As far as a 997 is concerned, what years should I stay away from and which years are great? Maybe all were great?

Next, what can a base 997 non S run in the 1/4?
Are there enough mods out there to get into the mid 12s without breaking my piggy bank?

What changes are done to an S to give it the extra 25-30hp?

And finally, is it worth it to get the AWD or does even a base porsche handle better in RWD than most cars

I have never driven a Porsche, but hopefully that will change soon

 

The best year is 2010. Next best, 2009. Next 2008 and so on.

This is not a drag-strip car.

The S has a 3.8l engine, the base has a 3.6l engine.

The best 911 is the RWD car.

 

I only have 1 comment:

I have a 09 C2S, but would probably feel better if I got AWD since I DD it and experience winter. Not sure that you have snow to deal with, but, thus far, I've only had 2 "iffy" days of driving in snow and ice (Nokian snow tires) with the 911. Not sure that the AWD would have been much of a difference other than psychological (though I think I'd definately have better traction in snow but, ice is still ice with or without AWD), but sometimes I wonder. Prior to this car, had a Boxster for 3+ years and it did fine in the snow -- couple of iffy days when the snow is deep or heavy on the ice, but handled well for a RWD (with dedicated snow tires, Blizzaks)

 

Mostly, see the answer from adias. I agree with everything he said, but I'll add a couple of notes. I don't have any information on what the base 911 coupe will run at a dragstrip, but the 911S runs in the twelves, and the 911 GT2 and 911 Turbo run in the mid-elevens with speeds in the mid-twenties. So clearly, it is possible to mod the base 911 to do those speeds. Can't say how robust your piggy bank is, so I can't speak to that.

I can say you might as well put the money into modding a base 911, because those other models put their engineering cost into achieving that performance in venues other than a dragstrip, particularly road racing tracks like the Nurburgring. They weren't made to be fast in the quarter mile, that's just a side effect. I doubt their drive trains would tolerate regular runs from a standing start. Of course, you may have meant that only as a general yard stick, for which purpose the data is useful so long as they use somebody else's car for the test. Not mine.

Basically, the current 911 coupe is probably in the thirteens, but I can't say for sure. Never bothered to look up the numbers and I have an S. The power difference is forty horsepower in the current model year which is easily achieved with aftermarket mods on any car if you don't mind forfeiting durability and drivability. The tricky part, the expensive part, is keeping the car's performance balanced in other respects when you add the power. The 911S costs about $10,000 more than a base coupe and a lot of that goes into other things beside the engine. The suspension is different, the brakes are larger and so forth.

If you're really interested in drag racing your stock road car, I'd recommend a Corvette if you want some civility off the track, and a Viper if you really just want all out performance at the best price.

The Porsche is one of the quickest road cars in the world, but 'quick' as race drivers mean that term takes in a lot of things that aren't measured in standing start acceleration runs.

I guess the best summary would be a couple of statements:

1. In going from one side of the U.S. to the other, using any randomly chosen road including the worst mountain passes, the car will never be the limiting factor if you're driving a Porsche. Offhand, I'd say this is true for any Porsche, though I haven't driven a Cayenne and can't vouch for it.

2. On a closed road or a race track, the difference between a Porsche and the comparable model of any other car will be attributable to the skill of the respective drivers rather than the cars. Up in this range of cars, they are all very good, and the Porsche is one of the best. Period.

By "comparable model" I just mean you wouldn't expect a Porsche Cayman to keep pace with a Lamborghini Gallardo. But with a Porsche GT2 or a TT, it would be back to a couple of tenths either way and dependent on the drivers.

3. If the quarter mile time you asked about was just to get a rough idea of the car's performance, a Porsche will never disappoint you. The car will be quicker than you are in any circumstance you're likely to encounter.

 

2010 is different from 2009?
2008 is different than 2007?

Outside of more vs less warranty or differences in production units how do those years differ?

 

Ok I just want to say the reason I asked what it would take to get a base C4 into mid 12s is because "if" needed thats about how fast I would like it to be. Meaning not looking for turbo type speed. Say Im on the free way and a vette comes up next to me.
Well I really wouldnt want to lose to that vette if I decided to run him. That would just boost their ego too much.

About what year and model would you guys pick up for $40k and then $45k

Im hoping maybe a 2005 CS for $40k?

 

The newest car is the best car production-wise. Continual production improvements.

 

If a Vette or any other car wants to race you on public roads you just let him go. Porsche drivers do not race others on the street. Period!

 

40K with no major reliability jitters wouild place you in Cayman S territory with a CPO and low miles .

 

I have not read of any specific improvements for 2010 over 09 . The same was the case with 07 and 08 cars. Can you give any examples.

 

I would never endanger someones life doing something stupid. But if its a descently clear freeway and a vette wants to race, I'm all for it.

 

Whats wrong with this thing? 02 Twin turbo for only $35k?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2002-...item1c0f1106b0

 

Just ask PCNA or the factory...

For instance... '07s have the new IMF support and new RMS design.

'10s have changes under the covers.

 

Not the image the Porsche community likes to project, that's all.

 

Who's the president of this Porsche community?

Anyways would you guys suggest a 03 C4S over a 07 cayman?