'05 997S vs. '01 996 TT

if I'm not mistaken, a nicely eqiupped 997S and a low-mileaged '01 996 TT are comparably priced (low '90s). Which one do you buy???? Why? (Just day-dreaming about my 40th birthday present to myself next year).

If you a horsepower junkie, go with the TT. If that's not a big deal, go with the 997S. Even if you don't think you are a junkie, be careful. It's amazing how fast you become used to the power and want more. I had my Boxster 7 months and think in a few years I will want a TT.

Turbo without a doubt - AWD, 400+hp style - all year performance - 997S is nice, but in terms of all out performance it can't hang with the TURBO -

Depends. Are you a chassis guy or a motor guy? The 997S clearly has a superior chassis. For me, acceleration can get sorta old after a while, as in, you get used to it, but a well done chassis never gets stale. I know I'm likely in the minority, but that's my take.

alwas choose turbo...they are such amazing cars.

everyone agrees that u can get used to HorsePower... but with the turbo u can: get bored with 400 Hp...u go up to 500 Hp... get bored with 500 Hp...u go up to 600 Hp.. get bored with watever...then u go up with as much as you can spend... turbo forever...

Interesting that nearly everyone votes for the TT (Frayed is the exception). What about the warranty issue? An '01 TT will be out of warranty, whereas an '05 997S will have a full 4 years left. Is this a serious issue, or is a 4 year old TT not really at risk for problems? Thanks.

I have to agree with GBG, for me factory warranty is the only reason I may choose the 997S. But, IMO if warranty issues don't bother you, 996tt is clearly in a different league, you couldn't possibly compare it to a NA 911. Chassis on the 997 is a clear improvement over the 996, but i really don't know whether it's better than the 996 turbo chassis. If you trust any third party warranties (I don't), you may want to consider that and get the 996tt. (The major reason I got my 996C4S over the 993tt is the warranty, and in a few years it will be a decade old, i hate to keep a car for 10 yrs. )

I have owned two boxsters, one 996 C4 and now my 966TT. All great cars. It depends what your main goal is . The car I enjoyed THE most in my life was a... 130 hp mini-cooper... 35 years ago ! Racing with it and taking it to the limit. Porsches are different toys. You can even travel with them !.....What I like in Porsches is that (nearly) everything a good and experienced driver expects will be there . The thing is that I now enjoy a lot my TT but, sorry to add some confusion, I also enjoyed the C4 . On a track or in the street the TT , as it has ben said here, is another league. In both situations ( street or track ), driving ( I haven't said racing ) with a "regular" Porsche next to other great cars ( M3, Subarus, Mercedes 500 SL even Audi 8's !!) can - sometimes - be a a challenge. Not with the TT. The TT just disappears !!!!. All this said, I could perfectly sell one of these days my TT and buy, again, a regular 966. Just for the pleasure of driving.... Buy any od the two. You will be right. I am happy the way I have done it. I have experienced different models, prior to getting the "BIG" one. Good luck

The 997S is more of a purist's platform IMHO, especially for track use (n/a throttle response, RWD, lighter). Coming from a 996 C4S, test driving the 996TT and the 997S, the 996TT feels like my car with lots of power, which is great. But. . . I think car/driver connection in the 997S is a quantum leap forward from my driving experiences. It certainly is not as fast as a 996TT (duh), but the driving experience in the 997S is sublime. Corner after corner on tight switchbacks, the 997 just kept begging for more. I spent one hour behind the wheel of a 997S by myself on some canyon roads. Exhiliration comes from this *buzz* that you get when everything in the car just feels_so_right. Hard to explain. When I used to race road bikes, it's the same feeling you get when you are in a paceline and you upshift and really start moving. Nothing but you, your legs, a fast paceline, and the mechanical sound of a perfect shift. The TT is more like a racous, entirely entertaining rock concert. Both cars are very appealing, but in a very different ways. By comparison, I think the TT is sledgehammer, and the 997S a scalpel. I'm a foodie, so I'll use a food analogy. What do you want, the delicate taste of Uni or Otoro sushi, or a grilled Kobe Beef Filet? A rock concert or a symphony. An Arnold Schwarzenegger movie or the ballet? Funny thing is, even with the lack of power in the 997S, it is posting 'ring laptimes pretty close to the TT. Drive both hard. I take my car to the track on the weekends, and, coupled with the notion that I cannot possibly use the turbo power on the street w/o jailtime, I know I'll enjoy the 997S more. I acnowledge that I'm in the minority and likely a freak, but that's the way I see things.

Too bad the motor isn't up to heavy track use like the 996TT.

"...I'm a foodie, so I'll use a food analogy. What do you want, the delicate taste of Uni or Otoro sushi, or a grilled Kobe Beef Filet?..." interesting analogy. so which is like sea urchin and which like tuna belly? all kidding aside, why not consider a gt3. acceleration that matches the tt and better agility than both the tt or 997.

adsc4s, I don't agree with the whole explosion on the net aiming all sorts of crap on the wet sump/dry sump issue. If you read the technical articles in Excellence, including this months' great writeup by Bruce A, my firm belief is that the current block in boxsters and 996's do not suffer from oil starvation, but do suffer from some scavenging issues due to lack of a secondary scavenging pump in the left side head (right side on boxsters). Insufficient scavenging is embarrassing at the track (puff of smoke) but hardly dangerous. In the 996 lineup, the X51 package added an extra scavenging pump that to a large extent solved scavenging issues. From what I read about the revised motors in the 997's, the entire oil supply/scavenging system has been improved/overhauled. So much so that the GT3 is rumored to use the same block. On the starvation side of the equation, I've watched my oil pressure on track running R comps with no issues, and virtually every car that shows up for track days at my local tracks run wet sump systems, from M3's to Miatas. Maybe running full on racing slicks, 1,000 lb springs coupled with complex 6 way adjustable coilovers, full cage, gutted interior, and a skilled driver, the car will have starvation issues, but I'm not particularly worried. While I *don't* believe the Porsche marketing dept. that the current setup on 996s and the 997 is a dry sump setup, it is far more than adequate, even for track use on Rcomps. Anyway, I didn't mean to open up that can of worms, but I think it's overplayed and a crutch that crusty old porschephiles (not you, but in general) love to throw out there in an attempt to feel better about their car choice. Just like 996 guys passing judement on the 997s w/o every driving the car. I'll go by Bruce's rather detailed writeup over a bunch of internet tales any day. Flame suit on. fahren, One should consider the 996 GT3. Problem is, with its ground clearance, it is wholly unlivable and unsuitable for me as a daily driver. The problem with 996s is the long front overhang coupled with low ride height. I already have issues in my stock suspended C4S, which has a front lip at 7". The GT3 I measured was 5.75" (IIRC). I would not even be able to get into my driveway at an angle, and would have trouble with my parking garage at work. My current approach angle is a max of 10.7 degrees. With a crown in the road, and a driveway at an incline, I come close to this angle frequently, rubbing a few times a week here and there. The GT3 comes in at 8.8 degrees, which won't work for me. Add in, no sound deadening, a pretty unforgiving ride, lack of electronic gadgetry that is nice to have in your daily commute, and lack of rear seats (I take my daughter to school in the morning) and it would be tough for me to drive every day. Though, I could get past all that if I didn't have all the clearance issues. Then, you consider that the 997 is not that far off the pace of the 996 GT3, and you give one a fair shakedown run on a hard test drive, you might just be won over. I bought my first porsche about 8 weeks ago. The last thing I wanted to find out is that the 997 is that much more compelling. But, for me, it was. I'm now conspiring with the dealer to convince my wife that the 997S needs me. I still don't know if I'll get one as it's a costly move, but there's no doubt what I'd rather drive. As for sushi, I'm a junkie. This place I go to every thursday gets awesome uni and otoro (sometimes chi toro) every thursday. They offered to roll an entire tray of uni for me for 80 bucks. Mmmmm. I'll let you know how the gluttonous fest goes. Burp.

Just to add my two cents... I would go with the TT, only because I'm also very wary of getting into a new model for the 1st year. Let them work the kinks out of the 997, and look at a 2006. In that case the warranty is good, and it's a new car, which is always nice.

Jeff, very good point. I was not trying to start a dry sump/wet sump argument either. The really pathetic point in this whole discussion is the fact that we, as Porsche owners and prospective owners of newer models are afraid to purchase a Porsche out of warranty. I hope Porsche is listening because that is completely ridiculous and should be unacceptable.

I definitely agree with you there.

The easiest and simplest solution to this is to go and drive both for yourself. With all due respect to those with far greater experience it still comes down to what suits you best. and no one but you can decide that. Any dealer should be able to accomodate that request, even if it's a couple of weeks before they get a 997 demonstrator and several months before you actually want to pull the trigger.

Agreed. Drive both. Try to drive both back to back on the same day, then do it again a different day. One will emerge as more engaging. . . I have a deposit down on the Elise, and drove the demo two different days. I liked the car, but it wasn't the life changing event that I had expected from all the lofty reviews. I was then very pleasantly surprised by the 997.

jeff, fwiw, the shock bodies on the gt3 are threaded w/ adjustable perches, so theoretically you can raise the ride height to taste. as for otoro, chutoro, etc. the next time you're in so. ca, you'll want to go to ginza sushi-ko. the best-in-the-west (literally). as for me, i prefer the toro from the bluefin in my freezer which i caught last week

Sweet. You lucky dog. I had this stuff shimofuri once, it was aweseome. I'm currently on an ankimo kick, but it seems highly variable based on preparation. Sometimes OK, sometimes almost comparable to Uni (my fav). There's a new fish all the places around here started serving. It's called Super White Tuna (but it's not tuna, and it's not albacore). Can't remember the name the proper name. . . it's a great cut. As for ride height, my understanding is that, like with all coilovers setups, it's made to work within a limited range of ride heights. I had issues with both going too high and too low with H&R and with Ground Control coilovers on my M3 (either too close to the bumpstops or too close to topping out the shock). I'm a bit doubtful that I can get away with enough ride height tweaking to simultaneously achieve daily drivability and performance, but I'll look into it. There's a great Porsche tech here in town that will know off the top of his head.

Aji sashimi (diced with ginger and scallions). None finer.

For me, I would definitely go with the 997 S. Better Autocrosser and probably alot more fun to drive!! Really depends on what you will be using the car for. Straight line acceleration, definitely go with the TT. Then again if I cared about that as opposed to my ability in the driver's seat, I would never have bought my 996. To me, the TT is too easy to drive and takes alot of the character out of driving. On the other hand, they sure are fun to go ssswwwwooooossshhhht-t-t by all the other traffic on and off the traffic. That is something I have to work a little more at but then again, that is the most fun for me.