From 997.2 to 991!

Hi everyone, just trade in my 997.2 for a 991. Absolutely love it but a piece of me misses the 997.2. I will tell you that the 997 will still have demand for years to come. These are very different cars. I got very similar options in the 991 as I had on the 997.2 but did not get the Bose or Sport Chrono . Why? For the stereo: the 991 comes with Sound Package Plus standard which already has 9 speakers that are definitely loud enough and the interior space isn't apt to utilize real high quality sound (also, the Bose sound quality wasn’t good anyway – kind of disappointing). I didn’t get sport chrono b/c the 991 comes standard now with Sport mode and I never actually used Sport Plus in my old car and I couldn’t stand that stupid clock on the dash – so did without the option. Up next: CLEAR BRA! Here are some of my quick thoughts with pics: 991: Much bigger inside. Very GT like. Better ergonomics and more with the times with other sport cars. Overall, more comfortable to drive. Like the exterior more in every way (lights, shape etc...). Head turner. More features with the PCM including weather. Xenon lights are better – different illumination Feels faster and it is. Didnt go with an S b/c this is more than enough for me. Electronic steering is ok. PDK shifts faster – smoother Overall, the 991 is better than the 997.2 by a small margin in every aspect. But it is moving into the GT category. 997.2 Much more RAW. You really felt like you are in a sport car. Steering is more involved. I like that. Better sunroof! Still like the classic shape. I still like the older interior. Overall, feels more 911 like!

Congrats & enjoy!! Paul Miller Porsche I see, who was your salesman?

Nice, looks great in black! I would agree with your choice on S/C,...on a daily driver or manual it doesn't offer much for the money. I would pretty much agree with your assessments. The 991 does "feel" a bit more GTish due to the better ride, comfort and reduced noise, but I've driven three so far and every one could do everything a 997.2 could do,....and do it better. Many things on the 997 I'd like to retain, but many things on the 991 I really do like. It's really a tough decision and both are great driving machines.

But I will tell you that the 997 won't get dated for a long time! It's very special as is the Cayman and I realize it more now.

Nice ride! Welcome to the other side.

i bought my first 997 about 8 months ago. although my wife always loved porsche and owned a 911 before we got married, i never drove it because i couldn't and still can't drive a stick. i've always owned SL's. anyway, bought a 2009 911S w 5k miles that was a porsche of america photo car. i love(d) it until i bought my wife a new 2012 cayenne last week. i have to admit the ride of the new cayenne floored me so i drove the new 911. it's way more my style...the smoother ride. but i feel like an idiot trading in my car after only 8 months. at least i paid a reasonable price for the 09 (with the newer technology). still i can't stop thinking that i'm in the wrong year for who i am. as a new enthusiast (2 porsche cars in 8 months) am i out of control or is the upgrade a "normal" porsche dilemma? by the way, it's a blk and tan 911S cab which i'm now debating to trade in for a new 2012 blk and tan 911s cab

Asking people at this site about control? Nah- Go for it!

Anthony. Been using Paul Miller for a long time.

it's not like there's a single thing wrong with my car. with the top down and my custom reus audio stereo (i think all the car systems leave a lot to be desired) the car is fun and it's flawlessly beautiful. but the Way Significantly Smoother Ride, the PARKING SENSORS, and lights that actually work automatically on the new 991 wow...the perks come late to these cars but man do they make a huge difference IMO. since i just bought the '12 cayenne two weeks ago, my dealer is trying to make the deal for the new 991 work. if i wasn't so lazy, i'd sell my 997 privately and the stretch would be even less. but i'm certain i am going to upgrade now.

I also bought a Cayenne S as part of my 991 upgrade. My only advice is that if the dealer doesn't have what you want, don't settle, order a 991 your way. It is a great car and you should not compromise on exactly what you want.

thanks clembo...the only thing the 991 doesn't have is wood. i like the wood in the cayenne but its walnut and the wood option on the 991 is mahogany. too red for me. but there are several out there that are black and tan cabs and that's really what's important. the 911s cabs that i've located in california are only differentiated by whether they have the big stereo or just the bose ...and i'd put in my own stereo upgrade whichever one i ended up. i'm just waiting for the first dealer with the car i want to blink...then i'll jump in and buy

Congrats on the new ride!

ok, it looks likes it's going to happen 2012 991 s cabriolet with premium plus w 14 way seats and the chrono pkg, pdk , and bose . 7k discount. does that match what others are getting as a price break? things are generally more expensive here in california so i'm curious

What's the MSRP?,....sounds like a pretty great deal to me. From what I have heard from my dealer Porsche sales in CA are not the best at the moment, so actually you are in a good position to get a good deal.

apparently it is but where we're stuck is that he refuses to give me anymore than 68k for my car and i've been told that even at auction it would be worth in the mid 70s. i've asked for 71 or 2 and they adamantly refuse. i just hate the put in the paper have have the idiots swarm to look at it. what i wonder now is should i just blow off the s and order a 991 cab with all the things that make the car run smoother w no stereo and call it a day. i'd probably save the money there and just get what i want. i have my own stereo to put in. i might shave 10k plus. don't really think the s is a big deal in terms of whats important to me.

Is your current car a coupe or cab?.....if you look on kbb.com it will give you a pretty accurate trade-in value and I know you probably won't like to hear it but I can see why the dealer will not give you the low 70's as a coupe trade-in is around $65 ~ $67K with a cab right at about $70k even. And of course this all depends on mileage, condition, etc.,....so $68k is probably pretty correct. Yes, you could sell it outright and get more, but you will lose the tax trade-in credit which at these elevated price levels comes close to eating up the extra amount you would get with a private sale. Best thing would be to get a decent amount on your trade, as much discount on the 991 as possible and sign the papers. Believe me, dealers know what they want to pay and can get out of a trade along with how much discount on the 991 they want to give. You can deal on both and do well, but they will turn down offers that won't make them a decent amount of money. Good luck with the bargaining.

its a 2009 911 s cab in flawless condition w only 9k miles

Agree then, depending on the market they should at least pony up $72k for your present Cab and still give you a decent discount on the 991. If they're not willing to deal close to that, expand to a 5 state area around you and see what you get. Good luck!

What a beautiful dilemma! One day...ha!

couple of questions. looks like i'm gonna build the car and just get what i want. so i'd like some opinions. 1) if i'm going to keep the car for a good while 5+ years, would the leather seats make a difference or is it just wasted money? i'm mainly interested in the ride...meaning the smoother ride 1) active suspension mgt - necessary? 2) chrono pkg -none of it matters to me except the dynamic engine mounts -necessary? 3) funny i like the 19" wheels visually the best -i have them on my 911s now. the other wheels look busy to me. are the 20" wheels worth spending the money on? the only other thing is the ext color. my cayenne is blk and my 911 is basalt. i'm split on that but i'm leaning to straight black. the basalt seems to pick up an almost purple/magenta tint sometimes

From the info above it would appear that you are looking at a 991 base. If so then for the best ride/handling balance PASM would be a good option, but you should take a non- PASM base cab out for a test drive if possible. If you like the ride and the handling of it,....why waste the money on something you won't need or use? My previous Cayman S did not have PASM and I loved it,....ride was fine and handling was great. I've driven 991's with Sport Chrono and without,...couldn't tell a lot of difference either way concerning the Dynamic Engine Mounts. I'm sure when pushing really hard they do make a difference, but as a daily driver the expense does come into question especially if the other features of SC are not valued. PDK or manual? If PDK the argument for ordering SC grows a bit, but still it is not a must have. For a manual SC benefits are few IMO. Unless you want the 20's for some reason, stick with the 19s. Most of the time the larger wheels are just bling factor on a street driven car. I'm a huge fan of non-metallic black. For some reason metallic blacks just look "dirty" to me,.....but that is just my opinion.

i'll never race or really push the car. comfortable ride is really the most important thing. i never use the sport option - never once in my 997S i'm leaning towards the black too i'm thinking the leather overall might be something to spend the extra money on...unless anyone has the experience of the leather not breathing as well as the partial leather. what i really liked about the 991 test drive was that the car just had a softer more luxurious ride with all things being in their normal settings. and it was a simple part city part freeway drive. no big s turns. that's the kind of thing even driving sunset blvd everyday i'm not going to push. hell i got a speeding ticket last friday in the new cayenne . had no idea i was going 55 in a 35 zone. no warnings from santa monica police. its traffic school for me

I would add PASM and full leather

when you say full leather are you speaking about just the leather seat option or including all those elective leather trim items as well?

just want to say thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences with me. i'm pretty sure i'm building the right car now. i'm going to test the car again next week in my own driving area between santa monica and malibu and see how the car feels on the roads i travel every day. when i look in my garage and see the '09 911s and the '12 cayenne , i'm just floored by those two black and tan beauties. it took along time and a lot of MBZ cabs, BMW cabs and SUVs, and range rovers to finally understand how great a car can be. i'm honored to be a member of the club and thanks for making me feel at home here at the forum!

one last question...i'll find out next week when the salesperson i work with gets back into town...but when you order a car, how much is generally asked for up front to secure the build?

In Saudi, 50% down payment then 50% upon delivery.

As many as you feel you need or want; If it were me, I'd spec: NG Carrera Red natural leather interior $4,840 CFX Personalized floor mats with leather edging Exclusive $645 CPE Leather key pouch Exclusive $165 CUJ Fuse box cover in leather Exclusive $380 CUR PCM package leather Exclusive $2,225 CXN Additional interior package, rear in leather Exclusive $1,535 XHB Center console trim in leather Exclusive $300 XSC Porsche Crest on headrests Exclusive $285 XUV Storage compartment lid with model logotype Exclusive $330 XWK Sport Seats Plus backrests shell in leather Exclusive $1,870

I usually gave $5,000 to secure an order. I would reccommend the full leather with the power seats, I have the 14 way, many guys have the 18 way. In a car that costs this much, the full leather is nice.

so far my build looks like this: 991 cabriolet black ext/luxor beige leather 19" wheels PDK parking senors front and rear performance plus pkg painted wing mirrors dual exhaust pipes multifunction steering wheel int leather pkg pcm leather pkg maybe dash leather but not sure the so cal heat/sun makes that a questionable choice even though my car is always garaged crest on headrest NOT getting the "S", suspension pkg, bose (i have my own custom reus audio system that will be moved from the 987) or chrono packages. if walnut was offered i'd get wood but no way way with mahogany so, anything stand out that i missed?

new dilemma: need your opinions: found a car that's the right color combo with options and dollars (?) that i'd be very happy with at a dealership just as i'd made up my mind to order a 2013 that would arrive in oct. the one described in my post above i'm going to go see it today but in a case like this where the options are close, should dollars be the deciding factor between getting an '12 now or waiting a few months and getting a 2013 car i'd order. seriously option-wise the cars are VERY close. the one i'd order would be cosmetically perfect and only the options i really want. the dealership car has a few less of the cosmetic options substituted with the chrono package which i really don't need but the numbers work out very close. the chrono package had always been a consideration for the dynamic engine mounts which i'd heard helps make the 991 drive smoother - one of the primary reasons i want to upgrade from my 997. what do you think?

its done. i bought it! goodbye 997...hello 991 cab

Congrats! Pics please.

here's a picture at the dealership. i'll take better photos when i get the car tomorrow View attachment 24841

Congrats! Enjoy it.

Nice car! Are those 19's or 20's?

it came with the 20's. it really was so close to what i would have ordered (remarkably close) and the deal was right - so it will be living in pacific palisades tomorrow night and heading up pacific coast highway to malibu on sunday for my first official drive! i'll have to wait until next week to have my custom stereo installed but the forum has said that the bose system is better this year and it seem a little cleaner when i tried it out...but i have the equivient of a home system in my car. i like precise music with my top up and especially when my top is down. but the car is stunning and though i probably could have waited the 3 months or so for the '13, what the hell...