996 TT tip or man? + 997 TT thoughts
Discussion
After a couple of months of looking I have not been able to find the black/black 996 TT manual that I want (wanted ad: www.pistonheads.com/sales/107072.htm). I have a December build slot on a 997 TT (unspecced), but want a 996 TT (anyone fancy swapping?). I put a manual 997 TT around Millbrook for half a day and found the whole experience a little clinical and unexciting - though undoubtedly the fastest and safest way to get from A to B. I think it's just too perfectly engineered - it's too good to excite me.
This is doubtless an old debate - but it's clear that if I am prepared to go for a 996 Tip then there is far more choice out there (and they appear to be cheaper). I live in London - but don't drive much and do love driving. I bought an E46 M3 SMG when they first came out which I loved but my Porsches / Astons etc have always been manual. Would I be very disappointed with a Tip (I know that the 996 'box is nowhere near as good at the 997 'box)? Does it FEEL a lot slower than a manual for an average driver (ie. I don't shift manuals like Schumacher). Are Tips easier/harder to sell? Do they (or their clutches) fail?
Opinions would be much appreciated - I am bored of looking now and want to jump into a car!
Will
P.S. A mate has nailed the Tip gearbox of his 997 TT after just 4 days of ownership - it's back with the dealer! He also has a 996 TT S Gemballa++, which he prefers to his 997 TT.
This is doubtless an old debate - but it's clear that if I am prepared to go for a 996 Tip then there is far more choice out there (and they appear to be cheaper). I live in London - but don't drive much and do love driving. I bought an E46 M3 SMG when they first came out which I loved but my Porsches / Astons etc have always been manual. Would I be very disappointed with a Tip (I know that the 996 'box is nowhere near as good at the 997 'box)? Does it FEEL a lot slower than a manual for an average driver (ie. I don't shift manuals like Schumacher). Are Tips easier/harder to sell? Do they (or their clutches) fail?
Opinions would be much appreciated - I am bored of looking now and want to jump into a car!
Will
P.S. A mate has nailed the Tip gearbox of his 997 TT after just 4 days of ownership - it's back with the dealer! He also has a 996 TT S Gemballa++, which he prefers to his 997 TT.
Only you know!
Tip is more relaxing to drive particularly in stop start traffic & the huge torque covers the loss of a ratio.....BUT it detracts greatly from from the driving experience. I tried very hard to like the Tip, but in the end I found myself leaving it in auto as I simply couldn't take control of the car properly with those silly buttons, a torque converter & a box that often had a mind of it's own! The Tip made you take another step back from enjoying "driving" the car, so I chose a manual!
Bottom line for me is save yourself some cash & get a nice GT like the XKR if you want an auto-box.
If you want an interactive drivers car, buy the 996TT with a manual box!
Tip is more relaxing to drive particularly in stop start traffic & the huge torque covers the loss of a ratio.....BUT it detracts greatly from from the driving experience. I tried very hard to like the Tip, but in the end I found myself leaving it in auto as I simply couldn't take control of the car properly with those silly buttons, a torque converter & a box that often had a mind of it's own! The Tip made you take another step back from enjoying "driving" the car, so I chose a manual!
Bottom line for me is save yourself some cash & get a nice GT like the XKR if you want an auto-box.
If you want an interactive drivers car, buy the 996TT with a manual box!
Thanks all - it's going to have to be a manual and the search continues... yawn. The above thread made good reading.
As someone said in the above thread decent manual 996 TTs in black are very hard to come by. An 02/02 has just popped in the OPC network at £52k with 40k miles on the clock which seems fairly reasonable for an OPC price (ie. expensive rather than hideously expensive) - but I am really looking for a car with <30k miles on the clock (Henry + co I know that 'mileage doesn't matter'!).
Will
As someone said in the above thread decent manual 996 TTs in black are very hard to come by. An 02/02 has just popped in the OPC network at £52k with 40k miles on the clock which seems fairly reasonable for an OPC price (ie. expensive rather than hideously expensive) - but I am really looking for a car with <30k miles on the clock (Henry + co I know that 'mileage doesn't matter'!).
Will
keep looking! I did exactly the same thing at the start of the year and after looking at 15+cars and travelling 1500+ miles i got the car that was right for me;
black/black, 14k miles, stainless pack, large leather, pcm etc etc and more importantly to me no paintwork other than bumper stonechip repair. Took me ages and much frustration but stick at it.
Best tip i have, if you want an opc car, is phone around the dealers and leave your details and specs and see what they have coming in as px's and through thier buyer. I had no trade in so was at a plus and don't believe anyone that says they won't discount. I was told the price and made a substantially lower offer (end of the month and knew they wanted sales) and after a few phone calls back to make sure i was deadly serious we did the deal. Any queries just give me an email and i'll try and help, also could give you a couple of names if you wanted. cheers.
black/black, 14k miles, stainless pack, large leather, pcm etc etc and more importantly to me no paintwork other than bumper stonechip repair. Took me ages and much frustration but stick at it.
Best tip i have, if you want an opc car, is phone around the dealers and leave your details and specs and see what they have coming in as px's and through thier buyer. I had no trade in so was at a plus and don't believe anyone that says they won't discount. I was told the price and made a substantially lower offer (end of the month and knew they wanted sales) and after a few phone calls back to make sure i was deadly serious we did the deal. Any queries just give me an email and i'll try and help, also could give you a couple of names if you wanted. cheers.
scoobyc said:
keep looking! I did exactly the same thing at the start of the year and after looking at 15+cars and travelling 1500+ miles i got the car that was right for me;
black/black, 14k miles, stainless pack, large leather, pcm etc etc and more importantly to me no paintwork other than bumper stonechip repair. Took me ages and much frustration but stick at it.
Best tip i have, if you want an opc car, is phone around the dealers and leave your details and specs and see what they have coming in as px's and through thier buyer. I had no trade in so was at a plus and don't believe anyone that says they won't discount. I was told the price and made a substantially lower offer (end of the month and knew they wanted sales) and after a few phone calls back to make sure i was deadly serious we did the deal. Any queries just give me an email and i'll try and help, also could give you a couple of names if you wanted. cheers.
black/black, 14k miles, stainless pack, large leather, pcm etc etc and more importantly to me no paintwork other than bumper stonechip repair. Took me ages and much frustration but stick at it.
Best tip i have, if you want an opc car, is phone around the dealers and leave your details and specs and see what they have coming in as px's and through thier buyer. I had no trade in so was at a plus and don't believe anyone that says they won't discount. I was told the price and made a substantially lower offer (end of the month and knew they wanted sales) and after a few phone calls back to make sure i was deadly serious we did the deal. Any queries just give me an email and i'll try and help, also could give you a couple of names if you wanted. cheers.
Scooby your car is EXACTLY what I want. I'll drop you an email to see if I can get hold of one through the same channels...
Edited by wrn on Saturday 21st October 14:11
I had an new 02 996TT manual for three years and loved it. I don't track cars and rarely get to the point on the open road where the PSM light is blinking. But I did enjoy 15k superb motoring.
I now have a 997TT in which I have done 1500 miles. IMHO it is the more enjoyable car to drive. With Sport mode engaged but retaining the normal soft suspension the car is pretty formidable for B road travel and with better performance and a more supple ride has a distinct edge over the 996. The Autocar test of the car was right to highlight its ability to dismiss lines of traffic in whatever the gear. Perfectly safe ovetaking can be done in minimal space.
The 997 interior is also somewhat better. I always thought the 996 dash something of a mess and my car rattled and squeaked from day one.
As to tip v manual I can't help as all my cars have been manual (except a DB9 which I got rid of asap).
If value is a consideration then for the money the 996 is the better bet as the difference in performance does not justify the difference in price. But if cost isn't a particular issue go for the 997 without question.
I now have a 997TT in which I have done 1500 miles. IMHO it is the more enjoyable car to drive. With Sport mode engaged but retaining the normal soft suspension the car is pretty formidable for B road travel and with better performance and a more supple ride has a distinct edge over the 996. The Autocar test of the car was right to highlight its ability to dismiss lines of traffic in whatever the gear. Perfectly safe ovetaking can be done in minimal space.
The 997 interior is also somewhat better. I always thought the 996 dash something of a mess and my car rattled and squeaked from day one.
As to tip v manual I can't help as all my cars have been manual (except a DB9 which I got rid of asap).
If value is a consideration then for the money the 996 is the better bet as the difference in performance does not justify the difference in price. But if cost isn't a particular issue go for the 997 without question.
Yes - I totally agree, if money is no object I would definitely go for a 997 TT. Of course. If there was a £10k - £20k difference then I would definitely go for a 997 TT and I am sure you have done the right thing.
However, I cannot justify spending an extra £55k on a 997 TT - and the 996 TT remains an incredibly accomplished car and is more than good enough for me. I do think that the 996 TT looks fantastic (far more aggressive than the fussy styling of the 997 TT) and the relatively subtle aesthic migration from the 996 to the 997 means that the 996 TT will not age badly until the 997 is replaced.
In summary, let's face it we are all wealthy and fortunate to be in these cars - however money is NOT no object to me (like it clearly is to many on this forum) so I am going to let Porsche keep their 997 TT, buy a 996 TT, love it and find another irresponsible way of squandering the £55k change. I have just hit 30 so there's still a bit of partying to be done...
However, I cannot justify spending an extra £55k on a 997 TT - and the 996 TT remains an incredibly accomplished car and is more than good enough for me. I do think that the 996 TT looks fantastic (far more aggressive than the fussy styling of the 997 TT) and the relatively subtle aesthic migration from the 996 to the 997 means that the 996 TT will not age badly until the 997 is replaced.
In summary, let's face it we are all wealthy and fortunate to be in these cars - however money is NOT no object to me (like it clearly is to many on this forum) so I am going to let Porsche keep their 997 TT, buy a 996 TT, love it and find another irresponsible way of squandering the £55k change. I have just hit 30 so there's still a bit of partying to be done...
wrn - be patient they are out there and I had 3 black/black manual TTs in my sights over a 3 month period but none was quite my spec
this one however was but came up 3 months too early for me (had to postpone my search due to offspring but will be looking again in the new year)
www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/detail.asp?i=85575&sc=DJE8
gutted - black/black, PCM2, large ali pack, ali/steel/chrome pack and all my boxes ticked (except X50 but that is a nice to have for me)
made my views on craptronics abundantly clear on that other thread
good luck
this one however was but came up 3 months too early for me (had to postpone my search due to offspring but will be looking again in the new year)
www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/detail.asp?i=85575&sc=DJE8
gutted - black/black, PCM2, large ali pack, ali/steel/chrome pack and all my boxes ticked (except X50 but that is a nice to have for me)
made my views on craptronics abundantly clear on that other thread
good luck
Edited by adam b on Saturday 21st October 22:12
adam b said:
this one however was but came up 3 months too early for me (had to postpone my search due to offspring but will be looking again in the new year)
www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/detail.asp?i=85575&sc=DJE8
www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/detail.asp?i=85575&sc=DJE8
I also liked the look of that one but was pipped to the post by someone else...
Gassing Station | Porsche General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff