991.1 GTS or 991.2 S?

Phillip Wright · May 30, 2017

Say you had £40k - £50k in addition to a 65 plate 981 Cayman S and wanted a 991 that you could rag around local twisty roads and on a track, what would you choose and why? Yes, this is a loaded question and one I intend/hope to face soon.
I am guessing/estimating that you/I would have about £90k at our disposal.
Would you look at a 991.2 S loaded with PDCC, RWS, PSE, Chrono Plus, etc., or look at a 991.1 GTS with a nice specification? Would the 991.2 S have more accessible performance and a more forgiving delivery or would it be too 'nice'. Would the 991.1 GTS provide the essence of a 911 or be too rough around the edges? What else would you consider? What would you list as a "got to have" specification for your chosen vehicle?
I know, I know, it depends on the individual and on personal preference/perception but would you please indulge me in the debate to enrich my thinking prior to asking to drive a shortlist.
Very many thanks.

tscaptain · May 30, 2017

Moved to the appropriate forum

Phillip Wright · May 30, 2017

Thank You. Couldn't see how to allocate it to a specific forum.

Dylan1 · May 30, 2017

I'd hang onto the best handling porsche money can buy
and have lots of nice holidays ??

Phillip Wright · May 31, 2017

If it had more speed, I would. An upgrade to a Cayman GTS doesn't offer enough of a difference and, superficial/shallow individual that I am, I want to have the 911 experienc.

paulbarlow · May 31, 2017

Sorry to hijack your post but perhaps you could consider a 997 GTS/ 4 GTS. But then I am somewhat biased! Best looking Porsche on the planet

IMO (except maybe the 997 Porsche Classic).

tscaptain · May 31, 2017

Phillip Wright said:
Thank You. Couldn't see how to allocate it to a specific forum.

On the forum home page go down to 911 water cooled and select 991 from the sub forum list. [

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keithn · May 31, 2017

991.1 GTS out of these 2. No turbo, great sound, enough power and they hold their value well. Last of the naturally aspirated. Not at all rough!

Gorsh · May 31, 2017

The 991.2 S is a great car - have a drive in one is the best advice I can give - then you can decide for yourself.
Budget is tight though for a new car, I put the options you mentioned plus a few other 'essentials' and it was £97k without PDK. A 2016 car would be just about within budget, there are a few nice ones on the used car locator.

Phillip Wright · May 31, 2017

Sorry, should have said that I am looking at a used/previously enjoyed 991.2 Carrera S and not new. I have seen some well specced cars coming available for around £90k with some nice 991.1 GTSs at £85k - £90k.

Palmball · Jun 3, 2017

Hi all, first post. Go easy please.

My advice....you've got to go and drive them both. You will read/hear a lot of the same rhetoric about the new Turbo engine being this, that and the other (typically negative, but mainly from those who have not driven it extensively).

Being very much a N/A fan I too was in that camp (most recent current car being a new R8 V10+), and I loved the 911's 3.8 flat six N/A engine. Looking to replace the R8 with a 911 (I need something reliable) the 991 Turbo S really didn't do it for me after the R8's spectacular (and spectacularly unreliable) V10. I sure wasn't going to be that bothered by what would be the hugely slower C2S, now hampered by turbocharging!

But then I drove it, and how wrong I was. Even going into it with such low expectations, I came away thinking it's a tremendous engine. yes, even against the heady heights of the 911 and R8's superb N/A engines. It's by far the best turbo engine I've driven, in terms of having the benefits of turbo (torque) without the downsides (lag, response). It would be wrong of me to say it had zero lag but it's so minimal you've really got to be looking for it as it clearly has a very effective anti-lag system. Driving it back to back with my R8's V10, I had no issue with the sound either - it still sounds like a flat-six 911 and whilst maybe a bit more muted than the N/A, you'd only notice that by comparing them back to back. It still very much howls at the top end.

I also think that RWS and PDCC add some real dynamic competence and depth beyond what you get in any other 'normally' suspended / steered sports cars. The new car has all the latest tech and uses it to such good (and genuinely noticeable) effect.

Admittedly, I come from a slightly biased position in that I'm taking delivery of a new .2 GTS in a couple of weeks to finally replace that R8 with. It could be seen as a huge downgrade in terms of performance (actually, it is) but as an overall package, I don't see it like that. I've not driven a GTS yet and I can't wait.

On the basis of my personal experience and knowing that I'm such a fan of N/A characteristics, I would STILL recommend the .2S. It's the better overall package. But some will still disagree, so the only thing you can do is drive both.