I know this has been discussed here a lot but, I couldn't come up with a solid thread on this specific arguement through SEARCH so please bear with me !

Next month, I'll be in the market for a new car and I'm torn between two choices... 996 Turbo or the 997S !

The thing is, the price for these car are relatively same over here (around $160K-ouch ! ) and usually it wouldn' t be a brainer to chose the more powerful and exotic Turbo option but I can't resist the temptation of a fresh, outgoing body style with improved refinement, RWD and possible factory warranty left.

Turbo has its gigantic pro's such as greater power, massive torque and being a top of the model line car (no GT2 here yet ).

Is the 996 Turbo really that much superior in power and sports car feel or the new 997S almost caught up with the Turbo with all new technology?
Is the 997S really a grown up more mature Pcar that everyone talks about or a Turbo is always a Turbo ?
How about things like maintenance costs, typical repairs and MPG on each ?

Before you guys suggest me to test one of each, I have ! and stil can't decide....

Please give me your opinions and suggestions !

Thanks in advance,

 

To be fair, I don't like turbo's in the first place. They're too heavy, four wheel drive, and I prefer NA. Second of all I don't like the 996.

Personal opinions aside, the smart choice [in terms it's a newer car] would be the 997s. The 996 is the generation I can see that will fetch the least amount of money in the future. You can relate it to the E36 M3 versus the E30 M3, the E36 was a prime example in BMW's cost cutting efforts, making it the oddball in the M3 lineup.

The 997 overall is just worlds better than the 996 in almost every conceivable dimension. Don't just take my word for it, look at sales figures, and if you must, magazine reviews.

Btw, I'm envious of that E30 of yours

 

I was in your position and got the Turbo with 5k miles on it last year.
I love the GT1 derived motor.

For me it was the right choice.

My biggest bit of advice is to get what you really want and not listen to people on message boards.

Good luck with your choice. You can't go wrong either way.

tw

 

Low mileage, one owner CPO'd (with an extended warranty) 03-04 996 TT gets the nod in my book. There are a few vids that show a 997S up against a stock 996TT and the 996TT walks aways from the 997S effortlessly...

 

996TT all the way.



The 997s is a nice car dont get me wrong.

However a 996TT will walk all over a 997s anyday - stock for stock. And not even a question if you start doing small modifications.

The only thing the 997s may have over the 996tt is that it looks newer.



Check out our website (projects page) and you can see slew of 996TT and 997s cars .........


Good luck...

 

Well thats an easy one since you are comparing a 996 vs 997............997 hands down....everything from looks to feel is just much better.

 

Here we go with this arguement again.

Using what seems to be the most important indicator of what car is better on almost any message board (a drag race) the 996tt has a slight edge (stock vs. stock) but I would say it is far from "effortless". I have "raced" quite a few and have never been "walked over".

Now if your plan is to modify the car then the Turbo gives you many more options and a ton more potential for straight line speed.

For those of us that judge a car by more than how fast it can go in the quarter mile I think you will find the 997S an awesome car especially if you do not want all wheel drive and want a naturally aspirated car.

 

Oh yeah,

The turbo is leaving half its horsepower on the table. for 3 grand you have a close to 500hp monster.

the 997 is pretty much done at stock unless you want to supercharge.

Once you experience the angry power of the TT you won't be satisfied with the 997.

The 997 may have some attributes but once you experience the tt you're pretty much done.

tw

 

Again not to beat a dead horse here..

For performance the 996TT is a better car.

Dont get me wrong I absolutely love the 997s. Its a fantastic car and yes it is a newer platform.


Its really not a fair comparison when you get down to the architecture of the two cars.
And you cannot fairly compare the two if your only factor is the price tag attached to either one of them.

 

LOL you gotta be kidding... stock 996TT's smoke 997S's all day long unless the 997S is an X51 car and that will still lose too... 996TT's have over 100 ft lbs more of torque not to mention 415 hp, plenty more grunt to offset the additional wieght and then some. Believe me, I wish it were not true as I drive an '07 997S. I also feel that 996 Twin Turbos have a lot more panache than 997's and the engine (based on the GT1 block) has alot more going for it too. The TT's widebody aint too dusty either.

 

I have no beef with 996TTs but having owned a couple of 996s, including and '05 GT3, I feel the 997 is a much better car.

Check the notes in that video. That 996TT is far from stock. If that is what you are basing your arguement on you are way off.

First; I have drag raced at least 6 996TT's with my 997S and while I have never beat one (nor expected to) I have hung in much closer than that and have never been "smoked" by one.

Second; Panache??? Who gives a rat's ***!

Third, I believe all 997's have a much wider stance than ANY 996 ever did.

Like I said before, there is much more to "performance" than how fast you go in a straight line. Anyone who is looking at a Porsche should know that. If they don't and straight line power is all that matters then save a bundle of $$, buy a Z06 and "smoke" 997Ss AND 996TTs all day long!

BTW, I have "smoked" quite a few 500HP TT's at DE events with my 240HP 964. There is a lot more to driving than how much "horsepower" you have.

 

Yes I too checked the "more info" area in the video and that's why I deleted the video prior to your last post.

I would say the majority of people spending north of $80,000.00 - $130,000.00 + care a little something about panache.

Here's the #'s from Car and Driver

2005 996TT Cab(heavier) w/tip: 0-60 3.8 QM 12.2 with a trap of 116

2005 997S 6 speed 0-60 4.1 QM 12.6 with a trap of 112

4 mph in trap speeds in the 110 mph-120 mph range is a pretty big difference in performance.

I am also basing the performance gap by my own encounters with a colleague's stock 996 TT...it never turns out good for the 997S .

There is very little to dissapoint with a later production 996 TT, yes the dashboard is not as nice as a 997's, but is still quite nice especially covered in the Turbo's standard leather and the view from the rear is so very nice (which is what most other cars only get to see as they fade further and further from view as the TT accelerates away), and the all wheel drive is great in inclement weather etc and the GT1 based engine is something quite special as are all the other upgrades you get with a TT.

Porsche turbos (even when disregarding their obvious perfromance advantage) always seem to have that special edge. I've owned many Porsche Turbos over the years and they are the King of the 911's and probably always will be...Long live the King~

 

Hmm, we could trade magazine test times all day long. Road and Track actually tested a 997C2s faster than a Turbo.





Just goes to show you that these times don't mean jack s*%t. 99% of drivers on the street don't have the ability to achieve those numbers anyway. If the sole measure of how good a car is is strictly these numbers then my 1990 Ford Mustang LX with a 331 and T-56 is better than all these cars since it will beat all of them in the 1/4 mile. Sure would suck to have to drive it every day though.

Oh yeah, I am curious as to what exactly makes the 996TTs GT1 derived engine "quite special" for street use and why that matters to someone who is comparing it to a 997? Also, if you have owned "many" 911 Turbos over the years why did you downgrade to such and obviously inferior car such as a 997S?

So to answer his original question, I think the 997S is a perfect all around, awesome street car in my opinion. That being said I love oversteer and hate power adders so I am biased.

Downside is that resale SUCKS!!

 

996tt.

 

First, I own a '06 997s. IMO it's a prettier car than the 996, has a much better interior, and a better ride. I bought it because the styling on the 996 basically drove me nuts.

But mechanically you simply can't compare a 997s to a 996 TT. GT3s and TTs are in a totally different league mechanically than regular 997s - the bottom line is that the GT3 and TT carry the real Porsche hardware / mechanicals. Anyone who says otherwise simply doesn't know what they're talking about. That said, you'll still have get past the more unique look of a 996, and the better mechanicals really only matter if you're going to mod the car and drive the living **** out of it.

It really comes down to how fast you want to go. If you think a 997s will be enough car, then it definitely gets the nod. If you know that you're going to want more than 355hp, then get the 996 TT. You could also look at it as choice between "form over function" or "function over form".