Hello... Im narrowing my search down some regarding options im looking for in my upcoming P car used purchase. Couple questions particularily for those whom have owned both . I am not sure the 30 HP and the exterior styling of the 997.2 may be worth the added price of admission or not? Is the power that much more noticible on this car, let alone other NA engines?

I am in a supercharged Audi S4 now, and it feels very quick around town with instant power, but desire better handling,and styling to encourage longer term of ownership. I am slightly addicted to power, but have decided against a turbo for a DD for several reasons.

I have used Modding cars in the past as a way to get my "fix", but i am looking into P cars as i would like the car to be good enough for me to just be happy right out of the box.

I realize how different the power delivery will be coming from a SC'd S4,and that the P car will have to be kept wound up in its sweet spot for it to go.

My thoughts in a 997.1 would be more options for the same amount as a less optioned 997.2, but with less power.

Or, prospect the new version 997.2 and be content with a few less options,but more current styling, and HP.

I have a plan in place to pay off my home in 5 years so....
My proposed budget is around 65-75K. I am using my 13 S4 as a trade in for the tax savings on the new P car.

Thanks for reasoning this with me.

Happy Easter everyone.

 

If I had your budget I'd look at the .2S. 65-75k can put you in a nice one. The .2 revs a little freer and you get more modern DRL and LED rears, plus the updated PCM in the dash.

These cars aren't really mod friendly, so test drive a couple and be sure. For me it's really the road feel, steering and perfect power delivery that set Porsche apart from others.

 

.1 S and .2 base are very similar performance. You can get a well equipped .2 base for less than your asking and should be able to get a .2 S for your asking. I could not feel the difference between the 2, the .2 S felt slightly faster, but not significant (not like difference to turbo or gt3). In the .2, S has standard PASM and slightly larger front brakes. Heck, for 75k you can find a .1 GT3. And that is a BIG step up from the Carreras.

+1 on the mod point. You aren't going to mod for engine power w/o forced induction or major engine work.

 

I finally pulled the trigger on a .2S after about 2+ months of research, asking questions, reading, etc. I test drove plenty of .1S's and 2S's, and though the .2's do feel a little peppier, that was not the only deciding factor for choosing a .2S.

After reading about the dreaded IMS/RMS issues, I became a little scare. It is popular belief that there are little to no reported engine failures due to IMS issues on late .1S's, and definitely not on .2S's. This alone was enough to know that for total peace of mind, I had to have a .2S.

The styling, options, and added horsepower are all subjective to the buyer; therefore just make a list of what's important to you, and go by that. Since I will be DDing my car, reliability/durability were at the top of my list. Also, do you care about residual value and depreciation? It is almost certain that the .2S will hold its value a little more than the .1S, however, this was not a determining factor for me, as I was not buying with resale value in mind. I simply wanted a car that I can enjoy for many years to come, and like you, I wanted this enjoyment to be provided right out of the box, without the need of modifications.

As others pointed out, your price range encompasses 997.2S's easily - in your case, I'd be looking for a .2S.

Best of luck in your search!

 

Your title says 4S right in it. Are you interesting in them? If you are are asking a very open ended question with so many personal and environmental aspects that I doubt we can really help you until you narrow something down.

Why even bother with a .1S if you have the budget for a .2S tho? They are nicer and newer and have a host of changes that would be worth while unless your only care about getting as many options as possible for the cheapest possible.

 

Thanks for all the responses! I am looking at this purchase to satisfy my needs for 4-7 years of ownership. Looks like to get into a nice .2S with lots of options and lower miles prices out in the high 70's/low 80's well equipped.
4S cars seeing a few grand or so are higher priced yet.

One recent post here suggested he was not considering resale when shopping his, which i think is very realistic approach to a high end car purchase. I guess my question when it comes to staying within my budget, is how many miles in a used S model for a 09-10 year should be expected. Im looking around online at dealers,and it seems like they either have 40k miles on them, or less than 10 thousand. And, as far as purchasing a dealer owned car, how willing are P car dealers generally to negotiations? Any examples from anyone?

I found a 09 2S with less than 5k miles on it which is not priced yet just off lease, but it appears to be a rather stripped down model. any buyers remorse out there choosing one that didnt quite fit the build for creature comforts?

I am so used to my past cars being so well equipped with options, that i know going in,that the creature comforts of a P car will never come close to my 13 Audi S4. But most of my driving is less than 50 mile type trips, around town, and limited road trips per year less than 400 miles. I know its the right car, just trying to fine tune my preferences first so i dont regret the decision. Again, i will be DD this one, so with that, i am more willing to accept the 4S as another option even though i like the feel of the 2S drive better overall.

Thanks!!

 

Your standpoint makes perfect sense. To add to my last post, after doing my homework, I came to the realization that finding a used P car exactly as you would design it is very unlikely, even if you do a nation-wise search; it is a highly customizable car where you can even pick the color of your seat belts, have them put Porsche crest emblems on the headrests, and so on. I ended up finding the closest thing to what I was looking for in California, and I live in Florida. The few little things that the car did not have I can definitely live without, and frankly, I know I won't regret it a bit either. Like you, I've been pampered in the past with fully optioned cars (I used to prefer BMW's), however, the P car is simply at a different level, even in base trim. Essentially you'll know exactly what you can't live without, and make your decision based on that.

My car is an 09 and I picked it up with 29k miles, CPOed to 100k or almost mid-2015. To me the CPO was a big deal and I had to have it. Same with sport seats - these were a non-negotiable for me. Do I care that they are not heated? Not at all...I live in FL, and the few days that we have in the 30's are not cold enough for me to say "dang, I should have gotten a Porsche with heated seats." My car actually had a few more packages than I was looking for, so I'm entirely satisfied. Besides, when I test drove that thing, I knew immediately that we were a match! I'm not big on cliche phrases, but it's almost like finding the right woman...you may have a type in mind, but when the one comes around you just know.

 

Yes, the title says both models. I was interested in learning of the difference in driving dynamics for power between .1 and .2 S cars, wheather 2wd or 4wd models to yield the most responses. I am trying to make the best informed decision as i can. I would just as soon just buy a new 991, but id rather pay my house off instead. Besides, i think the electric steering would end up being a deal breaker for me.

So, another topic of curiousity for me would be negotiations in pricing at dealers, be them P dealers or an off brand lot which happend to have the car you are after?

Thanks!

 

The common recommendation throughout the years has been...."buy the newest Porsche you could afford."

I think this is where you stand at the moment.

 

The exterior styling differences played no role when i traded since they're pretty subtle. To me though, the difference between the -06 6sp and the -09 PDK was much more dramatic that I expected in terms of the power delivery you ask about. Maybe the best way to describe it is that it feels like there's more than an extra 30 hp in play here. Or that the .2 feels like it's about 300 lbs lighter than the .1.

 

With your budget.. you can afford a 997.2 S. I'd recommend that over the 997.1.
1. Updated engines, more power. No worries about IMS
2. Updated electronics. NAV is 100x better with the 997.2. Integrated bluetooth / Ipod. Touch screen interface. I really don't like the Grey electronics in the 997.1 Black looks a lot better.
3. 2009+ has available PDK.. if you want that.
4. Updated exterior.. not a biggie for me. The cars looks so simliar.
5. Warranty, more 997.2 will be available with factory warranty / CPO

 

I bought mine about 1/2 a year ago. inventory was low for 2009s. Porsche dealer barely moved on the price on the car... I got ~ $500 off what they listed. but it was also the lowest priced 2009 C2S on the market with CPO. (by lowest price... I mean when I take into the factor of miles / options / CPO). I did spend about 1-2 years looking for the car. so I knew what how prices were trending.

regarding options. I refused to buy a car without my bare minimum options.
- Heated Seats
- Nav
- Bose
- Bluetooth
- Ipod connectivity.
For me... I'd regret not having those features. Especially if I had them in a previous car. Cars are always coming up. If the car doesn't have the options you want... keep looking. You'll be happier at the end when you find one that's optioned exactly how you want it.

 

I'd go .2S/.4S hands down for all the reasons mentioned above

 

Thanks for the thoughts guys. I am working on a buy on a certain car this week. 2S, 10 model 6MT. Well optioned fairly basic car.

we see how it all shakes out soon.
Many thanks.