In chatting with a pre-owned Porsche dealer, he seems to think the 997 Is a "way better car" vs the 991's.
He says it's more solid, not as big, tighter, better built etc.
Since I don't want to drop another huge amount of depreciation I'm content with my 997. (Just will have to mod it w/some carbon).
So these kind of comments are, music to my ears.
Anyone have anything to say about that?
I do have to admit that the new designed interior is prettier in the 991.
(And of course it depends on the options).
I wonder if a lot of 997 owners have a future 991 in the back of their minds or if you're content to stay put in a 997

 

This is an email I wrote to a friend a couple years ago when I first drove the 991 S PDK. Since then I have also Driven the 991 4S and my thoughts are more or less still the same..
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March 2012
I dropped my car 997 C4S off at Rusnak this morning for some maintenance..

While I was there I got to test drive the 991. Silver, Pdk, Carrera S. I don't know if its just that expectations are so high, or that I still don't like automatics, but I was not "blown away" or the car didn't feel like it was way better then the 997 like every one seems to be talking as if it's a game changer....

I will say this to be honest. It is a step up in quality in many ways, no doubt about it. The ride was quieter, yet still firm. The interior feels and looks more modern and really impressive with the display screens and digital dash. Gets a little "gadgety" at times. Materials feel and look high quality. Navigation and info in cluster display look really great.
Feels more spacious interior wise with the more slanted windshield.

Now, I don't know if its all the hype, or that we already own amazing 997's..... but I keep thinking that I was not "blown away" or I never felt like "OMG, I have to have this car", the way I felt when I 1st saw the 997s. The car looks really great and way bigger next to a 997. the 997 is looking a bit dated, but that is also what I love about Porsche. I still love the way older Porsche's look. It's Classic. So although the 991 is definitely more modern, I still love looking at the 997 too.

I am a stick shift guy for Life. The pdk was really cool to play with, but I wanted full control. Automatics still make me feel disconnected from the throttle. floor it, wait for downshift, hold on.... I have to say though, under full throttle no stick shift can upshift that fast... amazing. Low end torque felt about the same to me as the 997, and top end pull felt a bit stronger above 7000rpm and pulled longer due to higher 7800 rpm rev limit, but overall did not feel that much faster then my 997 when pulling hard on full throttle. Faster, yes, but not night and day.

Electronic steering felt good and smooth. A bit too light at low speeds, but more precise the faster you went. definitely filters out a lot of the bumps which can be good or bad
depending on what kind of roads and driving you are doing. Overall it felt nice and precise.

All in all... i walked away still very happy with my 997. The 997 will always be a great car and I still love it. Would I like a 991 in the future... sure, maybe someday, but not sure I would trade my 997 in for it right now. I really think the 997 will go down in history as the last true "lively hydraulic steering feel with a great touch of the old legendary rear end 911 characteristic". The 991 will be the car that takes Porsche into the "electronic control future". A great first pass and glimpse into whats coming... Say hello to the digital future of Porsche and good bye to the feisty "analog" Porsches of the past... atleast production wise. The "analog" Porsche's will live on and I am still more then Happy to own mine.
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just my humble opinion from a couple years ago. I still feel some what the same. I love what Porsche is doing with the 991 and 981. I will always be a loyal Porsche owner and I am sure some day in the future I will get a newer model. But for now I am content

 

I rented a 991 C4S cabriolet and drove it around Europe for a week last fall. It was a PDK car, and it was really my first extended opportunity to experience a PDK car. Both of the 911s that I have owned have been 6MT cars, and I assumed that I would always buy a manual transmission. That being said, I thought the PDK transmission was fantastic. I thought the 991 driving experience was fantastic. I definitely see myself owning one at some point in the futre. Unfortunately, the 991 turbo is only available with PDK, so if I want a turbo (which I do), then it will be PDK for me!

FWIW, the 991 C4S had sport exhaust and it sounded fantastic. I think it was better than the PSE systems that I have heard on the 996 and 997 cars.

 

I think it really depends on the reason for "change".

For me, mine is a 997S, so I think a lot more on an S vs GTS/GT3, but not so much on 997 vs 991. And whether it will be a 991GTx or 997GTx will be only depends on 2 key factors:
- prices points and depreciation
- manual vs PDK

I'm pretty sure I won't go from my current 997S to 991S. But that might be just me

 

There's lots of threads about pdk vs. mt but I have to say that despite how cool the pdk is, sport mode and all, To me a sports car = stick shift.
My panamera is nice, and after 2 years, I missed my c4s cab,and especially the feeling of driving a stick. Eventually had to talk the wife into letting me get another one...

 

I think the 997s IMO is the perfect 911. Not too big not too small - and all the proportions and curves look right on. I have never driven a 991 (and the looks of it have never fully grown on me) - but the 997 just 'emotionally' even seems like a more proper sports car. Yes the interior on the 991 is better/higher quality - very panamerish/cayennish. The 991 seems like way more of a GT type car. The 997 interior is sportier, with more pure form and function over gadgetry frills and touchscreen lcds.

I have not driven a PDK 991 but extensively driven a panamera turbo. And yes it is a great transmission, blisteringly fast etc but at the end of the day its still not a manual if you like that type of involvement.

The one area where the 991 shines (to me) is DAILY driving. If I had to do that and have a 911 as my only car, it would hands down be that (over a 997). Better overall 'ergonomics', quieter, etc. But for a evening / weekend thrill - the 997 is hard to beat. Im on my second one (997.1tt), and my previous 997 (base) was a great car as well.

 

I'm at a loss of what to do next as my 997.1 has been and continues to be an absolutely fantastic car. I thought about a .2 and have driven a few, but the differences feel slight for the $20-30k delta so that's out. I was looking at a .1 or .2 GT3 as my next step, but pricing for those two cars has bubbled in my opinion, so those are out too.

The 991 is a great car too, and they are coming down in price, but there's some things about it that still irk me: electric steering (sorry I love the 997 flutter), no handbrake (even my wife's 2015 bimmer has a handbrake), softish suspension (call it well tuned, but I like the bumpies).

The 991 GT3 looks awesome, but I hate the idea of buying new(ish) car and losing so much on depreciation. So for now I'm just pumping money into my 67 912. Working on the interior while I figure out how outlaw I want to go with the engine.

I do think the ideal two car garage is a modern PDK pcar (991 GT3) with a vintage manual car by her side.

 

I actually like the design direction the 991 cars have taken the 911. imo I think the 991 is recognizable as a 911 form every angle. If porsche could eliminate the 996 models I think the 911 would have the perfect design evolution.


Recently selling my '77 911 which I thought I'd keep/drive forever I took ownership of a 100k + mileage 997 'S'. I think this car is near perfect. I don't think I'll be changing or upgrading anything on this car.


If the new 911 models are immune to past rumored/actual engine maladies, this will help to alleviate a good amount of depreciation and make the 991 the perfect modern 911.


I am now entertaining the idea of future 991 ownership but I will need manual shifting so my sites are set on the GTS.


I think the PDK cars will definitely appeal to many new porsche customers. I have yet to experience the 991 but I think it is a fine car that is keeping in step with technology. As long as there is a manual trans option on some of the 991 models I can live with the other digital control functions in the car.

 

The 991 is awesome. A big step forward in many ways, one that started with the 997.2 (PDK, DFI, PCM, LED). Almost too good now. Less quirks. Little bigger yet still fast and nimble. 997 is great too, it depends on your situation. If money is no object the 991 is a no brainer to me, but 997 is a great ride too.

 

When the 992 is launched, all the 991 owners will proclaim that the 991 is the last "real Porsche" sports car and that the 992 is just a big, fat GT car. The 964 guys said it when the 993 launched. It happened when the 996 launched, as well as the 997 and 991. Go read the 996 boards and you'll see that group making posts about how the 997 is too soft, too much of a luxury car, etc. The cycle continues...

 

Here's a portion of a post made today:

"IMHO, the 996tt is the last of water cooled Porsches that let you really feel the road. It's a very pure car that way. Even the 997.1 doesn't give you the same road feeling. I will say the 997.1 is a wonderful car and drives beautifully, it's a refined 996tt. But I personally want to feel the road and be a little scared driving around with 600+ HP so I respect the power. Today, you can have 700 HP and it's not even violent, it's just amazing how smooth power delivery is due to software tuning and drivetrain advancements.


I think the 996tt will be soon be looked as the last of the pure Porsches. You can make an argument for the 997.1 in that class too for sure, but I still think the 996tt is just a little more raw, which I like"

 

I don't really see the issue of the 991 being bigger. These are small increments. I mean, isn't it a good thing that they can make it little more spacious yet turn in faster Ring times?

 

It will be interesting to see the depreciation rates when the 1st 991's are closer to 5 years old and how they compare to the 997's depreciation history. I am really happy to see how far the 991 has brought Porsche in to the "modern era", but a few things that really rubbed me the wrong way about the 991, and to be honest not just the 991, but Porsche in general, were that the 991's really seemed to mark a huge marketing trend and plan by Porsche management to charge 30-40% more for "gadgets" and options that are standard on many other cars. Option pricing started to get bad with the 997.2's, but almost over night when the 991 was released it became a little ridiculous. A 991S that should be worth $100-115k well optioned is now selling for $130-150k. Out the door $150-160k. So deprecation will be interesting to watch. It may just be me, but I have just never felt the 991's were worth that kind of money. Turbo or GT3 can justify that kind of money, because mechanically you are getting a whole lot more, both in engine and suspension components. I guess If you are some one who "leases", which is actually a huge percentage of new car owners, then depreciation is not such a big deal and you don't worry about it. For those who like to own, put some miles on their cars, and hold on to them for awhile, then financially the 997 may be a bit wiser choice for now. The fun factor is very close between the 997 and 991. I may even give the 997 the fun factor edge as it is still the more "visceral" driving experience that keeps you on your toes. imho

 

My opinion here but anything with 996 will never be pure Porsche anything, just too ugly and non Porsche looking for me.

I've driven the C2S, C2, C4, and C4S on the track. You don't noticed the size when you are going all out. It feels fantastic on the track, the PDK seems to be in the right gear all the time. It feels so modern and so refined that once you get back into your 997, it feels nostalgic. The size used to bother me, I've always been into the new look. I have no problem with the electric steering, I think that is way overblown. PDK is great but I would opt for MT. If I do get a 991, it has to have the aerokit. Right now, my C4S is perfectly modded to my taste. 520hp, GT3RS body kit, carbon fiber interior so I don't feel like I need to get into a 991 anytime soon. Now a 991 GT3 would be great to own but then I will need to get rid of the PDK Boxster S and get a manual Boxster GTS. I will always have a manual sports car and a roadster in the garage.

 

That wasn't a post that I made, I was just passing it along to support my post above it.

That being said, the driving experience of the 996 cars is all Porsche. It's very similar to the 997. I'll certainly admit that the styling isn't for everyone.