997 or 997S

[Guest]

A simple question - is the extra £7k or £8k worth it for the additional 30 BHP or so? I'm thinking of either as a potential daily driver and thought 320 bhp for the standard Carrera 2 should be enough. I'm assuming that the 3.8 engine is simply a bored and stroked derivative of the 3.6, and that there are no fundamental improvements - other than the extra power and torque - offered by the 3.8. I know there are some other features which you get as standard with an S and which are extras on the standard Carrera but leave these aside for the moment.

I say that 3.6 ought to be enough as my old NSX 3.2 probably pumped out about 290, and that was a quick car in everyday conditions.

 

[Rotorhead]

Try them both.

Several journalists said the 997 was actually nicer than the 997'S' (although PCGB's 997 press car did have PCCBs).

 

[Dapster]

Some food for thought here:

http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=256089

 

[Chris5150]

I think its fairly straight forward really...the S version has 30 more bhp and on top of that the powerkit adds another 25 or so, so my point being if money was no object then why on earth wouldnt you want the Porsche pumping out 380 bhp?.
In the real world to maybe the cost premiums over the base model are an issue, in which case then Im sure as you say 325 in a standard Carerra still makes it an extremely disireable car.
I must admit I belong to the more power the better, having had an X50 996 TT I didnt want to drop too much so went for an S with the powerkit...secondhand with 8k miles on, but Id rather do that then have a brand new standard car. It feels nice getting an as new optioned up car with a list price of £90k for £74k, means more to me than having a brand new base car...but we are all differant you pays your money & makes your choice, I think all the 911's are great cars. Mind you I do fancy a Turbo, just need them to drop to £85k and I might be swapping!!

 

[snarf]

The March edition of 911 & Porsche World has a 997 buyers guide, while this is aimed at the pre-owned market it does have some comments on the C2 v C2S that you might find helpful.

Personally I went for the C2S because I thought the extras were (in Porsche terms at any rate) good value for money.

 

[simonm]

I had a similar problem: to go for a C2, a C2S (and possibly a C4S) from new?

Looking carefully at the specs you initially see that, yes - the C2S (and C4S) differ by engine size and hence power and torque, and yes, a higher price of £7K (and more for C4S).

The C2S differs from the C2 in having:

3.8 engine bigger bore (vs 3.6 "" same stroke)
19 inch alloys and PASM (vs 18 inch wheels)
Xenon lights
Sports steering wheel (v. slightly smaller and round vs triangular centre)
Some small trim differences "" soft silver trim accents, white dials etc.
Bigger brakes
Hydraulic self-adjusting clutch mechanism
Different air box (plastic vs metal)
Aluminium engine balancer wheel

The 3.8 engine is a derivative of 3.6 engine used in 996. To match the increased power and torque, Porsche provide bigger brakes (the faster the go, the quicker they must stop) and a hydraulically operated self-adjusting clutch mechanism which is supposed to be easier as the clutch wears, there is also an aluminium balancer wheel in the engine to counter increased vibration.

It's easy on a back to back test drive to detect difference in the feel of the two engines and the sound of the 3.8 doesn't disappoint. It's a moot point if this actually makes much difference. A slight downside of the 3.8 is a slight in-balance at start-up, and when viewed from outside there can be a slight shake of the exhaust. When on the move it's not a problem. Feature or problem?

The larger engine weighs the same as the smaller one because Porsche replaced the metal air box from the 996 with a plastic one (looks like aluminium) on the 997 to save weight to counter the slight increase caused by adding an aluminium engine balancer wheel used on the larger engine. Whilst they were at it, they also tidied up the visible bits of plastic surrounding the engine and introduced electronics to vary the way air is delivered through the air box which changes with RPM "" result is a deeper engine sound and the removal of unwanted harmonics.

The silver trim, white dials and steering wheel are just different "" not better or worse.

The combination of 19 inch alloys and PASM appears to be spot on, however I don't believe anyone will choose the 18 inch standard alloys and then go on to be disappointed because they are both well thought through alternatives. My interpretation of why they did this was because the 3.8 is designed to be driven a little harder than the 3.6, and the bigger alloys marginally improve the stability and grip at the expense of increased tyre noise and a harder ride. The increased tyre noise doesn't seem to be a problem and to counter the harsher ride PASM is provided. It's just my opinion, but I think they got it about right, and the two options seem to complement each other. Many people say that the 'off' setting of PASM is preferable to the 'Sport' setting - they may be ignoring the differences of the two settings - there are about 8 variations between the extreme ends with some overlap - and it's always 'on' - just with different programmed points - FWIW 'Sport' seems too extreme for me. Reviewers also seem to say the C2 is a well sorted package.

The xenon lights are bright without dazzling other motorists "" I don't get flashed, however they can be a bit bright when reflecting off nearby traffic signs. They also have a very good horizontal 'cut-off' "" unless you are right on the tail of the car in front, and it's possible to avoid annoying the person in front.

You can spec up the options on a 3.6 by £3.5K with some of the differences not being available. If your ideal includes PASM, larger wheels, and bi-xenon then the difference may be acceptable. If you later p/exchange a 3.6, any options may have a lower residual (could be 0) compared to any differences between 3.6 and 3.8. Either way the dealer will say what you have is 'right' when you want to buy and 'wrong' when you want to sell!

Although the differences are explained in the sales blurb, a good description can also be found in the book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Porsche-911-Story-Paul-Frere/dp/1844253015

 

[Guest]

Many thanks for your comments and pointers. I've had a brief test drive in an S and will now go and try the standard Carrera.

 

[okellyt]

NSXMAN

If you've had a 550 maronello you'll want the xtra power and a C2S. Try the Powerkit too if you can , everyone raves about how it feels to drive

 

[Guest]

O'Kelly

I've still got my 550 but that is a car that I drive about 3,000 miles a year. I could put many more miles on it as contrary to what most believe about Ferraris they are well built enough - at least most models post about 1995 onwards - to take it. However, mileage which would make little difference to the residuals on a Porsche would make a big difference to a Ferrari. I take your point about the power but the power to weight equation needs to be borne in mind. The 550 weighs maybe 300 to 400 kilos more than a 997 so the power to weight ratio is probably very similar. However, as already indicated I will take the advice already proffered and drive both a 3.6 and a 3.8 and see what I think.

 

[Guest]

I went straight for a C2S; more because of the suite of extras as a whole as opposed to just the extra few bhp - although they did help with my rationale.

Drew the line at a C2S as opposed to the extra dough for a C4S. Mind you those bigger hips are a temptation....

 

[chriscoates]

Hi, I was interested in the exchange of views re 997S v 997. I bought a new manual C2 coupe on the 1st September (replaced an XK8 - no comparison!!) and have been really impressed with its performance and handling (and sound - sports exhaust is a must have option). Other extras include 19inch 'S' wheels, sat nav, telephone module, rear park, cruise and heated seats (for Mrs C!!). Overall package, for me, is spot on. I had driven both C2S and C2 before ordering and couldn't detect any marked difference in performance (S more torque?). What did impress me about the C2 was how sweet the engine is - the combination of manual gearbox and sports exhaust is fantastic. I have absolutely no regrets on my purchase. Regards.

Chris Coates