Views from 997S owners wanted!
Discussion
Hi all - hoping to get back in to a 911 later this year (have previously owned Carrera 3.2, 993 Carrera 2, 964 Turbo II) and likely to go for 997 S. I'll do the test drives etc., but trouble is that test drives are normally very impressive but not the same as living with the car. My only concern is that a 997S nay not give quite the same 'edge' that driving previous 911's always did. Has anyone out there owned any of the earlier models and then gone to 997S? Any views most welcome.
Porsche have moved on a fair bit since the 3.2 and 993 days. A modern day 997 S is a fairly comfortable and easy car to drive fast. This fools some people into thinking that Porsche have lost their edge in terms of providing a car with a great raw feel to it.
It is not the case, in order to replicate that feeling that the older Porkers delivered, you have to go much higher up the Performance envelope...
If you take a 997 S and really get it by the scruff and have a good hoon down your favourite road - I think you will find it quite apparent that Porsche have not lost the plot when it comes to buiding Fine Sportscars.
It is not the case, in order to replicate that feeling that the older Porkers delivered, you have to go much higher up the Performance envelope...
If you take a 997 S and really get it by the scruff and have a good hoon down your favourite road - I think you will find it quite apparent that Porsche have not lost the plot when it comes to buiding Fine Sportscars.
nbetts said:
Porsche have moved on a fair bit since the 3.2 and 993 days. A modern day 997 S is a fairly comfortable and easy car to drive fast. This fools some people into thinking that Porsche have lost their edge in terms of providing a car with a great raw feel to it.
It is not the case, in order to replicate that feeling that the older Porkers delivered, you have to go much higher up the Performance envelope...
If you take a 997 S and really get it by the scruff and have a good hoon down your favourite road - I think you will find it quite apparent that Porsche have not lost the plot when it comes to buiding Fine Sportscars.
Agreed. Find one (or spec. one) with sports suspension - which also gives you a trick dif. - in place of PASM, and Sports Exhuast and you've got yourself a junior GT3. It is not the case, in order to replicate that feeling that the older Porkers delivered, you have to go much higher up the Performance envelope...
If you take a 997 S and really get it by the scruff and have a good hoon down your favourite road - I think you will find it quite apparent that Porsche have not lost the plot when it comes to buiding Fine Sportscars.
I had a 993 C2 tip which I ran for 3 years. It was a brilliant everyday commute fun car. Last year I bought a 997s manual and it makes the 993 feel like a very old car in lots of ways, particularly the interior. I think the 993 is nicer to look at, particularly in profile, but the 997 is a much better car all round.
nbetts said:
Pugsey said:
Agreed. Find one (or spec. one) with sports suspension - which also gives you a trick dif. - in place of PASM, and Sports Exhuast and you've got yourself a junior GT3.
Spot On.
Edited by Pugsey on Monday 5th February 17:28
Edited by Pugsey on Monday 5th February 17:30
Make no mistake the 997 2s is a fantastic bit of kit. You can drive it as a every day car and enjoy the upper limits of what this car can do at the weekend. Its truly a great all rounder. The fact is that Porsche have moved the performance envelope much further with this range of cars. Its not that they are not as raw, or as much fun as previous incarnations it just means you have got to move your input further forward to test the limits of the car.
Its difficult to draw any conclussions with a short test drive in many cars, I was smitten with this car after 30 mins and the pleasure of driving it has increased with every mile. What else would you need in the real world?? MEGA!!
Its difficult to draw any conclussions with a short test drive in many cars, I was smitten with this car after 30 mins and the pleasure of driving it has increased with every mile. What else would you need in the real world?? MEGA!!
Found the perfect C2S at the Kent OPC (Sports chassis and ceramic brakes) but will probably get naff all for mine in p/x 
A mate has the sports chassis on his C2S and it sharpens everything up without making it as bone shakingly hard as my C2S with the PASM set to 'Sport' mode.
A mate has the sports chassis on his C2S and it sharpens everything up without making it as bone shakingly hard as my C2S with the PASM set to 'Sport' mode.
Edited by 911_OMG on Monday 5th February 19:20
911_OMG said:
Found the perfect C2S at the Kent OPC (Sports chassis and ceramic brakes) but will probably get naff all for mine in p/x
A mate has the sports chassis on his C2S and it sharpens everything up without making it as bone shakingly hard as my C2S with the PASM set to 'Sport' mode.
A mate has the sports chassis on his C2S and it sharpens everything up without making it as bone shakingly hard as my C2S with the PASM set to 'Sport' mode.
Edited by 911_OMG on Monday 5th February 19:20
Interesting to know. How much stiffer is the sports chassis than the regular PASM setting?
I went for PASM as a friend told me sports chassis was even stiffer than PASM in sport mode (which having experienced PASM in sport mode is almost impossible to belive...). Found the missing LSD a bit of an issue on track but am a bit worried that the missus would find the sports chassis to harsh on longer trips...
I would say that the sports chassis, although firmer than the normal setting on PASM is nowhere near as spine jarring as PASM in the SPORT setting. It visually drops the car down but the suspension set up is much more compliant to make it usable every day. I would say that its as close as you'll get to a GT3 with 4 seats. Time to speak to the bank manager...!
Edited by 911_OMG on Monday 5th February 19:42
911_OMG said:
I would say that the sports chassis, although firmer than the normal setting on PASM is nowhere near as spine jarring as PASM in the SPORT setting. It visually drops the car down but the suspension set up is much more compliant to make it usable every day. I would say that its as close as you'll get to a GT3 with 4 seats. Time to speak to the bank manager...!
Edited by 911_OMG on Monday 5th February 19:42
The issue is not the bank manager but the missus...
This is why I love PH - thanks for these replies everyone. I had considered a GT3, but the lack of rear seats would sometimes be a real pain, and I would probably only venture on track 3 or 4 times a year. Glad to see some real positive comments about the sports suspension, but seeing as so few of the 'used' models have these I can feel a new one being the only way forward. Oh lordy...this is what I dread about PH - the buying decisions that come with it....
Dr S said:
911_OMG said:
I would say that the sports chassis, although firmer than the normal setting on PASM is nowhere near as spine jarring as PASM in the SPORT setting. It visually drops the car down but the suspension set up is much more compliant to make it usable every day. I would say that its as close as you'll get to a GT3 with 4 seats. Time to speak to the bank manager...!
Edited by 911_OMG on Monday 5th February 19:42
The issue is not the bank manager but the missus...
Bin the missus, get the Porsche, the luxury penthouse suite overlooking the Thames, wild beavers, a jacuzzi, wild wet beavers, mmmmmmm, hot babes, mmmmmm, wet beavers, mmmmmm, paradise....
Edited by 911_OMG on Monday 5th February 21:08
911_OMG said:
Bin the missus, get the Porsche, the luxury penthouse suite overlooking the Thames, wild beavers, a jacuzzi, wild wet beavers, mmmmmmm, hot babes, mmmmmm, wet beavers, mmmmmm, paradise....
.. And then let her divorce lawyer take the whole damn lot from you
.. And yes the WHOLE lot .. She may not be interested in Wild Beaver , but she'll take it anyway , just cos you ARE!!
OK so I missed 964 variant, but over the past ten years, i've moved from 944 to 3.2 Carrera to 993 4S, then to a 997S - and just recently into a 997Turbo. The 993 felt a quantum leap after the 3.2 - the jump to the 997 was monumental again. The 993 is so cramped (some would say cosy) compared to the 997 - but the quality and feel of the 997 fully justies its super car status. If you read Autocar it gets constant adulation beating all new comers. Can't comment on the sports suspension - both my 997's have had the PASM system. Just pushing the Sports button firms everything up on the track - yet day to day it's compliant without thumping you in the back over every catseye/tarmac patch on the road.
GFI - no regrets.
Graham. - smitten!
GFI - no regrets.
Graham. - smitten!
Non PASM sport susp. + lsd is the way to go. The sport susp. is nowhere near as bone jarring as PASM in 'hard' setting. It is firmer than PASM in 'normal' but only in as much as it is much more tightly controlled, not really harsher. Much more composed over undulating B roads as well as on track. I've now progressed to a 997GT3 but have an order in for the facelift 997. I'll have that with sports suspension and exhuast and if there is a small power hike too, I reckon it will run the GT3 very very close in the real world and make a 'better' all round car. Chased a GT3 (997) in a current 997 with sport set up the other day and over some really challenging roads there was very little in it and I was probably having the easier time. Only power gave the GT3 an advantage.
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