Buying advice 997.2 Carrera S or 991.1 Carrera

[macca77]

I'm looking to purchase my first Porsche and looking for some buying advice. Budget between 45-55k which puts me in the territory of a well spec'd 997.2 S or a 991.1 (non S most likely).

Anyone had a similar dilemma or gone the upgrade route? Also, I've heard some negatives about the 991.1 manual, what are others thoughts?

[Cheib]

In that price bracket if it suits your purpose I'd have a look at the 987 Spyder too....if I had your budget and wasn't buying the car as a daily driver that's where my money would be going.

If you're after a manual I'd probably consider a 997.2 before a 991.1. For some reason I think it suits the car better....the manual box was apparently revised on the 991.1 towards the end of the production run. Certainly the reviews of the manual box in the 991.1 GTS were better than those of the 991.1 Carrera when it first came out.

[Andrew911]

With that budget, you'll be able to pick up a top end 997.2 C2S/4S & a decent 997.1 turbo tip. Only a couple of 991s on the OPC network that are sub 55K. I had a similar dilemma recently. i had owned a 997 Gen 2 C2S & wanted something different; so I narrowed my choice to a 997.1 turbo or 991. I just felt the turbo was a slightly better place for my money & wouldn't lose much over the next 1-3 years (how long I intend to keep it). I have owned several porkers over the years & the 997 Gen 2 C2S I had was sub £40K & was a great value fun car.

[Shaoxter]

Keep in mind that the 997.2 S is 385bhp and the 991.1 non-S is 350bhp...

I'm always keeping a watchful eye on an upgrade to a 991 but can't justify paying more for a slower car. The 991.1 S is a fair bit more expensive and can't justify that either...

[macca77]

Thanks for replies.

I need the back seats and it'll be a daily driver so that rules out the 987.

I'm open to either manual or PDK. What are the running costs of a 997.1 turbo like? I sense that a manual will be more desirable than tiptronic over time?

Resale values also Important as I'm not sure how long I'll be able to keep the car before house renovations take priority.

[Cheib]

macca77 said:

I'm open to either manual or PDK. What are the running costs of a 997.1 turbo like? I sense that a manual will be more desirable than tiptronic over time?

Manual already is more desirable and I would say a better bet if you're worried about residuals...there are a lot less of them about and PDK boxes are one of those things that will date the car a bit. People that have them in the 997 love them but I've read a couple of times from people on here where they've had a 991 PDK and gone back to a 997 PDK and realised things had progressed.

[GT4P]

I would even go manual 997.2 (non S) over a 991.1! Problem is finding a good low miles one!
Early 991.1 are also more prone to problems/build quality!

[chriscoates81]

GT4P said:

I would even go manual 997.2 (non S) over a 991.1! Problem is finding a good low miles one!
Early 991.1 are also more prone to problems/build quality!

What problems?

[macca77]

Sorry didn't mean problems about the manual 991.1, more that there were a couple of less favourable reviews stating that the gearbox wasn't as good as the outgoing 997.2 in manual form and that it was essentially retro fit from the PDK. I haven't test driven one, so this is all based on other people's opinions

[GT4P]

chriscoates81 said:

What problems?

Owners of early cars were reporting build quality issues to the extent they got rid and bought later build cars ie 2013 onwards. Also some of the mechanical parts were upgraded/improved upon over model years. Porsche is not alone here most manufactures on release of a new model tend to have quality issues in the first year which are addressed over time

[hondansx]

Pretty sure when the 991 GTS came out the same gearbox changes were made across the range. Worth finding out the exact day of that.

Had both cars. The 991 feels about 20 years younger; it is a MUCH better all rounder and a fantastic daily. The 997 is a bit of a shock, it feels like quite an old car with bad NVH. However, it feels a lot smaller and is more reactive and reliant on the driver - the 991 doesn't offer much engagement at road speeds but is thoroughly impressive.

For me the 997 is currently overrated and overpriced; was a good buy a few years ago. Great looking things mind.

[macca77]

For either models does anyone have any advice on essential options. Also, if I were to keep either one for a year what kind of loss can I expect in terms of depreciation? Thanks

[Cheib]

For the 997

Must have's in my opinion

Universal Audio Interface
Bose
Telephone
Extended
Nav
Park Assist
PASM (I can't remember if standard on all models)

Other's you might want

Heated Seats
Sport Chrono (if you get a PDK get this might be an essenital)
Cruise (can be retrofitted)
Upgraded Seats (Adaptive Seats/18 way are the best non bucket seats and are superb)
Sport Shifter (aka Short shift for a manual box can be retroffited)
Extended leather - some cars have a leather dash and doors which makes a huge difference. For some reason this is often not mention in specs.

I have a GTS so might not have mentioned things that might not be standard on a Carrera or S.

[jakesmith]

Shaoxter said:

Keep in mind that the 997.2 S is 385bhp and the 991.1 non-S is 350bhp...

I'm always keeping a watchful eye on an upgrade to a 991 but can't justify paying more for a slower car. The 991.1 S is a fair bit more expensive and can't justify that either...

Apparantly the 991.2 is a lot faster though, 996TT pace from what I have read on here