Should still consider driving a C4/C4S before plunking down the $$$.

 

If you are sliding the car, you aren't driving it optimally. Losing grip = losing performance. I track thousands of miles a year in Red / Black and never lose the rear end, though am at full throttle all the time. As to the supercar remark, 3.9 seconds to 60 is supercar-of-yesteryear territory. The 2009 is not 355 HP, it's conservatively 385.

 

I'm not trying to offend anyone here with my impressions and I'm not sure if I would jump to the conclusion that I like heavy soft cars. I am simply stating what the car felt like to me...and yes, I have been driving a heavier, "softer", RS4 which serves as my most recent point of reference. I think the 997 is a great car or I wouldn't have spent $300 in air fare to fly to another city and spend the day driving them.

I'm simply saying that there are compromises to be made to own/drive one. The car is noisy...the engine is loud, the tires are loud, the radio sucks, and the car lives without much of the sound deadening put into something like a C63 or RS4. Those are facts. The car is also wicked fast, light, nimble, and very much a drivers car. Also facts.

Cars like the C63 or RS4 are also wicked fast and truth be told probably faster than the 997 in 80% of what you would come across during a daily commute...and without some of those compromises.

I'm not saying they are better or worse but I think it's clear that there is a certain "price" to be paid for the edge of a 997. Many on this forum obviously think the price is worth it and I may be one of you when I make my choice here in the near future of what car to buy. Or not. We'll see.

Either way I appreciate the input and advice.

P.S. I wasn't sliding the rear of the car around because I didn't know how to make the turn. I was sliding the car purposely simply because it's fun.

 

Run. Get the C63.

 

I think I'll continue to weigh my options and then get what I think is best for me. Thanks though.

 

Not sure what you mean here when you say 'faster' during a daily commute. If you mean stop-and-go traffic, I don't think one car is any 'faster' than the other. If you mean top speed on the freeway, I believe the 997 has a higher top speed. If you mean going around turns the fastest, I the 997 is fastest there also. I think you meant to write that the C63 and RS4 are more 'comfortable' during a daily commute, not 'faster'.

 

One of 2 things will happen:

1 - You get the C63 but yearn for a Porsche.

or

2 - You get the Porsche but curse it and wish for a C63.


At the end you are a C63 driver.

 

This board can get pretty ridiculous with bashing anyone who says anything perceived as negative about the 997.

IMO about the 997, you are completely correct about the disadvantages of the car. I think over time as an owner those annoyances will only grow for you.

For me, as soon as I drove it, the incredible driving sensation made all of those disadvantages moot and I had to have it.

Along with road feel and connected sensitive steering necessarily comes road noise and sensitivity to bumps. As for the light front end, I'm sure you would like a C4S better, but you still have to want to be involved in feeling the weight transfer and controlling it with braking.

Also, I don't know how you measure "faster" on a commute, but it is true that the C63 and RS4 both have more power than the 997, so if you just want to put your foot down and feel some acceleration once in a while, they can provide that more in a commute stop and go environment.

 

This board is kinda funny about anything that can be perceived as negative about the P cars. Like I said I loved driving the car so I'm certainly no hater on the 997. As for my faster while commuting comment I guess I was thinking about stop light to stop light speed. The C63 has seen 4.0 0-60's which I believe to be faster than anything but the GT3 and turbo charged 997's...not an insult...just a fact. Put some curves in front of them and obviously the 997 has the advantage.

You say "you're a C63 driver" as if it were an insult which I find amusing. Be open to the idea that the 997, while stellar in ways most cars will never be, perhaps has some areas of compromise...which isn't necessarily a bad thing. And Happy Easter.

 

i just came from a cls63 - heavier than the c63 but i think it performs as good or slightly better...there is absolutely no comparison between the cars - the amg is much more comfy..the 997 is the most fun car i have ever driven by far..apples and oranges...if you want a super fast cruiser go benz - if you want a true sports car get the 997.

 

Well, this is a 997 board and you came more telling than asking. Of course people here are going to defend their own purchases. A C-class, which starts in the mid 30s, is an apples to oranges comparison with a 997. Only you can decide what you want to drive. As for the phantom-value 0-60 indicator (who races light-to-light anyway), the 09-10 997S is a 3.9 second car.

 

Kinda strange comparison, C63 compliments 997 car but does not substitute it and same is true other way around. Different cars for different purposes.

I despite Mercedes so I drove Lexus for many years as DD and still do but I will not even think of choosing one against Porsche. Different cars which are good for different reasons. I need both.

 

is it really 3.9? with launch control we should all get about the same time right? no faster way to launch it than that..id like to see a video of 0-60 and 1/4 mile using launch control

 

I agree with you in that ideally I would have both as each car brings with it certain benefits and compromises but alas I am but a working stiff and don't have that luxury.

 

Last post from me on this particular topic since it's gone to a place completely off the original topic. (yes, I share the blame for this)

If you recall my original post was simply a comparo of the 2, my impressions, and then a question at the end...not really "telling" anyone anything aside from my thoughts on the cars which is sort of what these forums are for.

What are people defending? I never said the 997 was anything less than a ridiculously fun car to drive and that the fun came at a price of some "comfort". I did say it had a crap radio but if you own one you already know that. I own a Tundra and if someone said it had a crap radio I would have to agree, not argue with them simply because I own one. It has a crap radio whether I own one or not.

Yes, I suppose the C-class is a mid-level or even beginner level luxury sedan and the comparison is off kilter. But I also mentioned multiple times that I was looking at each car for different reasons because they are very different cars. But you have to admit that the C63 is not a typical C-class sedan in the same way a GT2 is not the same as a base Carrera.

Maybe the 0-60 times don't matter but I was simply pointing out that the C63 is a performance car and in some performance categories superior to the 997 (maybe that's the only category). I have never seen a test of a non-turbo Carrera, including a GT3, which showed it sub 4 second 0-60. Maybe it is and I just missed it but I also saw a C63 test which showed a 3.9 but dismissed it since most tests show something in the low 4 range.

Who races light to light? Good point. Not me. But I will occasionally drive a performance car in the way in which it was designed to perform. Unless you have an empty curvy road between you and your destination the advantages of the 997 simply begin to not matter as much because you just can't exploit them.

So my shopping continues and I may very well end up buying a 997 because despite the compromises it is as close to a super car as I'll get and I'm sure I will learn to appreciate the strengths in its design.

I didn't really mean to stir the pot as much as I did but if I offended anyone all I can say is maybe you're holding on a little too tight...it may be a Porsche but it's still just a car.