How's it going guys? It's been a while since I last posted.

Tonight I had a chance to really "study" the new 997. My wife's friend got a new 997 C4 Cab for Christmas. She and my wife went to the movies and being the nice guy that I am, I decided to detail the car for her. Although I'm currently Porscheless (I sold my TT S Cab about 2 months ago), I've owned many. I've admired the looks of the new car since it came out - I have tried to convince my wife to trade her CLK 55 Cab for one - but she won't. Anyway, after having the chance to "go over" the car for the past few hours, there are several things that are IMO very disappointing and not worthy of a car that lists for $87,100 (or any Carrera model for that matter).

Exterior:

I love the new styling, particularly the bulging fenders which are reminiscint of the first 911 Turbos. This car has the stock 18" wheels - what a disgrace! It's amazing how much smaller 18s look on a 997 vs. a 996. The 997 should have 19s standard and 20s as an option. What looks even worse than the wheel size is the wheel offset, particularly on the C4 with its wider rear fenders. The car has 305s in the rear, but is screaming for spacers. I also noticed that the stock brake calipers have a flat "blue" tint to them vs. the standard gloss black on the 996. I'm not sure if this is a C4 thing.

The panel gaps, especially around the front hood/bumper, were not good, and the front bumper was higher than the hood. It's amazing what Lexus can do on a car costing half as much. When I opened the hood to dry inside, the first thing I noticed was the edging of the aluminum (?) hood. The panel stampings on the side of the hood were immediately visible unlike the old cars that had a finished edge (and more heft to it for that matter). I actually felt like I may cut my hand if I wasn't careful.

Interior:

I continue to be put-off by the painted "faux" aluminum pieces such as the dash trim strip, instrument panel, vents, and PCM surround, etc, etc. Really, how much more can it cost to finish them in the aluminum look like the door handles? The whole interior has a mismatched feeling - the steering wheel has "alu-look" horn buttons, but painted plastic around the airbag module. Same for the seats, shifter and hand brake. Some parts are painted plastic while others are alu-look. The painted plastic looks very low rent.

Speaking of low rent, the steering column stalks look like they're right out of a VW. This car has stone grey leather so maybe they look better in a car with black interior. And, although I'm no fan of the simulated leather dash and door panels (leather should be standard), at least they look a heck of a lot better than the 996 leftover vinyl sunvisors!

Like I said when I started, I'm a fan of the new car, and wouldn't hesitate to buy one. All it means is I'd have to spend a lot of money on carbon, painted, alu-look or leather parts to upgrade the interior!

Eric

 

i hear ya, very disappointing for the price tag. i guess thats why not everyone has one, its so much $$$$. by the time you load the interior up /wthe options you want, you'll be $20k over base. ridiculous, isnt it?

im debating payin up for the full leather option, i just saw my buddy's 997 blk interior and wasnt really that impressed for another $3k. doesnt seem worth it.... did your wife's friend have it?

and do you know what the adaptitive sport seats ($2700) option is all about?? seems to be a rich option..... thought the power seat package did all this already.

 

Agree with you 100% on your comments, my M3 has a better fit/finish then either of my 996's

 

i agree with your review; the interior could take a que from Audi which has the best interiors, the floor mats should not be an option.

the base 911 should have 355 h.p. epecially in light of the 295 h.p. Cayman.

 

Eric, why in the world would you buy a Porsche if you own a 430 Spider (what color is yours? mine is yellow)?

If your looking for a "mate" for the Spider, the AMV8 would be perfect. It has beauty, sound, performance and exclusivity. On the other hand, each year Porsche lowers expecations and never disappoints.

 

Hey nick,
good to se you over here.......how's the 430 spyder treating you? .....I must be a peon to my dealer becuase I just cant seem to get any straight answers making me run to the porsche dealer to make sure i get a 997 TT

 

Nick - mine's Titanium w/ Charcoal. If I bought a 997 Cab it would be for my wife to replace her '04 CLK 55 Cab, but she's not interested. BTW, I saw pictures of your Spider. IMO, yellow is the best color.

 

I had a 997S for about a year and they are very good cars. I felt that the fit and finish of both the interior and the exterior were a big improvement over the 996 cars. Mine had full leather and with black interior which I thought looked great.

I kind of miss that car. Good news is, I was successful in convincing my wife that she should get the 997 turbo for her next car.

 

Darren be persistent and creative. At some point they (the dealer) will give in.

Erik I debated long regarding the color. The titanium is fabulous but I wanted something er...shall I say bright? I couldn't be happier. In about a year to 18 months I will sell this one and get a different color Spider. I owned the 430 coupe for four months and though a great car the Spider is IMO far better at least for S. CA.

 

Eric,
no need to rush into one. that's one of the reason i don't like first year or style car. the 02 up 996s had much better improvement over the 99-01 both interior & exterior. i'm waiting to see the updated 997s. not that i need another Porsche now.

 

Arling,

The painted plastic in the 997 kind of reminds me of the painted plastic in the early 996s. I thought Porsche got things right when they switched to the "soft touch" matching painted pieces.

 

I have a 997S Club Coupe and love it. However, you cannot compare it to an F430 spider -- a car with a cost times two (plus dealer profit over MSRP). I agree with you about "simulated" leather. Leather should be standard and they should not "paint" to make things look like metal. My car has full leather interior and there are few things I would change. I upgraded the plastic sun visors to leather.

 

When you get the leather visors do they come without the safety warning?

 

I was not making a comparison to the 430. I was questioning certain aspects of a car that costs in the $90k range. By your comments, I can see that you agree with many of my complaints about the car.

Sawmilldriver - I believe if you get leather sunvisors the airbag warning labels are stickers. At least that's the way they were on my TT Cab.

 

Dear jones: to keep up i'm trying to convince my wife to order the new Bugati...