What do you prefer about your 991 over the 997

[911FirstTimer]

I am quite new to 911 ownership, only 3 months in and am already hooked. I have a 997.1 Carrera S and was thinking that the obvious next car would be a 997.2 but have recently been reviewing some of the articles and viewing some of the video reviews of the 991 and am now not so sure. Factor in that we are probably not that far from the point where early 991s are cheaper or comparable in price to late 997.2's and I think I will be occupied for some time in deciding what car to replace my first 911 with. I suppose the old adage of buy the best that you can afford holds true but is that a 997.2 or a 991?

Interested in people's thoughts who have made the change as I've heard some stories of people who changed didn't like the 991 and went back to a 997.2.

 

[PJ63]

Both are great but for me the 991 is more refined, has a better interior & a bit more space. Although having said that as I went from a manual 997 to a pdk 991 the differences were more pronounced from a driving point of view. I guess as always depends on budget, what spec you want & what type of driving you're going to do with it, so I've probably been no help at all but look at both & go with what excites you the most.

 

[pwebb]

The 991.1 is a fabulous car and really is a generation on from the 997. The interior in particular is a significant step up in design, and the tyre noise is much lower letting you hear that great engine noise all the better. Handling benefits significantly from the longer wheelbase and wider track. If you haven't driven a 991 then do try and get into one before committing to another 997.

Happy hunting.

 

[911FirstTimer]

Thanks both yes I will try to drive a number of cars before working out what works best for me rather than what I think based on reviews. In the meantime will get stick into my Lego GT3 RS Christmas present that has been gathering dust and will be the nearest I get to a 991 today.

 

[ScaredJimmy]

As said before, try before you buy.

I tried a 997.2 GTS and then a 991.1 C2S and although the GTS is, to me, the "ultimate 997" the handling of the 991 won me over.

Either way, the car you have now is awesome, the 997.2 is awesome and so is the 991. Change, don't change, either is good!

 

[tscaptain]

I haven't owned a 991 but I've driven plenty.
I was talking to the DP at my local PC about just this subject - but in particular the turbo. For me there are 3 things about the 991 which set it apart and ahead of the 997. The PDK is unbelievably quick compared to the 997 version, the cabin is a nicer place to be and rear wheel steering transforms the handling. Just need the lottery fairy to smile this way.[]

 

[911FirstTimer]

Am thinking a 991 now might be better value than a low mileage 997/997 GTS as it hopefully would have taken most of the depreciation. In any case going to test drive a 991 C2S next week weather permitting.

 

[Simon991]

Am thinking a 991 now might be better value than a low mileage 997/997 GTS as it hopefully would have taken most of the depreciation. In any case going to test drive a 991 C2S next week weather permitting.

Enjoy the test drive and we look forward to your feedback! []

 

[ScaredJimmy]

As Simon says, have fun next week.

I was talking to a collector last week, and he says there is merit in aiming for the 991.1 3.8's as they are, with the exception of the GT3/GT3RS, "the last of the big normally aspirated flat 6's" and he believes the 991.1 will do better than the 997.2's.

This is of course pure conjecture, but the chap and his wife work in international government and I suspect he knows what's coming re new car emissions and rules...

 

[91127lux]

..... I rarely ”throw my hat into the ring” on forum matters but given this is such an interesting but subjective matter with no right answers then my thoughts would be as follows :
- 997.2 gives you the option of pdk
- 997.2 retains that classic 911 cockpit ‘feel’
- 991 interior a step change but you loose the conventional handbrake which may be a factor if you favour manual shift vs. pdk
- 991 ‘footprint’ is bigger given the wheelbase and track changes which may be a factor garaging wise .... I have a 2 car garage with 2 std u&o doors .... I suspect a 991 might be a tight squeeze ?

Given the above a 997.2 PDK sits alongside my ‘75 911 2.7 g series which I have owned for 25 plus years.
However a lottery fairy might cause a rethink ....

note: if anyone picks up the time for this forum post then no I am not an insomniac but write this from an overseas business trip.

 

[tscaptain]

Price wise the 997.2 GTS prices seem to be holding up very well. I was also a little surprised at where 997.2 turbo prices appear to have gained in the last year. If you put electric steering into the equation then the 997.2 rather than the 991.1 could become the 993 of it's age? ( IE, the last of...etc etc)

 

[ScaredJimmy]

I agree re the 997.2 GTS, it's actually risen in value in the last few years.

However.. having driven the 997.1, .2, 991.1 extensively, I really thing the "electric steering issue" ISN'T an issue and rather wish it would go away. The only people that made an issue of it were EVO magazine and Pistonheads (those who would slate you for having a La Ferrari/918/P1 for being the wrong car). I wish we'd all just drop it, agree it's a little different, but to paraphrase Monkey and Tiff, 99% of drivers wouldn't notice.

As far as "last of", my collector friend, his reasons were as follows: Last big NA 3.8, Faster than the 997, more refined cabin, better use of lightweight materials, from a subjective designer's point of view the additional 4" gives the car better proportions (he said '901 proportions', so he know's his stuff!) but most importantly, he still believes that the 997 is blighted by the IMS issue (I know, I know) as his brothers 997.1 lunched itself after just 22k KM.

I love all 911's equally (Yes, even the 996.. I have my eye on one as a track toy) so this is not meant to be an argument. I'm just passing on what I heard. One point to note is that there are 6 Porsches in this guys collection, some really old BMW's and some interesting AU's, Audi's, VW's and Mercedeseses. My favourite of all is the 320 Ti Race car he has in proper BMW colours. You may be able to guess his nationality!

Whatever way, may the snow clear from your roads and your beast annoy your neighbours soon.

Bless you all,
Jimmy

 

[tscaptain]

No argument here, just discussing! To me the electric steering is not an issue either but, then again, neither is a water cooled engine - but for some it does. I suppose, if the 993 is anything to go by, it will take another 20 years before we know the answer, by which time I will be well beyond caring (if I'm here to care at all, that is!) Going back to the OP question, if I were looking to change up from a 997.1 I would certainly be seeking out a 991.

 

[911FirstTimer]

Thanks all for your comments that is what I love about the marque there is a car for everyone and they are nearly all great cars it just depends on budget and preference at the end of the day. I just went out to give my car a quick spin after 6 daus snowed in the garage and have flat battery - grrr, now on charge should have left it on trickle charge while it was hibernating, still I am new to this so still learning.

 

[tscaptain]

Ah ha! All Porsches should come with a Ctek conditioner as standard!

 

[unclewinks]

dont get why everyone‘s battery seems to go flat so quick
i leave our car for 6-8 weeks at a time
and still starts

 

[Pokhara]

I'm 2 months into my first Porsche ownership experience with a 991.1 C2S with PDK. As such, I can't talk about the differences between the 997 and the 991 however I can echo the previous contributors regarding the amazing PDK gearbox and the all round quality of the interior (and exterior!). What I really like about it is its Jeckyl and Hyde character; pootle round town at little more than tick over and then when you do lift the revs above 2/2.5k it's a completely different animal. I started off thinking I wanted a 997, spent more than I planned to on the 991 and have no regrets.

 

[waxman]

still love the GTS 997.2 after 6 years - a friend at work has the 991.1 GTS and its undoubtably a step up in interior with some nice added carbon touches - but I like the retro feel of my 997 ( however it's been covered up for so many weeks as I drive around in the Volvo + Michelin cross climates I've missed it)
ive driven most of the range on extended test drives and at Silverstone including 991.2 S and 991.2 gts and both were a step up in performance especially the latter which was a real step change .
- suppose it's a nice 1st world problem to have to choose!
ps although I have a vested interest I can't get my head around Hexagon advertising a 997 GTS low mileage for £99,500 that seems a bit skewed
tony

 

[911FirstTimer]

That seems a crazy price I've been keeping an eye on some 997 GTS prices recently and I've seen some coming down (only by £1k) over the last couple of months - with not that many selling at prices from mid £60's to mid £70's. I need to test drive a pdf box the trouble is all the OPC don't like anyone test driving their used cars it seems as they then have to go through the 111 point check again or that is what I've been told by a number of them.

 

[911FirstTimer]

Thanks I bought my first 911 in December which is an early, low mileage C2S with tiptronic which has whetted the appetite and got me thinking of the 997.2 vs 991 especially as there are so few good 997's around with the sort of spec I'd be looking for, e.g. sports exhaust, sports design steering wheel, sports 14 way seats and sunroof.