A New 997C2S or a Used 996 Turbo?

[markradogna]

What do you guys think is a better buy today. A loaded new 997C2S, or a slightly used 2002-2003 996 Turbo?

Both cars are amazing. I hear the 996 Turbo engine is extremely reliable. Maybe better than a 2007 997?

As for a looks, I like both. However, I do love the design of the 996 Turbo.

I like the 997 interior design much better. And the 997 seems like a better daily driver.

I'm stuck. Help!

[tmc]

Is this going to be a daily driver or a weekend car?

[markradogna]

Is this going to be a daily driver or a weekend car?

A daily driver.

[tmc]

Is this going to be a daily driver or a weekend car?

A daily driver.

Then my vote is for a 997 C2S. Much more civilized, and a nicer "living space" (interior) as you noted. You will not have many chances to feel the performance differential in daily driving.

[nick49]

As a 986 and 996 owner for going on 5 and 4 years respectively, I would definately go the 996TT. I may be one of the very few here, but I perfer the 996 in many ways to the 997 including the interior. The 997s look cheap to me especially the steering wheel.

[PAULSPEED]

Hi,

The 996 turbo has about 50 more horsepower. The

little bit more in speed would show on track lap times.

A 997 S and a 996 turbo are both well balanced cars that

run well. I would guess that the turbo could do about 4 secounds

per lap faster at Thunderhill.

Paul Larson

[BennyGca]

When I bought my C2S I was offered a 996 (C4S) for substantially less since it was the end of their run...

Don't get me wrong, the 996 was a nice car, but the interior just flows better in the 997.

...if you find the wheel looks cheap, you could always order another...

[Ronnie]

Both the 996TT and 997C2S are great cars. Great performance and whilst the TT does have a significantly more hp, the NA 997C2S engine is very responsive and immediate.

You should really also consider the fact that you will need to be prepared to be hit by a bigger wedge of depreciation with the 997.

I considered both and whilst the financial side of things meant I should go for a 996TT, I couldn't get away from the better looks of the 997.

[ahklein]

I traded my 2002 996TT for my 2005 997C2S, daily drivers, including snow. Both cars were ordered to my specs. I had 30k miles on my TT. I already have 20K on my 997.

Both are great cars. My 997 is my favorite car I have ever owned. The turbo was fast, but not as much fun. I like the lighter, more responsive feel of the rear wheel drive. Plus, the turbo has a 6200 rpm redline! I used to hit the rev limiter all the time!

Real world driving, day to day in traffic, I would take the normally aspirated car any day. Both are great on the racetrack. I would venture that the 997S (with PASM and 19in wheels) would keep up with a 996TT.

I ordered my 997 with the smaller, leather covered, sports steering wheel. In pictures, it looks identical to the stock wheel. However, it is covered with a very smooth leather which feels great. I also got the sports shifter, which is nice. The 996 shifter was too long. Also, the 997 sounds better. Especially at 6900 rpm.

Both are great cars.

We are lucky to have to make such choices.

[SoCalTurbo]

i would be willing to trade my kick *** 03TT for the right 06/07 cs2

[Ed NY]

What do you guys think is a better buy today. A loaded new 997C2S, or a slightly used 2002-2003 996 Turbo?

Both cars are amazing. I hear the 996 Turbo engine is extremely reliable. Maybe better than a 2007 997?

As for a looks, I like both. However, I do love the design of the 996 Turbo.

I like the 997 interior design much better. And the 997 seems like a better daily driver.

I'm stuck. Help!

I just went through this same decision process last winter. I had an '03 C2 Cab purchased new to my order with the X51 power kit, lowered suspension (after market), sport design wheels, carbon fiber, etc., and loved the car. But I wanted to get the trade-up value for it before it got much older.

There are features and aspects of interior and exterior design of both the 996 and the 997 that I like and dislike. The 997 interior is different but in my opinion not necessarily better in qulaity or design. the 997 is more of a retro design, which is currently in vogue at the moment with car designers, but I find the later versons of the 996, and in particular the Turbo, to be a more progressive design in many ways. In my opinion the 997 Turbo has a few design features that appear to be added to the car as opposed to an integral part of the design such as the front grill signal lights and rear exhaust openings. But those are minor differences.

I test drove a C4S Cab with the chrono/sport package last fall and loved it. I was also considering a previously owned Turbo Cab. As a previous reponder pointed out, there is a difference in handling between the C2 and C4 but less so between the C4 and Turbo. However the power difference, especially at the top end, of the Turbo is beyond comparison. The decision was made for me a month later when my dealer called me with a '05 Turbo S Cab with 3,000 miles on it that the owner wanted to get out of for fiancial reasons. I was able to negotiate a price for the virtually new '05 Turbo S Cab for less than an '06 C4S Cab with a power kit that would not have included the ceramic brake system and other features of the Turbo. Being able to negotiate the Turbo price and not being able to negotiate the new C4S price made a big diference for me.

I'm happy with that decision and have made interior mods as the Turbo had some interior options that I didn't care for. Bottom line is you will get more "value" on a previously owned car if you like them both equally. I would recommend buying a Porsche Certified pre-owned car if you go that route.

Edited October 23, 2006 by Ed NY

[phillipj]

i would be willing to trade my kick *** 03TT for the right 06/07 cs2

Hey Socal,

If you ever want to sell your Turbo please let me know!

Thanks,

Phillipj :thumbup: