I have been having this dilemma for a while now and i'm wondering what you guys would do. The 911 Turbo is my dream car and I would love to get one however, It would be a 997(2007-2009) and I would do some simple modifications to it (ecu tune and exhuast). Another option is to get a 991 Carrera 4s (2014) and tune it and get an exhaust for it. Would it be better to get a 991 Carrera 4S or a 997 turbo(both of these would be my daily drivers)? The final option is to get an e92 M3 (2011-2013) and supercharge it as a fun weekend car and a s63(2008-2009) as a daily driver. What would you guys do? I cant decide for the life of me Thank you!!!!

 

start by test driving them all. This group will be biased towards the 997tt.

 

The 997 TT is a totally different animal - it is much softer more of a GT. Sure on sport mode it can handle well but it is not a nimble sports car it is a very comfortable super car that can deliver world class performance in any kind of weather condition. It has more mass - much more power and requires a lot more skill to drive it at its limits as the car is so very fast under every condition

You only live once get a 997 TT. I think they are about the bottom of the depreciation curve and if you pick up a decent 6 speed they will hold their value well

The 991 is still depreciating and you are going to loose money on the deal


However, if you are going to daily drive it and put on a lot of miles either car is going to depreciate

I would suggest using the Porsche as a second car and picking up a beater car as a daily grinder

My 997 C2 I picked up with 11 K miles I sold it and made $3,000 on the deal and now its going for $5,000 more to the next owner

The 997 TT prices seem to be going up higher right now on low miles 6 speed cars

if you want high miles - body work or a tip car you can get one cheap

 

 

I had an ess625 kit on my e92 m3, it was such a fun car but as stated the 997tt is a different caliber. I think my 997tt with Exhaust/Tune was faster than my supercharged M3. When I had my protomotive gt30 kit installed it reallllly made my M3 feel slow lol. Both were amazing, and very drivable daily but I would choose the Porsche all day long!

 

997tt will have a longer and stronger wave of torque that really shines at highway speeds, compared to a supercharged M motor. a blown M motor will have much better throttle response and rev higher though, but won't throw you in the seat at 3500rpm like a Turbo can. The 997tt is also much more effective at putting down the power in lower gears, with the AWD.

a 991 carrera s, the non-turbo one, won't have much power upgrades and could get old for someone who likes 500+ horsepower

an s63 + supercharged M3 combo sounds like a $8k a year maintenance budget, lol

 

thanks for all the responses! The 997tt is sounding even better now Are there any major maintenance issues with it or things to watch out for in the 997's?

 

Besides the coolant pipes, mine was rock solid! I had mine pinned around 50k miles. Other than that no major issues, just regular service.

 

In order of seriousness:

*coolant pipes need to be pinned, or metal connectors welded in, motor out service, about $5k. Some more, some less, depending on shop

*rare rare, but camshafts can spin, and that's a big repair job, $10k?

*spoiler hydraulics - common issue, but doesn't stop the car from running. $1400 electric replacement that is more reliable

*turbo actuators can get stuck - not sure repair cost, maybe $1500?

*clutch master cylinder - fairly common, not sure fix cost, maybe $1500


jeez, now that I write it out... scary ****... hahaha. But super rare for one car to have all the issues. Someone please correct me on these prices and list

 

Forgot about the spoiler hydraulics, I ended up getting the fixed wing mounts from ebwerks. A very cheap and permanent fix if you don't mind losing that function. Or you can always go with a GT2 deck lid

 

Buy a 997tt and dont look back. Values are ever rising in todays climate. The 07-09's are all great in their own ways. The coolant pipe issue is more prone on the 07-08's as the claim is that Porsche changed the epoxy on the 09+ cars.

I bought a 09' recently, 6spd, Coupe, TT and its a blast to drive, modded and I love every second of it!

 

LOL, I did 2 out of the 5 in this list already (master cylinder and turbo actuators). Your prices seem to be very in line with what I paid give or take a few dollars.

My advice, don't be afraid of this stuff, it comes with the territory. If you plan on owning the car long term, it's less of an issue. Just think about (or research) what it cost to do this on a Ferrari or Lamborghini and all of a sudden the costs are very low.

Funny enough the parts for this car are less than an E92 M3 in many cases, brakes included. My brother had an ESS VT625 M3 manual sedan and it was a beast, but a 997TT it was not. I loved that car but when you look at the cars side by side, jump in and drive them they're very different. Sometimes I wish I had bought it from him when he sold it, but every time I open my garage and look at my white beauty in there, I'm reminded that I made the right choice.

 

on the plus side, you'll rarely be stranded by the side of the road in a 997tt

 

If you get the 911 Turbo you will be the happiest IMHO.


Just finished a 1150 mile 4 day road trip and the car was stellar !

 

Get the dream car, 997tt. I'm either driving it or thinking about driving it.