some simply prefer a manual gearbox, and that's great, but doesn't take away from the fact the the tip performs great on the street and track. It is a very solid unit and will handle an exhaust and tune too.

 

To be honest, the tiptronic will feel significantly slugish compared to the 7speed c63 and .2pdk; but hey I LOVE MINE

 

> To be honest, the tiptronic will feel significantly slugish compared to the 7speed c63 and .2pdk;

Well, I have the 09 C63 (last gen, not with the slick new transmission) which I had imagined would be more similar to Tiptronic.

To be honest though -- this is what I'm sort of afraid of. Though the 07 turbo I'm going to check out does have sport chrono... does that affect shift response / time at all?

I'm also going to test drive a base PDK 997.2. It does NOT have sport chrono pckg (though I have learned you can retrofit this for a grand or two). Hoping that driving them back to back will allow me to weigh then PDK (which I like a lot) vs. all the other goodies this turbo has...

 

" As part of the Sport Chrono Package ($1,840), the Tiptronic also has a "desired power function" that makes shifts even quicker."

... so it really seems Tiptronic S + Sports Chrono w/ DPF engaged, are about the 'pinnacle' of what a tip system can do... I am curious to see how it compares with the PDK...

 

I have a manual and there are times when I sort of wish I had a tip or better yet a PDK. I test drove the tip before I bought manual and it did feel sluggish - mostly due to the fact that it started in 2nd gear. I don't drive much either and sometimes I struggle driving the car mostly due to clutch feel. Good luck!

 

Hello,

Don't underestimate the tiptronic tranny, its an oldie but goldie

We have 2 cars in the first 3 in the 60-130mph list here, they are both tiptonic and have our transmission kit.

Its actually better than PDK according to my customer reviews and its also proven to hold above 1000whp.

We have about 28 tip customers with our kit, none of them have complains.

Match it with a PDK steering wheel or aftermarket paddleshift steering wheel, you will love it

Cheers,
Emre

 

I love my Tip. I dont track the car and would have a cayman or GT3 if that was my plan. For driving on a road the tip is perfect. As to sluggish? Time its shift compared to others. The fact you arent pushing your foot in and moving your hand.....and I bet its faster.

Used the buttons and was at 80 is something stupid like 5-6 sec on the stopwatch. I know its not a scientific time but do that in a manual. The Tip will destroy the 6 speed all day and I dont know how many cars are running 22 sec to top speed ( the manual is 24 sec so dont believe the BS that the 6spd catches up)

Look if you want a car that you will end up using as a daily driver just because its soo much fun. Get the tip. I Find myself wanting to drive it more and more. Cant say the same about my SMG ( right not pdk but close) or 6spd M3's And I have owned m3's from E-30s to E92s.

 

Tip all the way for me, love it the traffic and on casual drives. Hit the gas and hold on for your life

 

I used to have an 07 TT tip and prior to that only had manual cars. The tip is very good and though it might take a little time getting used to is very performant in sport mode. Get the TT you won't regret it, I miss mine...

 

What do you think about the Aston? I have that on my next list but think I will keep the TT.

Oh and the TT Tip is a rocket daily driver. That is what porsche designed it for and it delivers. I truly believe Porsche built the 997 Tip first as a high performance daily driver, they added the 6sp for the guys that wanted to go slower and the PDK later.
There is a reason the Tip is .4 sec ( more from better drivers) faster than the 6sp.

Oh and I saw your ? about boost. I was getting 27ish mpg on a 800mile round trip thanks to the boost not coming on till I stood on it.

 

I test drove a 997.1TT Tip and ... well I hated it. The lag and gear kick-down totally turned me off from seriously considering one.

Any (Tip) tricks you guys can impart to me if I do another test drive?

FWIW- I felt the same way about my 2008 M5 SMG until I found a salesperson who showed me the nuances, and then it still took me about 1000 miles to get used to its quirks.

 

Can be tough to learn on a test drive as you'll be well over the speed limit very quickly. Some equate easy driving to mean poor performance/experience but it's simply not the case. First to second in these cars is lightning quick...doubt you'll be able to brake launch on your test drive but it will literally propel you like a rocket. IMO, because these cars are so quick and once in boost approach everything like it's standing still, it's great to hold the wheel, point and stay laser focused ahead. No worries about the tach, shifting, revs, etc. You often won't know what your peak speed is due to the fact you're watching ahead. Once you let off you'll be shocked at how quickly you accelerated, as you see the triple digits coming down. Much easier to manage with a passenger because they'll be letting you know how quickly you were going.

 

If hwy cruising and you need power, I just drop down 2 gears and mash it. It would be no different than in a 6 speed when you go to pass someone.
I find that getting up to about 15-20mph slowly in 2nd gear and than mashing the gas is pure pleasure. It just pins you in your seat.