911S... Worth the money?

[FC]

Just read a cnn/money article on the new 911. At 79K, the new 911S may be great, but it's a full 30K more than a C6.

I know vette's have always had the best bang/buck ratio, but with the C6 seemingly more refined and with tremendous performance, can it be justified to fork over an extra 30K for a Porsche with similar performance?

I'm just not seeing it. The crest is worth something, as is the exclusivity,image, etc. But 30K is a very steep charge. And that is a "stripped" 911S. Doesn't take much clicking to run it up to 90K.

So, is it just me or has the C6 changed the landscape from what it was to buy a C5 vs a 996?

I did see a black 997S around town the other day. Damn, it looked awesome. Much better in person. Sexy hips and all.

[clyde]

The crest is worth about $3.50 (although I'm sure that Porsche Parts adds a couple zeros). If you really need to have the crest to feel good about yourself, buy a Yugo and stick the badge on it.

In the apples to apple comparison, the C5 was a much better deal than the 996 too. Ever since Porsche reinvented itself in the mid/late 80s to stave off bankruptcy by reducing production and models while jacking up prices as high as possible the Corvette has always held a better vlaue/prformance ratio. Since that point some 20 years ago, the balance has only shifted further and further to the bowtie car.

[imsert counter Stuka argument here]

[JST]

Originally Posted by clyde

The crest is worth about $3.50 (although I'm sure that Porsche Parts adds a couple zeros). If you really need to have the crest to feel good about yourself, buy a Yugo and stick the badge on it.

In the apples to apple comparison, the C5 was a much better deal than the 996 too. Ever since Porsche reinvented itself in the mid/late 80s to stave off bankruptcy by reducing production and models while jacking up prices as high as possible the Corvette has always held a better vlaue/prformance ratio. Since that point some 20 years ago, the balance has only shifted further and further to the bowtie car.

In fairness, from the reviews I've read the 911S is itself not the best value proposition in the 911 line--a better choice is the base 911.

Of course both mbr and clyde are right. Compared to either 911 (hell, compared to any Porsche), both the C5 and the C6 are much better choices if the criteria are limited to "rational." The only real advantage that the 911 has over the Corvette is that the 911 can carry three people in a pinch.

If I could justify spending 70K on a car, though, I still would probably buy one.

[FC]

Originally Posted by JST

In fairness, from the reviews I've read the 911S is itself not the best value proposition in the 911 line--a better choice is the base 911.

Of course both mbr and clyde are right. Compared to either 911 (hell, compared to any Porsche), both the C5 and the C6 are much better choices if the criteria are limited to "rational." The only real advantage that the 911 has over the Corvette is that the 911 can carry three people in a pinch.

If I could justify spending 70K on a car, though, I still would probably buy one.

I think getting a base 997 is not as good a move as getting a stripper 911s. For 10K you get a lot of goodies. Plus, once you are willing to spend 70K, what's another 10K.

If I could swing 80K, I would probably get one. But I'm a yuppie, so whatever.

[lemming]

the 911 S that was road tested by C&D was quite fast, if you remember the numbers.

something like 0-60mpg in 4.1 seconds. that is a huge increase in accelerative capacity compared with the 996 (any 996 that isn't the turbo) and basically as fast as the gt3.

i'll go on the record as saying i was the one to say that buying the gT3 was stupid because the 997 would have a run of the mill model that was well within 98% of the gt3 sans the 100,000 price. :-)

i think the 911S is still a good deal because you're basically buying a piece of history and a piece of a company that is still committed to making cars that the owners want and is very responsive to owners. think about why the 997 looks like the 993? because of owners' issues with the looks of the 996 that i never had to accept, thank god. now it's just a lameass car in the history of porsche and will disappear.

why else would they suddenly make the interior nicer, the suspension less floaty and the steering more precise? these were all issues that came up with the 996 during its run that everyone complained about.

i love what porsche represents, even in the cayenne, because they're leveraging their brand to the fullest but still staying close to the roots with the GT lineup and the turbo.

it's a very rational decision if spending 80-85k isn't that much money on a car and irrational if you think that much on a car is silly.

i can buy either the c6 z06 or the 997 S and i couldn't care less anymore about the intangibles of the 911 because i want speed and the corvette does it for me like the 993 never did. the only people who ever say the 911 has more class than the corvette are people who have never been to a track day watching c5 z06s keep right up/eat up turbos......let alone 996s.

:-)

[clyde]

Originally Posted by stuka

FWIW, if I had to pick between the C6 and the regular 997 with M96, I will pick the C6. There, ya happy now? :P

*thump*

*thunk*

The noises you just heard was the sound of clyde's head banging the wall as he fell backwards out of his chair, into the wall and then onto the floor.

The remainder of this message is being posted by the clydebot.

I think very little of the M96 spawned 911's.

I know, but dude...that steering wheel.

[lemming]

Originally Posted by stuka

FWIW, if I had to pick between the C6 and the regular 997 with M96, I will pick the C6. There, ya happy now? :P

I think very little of the M96 spawned 911's.

If I had the $$ for a 997s, and I can spend that $$ on any car it would be:

Nice speed yellow 97 993 Turbo (if you can fnid one)
ROW Turbo suspension
996 GT3 seats with yellow back
996 thicker steering wheel

you and i both agree the "normal" 996 is an undesirable car. i still to this day think that making the front end look just like the boxster is the biggest mistake ever. was that some stupid ploy to make boxster owners feel like they're driving a more expensive car so they can momentarily get confused for the big brother car?

i used to like the 996 c4s, but that seems to be a lot of show and faux turbo for no extra go. even the GT3 can be mistaken from afar for a boxster. blech.

i really like the 997. i am sure they made the M96 a lot better, you cynic.

[rost12]

Originally Posted by lemming

think about why the 997 looks like the 993? because of owners' issues with the looks of the 996 that i never had to accept, thank god. now it's just a lameass car in the history of porsche and will disappear.

a bit harsh, but whatever. ever wonder why there's a thread at 6speed right now about 997 not flying off the shelves? cause all the 993 owners who bitched about 996 not looking good don't have the purchasing power to get their "correct" new porsche. good thing porsche listened to them, right. and anyway, given the way everyone bitches about the regular 996 engine block, i fail to see how the 997 made any improvements in this area.

oh, and btw, i did my first track DE in the 996 this past weekend, and no RMS leakeage, oil starvation or 993 gods wrath being dished out on me yet. take that

[rost12]

lol, and just stumbled upon a thread about the new boxter at that same 6speed, and someone mentioned that boxter's front end is better than the 997 one. it has a similar feel to that of the 997, but the round headlights are missing guess one won't be mixing them up anymore...

having said that, there was a 997S at the track, black with those fussy 19'' and PCCB. i liked the more "tight, angular" body, 996C4S is quite round and fluffy... but those headlights, blah. anyway...

[lemming]

Originally Posted by rost12

a bit harsh, but whatever. ever wonder why there's a thread at 6speed right now about 997 not flying off the shelves? cause all the 993 owners who bitched about 996 not looking good don't have the purchasing power to get their "correct" new porsche. good thing porsche listened to them, right. and anyway, given the way everyone bitches about the regular 996 engine block, i fail to see how the 997 made any improvements in this area.

oh, and btw, i did my first track DE in the 996 this past weekend, and no RMS leakeage, oil starvation or 993 gods wrath being dished out on me yet. take that

first, i don't ever recall the 996s ever flying off the shelves, even when new. second, if you look at residuals of the 993s and the 996s, you can already see the 993s are settling rock steady at aplace where the 996s will never know.

second, the 997 S is a 4.1/12.6 second car. that is fast by any standard. there wasn't ever a regular 996 that could touch that and those numbers are well within the range of the vaunted gt3.

third, i'm glad that you enjoy the 996, but the car never did it for me because of speed and looks. the 996tt is another story, though, but even then.......it could have been driver ability or that the z06 is easier to handle at the track, but on my recent sojourn to a private track day, i was underwhelmed.