Views on early 991 Carrera & Convertible

[bigfella70]

Morning folks,

Hope everyone is staying dafe safe and well during these challenging times.

Just seeking views and experiences with the 991 as I find myself drawn towards an early Carrera or Convertible. Previously owned a 993 C2 and 996 C2 and originally a PCGB member back in 1997 when I was into 928's!

Came close to a 991 in early '17 however that didn't come to fruition and I've been back full circle thinking about another 993 or 997.2.

With early 991's now appearing for sale sub 40k they are seriously tempting. This would be very much a third car for us and garaged. I am flexible on PDK / manual gearbox's and could sway between the Carrera and Cabriolet bodies for the right vehicle.

I enjoy looking after my cars and not adverse to carry out some servicing/ maintenance as I did with my other 911's. However I appreciate a 991 is in a different league in terms of complexity so I would look towards local specialists such as Strasse and RPM for any work required.

Mileage not an issue as I won't be racking this up too quickly, with weekend use and a few European runs. I would place condition and history ahead of that when making a choice.

Any experiences of owning and living with an early 991 would be much appreciated!

Best regards.

Dave.

 

[POR911R]

Good morning,

we have an early 991 (2012) 2 S cab.
it started as a daily in 2014 and it now used on sunny days.
Thought about selling or upgrading it a few times but always struggle to see the improvement.
The hood mechanism and install means there is little compromise to the coupe with the added benefit of top down motoring. Roof profile works well.
It is PDK and that suits the car well. Has sports chrono so you can up the settings and it really does make a difference.
To refresh (and please certain quarters) it was wrapped in Sapphire blue which works well.
At 40k I struggle to think of a better alternative.
Issues. Air con packed up, not a cheap fix. Rusted exhaust bolts.

If you buy from OPC a two year warranty is probably worth it and at present they will be willing to talk.

Hope this helps.

 

[pwebb]

I had one of the early 991.1 C2s and was an absolutely cracking car. PDK and sport chrono made for a very entertaining drive but mine had buttons on the steering wheel rather than paddles which weren't available to start with. Last of the N/A C2 engines and that is a big plus. An obvious point, but a much, much more modern car than it's predecessors.

These two are worth watching as Collecting Cars seem to be a barometer for the 'new' pricing levels since lockdown.
https://www.collectingcars.com/for-sale/2013-porsche-911-991-carrera-s-cabriolet
https://www.collectingcars.com/for-sale/2014-porsche-911-991-carrera-s

 

[bigfella70]

Gents, thanks very much for your experiences and opinions, much appreciated.

As an example the below car tempts Me !

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202002127260905?atmobcid=soc3

Difficult at present and would require viewing and the usual due diligence. Will keep doing the research and see what emerges.

Regards.

Dave.

 

[Pladsy]

Hi Dave, Had to answer, I've just past the year mark lucky to own & drive what has always been my dream car and might I add loving every single minute of it.

I have a 2013 Black 991 911 Carrera 4s Cabriolet, 3.8, 400bhp, Sports +, Chrono Pack, 7 Speed PDK, Buttonless Steering Wheel but what has to be the best button of all the Noisy Exhaust Button. Im not sure if Ive ever driven the car with it turned off, the sound the car makes is unbelievable.
It was sold to me as a 1 lady owner with only 25k miles on the clock (aren't they all), well it certainly is not that now.
I have to use it every day Im sure it would hurt her feelings if I didn't, its happy just plodding around town but always ready to turn into a wild animal if you push past the 1/2 way mark on the rev counter.
Unbelievably it was a whole six months before I became aware of a thing called Launch Control that someone had thought might be fun to include.
Now that was a wake up call and still to this day have not attempted said procedure with the traction control turned off. I think that might be race track territory only.

In my opinion it wears the convertible roof really well, very little road noise inside the cabin considering and I have never felt anything from the structure of the car that would remind me Im driving a car with the top missing, the mechanism is always great to watch and still works at quite a reasonable speed. It looks great and feels good to have the roof down if only just to hear the sound of the exhaust, the wind deflector is a god send and does exactly what is says on the tin making it a joy to drive around topless.

I do have a problem with the stitching on my roof that I am not quite sure of the cause, I actually asked the question yesterday on this forum which is how I came across your post.
https://www.porscheclubgb.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=1060861#msg1060893

Only other issue is I somehow managed to break a couple of engine mounts which surprisingly didn't break the bank to have repaired.
Im currently looking at adding a upgrade to the PCM unit in the car to add Apple Car play as maybe that's the only part that seems a little dated.
I admit Im a Nubie compared to most when it come to the wonderful world of Porsche ownership, but my advice would be if you can find a suitable vehicle then bite the owners hand off and jump back in a 991 will not dissapoint.

 

[kevinli4877]

Hi Dave,

I own a 991.1 C2S cabriolet (2012). It’s amazing!!

It’s my first ever cabriolet but definitely won’t be my last! I wished I had bought an open top sooner, it’s so much fun with the roof down. To be honest, so long as it’s not raining I drive it down most days, especially as it has heated seats and with the wind deflector it works brilliantly - hardly any wind enters the cabin and you can actually have a conversation with someone. Personally, the cabriolet gives you an extra feeling of speed (and noise but I’ll come to that later) as the external elements are more easily visible and felt.

Now the sound with that beautiful naturally aspirated engine. It‘s just intoxicating. The best feature by a mile has to be the SPORT EXHAUST button! Personally, I actually wouldn‘t buy a Porsche without this feature now. The sound is just amazing. I find myself just prodding at the right pedal just to keep hearing the pops and crackles of the exhaust - such a child!!

The roof mechanism works well but then again I have nothing to compare it to, as it’s my first convertible. But with being able to open/close it in approx 14 secs up to 30mph is very convenient.

Lastly, it still looks good in the cabriolet form. It very closely resembles the silhouette of the coupe unlike the previous models.

It‘s my daily driver and has been reliable. I’ve always taken out the Porsche Extended Warranty, as repairs can be expensive. Under warranty they resolved an issue with the sound system and an odd PDK ‘crunching’ sound going down to second gear at low speeds - apparently a software upgrade was needed. Only last week the washer pipe to the headlight jets had snapped but was also covered under warranty.

Anyhow, a long reply just to say BUY IT !!