# switching to a 911 (997)?



## jgray (May 8, 2002)

I will have had the TT for 5 years this year and for the last 18 months have been deliberating which way to go next. Toyed with the idea of a used 996 but dismissed it. Considered swapping my BMW for the new RS4 (Havnt completely ruled that out yet.)

My attention has been drawn back to the 997 which I will be test driving this weekend. I think it represents a logical progression from the TT my only problem now is which one - 997 (base) or 997s

I am having real difficulty with the price thing. If money was no object it would be he 997S but costing it up with the options I am after comes out just short of Â£70k. The base 997 with limited options as advised by the dealer comes out at Â£62k

I know Dr Parmer has a 997, anyone else made the switch? Just not sure that if I go down the 997 base model route I will regret it. i.e should have gone for the S at the risk of committing financial suicide. Plus the reports that Porsche are flooding the market with the new 911 potentially damaging resale values.

Anyone with any advise - made the desicsion and regretted it or otherwise

Thanks


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## ronin (Sep 6, 2003)

Was a needles width from buying a 997 myself, but my girlfriend who has the sensible head persuaded me to invest the capital. I would have gone for the "s" for the same reasons as you. Opted for a new CLK cab for the interim (not in the same league but im happy with it)


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## Jac-in-a-Box (Nov 9, 2002)

Visually little to differentiate where your Â£6.6k extra has gone...PASM is perhaps the only worthwhile gain over tHe standard Carrera, but then it's value has been questioned by some as robbing the car of some of that intrinsic 911 "feel"
My local OPC dealer recently commented, the standard Carrera will offer all the "911 hit you'll ever need"

You're right about Porsche flooding the market though, the halycon days of rock solid residuals is gone.
Though, undoubtedly, the S wil be the most sought after at re-sale simply because of the S badge.

A good honest review of the two models in GT Purely Porsche mag is available -if you'd like a copy, PM your mailing details and I'll send a copy to you

Dave


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

The 997 is for people who can't afford an Aston Martin. :lol:


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## che6mw (Nov 13, 2003)

jgray said:


> ...Toyed with the idea of a used 996 but dismissed it...
> My attention has been drawn back to the 997 ....


Jgray - would be interested to know your reasoning behind dismissing the 996 for the 997 ... is it simply you want the latest model as it seems to me like you can get all the power and performance you could ever want for, in the form of a 996 turbo for 997 money. Ok, the 996 a more dated car inside, but I personally don't see that as much of a compromise when you've got 'Turbo' written across your ass!


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## jgray (May 8, 2002)

che6mw said:


> jgray said:
> 
> 
> > ...Toyed with the idea of a used 996 but dismissed it...
> ...


Toyed with the idea of the 996 but dated interior reports of engine problems. I do like the look of the 996 facelift with the teardrop headlamps and still rate the 9964s is probably the best looking of the 911's in the last few years.

Not sure I want to be paying in excess of Â£50k for a second hand car, one year warranty etc. Guess its alos a case of wanting the most upto date model.


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## jgray (May 8, 2002)

Dave (jak-in-a-box)

You have PM - Thanks

the 997S does have a lot of toys that I would prefer - bigger wheels which apparantly effect the ride, bigger engine - more power - well who wouldnt, zenons, bigger brakes.

Stick them on the 997 and you are within spitting distance of the S but not convinced it is all worth it. Just dont want to make the decision and regret it.


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## BAMTT (Feb 22, 2004)

Jac-in-a-Box said:


> Visually little to differentiate where your Â£6.6k extra has gone...PASM is perhaps the only worthwhile gain over tHe standard Carrera, but then it's value has been questioned by some as robbing the car of some of that intrinsic 911 "feel"
> My local OPC dealer recently commented, the standard Carrera will offer all the "911 hit you'll ever need"
> 
> You're right about Porsche flooding the market though, the halycon days of rock solid residuals is gone.
> ...


Did you buy one then :?:


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## Hannibal (Dec 1, 2003)

I was facing the financial suicide question after having a test drive in the Cayman S (btw Porsche Chester have excellent staff)....but then if I wanted to pay Â£50k for a Porsche, it needed to be a 911.....and if I wanted a 911, I wanted the 4S....I know the dilemma you're facing and it's quite a nice one to be in! The dealer is right about the standard model offering "all the 911 hit you'll ever need" but it's not the car of your dreams, which is where it doesn't work out . Unless you've just won EuroMillions then money does play a part and will ultimately sway your choice. I would have thought a specced up base model will hold it's value better than a poverty spec 'S' though.

H (still in limbo - my financial man tells me I should sell a house and get a 997 4S....I think he's after a test drive though )


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## Jac-in-a-Box (Nov 9, 2002)

BAMTT said:


> Did you buy one then :?:


No! If I was, I'd be looking to go backwards in the model lineage, add in the obstacle of my "financial controller" ...I'm on a hiding to nothing :wink:

Dave


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## Jac-in-a-Box (Nov 9, 2002)

jgray - review will be on it's way soonest.

Not sure if you've had a look here: 
http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/
You may need to registar...has its own 997 section which may give you a feel for what to go for.

Beware of over-speccing the car; easiest way of losing huge sums of money at trade-n time!

Dave


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## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

I've been out on passenger runs in virtually every iteration of 911 at VMAX events, including 996 Turbos, GT3's & GT2's, 997, 997S, RUF exotica & mad 993's & for sure the 997 is a really nice place to live, in fact noticably better than all the 996's, however if it was me & i could not stretch to the in-coming 997 Turbo, then my money would go to a 996 Turbo (late, low mile example).

The performance is just insane & although brutal at times it's like a drug. If you'll be doing higher miles & need to more live with the car then either the 997 or 997S would get my money.


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## Carlos (May 6, 2002)

My main ambition in life is to own a 911, a spanking new Carrera would do the job just fine.

Followed a C4S 996 last night, what wheels! They look about 2 feet wide!

JampoTT - a 997 is not for people who can't afford an Aston Martin - I can't afford an Aston Martin, and I can't afford a 997 either :roll:


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## jgray (May 8, 2002)

Cheers Dave

The dealer advised against overspeccing the car in fact suggested if it was the base 997 to add nothing more than sat nav. Keep the 18 inch wheels, dont bother with zenons etc.

As for a 996 turbo its a bit to full on. Not that I would say no to one.


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## teucer2000 (May 14, 2002)

> dont bother with zenons etc


Blimey...if I had Â£60K to spend on a car, I'd want to see where I was going......


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## vernan (May 27, 2002)

Now, that's odd advice.

I went as far as ordering a new 996, then woke up in a cold sweat, went and bought the S4, have always been glad I did.

Now, all the second hand 911s I saw while I was getting carried away were specc'd up to the 9's - say Â£10k of options at least. Just wasn't possible to get a basic car. The dealer (Tonbridge OPC) said it would be hard to shift sth that didn't have embossed crests on the seats or carbon fibre or Bose or whatever.

Has the 997 really become a Lotus Elise in disguise compared to the XK8 that was the 996?


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## jgray (May 8, 2002)

vernan said:


> Now, that's odd advice.
> 
> I went as far as ordering a new 996, then woke up in a cold sweat, went and bought the S4, have always been glad I did.
> 
> ...


I guess its based on the fact that there are effectivley 2 models. The extras I was thinking off were things like the 19" wheels, zenons etc which come as standard on the S. Guess you get to the point where you are approaching the S price which when then compared together - who would seriously choose the base model.

The basic shell of the car is fairly well equipped anyway. I initially costed up a 997 and got to 66k then thought better off with an S - start the whole process again and you are up to 70k.

A lot of the extras like coloured centre caps, embossed head rests, bit of aluminuim on the gear knob seem like overkill anyway although great for those whe really want to personalise their car/can afford to.


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## vernan (May 27, 2002)

Right, sorry, see WYM.

Good luck with it.


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## Dr_Parmar (May 10, 2002)

aaaah the age old question, 997 or 997S..

well i test drove both and i actually preferred the ride of the base model. The S seemed a bit harsh for my sensitive backside, and by going for the base i was able to pile on the extras.. definitely dont regret my decision. A little bit of extra ooomph really doesnt make much difference unless you are going to take the thing on the track!

just my 0.02p


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## jgray (May 8, 2002)

Well tested the 997 yesterday and was incredibly impressed, very smooth, lots of power. I had almost talked myself into accepting the 997 over the S but then the doubts began to return again. I am going to have to test the S as well. My wife has decided that she prefers the look of the rear of the S with the quad pipes which I am in agreement.

I doubt whether the extra performance will make a tangible difference but cant help wanting the extra bits and bobs.

Many thanks to Dave "Jac-in-a-Box" for the magazine. very insightful. I will return when fully digested.

The ride aspect seems to one that rears its head time and time again. I thought the ride was very smooth in the 997 however my wife who was sat in the back (You can actually sit in the back!) complained of feeling sick afterwards.

Decisions, Desicions - I think its one of those heart Vs Head Vs Wallet Vs Backside moments


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

I just sold my house and released equity as I am in rented accomodation for a while. So i seriously considered fulfilling my desire for a brand new 997s and I probably would go for the C4s over the Cs for what would mainly be road work.

But I am not at this time because I cant justify a Â£70K spend (or afford to throw away) and around Â£15K-Â£20K likely depreciation over 2 years motoring.

However a colleague just got rid of his 5 month old 997s cab and only lost Â£3K as the cab is still in short supply. He said that there were quite a few 997s coupes around and values have softened....so a 6 month old 997s at right price might make sense.

Anyway, I haven't ordered one this time. So I got a new boat instead.

But I applaud anyone who does.
:wink:


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## Dr_Parmar (May 10, 2002)

Quad pipes....

look into the Porsche Sports Exhaust system.. apparently its amazing!


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## raven (May 7, 2002)

I've had my 997s for just over a year now and love it (owned 2 TTs previously). If I'm honest with myself, I went for the S because I knew I'd otherwise regret it cos in the grand scheme of things there is not that much price difference.

Soon after delivery however I had a loan non-S for a weekend and although my S wasn't fully run in at that stage, I could barely tell the difference in terms of power. And the ride on the smaller wheels was definitely better.

Having said that, the fact that you can flick a switch on the PASM and turn the car into a completely different animal is great fun, although to be honest it that switch stays mostly in the off position.

I would if I were you try and resist the snob value of the S and go for the non-S. I would also make sure you spec the sports seats as the standard ones do give a lot of people back ache over long journeys.

That last point actually is why I will end up selling the car at some stage. The reality is that I use the car more for long motorway journeys than windy country roads and the old practicality issue becomes more relevant than I'd like it to.


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