skelevirus

which would you prefer to do, get the tt and body kit it w some new wheels or stick w the 997 and do a few performance gains? id go for the 997 personally

swajames

Debuted in 2006 with the US release (if I recall correctly) for the 2007 model year.

earl_je

the CaymanS with the new PDK had great reviews on Motor Trend. The gap between the two models have really been getting closer and closer. But then again the 911 has been and will always be the Porsche icon.

jrbmwenthusiast

Drive the turbo and park the cars side by side before making a decision!!!! I've also been considering adding a Porsche to the stable. In my opinion, value for money the 996 turbo beats the 997 Carrera S. Why? Because it's a contemporary water cooled Porsche turbo with stability control and a reliable true supercar a mere mortal can drive!! And, it's really not that slower or different from the new 997 turbo. With new improved tires, brakes and slight modifications you might hang with a 997 turbo.

Non-enthusiast even won't know you have the older Porsche. With the exception of the headlights it's difficult to tell the 996 from the 997 styles, regardless of the different body panels. (see the Top Gear Clarkson video where he compares the new 998 to the 997) (Also, see Youtube 5th Gear Porsche Turbo 996 with Tiff Needell)

If you're a person that must have the latest or greatest, then a 997 may satisfy you more. But beware, the 998 is coming out in about a year. Soon both cars will be slightly "dated."

The 996 turbo may have higher maintenance costs, but if you have good pre-purchase due diligence and inspection, the car will be in great shape and since it's not a daily driver you won't have much costs anyway. (for these cars, only buy cars that have maintenance records-good Porsche owners keep them. It's funny how all the bad cars have missing records!!!)

Good luck on you decision. I look forward to hearing about your choice.

pjinca

Great reply comparing the 2 models, I may not be a Porsche fan, but given the 2 are close in performance I would think the decision could be left to the fact that in the newer car you can expect (and the Porsche guys can help on this) more modern features such as possible NAV, Bluetooth, MP3 playback, maybe an iPod adapter, things like that you probably won't find in a 2001 model.

jrbmwenthusiast

Sorry, I should have said (see the Top Gear Clarkson video where he compares the old 996 to the new 997)

swajames

Just a couple of points. The 996 Turbo is a great car, but assuming it's stock the 996 turbo is actually quite a lot slower than the 997 Turbo. The replacement for the 997 (which will be 991, rather than 998) is probably two years away. The Clarkson video you mention did go on to confirm that the 997 is a much better car than the 996 it replaced. The visual differences between the 996 and 997 are actually pretty obvious (never mind those under the skin) but Clarkson, of course, is always looking out for comedy value... That video, if you look at it again. chose the camera angles pretty carefully. For example, they showed no front or rear shots, both areas where the 997 and 996 are visually very different. For what it's worth, the only body component on a 997 that was carried over from the 996 was the roof panel. Every other panel is new and, not that it's immediately obvious, but every other panel is different!

EuroCarFan

Can't argue with a Porsche owner.

Steve, lately I've had the itch of trading the M5 for a used 997 TT. I still LOVE the M5 as I've always loved the idea of a 4-dr sedan than can blow doors off a lot of sports cars on the road; an executive super sport sedan if you will. But I've always had a thing for Porsches (who doesn't right) and the 997 TT looks and performs phenomenal. Add to that the relative ease of getting more power and it's gotten me dreaming at nights.

I don't know if I'll ever make the switch but I've already had some initial "conversations" with the wife.

If only I can afford both.

Maybe I should just jump on the stroker motor for the M5 or add NOS.

swajames

Dude - there are some smoking deals out there right now on 997 Turbo's. Pretty sure in your hands that stock 480 bhp would pretty quickly increase to somewhere near 600! Some guys are running way more. The suspension is great as it, but very easy to mod. Add a Tubi muffler - and you've got a monster on your hands!

Then again - it won't be as practical as your M5, and your car is close to perfect as is.

Tough choice my friend - but either way you come out a winner!

Let me throw a wildcard into the mix too...

Drive a 997.2 S with PDK. It is just incredible. You'll be amazed how fast it is... And the PDK is phenomenal.

EuroCarFan

Stop tempting me! Where are my ear muffs? Or in this case, blinders.

I can definitely see myself in either an EVOMS EVT700 or AWE Tuning 750R; hell even a TechArt GTStreet RS.

Well, just checked my lotto ticket and I won $2. Guess I can continue dreaming.