Been lurking here for a while. I'm interested in buying a nice used 911 and had a few more questions.

First is on driving experience. How do the 3 cars listed compare? I've only driven a 997.2 S and liked it. Is the 30hp difference between the 997.1 S and 997.2 S very noticeable? Is the 996 TT a lot faster and/or more fun to drive? The 997.1 S and 996 turbo are more in the price range I'm looking to spend. Miles aren't too big of an issue since this is just a third car that will see 3-5k mi a year. Just wondering if it's worth waiting 2-3 years to get the 997.2 S ?

I know the non-turbo cars have some IMS failures, so I would want to do the preventative fix for it. Cost about $1500? Is that correct? Seems like cheap insurance.

Are 911s difficult to work on? I'm no mechanic but do simple stuff like oil changes, spark plugs, brakes, etc. myself. They are good money savers with the piece of mind it was done right. I also have an independent mechanic that works on Porsche, so I should be able to save some $$ on labor there; he often lets me bring in my own parts as well :-).

Any other $$ black holes or extraordinary maintenance I should be aware of? It would be a car I'd like to keep till 100-125k-ish miles and then maybe get a newer one. Is insurance ridiculous or not really that different from other cars?

Thanks for any help you can offer!

 

This exact topic has been covered over and over again many times over the years. You are better searching this forum for this information as there are many greats posts regarding this same exact question and you can have your answer in the next few minutes!

 

I guess I'll see what I find. Just wanted to hear from someone that actually had experience with all 3 vehicles...

Maintenance wise, I think the consensus is to avoid the stealer and use an independent guy or DIY.

 

I bought a low mileage (18k) 2009 C2S In December. Tried the 997.1 and 997.2 both C2S
The difference is significant in power and mid range torque. This is not to mention the nicer dash and looks, but I am sure you have thought of all of that.
As far as TT, well an uber premium car come with an uber premium maintenance sticker.
:-)
Good luck

 

Thanks! Sounds like I need to drive a 997.1 S as well. I do get power hungry, so the TT might still be a better fit. 420hp + APR software = 475ish. That's a pretty significant bump over 355hp.

 

the 997.2S is somewhere in between at 385.
Yep choices choices, not easy decision!

 

I know! Not a bad problem to have though . I just need patience to find the right one LOL. I like the turbo idea but do prefer the interior and styling of the 997. 997 is also a few years newer.

 

When I was shopping in Feb I took out a 09 Turbo. Pretty damn sweet power in the Turbo, doesn't really compare to the 997.2 4S. However I ended up with the 4S because that's the look I wanted for my first one which I will keep. No regrets, love the options on my car over the Turbo engine. However a Turbo or GT3 might be in the cards in a few years as an addition.

 

Yeah, a 997 turbo is on the top of my wish list but I really can't justify spending that much for a third vehicle. A 996 TT would still be nice though. A little APR tuning and you're pretty close to the 997 turbo's power.

 

Depends if you want to focus more on HP or a car as a whole package. the 996 turbo can be a beast, but for me, I wanted the creature comforts in the 997. I actually started my search at 996 turbo, went to 997.1 C2/4S and ended up at 997.2 C4. No regrets. Just have to figure out what you want most from the car...

 

I think I'm leaning towards the turbo. An FI car is so much easier to mod for power. Seems like an ECU flash and maybe an exhaust upgrade would make for a nice reliable vehicle with supercar performance. I'm used to riding a sport bike, so most anything feels pretty slow

 

Ins on a third vehicle driven less than 5k/year isn't bad at all.

 

Cool! I'll ask AAA for a quote to get an idea but given the age the 996 cars, I imagine it can't be that bad.

 

How do you figure that? My 997tt needs nothing special that your car doesn't need too. Plug change might be a little more but oil and tires are the same.

All I will say is DO NOT drive a turbo if you are just shopping for 911 (996, 997 or 991) or 911s. It is best to just not know the power.

 

This. Once you feel that torque, it is VERY hard to go back to N/A (if not as powerful). Everything else may feel inferior. Once I drove the turbo, I couldn't get rid of my C2 fast enough. I will NEVER go back to a C2 (or other C#) as my primary car.