Alternatives To The 991 Turbo S??

[Mario149]

StuH said:

Mario149 said:

To add ref your Ferrari comment: surely having the back breaking away more at 30mph with stability control (esp modern systems) giving you a few degrees of slip is more fun than doing 40mph with no slip at all in a Porsche? I know which one I preferred. It's the whole reason why people by rwd rather than 4wd cars for the track: more playful = more fun, esp with a good safety net

Mario it's all subjective with cars at this level. There is no right or wrong just choosing the car that ticks the most boxes. I'v taken my heavily modified Noble M12 on track many times and in that scenario it was brilliant, always nice to spank a few GT3s - BUT in almost every other regard it was a PITA and it left me at the side of the road so many time the Mrs refused to get in it! My Ferrari's made a fantastic noise with their Capristo's but lacked pace and you have to worry where you leave them all the time. Lambo I really fail to get, either driven by old men with fake tans, rugs and medallions, or seen cruising around West London with underbody neon

For ME and MY uses the turbo is perfect. Understated enough to use for work, sounds like a hoover so doesn't draw attention - Superb reliability, relatively reasonable running costs (last service bill on my Ferrari was £5.9k!!), wife can drive it (in fact loves driving it), right size for UK roads, kids and dogs get to go in the back, and as pointed out already, the sound of squealing kids in the back is a real pleasure (I've loved cars since I was a kid so really relate to that) and it means its get used all the time rather than left at home on family days. And of course proper supercar pace with almost limitless potential to upgrade further.

And once again, the 4WD in the Turbo doesn't matter mantra is always spouted by those who don't have one. For instance, last week, 6.30am A421 heading out of Buckingham towards M40, greasy cold wet road surface but yet any gap in traffic and I can nail it with 100% confidence, grip and go for overtake. Try that in the M5 and I would have needed fresh underwear on arrival. It's all about getting the power down and building confidence for the driver. The turbo is the point-to-point tool par excellence and the reason why people like me who've owned pretty much all the competition keep buying them.

The options to replace it are really only 650, 458/488 or FF. And all of these aren't suitable for work or lose out in other areas. Oh and the Turbo gets up the inclines without winters, the X5 needs winters to do the same. Not all 4x4's are created equal

Edited by StuH on Friday 26th February 06:36

Turbo seems perfect for your particular needs, and I'm genuinely glad the 4wd works for you better than on the X5 which is quite a feat But to clarify my 4wd comments are not specific for Turbos, but to all 911s. Since they don't make 2wd Turbos, maybe it's a pointless point as we'll never know, but I suspect even a 2wd Turbo would do far better than the other exotica you mention simply because of the weight distribution. My experience of driving NA 4wd 911s (996s and 997s) suggests that for everyday use 4wd is not a game changer in terms of useability if you're wiling to spend a few hundred £ on correct tyres. So in the context where there is a choice of 2wd/4wd, people should not automatically assume that forking out an extra £6K for driven front wheels is the best way to go.

[chriscoates81]

Mario149 said:

Turbo seems perfect for your particular needs, and I'm genuinely glad the 4wd works for you better than on the X5 which is quite a feat But to clarify my 4wd comments are not specific for Turbos, but to all 911s. Since they don't make 2wd Turbos, maybe it's a pointless point as we'll never know, but I suspect even a 2wd Turbo would do far better than the other exotica you mention simply because of the weight distribution. My experience of driving NA 4wd 911s (996s and 997s) suggests that for everyday use 4wd is not a game changer in terms of useability if you're wiling to spend a few hundred £ on correct tyres. So in the context where there is a choice of 2wd/4wd, people should not automatically assume that forking out an extra £6K for driven front wheels is the best way to go.

GT2 might be a good comparison, altho i don't think many will get driven on snow

[Mario149]

chriscoates81 said:

Mario149 said:

Turbo seems perfect for your particular needs, and I'm genuinely glad the 4wd works for you better than on the X5 which is quite a feat But to clarify my 4wd comments are not specific for Turbos, but to all 911s. Since they don't make 2wd Turbos, maybe it's a pointless point as we'll never know, but I suspect even a 2wd Turbo would do far better than the other exotica you mention simply because of the weight distribution. My experience of driving NA 4wd 911s (996s and 997s) suggests that for everyday use 4wd is not a game changer in terms of useability if you're wiling to spend a few hundred £ on correct tyres. So in the context where there is a choice of 2wd/4wd, people should not automatically assume that forking out an extra £6K for driven front wheels is the best way to go.

GT2 might be a good comparison, altho i don't think many will get driven on snow

Fingers crossed they make one

[ferdi p]

Just bought a fat boy 991 Turbo Cab for spring/summer...

Not what I'd normally go for but my Feb delivery 488 is now September & I sold my 12C thinking I would have my new car by now!

[Mario149]

You forgot to add #firstworldproblem

Just teasing Sounds great, enjoy!

[ferdi p]

Mario149 said:

You forgot to add #firstworldproblem

Just teasing Sounds great, enjoy!

True

[W8PMC]

ferdi p said:

Just bought a fat boy 991 Turbo Cab for spring/summer...

Not what I'd normally go for but my Feb delivery 488 is now September & I sold my 12C thinking I would have my new car by now!

Excuse my ignorance but is Fat Boy an actual aftermarket variant of 991?

[ferdi p]

W8PMC said:

Excuse my ignorance but is Fat Boy an actual aftermarket variant of 991?

No, I'm just confirming that its a big heavy 911 that many love to hate! I would have loved to have gone back to a 991GT3 but really fancied a cab for the summer...

[StuH]

W8PMC said:

Excuse my ignorance but is Fat Boy an actual aftermarket variant of 991?

Well many are driven by fatboys

[W8PMC]

ferdi p said:

No, I'm just confirming that its a big heavy 911 that many love to hate! I would have loved to have gone back to a 991GT3 but really fancied a cab for the summer...

Thanks. Thought i'd done a serious level of investigation on these cars & hadn't noticed a Fat Boy variant so thought i'd missed something.

Will be a nice place to spend a few months while waiting for your 488 (assuming the sun comes out).

[StuH]

W8PMC said:

I don't like registering for articles as i end up getting spammed for fun/

The £995 per month, is that for the McL or the 991 TS?

McL

[W8PMC]

StuH said:

McL

Thanks.

Took the 570S out a few days ago & was shocked that although a very competent car, it didn't leave the huge smile on my face i was expecting. Perhaps due to being an accompanied test drive around roads I didn't know & it was only 20-30mins so maybe an extended drive would be better.

[Quickmoose]

W8PMC said:

StuH said:

McL

Thanks.

Took the 570S out a few days ago & was shocked that although a very competent car, it didn't leave the huge smile on my face i was expecting. Perhaps due to being an accompanied test drive around roads I didn't know & it was only 20-30mins so maybe an extended drive would be better.

I don't like 'judging' people by their car garage....you've owned some really lovely cars, but dare I say it, this is a step up? and in which case if you didn't get the smile on your face you were expecting, just by sitting in the thing, let alone driving it round the block, let alone half an hour with it...then that should tell you something...

[W8PMC]

Quickmoose said:

I don't like 'judging' people by their car garage....you've owned some really lovely cars, but dare I say it, this is a step up? and in which case if you didn't get the smile on your face you were expecting, just by sitting in the thing, let alone driving it round the block, let alone half an hour with it...then that should tell you something...

Nail on head. It's a step up of around 100% from my current/previous steeds so kind of exaggerates the need for me to get this next purchase right & why i'm a little out of my depth. One of the problems is most of my previous cars have been rapid machines & my current 750bhp F10 M5 is certainly no slouch so i'm trying to play down the pure performance comparisons.

I'm kind of hoping that the limited drive time on unfamiliar roads along with being a Monday morning perhaps were not the best grounds for a test drive & as such have requested a longer drive. That said your point's totally valid as i expected to get out of the car more than a little aroused. The bonkers Tesla albeit a very different car did induce significant giggling while driving it. Never been a fan of having the Salesman sat next to me when i'm test driving a car as a totally un-natural environment.

[Quickmoose]

yes..but this kind of budget, tis kind of opportunity (where SWMBO is happy with practical option) means you have the enviable position of getting something that makes you feel 'special'.
McLaren has failed at the first
Porsche
Lambo
Ferrari
Aston

and seeing as you dreamed of the Turbo since you were a youngster.... just seems a given to me, no?

Can you get on the list for an R ?

[StuH]

W8PMC said:

Thanks.

Took the 570S out a few days ago & was shocked that although a very competent car, it didn't leave the huge smile on my face i was expecting. Perhaps due to being an accompanied test drive around roads I didn't know & it was only 20-30mins so maybe an extended drive would be better.

I'd try and arrange a better demo. I was grinning like an idiot when I went in a 650S.

[StuH]

W8PMC said:

Thanks.

Took the 570S out a few days ago & was shocked that although a very competent car, it didn't leave the huge smile on my face i was expecting. Perhaps due to being an accompanied test drive around roads I didn't know & it was only 20-30mins so maybe an extended drive would be better.

I'd try and arrange a better demo. I was grinning like an idiot when I went in a 650S.

[Adam Ansel]

The upcoming Alpina B5 will be superior to the Turbo S in many areas.
It will be a scaled down version of the new 7 series, so take a look at that for the technology, which includes part carbon fibre construction.
The B5 will be 600+ bhp and will have two full sized back seats and a large boot. It will be far more exclusive whilst at the same time being more of a "sleeper", inconspicuous and avoiding unwanted attention.
Also the B5 will be far more customisable. Alpina will make the interior pretty much to your requirements, the quality of their craftsmanship is first rate.
If it has XDrive that will be the icing on the cake.
Also, unlike an M5, it will be comfortable and so will consume vast distances for minimum effort.
A far more desirable car all round. And they haven't announced it yet!

[MrBarry123]

Adam Ansel said:

The upcoming Alpina B5 will be superior to the Turbo S in many areas.
It will be a scaled down version of the new 7 series, so take a look at that for the technology, which includes part carbon fibre construction.
The B5 will be 600+ bhp and will have two full sized back seats and a large boot. It will be far more exclusive whilst at the same time being more of a "sleeper", inconspicuous and avoiding unwanted attention.
Also the B5 will be far more customisable. Alpina will make the interior pretty much to your requirements, the quality of their craftsmanship is first rate.
If it has XDrive that will be the icing on the cake.
Also, unlike an M5, it will be comfortable and so will consume vast distances for minimum effort.
A far more desirable car all round. And they haven't announced it yet!

Eh?

[Adam Ansel]

MrBarry123 said:

Eh?

Alternatives To The 991 Turbo S??

The old model B5: http://www.alpina-automobiles.co.uk/en/models/b5-b...
The new 7 series that the upcoming new 5 series will be based on: http://www.bmw.co.uk/en_GB/new-vehicles/7/saloon/2...