SamG

I'm considering ordering a 997TT with a Tip transmission to replace my 997 C2S six speed. I like the six speed most of the time but sometimes tire of shifting, especially in traffic around town. My wife is not interested in driving a manual which limits the car's usage also.

My question is this, would the purchase of a Tip really hurt the long term value and enjoyment of the car?

Carcam

I'm in the same boat. There will always be those that prefer the six speed, no matter what, but I say get what works best for you. I only trade my cars in and don't go to the trouble of selling privately. In that regard, unless you special order purple, it won't matter. Worse case is that we won't get back the small premium that we pay for the tip. Also possible is that the tip proves better and more desirable and the 6 speeds lose value. I think 80% of the Ferraris are ordered with the F1 (I know it's different). I'm getting the tip and at least the perfomance figures support our choice. Only time will tell.

JFScheck

Unless you will miss rolling through the gears (which some like myself do enjoy) then go for the "Tip" cause as can be seen from the Porsche web site - the "Tip" has better performance - especially when paired up with the "Sport Chrono" option!!!

VinnyC

I find it easier and more pleasing to drive the tip as daily driver. I also share the car with my wife who prefers auto to manual. The tiptronic makes it a different experience. For driving around town and in traffic, it's awesome. She enjoys it also and that makes ownership that much better.
I have no worries about resale value. I do miss 6-speed for times when I want some really spirited driving. There is no replacement for that.

tbill

Ours is a "tip". Purchased off of a dealers lot. Wife and daughter can drive it also. Great for around town. If thrust is needed just downshift and stomp it! Trade in value not a concern, as most likely will keep for 20+ years (I'm 58-so that tells you something). My 20 year old loves it! (thinks I should give it to her for a college graduation present. lol)

spar10

i'm also a big fan of the tip. in fact, just received a new 997 cab tip this evening. i love a manual transmission and in the right setting there's nothing better. however, i get much more satisfaction with the tip as a daily driver, especially living in a city. a tip doesn't diminish the enjoyment of the car and has only negligible differences vs. manual in terms of performance.

regarding resale value i can tell you i sold my '02 cab tip a few weeks ago. i think if anything, it held it's value better vs. manual. i scoured the internet and was intimately familiar with nearly every comparable car on autotrader and cars.com

i think the bottom line is you should get whatever transmission will allow you to fully enjoy the car. put the tip in manual mode and it's every bit as fun as a manual. in fact if you consider what all the formula drivers are doing, they have paddle shifters and are driving a much snazier version of our tips!

SamG

Thanks for all of the input. I was really hoping to see a Porsche version of Audi's DSG auto-manual transmission in the new TT and GT3. I've driven the Audi A3 with it and it was a major improvement over BMW's transmission. My only gripe was that it would'nt hold a gear if you got close to redline, instead it would upshift, usually right when you wanted to use the lower gear to slow the car down.
I've only driven a 997 Tip once on a fairly short test drive, am I going to be dissapointed if i take it out for a track day?

spar10

sam,

in october i spent a couple of days in alabama doing the porsche driving experience. we each had our own 997 to lap with, a manual. because i have a tip at home i thought it would be fun if i could do one set of laps in a tip so they instructors set me up with a 997 tip and then one set of laps in an "s" tip for laps. i had every bit as much fun with the tip as i did the manual. in fact, it may have been nicer because i coudl really focus on my line and the track.

david

C.J. Ichiban

well don't forget that if your wife can't drive it at least you'll keep the mileage low...and that should help resale in a few years haha

boolala

When I'm ready to trade in my 997 in a few years I was seriously considering going with the 6 speed this time around. But when I saw the performance advantage of the tip I thought no way. If you buy the TT it seems to me that you are going for maximum performance and that is achieved only with the tip (+sports chrono).

Philip in AL

From what I've been able to read from the Porsche Tech answer to why the Tip is faster: 1) Launch of Tip from ZERO, will always be faster "off the line" and 2) the TIP shifts faster than a human can, therefore keeping the turbo's "under pressure" (VS a stick) and the boost up. That being said, IF you install diverter valves to keep the turbos "under pressure" while you manually shift, the stick SHOULD be every bit as fast under ANY circumstance EXCEPT that from a ZERO launch.

1AS

Sam,
I'm a big tip fan, tho my 02 order was switched from tip to 6 speed when the X50 allocation became available to me. In real life, the tip is typically faster, because you can extract maximal performance without traumatizing your driveline.
What you give up is learning the art of the rev-matched/braking downshift (typically called "heel-toe"). On a track, leaving the tip in full auto, and being very aggressive with the throttle and G loads will generally result in quicker times for all but the advanced driver (tip quicker than manual). The advanced driver can pick up 1,5 seconds/lap on long-straight tracks, but probably not on technical tight tracks.
The potential downside will be a subsequent introduction of the DSG, which might be what you really want, or a 6 or 7-speed auto which is now being seen in Audi and Benz. The real question is whether you wait another year to avoid buyer's remorse, or buy what you want now and trade up if there is a significant advance. That is mostly a question of the value of delayed gratification.
The final tuning of a Porsche DSG may be different from Audi/VW, so the issue of how much the car decides for you is unresolvable presently. They will probably pick avoidance of self-destruction over a true competition spec. However, since the tt does fine several hundred revs below redline, I wouldn't make that a key deciding point.AS

boolala

The tip is not only faster from a dead stop to 60, 100 or whatever it is also faster from 50 - 75: 3.5 sec tip 3.8 sec manual: http://speedtv.com/articles/newmodels/automotive/22814/

read it and weep.

Robert in Potom

I have now experienced all three. I had a tip on my first Boxster, mainly so my wife could drive it. Right, she was scared to death of the car. It was marginally fun, made life a little easier at the track and eliminated the depressing the clutch in traffic. I had a six speed in my Boxster S and in my twin turbo cab and loved the transmission. Of course, in heavy traffic, it can become a pain, but not a very large price to pay for such a wonderful transmission.

I now have an F1 transmission in my 360 Spider and am just learning to use it. Still not certain that I want to down shift before I brake, but it is so easy and the electric clutch automatically blips the throttle to match gear speeds. I can't wait to get it out to the track and really see what the difference is - also want to compare the handling of the 360 to my 996 tt.

The best idea is to go with what you think will make your driving more enjoyable.

robertp

Not if you hate shifting and there are plenty of people out there that will buy the car due to one thing or another. For example, if I purchased another sports car it would be nice if my wife could drive. That means a Tip would suit me fine.