997 Turbo v Turbo S - Page 1 - 911/Carrera GT - PistonHeads UK

Having recently sold a 997 GenII C4S, I'm looking to buy a Gen II 997 Turbo. Not having driven either yet, I'm wondering whether there really is much of a difference. It seems that the price differential is around £10-15k - so the question is.... is it worth it? Unlike 996's, it seems that they will still depreciate - but will one depreciate faster than the other? Any views welcome ! Nick

what are you buying it for? power / grunt - get the S budget - get the turbo and tune it maybe down the line future investment - S will always be worth more. rarity - S should be rare (like the 996) the 996 Turbo S (with the ceramics) is a seriously sought after car now as they were rare and now collectable. the X50 is behind that which is a turbo with add ons as far as I know but not an officianado. if you can get the S then go for it. stretch that budget!!

Thanks - have to say that I'm leaning towards an S. It'll get a fair bit of use - I did 10k in the 4S in 15 months and I don't see this being any different, so it's not going to sit in the garage unused for weeks on end. My wife would prefer a convertible, but that's probably for pose value, and that's not me! It'll also add more to the cost and likely put an S out of budget too.

The Turbo S is laugh out loud fast. I fitted Cup 2s to the Turbo S and it was an absolute weapon and definetly a license loser! Not sure i'd call it better than the C4S, but it depends on your driving style and what you want out of the car. I had both cars at the same time and ended up moving to 2WD (now a GT3 convert) as i wanted to be able to access oversteer more readily and overall feel more part of the experience. The advantage of the Turbo S over the standard Turbos is that is has a lot of the equipment you'd want already on it. For me, the PDK and PCCBs are a must.

I wouldn't rule out one over the other at this stage. If you find either that meets your criteria ie; condition, mileage, year, colour etc then just try it. It's unlikely you will be disappointed with the performance of the "standard" car. If you are then it's the the "S" for you.

I viewed and drove a 997.1, 997.2 and S, before buying a basalt black 997.2 Turbo S late last year- the best decision I ever made! When I was still at an early stage of reading about the cars and speaking to owners, someone on a Porsche forum said to me 'wait until spring, buy a S and get ready to have the time of your life'. Proving true so far Firstly, the S in 997 guise is limited edition run out model which launched in 2010, 4 years after the original 997 Turbo. Only 2000 cars worldwide including convertibles- can only be good for values. This is in contrast to the 991 Turbo S, which was launched and sold together with the standard turbo, so not as rare, special, and will not be as sought after I imagine. I drove one recently just for comparison and found it a softer/more GT like car too, for what it's worth. I started my search April of last year and quite quickly realised that low owner, low miles, late example cars with top spec were very thin on the ground and generally sold very quickly! The premium over a standard Turbo is not always as much as you say- I paid a really insignificant amount over what OPC list 2012 standard Turbo's with low miles for- and got a faster, better looking, rarer and mega spec car- with circa 11k on the clock. The PCCB is fantastic and worth paying a bit more for alone, then you've got the dynamic engine mounts and Porsche torque vectoring as standard, 700Nm torque constant not only on over boost!, more bhp and in sports/sports plus in my view a more aggressive, deeper exhaust note. The launch control 0-60 is even more breath taking too. The Turbo S centre lock wheels are much nicer, and you are more likely to find a car with the really desirable options like an aero kit (£5700 option) on a Turbo S than a standard Turbo when buying used. It's just a better overall package for not a lot more money if you are prepared to wait for the right car and consider specialists/independent dealers- most cars at this level have transferable Porsche warranty/assistance anyway. Good luck, they are great cars! Edited by Chad_Hugo on Saturday 25th April 21:12