I am interested in moving up to a Turbo. I saw a 996 turbo with 445K miles on the odo and I have never been so jealous in my life. I dig the 911 and realize everytime I drive it how much I love driving Porsches and would really like to have a turbo as DD. I still love Boxster/Caymans, but getting a little older starting to appreciate the GT aspect of the 911, the seamless thrust of a turbo and the comfort, luxury and space the 911 offers over the smaller car. At this point a 997 would seem like the obvious choice, but hoping some owners will chime in. I am a huge roadster fan, love boxsters, def considering a turbo cab.

My Porsche owning experience spans about 20 years. I have had a 944 Turbo S, 3 Boxsters (1 S) and a Cayman S and my current 996 911. I am not really into modding, most just had pipes and minor "hobby" type mods. I did do coilovers on the Cayman, but point being, I dont fool around with them much. Other than the 944, all of the cars ran exceptionally well and never had any major probs.

Is the 997 as bullet proof as its predecessors? I will do some research but its been out for awhile and hoping there is plenty of real world exp with the car that I can use to make a solid purchase. Also, I am still fairly confident I want a manual, however, the power upgrade from what I am used to is so significant, I want to at least consider PDK. So my primary questions are, reliability of the 997 and the beaten to death 6spd/PDK question. Thanks -Doug

 

If you want to drive it, mod lightly and move on get a 997.2 PDK. If you want to keep it, mod heavily, and maximize resale value get a 997.1 6-speed. Best (short) advice I can give.

 

I DD my 2007tt, first year had several issues, small stuff like micro-switches in door handles and some major ones like coolant leaks.

But I think the engine gearbox etc is pretty bullet proof, it's more interior etc that isn't really on par with the rest of the car.

I have a 6MT and it adds so much fun to the driving, but of course in traffic it is what it is. But I don't think one buys a 911 and want to optimise for easy city driving in rush hour traffic or?

It's something special to drive it early mornings on smaller roads, the insane trust from the turbo+4wd with a rear engine is amazing

 

997.2 PDK here. Sold my benz and started daily driving mine. Never any issues and I drive it like I stole it. Freakin awesome car!

 

09 997.1TT 6MT Cab, I am biased!

 

Turbos offer an exhilarating driving experience that few normally aspirated cars can provide. There are differences between the 997.1 and 997.2 that are well documented in threads on this forum. Each has strong points and weaknesses. Basically the .1 has a strong 3.6 mezger race bred, dry sump engine, and the .2 has a really great PDK transmission. Cooling pipe leaks are the main problem with the .1 - they are glued in, and eventually will need to be pinned. The .1 is more mod friendly, but a basic ECU tune and a good exhaust are all that is needed for a much more enhanced driving experience. You should be quite happy with either.

 

Going to try and go and see this one this week. I even like the color and seems like a decent price?? If they have a pdk equipped car I will try to drive that too. What year separates 997.1/.2?

Thanks for the info, much appreciated.

https://san-diego.porschedealer.com/...97562/info.php

 

On the turbo 2009=997.1 and 2010=997.2

But 09 has 997.2 interior. 08 has 997.1 interior.

 

Many people believe that the 2009 model is the sweet spot for the 997 turbo. It has the GT1 derived engine designed by Hans Mezger, and it's the last year that you can get it in a turbo. It also has the PCM 3.0 system from the 997.2, along with a few other options from the 997.2 cars like center lock wheels and ventilated seats.

I think that either a 997.1 or a 997.2 turbo would be great. If I wanted an automatic transmission, then I would probably get a 997.2 car for PDK. There's really no bad choice here....

 

This appears to be a great price, is optioned well, a 2009 manual (!!), and if a CPO, a no-brainer. Get the price down a couple grand and you will have gotten yourself a sweet deal.

 

If you like cabriolet, this is a dream car.

 

PDK is the best if you want a paddle shift car. 2009 is a .1 but has some updates like the radio and the option of center locks but no PDK that came in 2010. 2010 becomes a .2 and you get a new direct injected motor with a little more hp and torque. You also get different headlights and rear bumper, bigger exhaust tips and larger side mirrors plus a host of options that were not available for the .1.

 

Thanks for the info