I owned a 07' 997 base Carrera and now have an 09' base Carrera. Besides the new engine that most everyone knows about, here are some tidbits for those unsure about whether to buy a left over 08 or the 09'.

1- The 997.2 base Carrera has larger brakes than the 997.1 base Carrera. In fact, I think they are identical to the ones found on the 997.1 S.

2- 997.2 comes standard with bi xenon head lights, this is an option on 997.1 cars

3- The stock stereo on the 997.2 is a huge improvement over the stock stereo in the 997.1

4-XM radio and Ipod hook up only come with 997.2

5- When going up a hill as in a parking garage where you must stop and go, the 997.2 has a feature that prevents the car from rolling back when you release the brake, not so with the 997.1

6- The radio controls /touch screen are a huge improvement over the 997.1

In my view, the 997.2 base car is far superior to even the S model 997.1. It certainly is worth the extra money to have these features.

 

thanks for the comparo! I would not mind hearing some more details if you have the time!

 

good info...thanks

 

And I hear the manual has a hill descent control feature.

 

What about driving differences? Does the 997.2 feel much faster than the 997.1? How would you rate the suspension?

 

Great info thanks!

From driving both, the 997.2 feels faster and more responsive, granted I drove the 6-speed to PDK...

 

Rotors are the same diameter now on C2 and C2S, but the calipers are totally different designs. C2 are closed-top meaning very hard to change pads (have to remove the entire caliper), while the C2S is the same design as 997.1, where you can easily swap pads.

 

Porsche usually steps forward with time . I do wonder if the soot problems MDrums posted about are something to keep an eye on with all of these cars . Also keep in mind that a new 997 base coupe can cost 90K quite easily . With a used Turbo priced at the same level ir's hard to support the price tag of the new car . One has to compare the price too. This new base coupe does cost more so all those nice things one is paying for.

The economic drop was so quick that used car depreciation went into freefall . I can recall when an 06 997S sold in the 60+ range 5 months ago and now an 07 can be had in the 50's . It kinda makes it hard to justify buying a new car .

As bad as the 997/997S new car market looks the Turbo is even worse . Imagine buying a new Turbo for 160K when a low mi 07 can be bought for uder 90 .

In the past I had never considered used cars but in this current market .. I think the price is too good to ignore .

 

Pricing is probably too good to pass up. My brother is looking into a 2008 C2 cab. They have to be getting pretty motivated to get these cars off the lot. He's hoping for 18-20k off. Probably only 10k off the 2009 - enough of a difference to put the '09 out of the price range he wants to pay.

 

I ordered my 09' in July 08' for Nov delivery. My car MSRP'd for 81k and I got it for 75k, a decent discount at the time for a brand new car. If I had it to do over, I may well have considered an 07' turbo, however, the 07's still have no XM radio and for me, one who cannot stand commercials, XM makes driving a pleasure.

Now then, some asked about driving comparisons between my 07 and my 09' , both of which are 6spd. The steering and suspension feels very similar and I would be hard pressed to distinguish the two. However, my 09' feels much faster than the extra 20hp would suggest. I just passed 2000 miles last week and dropped the hammer for the first time and I cannot imagine anyone needing to go faster or have better acceleration on a public road. It felt only marginally less quick than an 01 tt I had driven before and it felt even a bit quicker, more fluid, than a 997.1 S I also had driven.

I can say the engine sound is different on the 09'. My 07' seems to have a bit of a higher pitch and the 09 sounds deeper. I did not drive a PDK and although I am sure I would love it, I think I would get bored of it after a few months. I think I would have taken the manual even if pricing was the same.

The bottom line is they are both great cars but for me the 09' is better is many ways that made it the right call for me.

a

 

A couple of other tidbits:
Redline is +200RPM
Third gear is a bit taller (104 mph is achievable)

 

Is red tail lights available for the 997.2?
Does anyone have pics?

 

So I went to go test drive the 997.2S (PDK) a few days ago seeing as how people are saying PDK is vastly superior to the tip. But, to be quite honest, I didn't feel much of a difference between the 997.1 (tip) and the 997.2 (PDK) in terms of power/performance. So, unless you want (or have to have) the MINOR improvements of the 997.2 over the 997.1, I would have to say it's just not worth it.


-Perfectly happy with my 997.1!

 

the new car is indeed a hard sell atm. it maybe a little improved, but not 30k + improved.

and they will tank immediately like the rest of the used segment so you might as well get a car that has taken the economy hit already unless you just have money to burn

 

After reading mdrums saga with the oil consumption and soot that is bellowing out, I think I will sit on 997.1 for a while and see what pans out for the DFI engine