bansasn

Similar in price. Which is better? Currently own a cayenne turbo.

gophaster

996TT, hands down. Just for the engine alone! Insanely more potential for increased performance. Going up in value vs still going down. A better comparison would be 996TT vs 997.1TT.

I also had (still have) a Cayenne Turbo before getting 996 TT and I also considered the same choice. Looking back now.... OMG!!...I would be beating the living heck out of my self if I'd gone the other way

Nothing wrong with 997 c2s but there is no chance in hell I'd trade my Turbo for one!

Carsly

I cross shopped the same a few years ago and picked a 996TT and have never second guessed that decision.

It's a much more raw car, if you can call any car with full leather "raw" that is. Phenomenal power that can be easily upgraded if desired, 4wd, and IMHO a much cleaner front end than the 997 due to the integrated light cluster.

It's the bridge in the lineage between what was - somewhat Spartan interiors and air-cooled - to what is and will be with nicer interiors and more creature comforts with elevated performance potential brought about by the shift to water cooling. No question the 996TT is a far more important model in 911 history than the 997S and it's amazing to drive as well.

Dock

Drive them both and see which one you like better.

Carlo_Carrera

Exactly.

BauerR

This is really confusing.

Not sure how this even qualifies as a comparison? Not even sure why, if someone looking for a 911, would even consider one verses the other. They couldn't be any more different. They have absolutely nothing similar other than the fact they're made by Porsche.

Atrox

^agree. Turbo or nothing, they have no equal in the 911 world.

"02996ttx50

the subjective answer and ultimate decision of which to choose will be found by determining the predominant intended usage of the car.

spirited driving? "older" turbo.
grocery getter and man about town? "newer" 997s.

Gt3stig

I've owned 911's since 1969.
I was driving a '07 S 6SP in Speed Yellow with black interior. It was really a beautiful car and fun to drive. But it lacked something.
I've always liked the looks of the 996TT better than the 997TT.....Then one day I was being followed by a 996TT and in the mirror I could see that beautiful front end with those big *** openings below those wonderful looking headlights.
I was sold! I started looking for
one, found it locally and I've been very happy ever since. I really dig this car and I can afford almost any car out there.
+++++Mezger Engine++++

bansasn

Gentlemen,
Thank you for your opinions. Both are nice looking in their own different ways. I will test drive both this weekend. I know where my heart is if I test drive the cars. Just like when I decided to go for a Cayenne GTS or the Turbo.

I really like the the simplicity clean look of a 997 S and yet aggressive. Also the interior is nice.

Any major issues I should look out for or ask the dealer if it been address? Thank you!

TheBucketOfTruth

I don't like the looks of the 997S until they facelifted it. I know a guy who sold his Turbo for a 997 GTS, but for an early model Carrera S I would pick the Turbo. I'd say drive both though; the feel of the RWD cars is a bit different from the AWD Turbo.

Macster

The general used car buying advice is to buy the best car you can find/afford.

The 996 Turbo is 14 years old. The 997 just 9 years old.

While the Turbo has better performance numbers the two cars are not that far apart.

996 Turbo: 3.6l. 420hp at 6000 RPMs. Weight: 1540kg. 0-62mph 4.2 seconds.
Top speed: 189mph.

997: 3.8l. 355hp at 6800 RPMs. Weight: 1475kg. 0-62mph 4.8 seconds. Top speed: 179mph.

Not that far apart but there are of course some differences and in the HP and torque department the Turbo is on top. If raw HP/torque numbers, and 0-62mph times matter that much to you then the choice is clear.

However, a car with a N/A engine with lots of compression, in this case 11.8:1 vs. the Turbo's 9.4:1, can be a sweet car to drive.

While the Turbo does make more torque it requires boost to do so and boost requires RPMs.

The Turbo has the Mezger engine which does not have the IMS and thus the risk of developing the infamous IMSB problem.

The Mezger engine is quite a solid platform and should deliver -- with a little luck -- hundreds of thousands of miles of realtively trouble free service. There are a couple of examples of 996 Turbo engines having obtained 400K+ to even 500K+ miles.

'course, my lowly 2.7l 2002 Boxster has reached 301K miles with no real big engine issues. A big factor to engine longevity is regular oil/filter services with not too many miles between them.

The Turbo has AWD. This version of AWD is not that effective in low traction conditions. I have to say that I'm not as enamored of this AWD system as I was when I was first shopping for a car and came upon the 996 Turbos. Some owners feel so strongly they remove the AWD feature: The front diff with its viscous coupling, the cardan shaft, the front axles and even replace the stuck Turbo front hubs with the hubs from IIRC the 996 GT3.

Understand though that either car will require, or should be fitted with at any rate, proper snow tires. Even with its less advanced AWD system the 996 Turbo will be ok. Just don't expect the front tires to pull the car out if the car is stuck in a situation where the rear tires are spinning.

Both cars have the same brakes. Thus one could think the Turbo with its higher performance/top speed is underbraked compared to the 997 with its lower performance/top speed, or the 997 is overbraked compared to the Turbo.

The 997 comes with 19" wheels/tires. I know the Turbo with its 18" wheels/tires is a pretty harsh ride. Not unpleasantly so in my opinion but often passengers complain. The 997 with its 19" wheels/tires I would think would be a bit worse in this regard.

The 997 interior is supposed to be better. I have no real time in a 997 so I can't comment on that.

You'll just have to drive both as you intend to use the car and see which one you like better.

Dock

But there is a huge problem with that, and it rests on what "best" means.

Can someone simply compile all the objective data they can and then buy the car that has the "best" numbers? Sure. But I personally would highly advise against that kind of decision process because cars are far more than just measurements using a stopwatch and tape measure.

What's left are the subjective assessments, and attempting to nail down "best" in these judgments is a highly inexact process. If we all liked the same things we'd all be married to the same type woman and live in the same type house.

I think it's important for people to test drive as many of the cars they have under consideration as possible, and then attempt to decide which speaks louder to them in terms of delivering the driving experience they are after.

Fishey

So, your actually debating between a 996TT and a 997S.

I can tell you as a Porsche Mechanic that I purchased a 996TT both cars have known failures but only one has any chance of a good resale value in the future. The 997S is a fun car to drive but to me it lacks any pedigree to what makes me a fan of Porsche in the first place. The M97 motor has quite literally never been run in professional motorsport and the Gearbox lineup of similar status. Meanwhile the 996TT motor is the best ever put into a Porsche road car it solves all the problems of the earlier air cooled cars and its design is actually more simplistic in every regard. It is the buildup of all things Porsche when it comes to Engine design its the perfect argument of evolution over Revolution absolutely pure mechanical sex. The Gearbox has come from similar lineage of abuse and destruction starting with the original G50 gearboxs. Yes, they do have some problems but almost every single early example one over 20,000mi has been sorted. The problems of the 997.1 are just starting to be noticed. The IMS failure issue has not gone away and is still a problem but at a much lower rate like the original double row 996 motors. You can save an IMS car before its catastrophic. I have saved 100% of our customers that have had a failure coming/starting as 5,000mi oil changes and serious oil filter checks will save your motor. I have only seen 2 fail outright and those showed up on a flat bed (new customers) both actually local dealership customers. The same is true of a 997 M97 it can be saved before it becomes catastrophic. That being said even if you do find it unlike the M96 motors you can't fix the problem with a gearbox/transmission removal. No, Porsche made it so its not serviceable and you have to tear down the motor. That means even if you save the motor your still paying for a rebuild (FANTASTIC!). This will be the major driiving force to the big price gap that is coming between a 9A1 997 and a M97 car.


Just my .02
-Your Pal
Fishey

highlander

Boost baby! There is no substitute!!!!