If cost is a factor, go for the non-S. I do feel that there is noticeably more torque in the S...is it worth the $$ difference? Each must make his own judgement. There is no "wrong" choice.

Good luck.

 

Given those two choices I would probably just place an order for the exact car that I wanted. I bought an S in February which I absolutely love, but if I had to do it again I would be very tempted by the non-S. It's very hard to find room to open it up a bit even in third gear. Maybe I'll get a track one of these days. But anyway, I think both the non-S and S are great choices, but I wouldn't wanted to pay for options that I didn't really want. so I would place an order.

 

haha me too. i may pick up a 997 911 in the near future, but it'll only be around until i can afford the GT3 RS. I knew I shouldn't have bought that expensive house! :P

 

lol... I think all the s2ki guys think alike...

 

If you plan to keep the car and don't care about warranties get the non S and supercharge it. And if you are not interested in bling get it with 18's that feel much more direct and responsive!

 

I am debating two configs, both black on black:

Carrera:
Bose
Sport seats
Turbo wheets
Xenon lights

Carrera S:
Nav
Bose
Full leather interior
sport seats
Turbo wheels

Obviously there is a sizable cost difference, but how do the specs look for each setup?

Also, does anyone have 19" on the base carrear without PASM? When I was considering a cayman, many people seemed to suggest PASM because it helped soften the ride over bumpy roads.

I plan on adding the GT3 fascia and may consider side skirts and and a wing at later date. I am thinking the GT3 front with turbo wheels will make it look pretty nice (assuming you are in the camp that like the turbo wheels).

Finally, how many people are wating for the facelift in '09? I could probably wait, but its pretty tempting to just get one now.

 

I would go for the S if you have the funding available, it's a noticable difference in torque when your driving on the road. I test drove a Carerra @ Melbourne w/ the 19 sport design and i thought it felt, well slower as my but dyno said. Not by much; BUT if you consider the S w/ PASM lapped 20 sec faster around the big N ring in Germany, its a considerable difference w/ the 3.8. The PASM off does feel softer or same on bumps as the carrera did w/ the sport design's.

my 2 cents...

 

I agree, if the budget isn't a concern of yours then the S is the way to go.

 

Skip all the options and get a base S...

 

S is the way to go.

 

S!!!!! a true 911!!!!

 

When the 997 Models came out in 2005 I test drove both at Maitland Porsche in Orl and there is a difference in power and handling.

If you have the funds the S is the way to go. The S is probably better on resale too since I think its more popular. Not that it wont depreciate as much but you will get more calls and sell it faster I would think.

 

Did you mean two seconds or twenty seconds? I can't imagine there would be more than a 2-3 second gap between the cars. There isn't a sizeable performance difference the cars to create such a gap.

 

20 seconds seems like a lot :$


Drive both and see what you like more. Sometimes the performance is not important to people. Other people value performance above all.


You decide based on that

 

I wouldn't go into this thinking about how much it's going to be worth in a few years. You'll be disappointed no matter what you buy. Luxury items always take a "bigger" hit because 50% of $90k is a lot more money than 50% of 50k. Same depreciation percentage, but it equates to a 20k difference!!! Buy the best of what you can afford. Set a number that's your limit and then slot the different variations, ie Base S vs Carrera(non S) with more options etc. If you haven't already, drive them all. That will more than likely answer your questions. I'm an oddball in that I liked the feel of the C4 best. Who knew?