991 Carrera or Carrera S?

The question of whether to go with the base Carrera or Carrera S is one that I am grappling with. The difference here in Canada is just over $16,000 without options and it looks like you still have to option PASM in to the Carrera S. Carrera is $93,700, Carrera S is $110,000. I am not planning to track the car, basically a cross between a sports car and a GT. I think I would prefer the 19" wheels over the 20" and the difference in the brakes shouldn't be too big an issue. I would like to have the 3.8L engine but again is it worth the additional $16K given that I am not going to track the car. Is that extra .3 of a second to 60mph worth it given that buying The S would be a stretch and the base more comfortable. Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated.

Stretch. -RB.

I wouldn't do the 20" wheels, I think you are asking for a harsher ride if you do, and there's nothing wrong with a base 911 vs. the "S", keep in mind that the base 991 outperforms the "S" from the 997 version, so again, nothing to sneeze at and money saved could be used for something else!

If you're not planning on going to the track, then I think the only real point on having the Carrera S is simply having the S model instead of the non-S one. In everyday driving, even spirited stuff, I wouldn't expect to see much of a difference in performance.

Non S will be more than amazing. Spend some of the savings on upgrades to the interior which you'll really appreciate like full leather, nicer seats, better sound system etc. The cars will look the same from the outside and you'll never need more power or better brakes on the road. My sales guys specifically told me that the price difference between the base and the S for most Porsche models just isn't worth it. (No disrespect to the people that have bought S cars on here.) Which dealership are you thinking of buying from BTW? And when will the earliest models be available in Canada?

Funny, I was just going over the 991 brochure last night. I think you would be fine with a Carrera . The S is a big jump in price. The savings will allow you to flexibility to play with some of the option packages.

The base is the way to go for street only. 325 hp can get you into enough trouble. Folks always try to race my base 911 . I haven't lost yet.

Thanks everyone for your responses. It helps with the decision making process. Dreaming is half the fun. hawc, I haven't asked when the first Canadian deliveries will be as I likely won't be ready until the spring of next year. I'll shop the dealerships in southern Ontario.

Pfaff Porsche is my strong recommend to you. I've bought all my Porsches from them.

Test drive both models if at all possible. That will tell you more than anything else. Pick the one that rings your bells.

I would go with the base and get options, hands down...its plenty powerful, and pretty soon you will be used the the power in either the base or the s, but will always enjoy options. We bought a V6 cayenne and added lots of options because as a family daily, anything more under the hood was a waste of money to us...but we LOVE all of our options...really makes it ours and more exclusive

Go with the normal Carrera and like others said spend some of the money on interior upgrades. Good luck.

For the same amount of money , I would go for a loaded Carrera over a lightly optioned S. For every time you use the extra horsepower of the S, you will enjoy the amenities in a loaded car a hundred times. The 991 Carrera looks like an awesome car. FWIW, I really enjoy the PCM 3 on my current car. Porsche has come a long way. I would trade HP for it if I had to.

Your purpose for the car is why I got the base with PDK Sport Chrono Plus. More than enough power. I dont really care about the larger brakes or PASM as an option. And 0.2 seconds really didnt justify the extra jump. Very happy with a fully loaded base. A 991 base will be even better.

i second RB, as in only cry once. If you plan to keep the car for a while i say go for the S. Performance wise that .3 seconds on a launch control 0-62 doesn't really mean much. You get an additional 50hp and 38lbs of TQ, TQ being the most important since hp is a derivative of TQ. The car will be more enjoyable at lower speeds with the extra torque used to squirt away from traffic, normal highway passing, and twisty back roads, without having to grab a lower gear (both 7sp and PDK). You also get the lower ride height (i believe) and 6 piston brakes, i believe the guages are different too. Trust me, you will spend a lot more $$$ with aftermarket add-ons to try and accomplish the same thing with unknown or undesirable results and warranty issues. i made that mistake twice, and each time a spent the next year or 2 trying to upgrade to equal the model i passed on, trust me, only cry once:gossip:

Thank you everyone for your comments. I test drove a 2009 Carrera and 2009 Carrera S back to back this past weekend. Both were manual and the S had the full leather interior which I really liked. In terms of performance, I was quite amazed at the difference. The additional torque in the S was very apparent and even the engine's sound was much nicer, (neither had PSE ). It was just a more engaging even more of a visceral experience. I realize that the 991 will be different than the 997.2 but given what I learned this weekend, I am going with the 991 S.

Good choice. Going with the "S", you'll never wonder "what if?".

The S model comes with standard PASM which gives you a 10mm lower ride height. The optional PASM Sport gives you 20mm.

For the 997, the 'architectural' differences are minimal. Yet with this, there is still a marked difference between the C2 and C2S. Assuming the same with 991, the on-paper differences push the C2S further ahead of the C2. There would be a larger gap in the 991s than the 997. Realistic Performance on the street would be negligible, so go for the 991 C2S if the included equipment, street cred and looks appeal to you. They are all fantastic; regardless of the badge. There is no such thing as a 'poverty-spec' Carrera !

the 991 S jumped into the same price range as the R8. Especially if you configure awd (C4S). Between those two cars I'd take the R8 every time.

Have you considered buying used...or slightly used? I just bought my first Porsche in 30 years and got it slightly used. 2009 pdk C4S convertible for $85k even. It was completely loaded with full leather sports chrono nav on and on. The sticker was $124999. Oh and it has 5700 miles on it AND is Porsche CPO'ed for another 4 years and 2 weeks from today. My point is, if you can resist the urge to buy new, you can get MORE then you ever could new for a large discount in price. Ironically because my 911 's warranty went active on 12-31-09 and was cpo'ed, I actually have MORE warranty then someone who buys a new one today. Just a thought.

Also, I drove the non-S before my car and I could definitely tell a difference!

Katera, I appreciate your post as I have been thinking about doing the same thing. A low mileage C4S wide body cab is about 45 to 50K cheaper than a new 991S coupe here in Canada with similar options. The new car is calling me but I wonder if my money is better spent with a certified used 09 and then perhaps move to a 991 in a couple of years. I need to see the 991 in person before I decide.

After five years with a cayman S , I sprang for a '10 carrera . Had always told myself to go for the S so that the upgrade would be worth it. Well, after multiple test drives, I found the 997.2 to be a perfect fit. The 3.6L 345hp is more than enough for me. While the 997.2S is a good bit faster, I found no opportunity to wind it out on my test drives, it's just too fast for my driving in the congested northeast. If I were limited to the earlier 997.1 cars, the S would be a requirement. The DFI .2's punch hard so it's a different game. From the 310hp boxster S onward, all the DFI .2 engines feel awesome.

Personally I never buy new cars. I let the first guy take the massive depreciation hit for driving it off the lot, then I swoop in and get an as-new car for 70 cents on the dollar. Im a predator.

+1 on this. I had a good look round a 991S at Silverstone Porsche last week at while they did my MOT test on my CS. If you don't get full leather then you'll have spend a lot of $$s for a car with quite a lot of hard plastic under the dash. You'll notice it and will regret it. :cheers:

Its really a personal decision. There is no right or wrong answer. Ive always tended to wait until I could afford the more powerful model. From a fun factor standpoint, and also resale value. I was gonna buy a 3.2 Carrera 10yrs ago and waited another year or two until I could get a 930. Looking back at the time, I wondered where my mind was. Looking at it now, I cant imagine not having made the same decision as its paid off both in fun and resale appreciation. But it has to be a decision for you. You arent buying it to please any of us. You are the one driving it so thats the only person it matters to. Even a base model Porsche is still a great car. There is nothing "watered down" about a base model.

Interesting since the opposite view seems to be true for the Cayman (lightly equipped S versus loaded base model). Perhaps the price differential has an effect?

Is there any data that supports this argument that an 'S' car will hold more of it's initial value than a non-S car? Sure it's more expensive, but dos it hold more value. I would think they would both depreciate at the same rate.

Not sure if any data supports an S holding better resale value vs a non-S but I would bet a hefty amount of money that a heavily optioned non-S that costs the same as a lightly optioned S (with desirable options) will depreciate more. I'd rather hold off on some of the wish list options, pick important ones to me and go with the next model up. Like everyone said though, a test drive will help you pick. On the Cayman , the non-S felt way too civilized.

Precisely. You will get the most amount of resale value on the car itself, not the options contained in it. In fact once you get past the model, tranny, interior & exterior colors it's pretty much down hill from there. Some people will want full leather, some couldn't care less, same for sport chrono , power seats, etc. I can't tell you how many original owners have spent $8k on PCCB brakes or $3K on a so called Porsche "special paint" only to see them basically giving them away to the second buyer. Same for most other Porsche options. Most personal options may not mean anything to future owners. Do I think an "S" version will hold its value a little better?.....yes, it's the hotter car with more standard features and will always be in higher demand just as they are when new, especially for the 911 . As always for these cars though, condition and mileage are king. Keep it in great condition with maint records and moderate to low mileage and you will get top dollar in the used market. You can have a car with $20k in options that was scratched, dinged and dented inside and out that won't even get near market value.

Isn't the base 991 345bhp? 350hp.:hilarious: