Porsche Turbo - To deposit or not?

[uknogbad]

I have had the 997 S for 3 months now. It is not everything I had hoped for. It is a great sports car (sports exhaust; short shift; and £10k of extras) but it lacks "ooomph". I have owned a Lotus Elise 111S which gave more thrills.

My current Mitsubishi Evo 8 FQ300 seems to fly (once the revs are up) so I guess I am used to fast cars.

Which leads to me think about putting a deposit down on a 997 Turbo. The dealer wants £10k and can only promise a car in 18-24 months!

Will the Turbo be the dream car that I thought the 997 S would be? Has anyone driven one yet who can tell me what it is like?

I will try one out before I place the deposit but wondered what other Porsche owners thought.

Any positive feedback would be appreciayed.

Nick

[bennno]

I would give the 997S a bit more time to familiarise yourself. The 996 Turbo I tested in comparison to my 996C2 was faster but not by loads and if anything it felt less responsive.

Dealers only ask for 10% when its time to spec a car which is typically 12-14 weeks before delivery so there is something up if they are asking you for the money and offering those lead times.

Besides in 18-24 months the 997 Turbo will be easily available with short term demand overcome enabling quick orders or lower priced used cars.

Bennno

[997gt3]

uknogbad said:

Will the Turbo be the dream car that I thought the 997 S would be? Has anyone driven one yet who can tell me what it is like?
Any positive feedback would be appreciayed.

Nick

Nick,
Because the dealer has my £10k for my new GT3 but couldn't give me a drive in one, I got a drive in a 997 Turbo which had about 600 miles on the clock. I went over the A6 Shap road near The Lake District.
I've never been over there so bloody fast!! Even a BMW M3 pulled over for me whilst overtaking a line of 3 cars!
Basically its a shit fast car that makes overtaking a doddle. The only down side was it didn't sound as good as my 993C4!

[Geneve]

From your comments, I would have thought a 997GT3 would deliver more thrills than a 997TT.

Both are highly sought after, both require a £10k deposit, but despite what dealers say, I think you would get either within 12 months.

Edited by Geneve on Saturday 26th August 21:00

[bennno]

Geneve said:

From your comments, I would have thought a 997GT3 would deliver more thrills than a 997TT.

yes that crossed mind my also. a gt3 ot gt3rs would be probably more for you if you dont find a S exciting....

bennno

[wrn]

bennno said:

The 996 Turbo I tested in comparison to my 996C2 was faster but not by loads and if anything it felt less responsive.

I don't know how the hell you came to that conclusion. I have owned 2 x 997 C2S and when I put a 997 TT around Millbrook a few weeks ago I was blown away... face re-arranging stuff. Different league to a 997 C2S so must be completely different league to a 996 C2.

[RS2_Russ]

Absolutely agree with last poster.

The turbo's are really special cars. Test-drove a 996C2 and C4 when I was looking to move on from Audi RS2 and they felt no quicker. But the 996 Turbo I later bought was much, much, MUCH faster and the amazing thing about it is that the acceleration barely abates... ...ever! So I've been told, obviously :-)

[bennno]

wrn said:

bennno said:

The 996 Turbo I tested in comparison to my 996C2 was faster but not by loads and if anything it felt less responsive.

I don't know how the hell you came to that conclusion. I have owned 2 x 997 C2S and when I put a 997 TT around Millbrook a few weeks ago I was blown away... face re-arranging stuff. Different league to a 997 C2S so must be completely different league to a 996 C2.

The turbo had a nice surge of power but its refined push as opposed to revvy snap.

If the initial poster finds the 997S a bit of a let down then the Turbo will be quicker and have more grip, but is less likely to offer the same kind of raw driving experience the poster enjoyed with his Elise than a GT3, GT3RS or Challenge Stradle would IMHO.

Bennno

[graeme73s]

If you want to drive your Porsche then I would suggest a GT3RS. If you would prefer to pilot you Porsche then a Twin Turbo would be the best option. I reckon you want the GT3RS.

[nbetts]

Go for the GT3. There is no denying the abilities of the 997 Turbo - I am basing that on if it is just a few percent better than an X50 996, it must be bloomin' good...

Going from a 997S - I reckon you will enjoy the GT3 much much more. Give one a go (when the chance presents itself)

Good Luck

[bennno]

clorenzen said:

Its a LHD but we both wanted a manual and I do not fit in a RHD manual so the choice is made. Can't wait.

This is a bit cryptic, do you have an exceptionally large left testicle or a 'Mr Tickle-esque' left arm?

Why would you fit a tip rhd but not a manual rhd but a manual lhd is ok??

Bennno

[Koln-RS]

997GT3 should be the driver's choice - and it looks awesome.

[clorenzen]

bennno said:

clorenzen said:

Its a LHD but we both wanted a manual and I do not fit in a RHD manual so the choice is made. Can't wait.

This is a bit cryptic, do you have an exceptionally large left testicle or a 'Mr Tickle-esque' left arm?

Why would you fit a tip rhd but not a manual rhd but a manual lhd is ok??

Bennno

None - the explanation is quite simple and most tall drivers would agree. On a LHD car your left hand foot rest on the outside of the wheelarch when not in use and you shift sidewards when pushing the clutch. On a RHD this is not possible as there is no room to the left of the clutch so you have to put the foot beneath the clutch or in front of it. Tall drivers will sense, that the left knee gets squeezed between the steering wheel and the tunnel/midter console quite easily. It has been improved in the 997 compared to the 996 as the steeringwheel now moves upwards and outwards but still it's not perfect.