I have a SUV and a 997 T4S. It's snowing here in Denver and I'm waiting to pick someone up at the airport in my 997. The SUV on gets driven when it's really nasty out!

 

Thank you for many responses; very helpful. I am taking the plunge and will keep the 4Runner for bad weather. If I can swing the 09, I will give it a try, otherwise the 08 (or 06S) is calling.

Thanks Again.

 

Both are great cars,997 is one of my fav cars but i think the 550 is more of a family car just cause the size of the cabin,trunk.
performance wise,997 is an absolute monster just with simple mods,tune and exhaust.550 with a tune is a very responsive car too so it might be hard picking just one.
Good Luck !

 

Which mods and tunes do you recommend?

 

I have both, a 997.1S and a 2011 F10 535 (not 550) and I have also owned and loved a BMW E39 4.4 liter V8 540i - same solid engine without turbos. I use my 997S as a daily driver. I love it. F10s are ultra ultra comfortable and my wife loves the comforts (bluetooth, iPhone docking, 11 inch navigation, better TPMS, electronic brakes, auto hill control, etc).

Driving at 90mph on F10 feels like driving at 60mph - the suspension is very california road friendly.

Driving at 45mph on 997S feels like driving at 90mph (I like that).

 

What are you going to do with your Gundo Hack?

 

This. You have to be a sports car guy. Most of my friends don't understand why I have a 911. For them, they'd prefer a 535 or an Infiniti. For me, I'll take a 911 and a beater for the times you may need it. For me it's a 911 just about every day and something else to leave at the airport (you know what I mean).

 

Reps to you, I'm on the same page.

 

Funny thing is that once you get used to a car handling well and responding well in general (ie, sports car), 'luxury' cars can feel less comfortable because they float around, steering is less precise, etc.

 

There's room for both of these cars in my garage. I have an '07 C2S and an '08 550i Sport. Different cars of course, but sometimes I feel I need the raw input of the P car while other times I just want to sit back and just point the car where I'm going which the 550 excels at.

I've got a 40 mile one way commute to work; half on country back roads and then I jump on the interstate for 20 miles. Neither car is a slouch in either of these 2 vastly different environments.

 

Thanks for the input. I bought a 06 997S Convertible. Love the car!

 

If you spend alot of time in stop and go traffic, I would go for the 550i. There are many times where a larger, more comfortable second car would come in handy. That said, when the road is clear, there's nothing like a 911 with a manual transmission.

 

I just turned 40, and just bought a 2008 997....again, as for you, a dream since being a little boy. Its not a DD but its what i always wanted......go with the heart, the head has got you this far to be able to afford a 997, time for the heart to take over!!

Good luck.

 

Oh yeah, mine is a MT and my wife has a 535i................so i guess i have the best of both worlds.