I have had 3 911s before this one. Each one the 97 TT, the 04 GT3 and the 07 GT3 have didnt hold my interest long enough to keep my mind from wanting what was new on the block.

Not this one. Instead this plain Carrera S just shows me more and more each mile that goes by. The way it handles, accelerates is just mind boggling. I have no interest in other cars (besides my bucket list F355 that I still want to own one day) like the new GT3s or RS's.

When I first drove this car I had an 08 911 GT3 RS on the hook. I had no expectations of this test drive. Just wanted to see what all the fuss was on the PDK. After the drive I was flabbergasted -all my ideas of what C2s do, what GT3's do and what TT's do were all mixed up now.

I was going to buy a RS that had only a AC on it.
Then I drove this PDK and it was a Rocket ship. And on top of all that, the C2S had Nav, Heated and ventilated seats, Bose setup. Chrono plus, all the goodies that were in my AMG C63 before I sold it to buy an almost a Cup Car GT3 RS.

The only question I have is should I go aero on this car. It drives like it deserves an aero package!! Great car, leaves me wanting for nothing.

 

Great to hear stories from drivers who have owned so many variations of the 911…more than the quick test drive of each... and how driving a PDK compares.

With '07 TT's & GT3's at roughly the same price point as the 09S/4S PDK, I bet a lot of us wonder which way to go. Hard not to at least ask the question and want to try them all out. Obviously depends on what the person values, but cool to hear an 09S PDK can still give the feeling of "rocket ship" after owning what you have before this car.

How much does an aero kit change the feel of the car at high speed? Unless it dramatically improves the ride, I say enjoy the classic clean lines of your 09S as is.

 

RNS,
I think the aero package is going to be in the 5000-6000 range.
As far as performance the car is rated at 190+ so I dont know how
much the package is going help handling. It would help at a big
at big tracks like Willow Springs where additional downforce would be really
good. I was driving my 04 GT3 at 160mph once and I didnt have the front lip on.
THere was considerable movement that I dont think would have been there with
the front lip. The GT3 Aero is designed to have both pieces working.

It would probably only help in less than 5% of my driving.

I wouldnt change it for a 07 GT3 or TT.

 

So nice to hear.... I've waited twenty years to buy this car (09 C2S) and it has been a joy to drive... Possibly I pulled the trigger at just the right time this time....

 

Hey Paul,

if GT3 and RS didn't offer your any interest, you really are getting OLD.

 

My experience having owned for 1yr is similar to yours.

-- wouldn't and couldn't go back to an auto or manual w/clutch at this point ... love the PDK too much

-- can't WAIT til they come out with a 998 GT3 PDK ... (they will, right?)... already beginning to save up

My one complaint is the stupid buttons vs real paddles... but that is easily fixable if I wasn't so darn cheap :-)

 

Tim,
A big reason in my non interest, is the games the dealers are playing AGAIN this time
with the RS. Its not as bad as it was with the 997.1 RS but still. So that keeps my PDK
smile on.

Chow, I dont see HOW they could not offer a PDK on the GT3. Ferrari has mad the step almost complete with their cars not even offering a 6 speed with the Scud. I dont see Porsche eliminating the 6 speed but they have to offer PDK on the GT cars. HAVE TO.
TOO Many of our GT3 pilots are older than me. That makes a good market for PDK GT3er's

 

Yup. From what I understand the two arguments against were:

1) extra weight, which is contrary to GT3 philosophy (counterpoint: PDK is faster, which might make up for the extra weight)

2) PDK durability... Porsche not being certain the transmission would hold up with the extra power (counterpoint: by the time the 998 launches the PDK technology, engineering, customer feedback, etc. will be so much further along)

But the most important thing to remember is suckers like me will be willing to spend money on the GT3 w/ PDK... so Porsche almost has to make it

 

isnt the new 918 spyder only offered with PDK??

 

Seems like the PDK is a great success in the eyes of many.

 

I'm glad that people are enjoying their PDKs so much. One might be in my (distant) future as I've only had my first Pcar for about 6 weeks, but right now having a manual tranny again just feels right.

I have the similar DSG tranny in my '08 GTI and it is another excellent system. I've never tracked it where it might be most useful, but around town I leave it in drive. It's just not involving enough for me where I normally drive, so I really wanted a manual for my 911. And what an incredibly precise shifter it is, no matter how primitive!

 

Very nice write-up. My next 911 will most likely be a PDK car. That way the wife can drive it in a pinch.

 

They have the PDK in the 2010/11 997.2 TT and TTs. So it can certainly handle the HP.

 

Also, because the extra weight from the PDK over the manual would need to be added to the wrong side (rear) of the car -- that was a no-no for the head of development if it could be avoided.

 

Wow... This thread is so different than others regarding the PDK (or any dual-clutch setup). It is great to hear that the OP regards his PDK highly. It speaks volumes about the drivability of the car - everyday. I, too, will (hopefully) never own a single clutch car again. The more cars that offer dual clutches, the more cars I'll look to buy in the future. It's that simple.