I am in the market for my first 911. It will be used as my daily driver. I have been focusing on 2009 models as they seem to be a sweet spot in terms of price/value for myself. As I have been looking for cars, I have been surprised how many owners opt for the PDK transmission. The 911 is such an icon, I would have thought that 911 owners would be the last people on earth to give up on a manual transmission. I think I still would prefer to shift myself, but given how many people rave about the PDK, I am starting to wonder if I should consider a PDK car. I have no plans to track the car. My commute to work is about 20 minutes in light traffic. Any owners who have had both care to give me their opinion? I will certainly try both before pulling the trigger on any car. Any insight will be very much appreciated.

Thanks

 

Congratulations sir. I do not have both however test drove a number of PDK cars and had a PDK loaner for a week so I've got a opinion and some seat time. Given what you said I'll bet you made up your mind before penning this note and are hoping you are right You are right, there I said it. My wife and I both sorely missed our last manual transmission car when it finally went. We both commute in traffic but on the weekends...yee haw. The PDK cars are a hoot, don't get me wrong AND they world flawlessly but it's an entirely different experience. Apologies for being so frank about this but man it's a PORSCHE! We have strong opinions!!!

 

I've had both. Opted for PDK this time. I wanted launch control (I never use it) and the ability to use auto or manual mode. Manual mode is fun but it's not like driving a manual. For the first 3 yrs I drove mostly in auto mode with sport on. Now I only drive in manual mode with sports +
I miss a manual and kinda wish I had a new 991 S in manual but it's not worth all the cash I would have to add to my trade in

 

I have my first 911 and PDK was never an option for me. I will never track the car. The PDK will certainly shift faster than I ever could, but I enjoy the shifting. I'll opt for a PDK when I lose my right arm.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 911

 

I've had both. Last purchase I said I would never buy an "automatic" Porsche. Especially considering it's just a weekend toy that will never see a track. After a year and half of driving it, I realized there are far too many stop signs/lights in my town and far too few fun roads to enjoy it. This time I opted for PDK. There are still times when I miss driving stick but for the most part prefer auto in sport mode. It is definitely more civilized but that may not be too bad. Technically it's more usable.

I asked the Porsche dealers about inventory. There was a time when a 6sp sold faster and for a premium. Today that is a PDK. 6sp cars seem to sit for longer. I decided to buy the future.

 

Although never owned a PDK car, my daily driver is a GTI with DSG that I put 45k+ miles on. At first I thought, "holy sh*t! This is the greatest auto box ever!" But after the novelty wore off, I dearly regretted not getting the manual. The experience just wasn't the same.

So when looking for a 911, manual transmission became the only option that I won't compromise on. And even after driving through 9 hours of holiday traffic between LA and SF, it was still totally worth it. It's down to personal preference really; listen to what your heart says.

And I've always wondered if dealerships gets a nice cut of the profit for pushing PDK, having such a high price tag for an auto transmission.

 

For my last 3 cars I have gone PDK - 6 Speed - PDK. There are times when I think I'd like to have a 6 speed again but over all I'm happy to have the PDK.

 

Same here and still have an '08 R32 w/DSG & launch control for daily driving. Novelty wore off after a couple of years, though the exhaust note never will. I decided upon a 6MT for my 997 because of many of the reasons listed. It's a 911!

 

I think for re sale that a 6spd will be harder to come by in a few years time. Everyone seems to be opting for the PDK but I believe that there will be a certain group that will always want a 6 spd. I had much more trouble find a 6 spd than I though. It will only get harder.
Now which you prefer to drive,,,, that s up to you only.