All else equal, which would you choose...and why?

[Ponch]

Assuming price, mileage, condition, color, options, etc. is roughly equal, would you be more inclined to buy a 2005/06:

- 997 C2S Tiptronic, OR

- 997 C2 Manual

Additionally, any feedback on what else I should consider re: enjoyment, reliability/maintenance, resale, etc. is greatly appreciated.

thanks.

[dphatch]

Definitely an '06 over and '05. As for Tip or man, that's really a personal decision. I prefer the stick but it's not a DD so I don't have to drive in stop and go traffic. If it was my DD and I had to mess with stop and go I'd choose the Tip. Now if the Tip is the S, and it's your DD, the Tip would get to nod hands down. Keep in mind the greatest % of Pcars bought in Europe are Tips/PDKs. USA is the only country where it's the other way round.

[Ponch]

Definitely an '06 over and '05. As for Tip or man, that's really a personal decision. I prefer the stick but it's not a DD so I don't have to drive in stop and go traffic. If it was my DD and I had to mess with stop and go I'd choose the Tip. Now if the Tip is the S, and it's your DD, the Tip would get to nod hands down. Keep in mind the greatest % of Pcars bought in Europe are Tips/PDKs. USA is the only country where it's the other way round.

Thanks very much for the response - it would be my DD.

As to 05 vs. 06, can I assume that your recommendation is related to the 05 engine issues? If so, would your response change if it was CPO, and I intend to renew it?

Thanks again

[jaybart]

Definitely an '06 over and '05. As for Tip or man, that's really a personal decision. I prefer the stick but it's not a DD so I don't have to drive in stop and go traffic. If it was my DD and I had to mess with stop and go I'd choose the Tip. Now if the Tip is the S, and it's your DD, the Tip would get to nod hands down. Keep in mind the greatest % of Pcars bought in Europe are Tips/PDKs. USA is the only country where it's the other way round.

Thanks very much for the response - it would be my DD.

As to 05 vs. 06, can I assume that your recommendation is related to the 05 engine issues? If so, would your response change if it was CPO, and I intend to renew it?

Thanks again

Hi. When you say all else equal, does that mean Milage, price & options? If you manage to find an S with tip, all else equal as before, go for the S. You simply get moe car for the money. If you have to make trade-offs - and typically the S will be more e pensive - how about you approach it from what you really want?

Have you longed for a 911 for a long time, driven both and blown away by the 3.6 (non S)? do you consider yourself a purist that would love the 3.6 for its lower weight, its focus on the essentials? Or have you had performance cars before and find yourself looking for more grunt within 6 months? Will activating the PASM (and potentially sport mode) put a grin on your face? If you're the former, the 3.6 will make you happy for a long time, the latter needs the S.

As for 05 vs. 06, there is plenty of discussion on that on here. But with CPO and renewal I would not worry about it. Certainly not as much as S vs. 3.6. Nothing is more costly than compromising now and only to find you are the second type. Belive, been there, had a very nice 3.6 but succumbed to th S temptation in less than 2 years...

Let us know what you decide.

Cheers,

Jay

[AIB]

Definitely an '06 over and '05. As for Tip or man, that's really a personal decision. I prefer the stick but it's not a DD so I don't have to drive in stop and go traffic. If it was my DD and I had to mess with stop and go I'd choose the Tip. Now if the Tip is the S, and it's your DD, the Tip would get to nod hands down. Keep in mind the greatest % of Pcars bought in Europe are Tips/PDKs. USA is the only country where it's the other way round.

Thanks very much for the response - it would be my DD.

As to 05 vs. 06, can I assume that your recommendation is related to the 05 engine issues? If so, would your response change if it was CPO, and I intend to renew it?

Thanks again

Hi. When you say all else equal, does that mean Milage, price & options? If you manage to find an S with tip, all else equal as before, go for the S. You simply get moe car for the money. If you have to make trade-offs - and typically the S will be more e pensive - how about you approach it from what you really want?

Have you longed for a 911 for a long time, driven both and blown away by the 3.6 (non S)? do you consider yourself a purist that would love the 3.6 for its lower weight, its focus on the essentials? Or have you had performance cars before and find yourself looking for more grunt within 6 months? Will activating the PASM (and potentially sport mode) put a grin on your face? If you're the former, the 3.6 will make you happy for a long time, the latter needs the S.

As for 05 vs. 06, there is plenty of discussion on that on here. But with CPO and renewal I would not worry about it. Certainly not as much as S vs. 3.6. Nothing is more costly than compromising now and only to find you are the second type. Belive, been there, had a very nice 3.6 but succumbed to th S temptation in less than 2 years...

Let us know what you decide.

Cheers,

Jay

Definitely go for the S and preferably the 2006 model. Manual or Tip is a personal decision, I have a Tip 2005 S and many times i wish it was manual but then I get stuck in some traffic and thank god its a Tip :) .... It's all about preference and whether you mind a manual in traffic. Either way you go you will defintely fall in love with your Porsche.

Cheers...

[Ponch]

Definitely an '06 over and '05. As for Tip or man, that's really a personal decision. I prefer the stick but it's not a DD so I don't have to drive in stop and go traffic. If it was my DD and I had to mess with stop and go I'd choose the Tip. Now if the Tip is the S, and it's your DD, the Tip would get to nod hands down. Keep in mind the greatest % of Pcars bought in Europe are Tips/PDKs. USA is the only country where it's the other way round.

Thanks very much for the response - it would be my DD.

As to 05 vs. 06, can I assume that your recommendation is related to the 05 engine issues? If so, would your response change if it was CPO, and I intend to renew it?

Thanks again

Hi. When you say all else equal, does that mean Milage, price & options? If you manage to find an S with tip, all else equal as before, go for the S. You simply get moe car for the money. If you have to make trade-offs - and typically the S will be more e pensive - how about you approach it from what you really want?

Have you longed for a 911 for a long time, driven both and blown away by the 3.6 (non S)? do you consider yourself a purist that would love the 3.6 for its lower weight, its focus on the essentials? Or have you had performance cars before and find yourself looking for more grunt within 6 months? Will activating the PASM (and potentially sport mode) put a grin on your face? If you're the former, the 3.6 will make you happy for a long time, the latter needs the S.

As for 05 vs. 06, there is plenty of discussion on that on here. But with CPO and renewal I would not worry about it. Certainly not as much as S vs. 3.6. Nothing is more costly than compromising now and only to find you are the second type. Belive, been there, had a very nice 3.6 but succumbed to th S temptation in less than 2 years...

Let us know what you decide.

Cheers,

Jay

Definitely go for the S and preferably the 2006 model. Manual or Tip is a personal decision, I have a Tip 2005 S and many times i wish it was manual but then I get stuck in some traffic and thank god its a Tip :) .... It's all about preference and whether you mind a manual in traffic. Either way you go you will defintely fall in love with your Porsche.

Cheers...

Thanks very much, to you both, for the insight.

Have had a 99' 986 for about 5 years...have definitely wanted more. so may be the S "type" person. Will advise how it pans out. Thanks again and have a great week.

[phillipj]

Get the 06 S with Sport Chrono and PSE (and every other option you can find.) The tranny is your decision based on how much stop and go you do. My work is only 5 minutes from my house so I love my manual..... :D

[mikefocke]

Don't assume you can "renew" a CPO warranty beyond its original term.

The CPO warranty goes with the car and is available one time. And once it expires, there is no Porsche sponsored warranty available. Not for any amount of money.

Any other warranty a dealer offers you is a third party overpriced warranty. Overpriced because the general average payout is ~20% of the cost of the warranty. Such companies aren't in business to do you a favor, they are in business to make money for themselves...and the salesman who sold it to you and the dealer who housed him...etc.

The CPO will expire 6 years or 100k miles from the car's original in-service date...and you as a second or third owner will be covered. Read the warranty contract carefully as there are 2 of them with differing things covered depending on when the CPO was executed by the dealer and Porsche North America. Ask the seller for proof of the in-service date which may not be at all close to the sales date..there is quite a lot of trickery on the part of dealers with putting cars in service just to collect bonuses and leaving the buyer with less warranty than he thought he was getting.

[dphatch]

Definitely an '06 over and '05. As for Tip or man, that's really a personal decision. I prefer the stick but it's not a DD so I don't have to drive in stop and go traffic. If it was my DD and I had to mess with stop and go I'd choose the Tip. Now if the Tip is the S, and it's your DD, the Tip would get to nod hands down. Keep in mind the greatest % of Pcars bought in Europe are Tips/PDKs. USA is the only country where it's the other way round.

Thanks very much for the response - it would be my DD.

As to 05 vs. 06, can I assume that your recommendation is related to the 05 engine issues? If so, would your response change if it was CPO, and I intend to renew it?

Thanks again

Pretty much relates to the issues always discussed here on the '05's. As for the CPO, would prefer it was on an '06 S. The '05 issues may get a little over blown on forums like these as people with a beef tend to speak louder and more often. But, even some of the Pcar magazine guys will make comments about the '05's being an issue with the IMS being the focus. For the kind of money you're spending why chance it.

Edited January 7, 2010 by dphatch

[Ponch]

Don't assume you can "renew" a CPO warranty beyond its original term.

The CPO warranty goes with the car and is available one time. And once it expires, there is no Porsche sponsored warranty available. Not for any amount of money.

Any other warranty a dealer offers you is a third party overpriced warranty. Overpriced because the general average payout is ~20% of the cost of the warranty. Such companies aren't in business to do you a favor, they are in business to make money for themselves...and the salesman who sold it to you and the dealer who housed him...etc.

The CPO will expire 6 years or 100k miles from the car's original in-service date...and you as a second or third owner will be covered. Read the warranty contract carefully as there are 2 of them with differing things covered depending on when the CPO was executed by the dealer and Porsche North America. Ask the seller for proof of the in-service date which may not be at all close to the sales date..there is quite a lot of trickery on the part of dealers with putting cars in service just to collect bonuses and leaving the buyer with less warranty than he thought he was getting.

Mike - Super thanks for the advice as I understood that:

i) the CPO warranty to be two years (or up to 100k) from the date of latest purchase vs. 6 years from in service, and

ii) Porsche would renew (subject to meeting 100 point inspection) - saw a few posts where owners indicated they renewed their 997s' after CPO for $1500; as for after market warranty, the only reputable one (based on avail information) I could find was easycarecustomercare.com - comments anyone?

iii) there was a single version of the CPO document; should I go that route, I'll dig down deep

Thanks again.

[Ponch]

Definitely an '06 over and '05. As for Tip or man, that's really a personal decision. I prefer the stick but it's not a DD so I don't have to drive in stop and go traffic. If it was my DD and I had to mess with stop and go I'd choose the Tip. Now if the Tip is the S, and it's your DD, the Tip would get to nod hands down. Keep in mind the greatest % of Pcars bought in Europe are Tips/PDKs. USA is the only country where it's the other way round.

Thanks very much for the response - it would be my DD.

As to 05 vs. 06, can I assume that your recommendation is related to the 05 engine issues? If so, would your response change if it was CPO, and I intend to renew it?

Thanks again

Pretty much relates to the issues always discussed here on the '05's. As for the CPO, would prefer it was on an '06 S. The '05 issues may get a little over blown on forums like these as people with a beef tend to speak louder and more often. But, even some of the Pcar magazine guys will make comments about the '05's being an issue with the IMS being the focus. For the kind of money you're spending why chance it.

Also, good advice - thx

[phillipj]

Regarding EasyCare.. I have two friends who have had experience with them. They (EasyCare) were great to deal with and covered all claims. This can't be said for the multiple companies that advertise on TV....

Ask your dealer if they have had experience with EasyCare. I'm seriously considering them for my 06 Carrera when the factory warranty expires in March.

Let us know what you decide to do..

:cheers:

[halsyknox]

As of December I'm a new Porsche owner. I bought a 2006 that was Porsche Certified which gave me 2 years or 50k miles. I went ahead and got another year through Easy Care (done throught the dealer). I was told Zurich backs Easy Care so it sounds like a solid company. Though it might cost more money then as opposed to now, I can extend the easy care policy beyond 3 years if I do it before the 3 years is up.