Carrera or Carrera S
Discussion
PLA.
Feel free to email me through my profile with specific questions (or I can answer here) as I have experience of both. I had a non-S Carrera 997 for 8 months until June 2006 and now have a S version.
As a summary, the performance differential isn't huge but it is definitely there. My non-S was highly specced with 19in wheels, PASM, etc so no real difference there. However, somehow always had the nagging feeling that I went for the wrong model and when a highly specced Carrera S appeared I did a straight swap for my non-S Carrera.
Pre-used Carrera S models are becoming attractively priced when compared to non-S versions (simply as there are more of them..) and so if you're looking at a pre-used car, I would always go for the S version.
Don't get me wrong, the non-S Carrera was my first Porsche and still an amazing car.
Feel free to email me through my profile with specific questions (or I can answer here) as I have experience of both. I had a non-S Carrera 997 for 8 months until June 2006 and now have a S version.
As a summary, the performance differential isn't huge but it is definitely there. My non-S was highly specced with 19in wheels, PASM, etc so no real difference there. However, somehow always had the nagging feeling that I went for the wrong model and when a highly specced Carrera S appeared I did a straight swap for my non-S Carrera.
Pre-used Carrera S models are becoming attractively priced when compared to non-S versions (simply as there are more of them..) and so if you're looking at a pre-used car, I would always go for the S version.
Don't get me wrong, the non-S Carrera was my first Porsche and still an amazing car.
PLA said:
Just selling my 4.0 chimaera and proposing to buy a year old or there abouts Carrera. What are the pros and cons about the S against the basic model and is it worth the extra money? sorry i am sure this has been debated before!
pros - PASM, 19" wheels, 30bhp more, xenons, sports s/w, silver dials, 4 exhaust
cons - cost premium
to judge "worth" consider worth of pros to you v cost premium
drive 'em both
Koln-RS said:
Quite a few journos preferred the 3.6 Carrera to the 3.8 Carrera S.
That's true.
There will be a perception that the 'S' is better because it has more power, higher spec, costs more, etc. But, I found the Carrera on 18" wheels and without PASM, to be excellent, and in many ways a better day-to-day road car. So I ordered one. But then I saw the new GT3 at the Geneva motor show
and I was smitten. But, even if money's no object, over the years, I have always found the base model 911, in coupe, manual spec, with a few choice options, has always been the best value.
I am going to use the car daily, I hope, so its not going to be the toy that the TVR was. Also i do a fair amount of town driving so i was thinking in terms of a Tiptronic box. The difference in price between the two models seem to be very little. There is an S with tiptronic which is featured in the PH classified ads which is on at around £60k on 05 plate with 4.5k miles. Yet there are plenty of C2's on at similar values but newer. So its down to which is the better model for my needs i suppose.
PLA said:
I am going to use the car daily, I hope, so its not going to be the toy that the TVR was. Also i do a fair amount of town driving so i was thinking in terms of a Tiptronic box. The difference in price between the two models seem to be very little. There is an S with tiptronic which is featured in the PH classified ads which is on at around £60k on 05 plate with 4.5k miles. Yet there are plenty of C2's on at similar values but newer. So its down to which is the better model for my needs i suppose.
This will cause the usual debate I'm sure but I would strongly advise against the Tip.
At least make sure you drive both cars and make an informed decision.
I went for the base Carrera over the S because it's the only 911 that comes with 18" wheels.
Why on earth do people assume that bigger wheels are always better (this applies to all cars - not just porsche)... personally, I feel that ultra-low profile tyre technology in fundamentally flawed in relation to UK roads.
Combine these wheels with PASM and you have a car with which you can really attack a Norfolk B road, however poor the surface.
I recently drove an S on 19"'s (with carbon brakes too incidentally) on a 'Porsche Driving Experience' and it felt much less keyed into the tarmac and slower to 'turn in' than my car. Ironically, in comparison my car feels frisky and light on it's feet despite having iron rotors.
With regard to the performance, the S is less than 10% more powerful than the non-S, that's about half a tank of petrol difference in acceleration.
Why on earth do people assume that bigger wheels are always better (this applies to all cars - not just porsche)... personally, I feel that ultra-low profile tyre technology in fundamentally flawed in relation to UK roads.
Combine these wheels with PASM and you have a car with which you can really attack a Norfolk B road, however poor the surface.
I recently drove an S on 19"'s (with carbon brakes too incidentally) on a 'Porsche Driving Experience' and it felt much less keyed into the tarmac and slower to 'turn in' than my car. Ironically, in comparison my car feels frisky and light on it's feet despite having iron rotors.
With regard to the performance, the S is less than 10% more powerful than the non-S, that's about half a tank of petrol difference in acceleration.
SteveDavidson said:
I recently drove an S on 19"'s (with carbon brakes too incidentally) on a 'Porsche Driving Experience' and it felt much less keyed into the tarmac and slower to 'turn in' than my car. Ironically, in comparison my car feels frisky and light on it's feet despite having iron rotors.
Steve, I hear what you are saying but the difference could have been different tyres. It can make a massive difference to the feel of the car.
PLA said:
Also i do a fair amount of town driving so i was thinking in terms of a Tiptronic box. The difference in price between the two models seem to be very little.
Oh god, I will keep this polite by saying make sure you drive a tip first. The difference between tip and manual is huge IMHO and far bigger than C2 v C2S. Imagine an old Merc autobox stuck in your old TVR.
nbetts said:
SteveDavidson said:
I recently drove an S on 19"'s (with carbon brakes too incidentally) on a 'Porsche Driving Experience' and it felt much less keyed into the tarmac and slower to 'turn in' than my car. Ironically, in comparison my car feels frisky and light on it's feet despite having iron rotors.
Steve, I hear what you are saying but the difference could have been different tyres. It can make a massive difference to the feel of the car.
could be, my car runs Bridgestones, the S was on Michelins.... but I thought Michelins were generally thought of as better?...are the Bridgestone's harder?
...and I might as well get my ten-pence worth in the tiptronic (also driven at Millbrook last week)....it's bloody awful, real old school slushmatic, horrible thing. The BMW DSG type box is the way to go ( I think Porsche are working on something similar)....
Non-S: Drive the two and feel the difference as it's extra hp and torque you're getting. Comparing the two models at similar spec the price difference is not that big. Just do the math what a later power upgrade would set you back. Easy choice methinks.
Tiptronic: The auto Porsche are selling is what GM must have flogged in the early fifties. The car feels so slow that even at full throttle you are scared being overtaken by handicapped grannies - WALKING...
Tiptronic: The auto Porsche are selling is what GM must have flogged in the early fifties. The car feels so slow that even at full throttle you are scared being overtaken by handicapped grannies - WALKING...
jjr1 said:
Best version is the Carrera S with non pasm, -20mm suspension. Very planted on all roads and none of that choppy feeling of the PASM in sport mode. It also looks better
Yes. Spot on. Have driven both back to back (owned a PASM S ) and the non PASM sport suspended car was soooo much better in all respects - including ride, suprisingly.Take no notice of the comments about tiptronic.I have owned a manual 911 and a tiptronic(which I have now)and for the type of driving I do(round town heavy traffic and speed cameras everywhere)the tiptronic suits me.The performance difference is not as great as others suggest-unless you are an excellent driver who knows how to wring every last little bit out of the car then the difference is tiny.Its not for everyone though and people do tend to love or hate it so do drive both to see what suits you and your driving style-it is unfairly slated by people with little or no experience of it.My only complaint about it is that I dont like the fiddly switches to change gear-paddles would be better.Many people compare it to 'auto clutch' type systems such as BMW SMG but while the manual mode on these gearboxes is a bit better,the auto mode is dreadful.Also anyone who has ever reversed into a parking space up a slight incline will experience one of SMG's biggest flaws-the power on/off/on/off as you feather the throttle.
please dont i beg of youw1how said:
Take no notice of the comments about tiptronic.I have owned a manual 911 and a tiptronic(which I have now)and for the type of driving I do(round town heavy traffic and speed cameras everywhere)the tiptronic suits me.The performance difference is not as great as others suggest-unless you are an excellent driver who knows how to wring every last little bit out of the car then the difference is tiny.Its not for everyone though and people do tend to love or hate it so do drive both to see what suits you and your driving style-it is unfairly slated by people with little or no experience of it.My only complaint about it is that I dont like the fiddly switches to change gear-paddles would be better.Many people compare it to 'auto clutch' type systems such as BMW SMG but while the manual mode on these gearboxes is a bit better,the auto mode is dreadful.Also anyone who has ever reversed into a parking space up a slight incline will experience one of SMG's biggest flaws-the power on/off/on/off as you feather the throttle.
The factual performance difference is one thing and how the car feels is another one. Both, however, tell you to stay as clear as possible of a tip. Might be different when the DSG-type system arrives. Until then...
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