The 997 Appreciation Thread
Discussion
ATM said:
I'm starting to worry about people talk about their forever car choice. Maybe I'm too young - I am only 27 obviously - but the idea of being stuck with one car for the rest of time doesn't resonate with me. I get it though. Newer cars are losing the analogue feel and at some point you realise the grass isn't any greener. But the little boy inside me still dreams of constantly getting a new - or different - car. I can't imagine that will ever go away. Or will it?
It probably will.I'm 57, and rest assured, as a petrolhead, at 27 you've only just started the odyssey that is performance car ownership !!
But ultimately, unless you really enjoy the whole process of buying and selling cars (as some do) you'll reach a point in life whereby you end up with an emotional attachment to them, and they may end up becoming a keeper/forever cars.
The forever car maybe your daily driver, or it maybe "the toy/s", and whilst the daily driver may remain as a forever car, you'll occasionally want to try a new toy (or vice versa).
But life can change and throw you many a curved ball : Marriage, kids, changing financial situations and pursuing other interests, all may impact on your car ownership in years to come
ATM said:
I think the thing with these earlier and also the later cars is they all have PASM. We all know a decent set of dampers can work wanders on a Porsche. The fancy CSR has simple passive kw dampers and thats probably the major difference. Surely there isn't much more to it than that. OK it has stiffer bushes and different ARB too but you should be able to add this lot to any 997 or do it in stages.
Well yes, and I'm not saying for a moment that Centre Gravity or any of the other specialists out there wouldn't do a similarly excellent job. My old 2005 7.1 was beginning to feel pretty tired and I'd been thinking for a couple of years about upgrading in stages when the "right car" just happened along and I got a call from RPM. There's quite a lot of other stuff that makes a difference as well - I would say the diff and the lightweight flywheel are revelatory, and I do love the looks as well. I know ducktails can be a bit polarising, but I'm firmly in the "yes please" camp. ATM said:
I'm starting to worry about people talk about their forever car choice. Maybe I'm too young - I am only 27 obviously - but the idea of being stuck with one car for the rest of time doesn't resonate with me. I get it though. Newer cars are losing the analogue feel and at some point you realise the grass isn't any greener. But the little boy inside me still dreams of constantly getting a new - or different - car. I can't imagine that will ever go away. Or will it?
I hope not! I'm twice your age and with a llimited number of working years ahead of me, am less likely to want to take the financial hit of changing cars when I should be thinking about my pension! I've also owned a few different cars and have a pretty good idea of what floats my boat. If someone gave me a manual 991 GT3 I would be delighted, but the boring reality is that I'd have to buy a house with a garage before I felt comfortable owning it (or indeed anything more extrovert than a dark-blue 997).Back to what seems to be the main sticking point - how the heck does someone spend 130K on any sort of rebuild? I don't really know, although I totally get the spare no expense mindset. I've been there on a less-expensive level with hi-fi and bicycles where I get well past the stage of being able to logically justify what I'm doing and am just persuing "the very best". Once you've got down repainting a bare shell, there are an awful lot of bits that you could convince yourself are worth replacing as you start to put the car back together...
Slippydiff said:
If you’re going to build the ultimate NA, non-Mezger engined 2WD 997, you’d surely start with a nice low miles Gen 2 2S, and if you like the Gen 1 Aerokit aesthetics (and I do) you’d just get RPMT to backdate the newer car (as they’ve done on a previous 997 CSR conversion)
Or a 40,000 mile .1 with a full Hartech < 5K miles ago.Slippydiff said:
Sounds perfect. Pictures or it didn't happen
I am quite disgustingly pleased with it, and it does look rather nice, so:
and
ATM said:
I'm starting to worry about people talk about their forever car choice. Maybe I'm too young - I am only 27 obviously - but the idea of being stuck with one car for the rest of time doesn't resonate with me. I get it though. Newer cars are losing the analogue feel and at some point you realise the grass isn't any greener. But the little boy inside me still dreams of constantly getting a new - or different - car. I can't imagine that will ever go away. Or will it?
Whatever you do keep trying new cars.I still am (at more than twice your age), but i'm finding that most other things just feel very low rent compared to my manual 997.
The car really does feel like it is built like a tank.
I tried a 718 Boxster recently and to be honest it felt low rent and i am not enamoured with the PSK box (that's probably any age thing too).
But keep looking forward, not back.
ATM said:
I'm starting to worry about people talk about their forever car choice. Maybe I'm too young - I am only 27 obviously - but the idea of being stuck with one car for the rest of time doesn't resonate with me. I get it though. Newer cars are losing the analogue feel and at some point you realise the grass isn't any greener. But the little boy inside me still dreams of constantly getting a new - or different - car. I can't imagine that will ever go away. Or will it?
There’s only one car that I’ve properly lusted after more than any other since it launched and that’s my present car, my R8 V8 manual. All the others have been awesome and anything else I buy now will be ‘as well as’ as I’m never selling the R8. 911s are iconic cars and I loved owning mine for the 4 years I had it. I’d have another too. For me, Gen 2 4S manual or Sports Classic are the highlights. 
pcrawf said:
Superb choice. I was picking my car up just as I think you were arriving at RPM to take a look at it. I had a good look around it and the condition was superb. I thought to myself, first person who sees this will buy it. Guess I was right! Enjoy, they are really fun things. Way more than the sum of their parts.
Mariosbt said:
Just seen it 
don’t come on here every day. Is the car silver or crayon, a bit hard to tell on my iPad. Got any pics of front & interior? I think I’m becoming a 997 nut! Having said that, I’ve had mine nearly 7 years now.
It's wrapped classic grey. I'll put some interior and front pics up tomorrow if I get time. don’t come on here every day. Is the car silver or crayon, a bit hard to tell on my iPad. Got any pics of front & interior? I think I’m becoming a 997 nut! Having said that, I’ve had mine nearly 7 years now.
Heathrow said:
Superb choice. I was picking my car up just as I think you were arriving at RPM to take a look at it. I had a good look around it and the condition was superb. I thought to myself, first person who sees this will buy it. Guess I was right! Enjoy, they are really fun things. Way more than the sum of their parts.
Yep, I deliberated for...not very long at all. I think it'll keep me entertained for a long time yet. That said, the front is inconveniently low. The councils around the Windsor/Staines/Egham area don't seem to have read the guidelines for speedbump height and I keep scaring pedestrians by scraping the splitter on pretty much everything :-)
You wrote "picking my car up"? Something new??
Slippydiff said:
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/11022801?c...
£84K. That’s Eighty Four Thousand Pounds ... !!!
Probably my favourite CSR conversion to date, but £84K for 15 year old 2S with 122k miles on odometer is madness.
So, further to my original post, I found this on YT last night :£84K. That’s Eighty Four Thousand Pounds ... !!!
Probably my favourite CSR conversion to date, but £84K for 15 year old 2S with 122k miles on odometer is madness.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xc9JwvSf-lc
Clearly there’s resprays and there’s resprays.
A complete panel off, glass out, change of colour respray job, done properly, won’t have been cheap. But the project looks to have been more of a complete restoration AND a CSR upgrade, rather than just a CSR upgrade, so some of the additional expense is justified.
Chucking £130K at a 100+K mile Gen 1 997 S that’s worth what ? £15-20K max, still seems a somewhat questionable choice if you don’t keep it for 5-10 years to get some enjoyment from driving it.
Slippydiff said:
Slippydiff said:
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/11022801?c...
£84K. That’s Eighty Four Thousand Pounds ... !!!
Probably my favourite CSR conversion to date, but £84K for 15 year old 2S with 122k miles on odometer is madness.
So, further to my original post, I found this on YT last night :£84K. That’s Eighty Four Thousand Pounds ... !!!
Probably my favourite CSR conversion to date, but £84K for 15 year old 2S with 122k miles on odometer is madness.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xc9JwvSf-lc
Clearly there’s resprays and there’s resprays.
A complete panel off, glass out, change of colour respray job, done properly, won’t have been cheap. But the project looks to have been more of a complete restoration AND a CSR upgrade, rather than just a CSR upgrade, so some of the additional expense is justified.
Chucking £130K at a 100+K mile Gen 1 997 S that’s worth what ? £15-20K max, still seems a somewhat questionable choice if you don’t keep it for 5-10 years to get some enjoyment from driving it.
Just WOW! Basically a newly built car.
As mad as it seems, I'd love to do something like this much rather than spend 150k + on a depreciating modern Porsche/Ferrari. But I'd drive it afterwards
And if going this far, I would have enlarged the engine to 4.0 with some X51 parts thrown in for good measure.
Imagine that glorious X51 intake manifold spider and a carbon airbox
Around 420 HP is achievable and would be absolutely awesome!!
pcrawf said:
ep, I deliberated for...not very long at all. I think it'll keep me entertained for a long time yet.
That said, the front is inconveniently low. The councils around the Windsor/Staines/Egham area don't seem to have read the guidelines for speedbump height and I keep scaring pedestrians by scraping the splitter on pretty much everything :-)
You wrote "picking my car up"? Something new??
RPM do an aftermarket axle lift conversion with a discreet install - it's pricey but works well. Otherwise ask them to raise the ride height slightly.That said, the front is inconveniently low. The councils around the Windsor/Staines/Egham area don't seem to have read the guidelines for speedbump height and I keep scaring pedestrians by scraping the splitter on pretty much everything :-)
You wrote "picking my car up"? Something new??
That particular trip I was just picking my GT3 up after its service and rear brake discs/pads after the track season. There were a couple of tasty cars out back - a heavily modified blue 997.2 GT3 RS on slicks and a UV 991.1 GT3 RS with some stunning Cup race car seats (which I imagine are a complete PITA on the road but nice to have on track) and a full cage including the front section.
Heathrow said:
RPM do an aftermarket axle lift conversion with a discreet install - it's pricey but works well. Otherwise ask them to raise the ride height slightly.
Thanks for the tip. I think the axle lift is the way to go. My centre-exit exhaust will have to wait!Heathrow said:
That particular trip I was just picking my GT3 up after its service and rear brake discs/pads after the track season. There were a couple of tasty cars out back - a heavily modified blue 997.2 GT3 RS on slicks and a UV 991.1 GT3 RS with some stunning Cup race car seats (which I imagine are a complete PITA on the road but nice to have on track) and a full cage including the front section.
Nice! They do always have interesting stuff there. It's probably just as well that I don't live closer...Gassing Station | 911/Carrera GT | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff