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Hey all..test drove a base 06 Cab today. Found it had plenty of power, but everyone is sayin to get an "S". My question is simply why? I will not be tracking it, I would like a 6spd manual, so why all the interest in an "S".?
If this is your first Porsche, it may not be that big of a deal for you. Before you buy, go drive an S. The package, aside from additional horse power also includes other options you may like. It also depends upon your intended use. Daily driver or weekend cruiser? Going to keep it forever or just a couple years and then move into another car? Resale value comes into the mix then. Which cars moves quicker and at a higher retained value? There are lots of these cars available so do not rush or be impulsive. Research the cars and understand what the different packages have. The last thing you may want, and I see it all of the time, is someone buys a base model and then spends a ton on modifying it to resemble an S. Have fun and good luck.
Wife's '08 c4 was her daily driver till she bought the Macan. Now we both use it mostly on weekends. Don't track it. No complaints. If you are not going to track it I see little reason to spend the extra $10K for the S. You will be hard pressed to ever find enough room to run either version as fast as they will run and most of the new mustangs, Camaros, and dodges will outrun the older P-cars from red light to red light. Either model is a pleasure to drive.
Oddly enough five years ago I was in the same place as you are now. Looking to purchase my first Porsche 911 and interested in keeping it to a base Carerra with manual transmission. Long story short over the year it took me to find the right car I did not plan to buy an S car, but I ended up buying a 2009 C2S in September 2012 and glad I did. Based upon my five years of P-Car ownership I feel that had I bought a base Carerra I would have traded to a S car or GTS car by now. Now before any Carerra owners throw stones at me, I am quite sure that the base Carerra offers everything most owners need. What I have found is that I have grown more comfortable driving my car, and having taken a couple of Porsche Experience Center and Audi Performance drive training courses, I definitely feel the need for more power and speed. My S car is all that and more for me personally. I'm sure plenty of GTS, GT3 and Turbo owners would tell me the same about their cars. In the end it is personal choice and what works best for you. This is just my experience. Good luck and no matter which model you choose you cannot go wrong.
do yourself a favor and call you insurance ask for an insurance quote on a base then on an s... for me the s was double the price!! so i started looking at the base and 3 years later have no regrets!!
For what its worth, my insurance was the same premium for a 997 4s and my current 997.2 turbo. My new 981 boxster ticked up about $10 bucks a month. My broker said it was because it doesn't have 4 seats. My conclusion, 4 seats helps a lot with the premium.
If you're focusing on the 997.1, I would for sure get the S/4s. The delta in price is very small and it comes with all the necessary options. 997.1 S is very similar to the 997.2 base, but the .2 has many creature comfort upgrades.
I was in the same position as you a few months ago buying my first 911. I ended up buying a 997.2 base with sports chrono and PDK. I am totally satisfied with it. My thought is if you're getting a 997.1 go with the "S", if you find a .2 a base is fine. But it all depends on you. I don't track the car so I couldn't justify the extra power you just can't use on the street...it helps on the .1 but not so much in the .2 since the base has more power and direct injection.
But as other's have pointed out the "S" will hold a higher value and it does come with some options as standard.
I was in the same position as you a few months ago buying my first 911. I ended up buying a 997.2 base with sports chrono and PDK. I am totally satisfied with it. My thought is if you're getting a 997.1 go with the "S", if you find a .2 a base is fine. But it all depends on you. I don't track the car so I couldn't justify the extra power you just can't use on the street...it helps on the .1 but not so much in the .2 since the base has more power and direct injection.
But as other's have pointed out the "S" will hold a higher value and it does come with some options as standard.
Agreed. 997.2 is plenty of car in the base form, just as fast as a 997.1 S. The 997.2 S is more car and $10k more expensive up front, most of which you will get back upon resale. Will you notice a difference, or will it be important as a road car? Not likely. If you don't have too much extra $, I would get the 997.2 base and use the money to upgrade the suspension. Carreras are never the fastest cars on the road, you can get more muscle for the same $, so why not play to the 997's strengths and upgrade the handling even more? The base 997.2 at 350hp for a 3200 lb car (manual) is not exactly a slug.
If you have the cash to spend, the S is great too, although as a former C2S 991 owner and current 997.2 base owner, I like the smaller engine. The C2S power came up so fast that I found myself with more engine than I could utilize. The base 997.2 has perfect power for the road: it doesn't get away from you or feel like too much when you are around other cars. It builds linearly and feels "right" for the car. At the track you may want more of course. Aside from the cool factor of having the bigger engine, I would vote for the base 997.2 for a road-going car.
04-03-2017, 07:31 PM
