Not so good experience

You know folks last month i was righting about the idea of buying a 996 Turbo...... I finally decided to call some places and try a 2001 and a 2003 turbo.They were full equiped in a very good condition ALL ORIGINAL (very important for me) with real low milage. So i tried the first one.She was modified to stage 1 and devlopped 485hp. My first impression was....this car runs exactly like mine and the interior is exactly as mine except mine is in a far better condition lets say perfect condition compare to this one. So i press the gas pedal and the feeling of the car is exacltly the same as mine... suspension direction brakes and all were the same. The exception is when you depress the pedal to the floor.....then you feel the difference. Then i talked with my wife about it and suddenly she said.....can you tell me when you will use all this power..yours is for me fast enough you even never use it as it is supposed to be with all the police on the road tell me when you will use this power.......and i suddenly realized that she was right......otherwise you ever decided to use it as a track car you will almost never use all the power of the turbo engine. Finally i tried the second one 2003 totally stock and i did not find a so big difference betweem mine and the turbo.So the 2003 doesn't woth for me the price. Of corse the exterior of the car is different a Turbo will always stay a turbo but just ask you .....when i will really use it on the street........of corse only on the highway at your own risk....mine is finally fast enough and since then i love my Porshe twice as before. Bye Bye folks Robert

Interesting perspective. I suspect most of us 996 NA drivers (including me) would like to "upgrade" to a TT. Maybe the cost to do so just isn't justified by what you actually get. It would be nice to hear from some of you guys that have owned both the NA and TT versions. For me, I put $18k into my current car. I almost pulled the trigger on a 2001 TT a couple of months back, which would have cost me about $26k to buy and I figured another $4k to $5k to sort out. Clearly this was not a low mileage garage queen I was looking at, but none of my cars are. I actually drive my cars and don't lose sleep over rock chips and the like (although I've never tracked one). I've had regrets ever since not buying that car. So, my question to those of you with TT experience, if I'm very happy with my NA, will it be worth it to spend about $15k on top of my current car to upgrade to a TT? I love the looks of the TT, but also really like the way my Mk I aero kit looks. I don't covet a glovebox. My IMSB is a fresh new one. My car is optioned very well. It would mainly be all about the hp. So, does the Turbo truly transform the 996 experience, or does a nice NA give you 95% of the goodness at 60% of the cost?

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For all of us, married guys, this is the best thing to do, consult your wife first if it doesn't approve and you go for it, whatever decision you make is already doom!!

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No need, here. I am with porsches996 -- my car looks new, runs like new, is plenty fast (allowing me to exploit the engine and gearbox without tempting cops or the gates of hell), handles like a 911 should, and has a wonderful Fister-D, NA sound.

I would call that a good experience, now you know you have no need the shell out the extra cash for a turbo

probably the best way inbetween is the C4s, it looks the part - but costs less and has the same "advantages" of a NA 996 personally me - I actually find it's rear end very sexy with the red taillight stripe and without the spoiler, + if you want to change that, it is easy to swap the rear lid to a turbo one, so in the end it is almost identical with the exception of side air intakes. my humble opinion, of owning a 996 for a week now and looking for its engine parts

When I was in search of mine I looked for many months for a 996 with No Options I wanted a light weight car I didn't need 4X, heated anything or Crests I love the simplicity of the C2 996

if you "couldnt really feel the difference" of 115bhp, i dont really know what to say

keep in mind that some people value the upgrade to a turbo for the full leather interior, the stout mezger flat 6, and the body appearance.

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Man - I think if I called my wife an "it" she'd slap me upside the head.

People have asked me "is it a turbo" I tell them who needs a turbo when I already have more than enough power for any road in the States. I do not or even would, 'track my car'. When my roof is off and I am low on gas and no passengers, this thing can rip any road surface to shreds and go over a ton in 3rd. WTF, who needs more power than that? Do we have to prove that we are idiots by challenging other drivers. I think not. We know what we have under that hood and what it is well capable of if really needed. Not that I don't show other drivers when I am being tail gated. I admit, I love leaving them in the dust. haha.

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+1 I love my 04 C4S Cab. It's heavily optioned, PSE, full leather, aluminum package etc. and has the sexy body and turbo looks. People that don't know Porsches very well comment " Nice Turbo " I just smile and drive on. I looked long and hard for this car as the Cab C4S was only made in very limited numbers. It's not for sale ever! I do dream about some day upgrading to a TT, but the additional cost of the insurance, maintenance and probably not being able to use the car to it's full potential is not in the cards for me. Also I don't think I would ever track the car as well. Maybe if I lived out west, AZ, NV, or something like that I would reconsider.

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A coupe turbo decklid will not fit on a coupe C4S.... ask me how I know. My turbo has a UMW stage 1 flash with a Europipe exhaust and it is plenty freakin' fast. I can only image what turbos are like that have higher HP upgrades. What it does in my mind is make the rush of acceleration and the thrill of speed happen so fast that it shortens the time of enjoyment. Whereas a NA car might give you 15 seconds of fun on the street say carving an onramp or squirting around traffic, the turbo only gives you 10 seconds because you have to shut it down so much sooner if you're being prudent. So for street purposes only I can see where a NA is more rational. But throw in the turbos looks, mezger engine, upgraded interior and cache' the turbos got an awful lot going for it. Definitely worth the cost differential IMO.

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This is the correct answer ... The Mezger engine will never have an IMS failure

I have 03 C4S and love the car...plenty fast, looks GREAT with tail, and most people think it's a Turbo PL

Obviously this boils down to if you prefer to drive slow cars fast or drive fast cars slow. I'm of the former type, especially living in an urban city environment. If I lived in the boonies or any rural area where there were long high speed stretches of road, I could probably justify it, but where I live, I wouldn't be able to fully utilize the power most of the time. In the mean time if I ever need to ring out every last ounce of power, that's what the 3rd gear is for.

Pansies .... I'm saving for a 991 Turbo S 620 HP of goodness. If my C4S (big *** full leather sport seats PSE ) which is a DD blows before I've bribed the wife enough, a Jake Raby 4.0 will temporarily slake my thirst for more Cowbell.

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+1. Excellence Magazine - April 2012 Smart Buy, "So the only question becomes 'Why spend 40 percent more on a Turbo when you can enjoy 90 percent of its performance with a Carrera 4S?' "

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Based on horsepower differentials and 0-60 times it's more like the NA's can enjoy 70% of the turbos performance, at least in a straight line. . Boost is pretty addicting but still not that usable in the street environment if driving responsibly.

I too have felt the 'call of the turbo' ... and have abstained. First the rational reason: if you need more than 300 hp for your daily whip then your roll into work must be absolutely FREAKISH and WEIRD. Now full disclosure, I do love freakish and weird. But still. Your being crazy. Slow down. That said we come to the irrational reason: I've looked at ALOT of m64 motors over the last few years and have yet to find an example that wasn't drippy, scary, and pretty much end-of-life. I realize those Borg-Warners can be replaced for somewhat less than a house mortgage but still, any turbo machinery over 100k miles is suspect. Highly suspect. And again, to what purpose?

Short of lapping the N�rburgring, the turbo is gratuitous power and unnecessary expense. For commuting to work, which can be done effectively in a pickup or a Ford Focus, a 911 is gratuitous power and unnecessary expense. Screw moderation. If you can swing it and if the spouse is on board, why not go the full-monty and get a Turbo? Hell, I would. The sound of the turbos spinning up and the big hand of HP and torque pushing you back into the seat as the extra 100-200HP comes online are intoxicating. It's hard to beat the visceral feel of a forced-induction car hitting its power band. I'm in a good place financially to keep the 996 happy, but not in a good place to upgrade to a Turbo and still have the repair fund necessary to keep it running if something goes south. So, I'm delighted to keep my 996. If I had the cash, though...DANGER TO MANIFOLD.

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Damn right ! DANGER TO MANIFOLD.

I like the Turbo because aside from the boost, it's a killer car to have! Sure, you can't use it to it's potential on the street or on the highway - but getting to 65-80 WAY faster is fun!

Turbos are worth more if you get into a pissing contest.

I've been wanting a Turbo for a while now and told myself that I would get one when I could justify why I should spend the money. I suspect that I'll never own one.

Other than living in states like Texas, if your buddy is less than 4", you definitely need a turbo. It's a no brainier on that one.

IF, and that is a big IF AZ legislators get off their *** and start moving the I-11 project forward...AZ can try to push for the 90+MPH speed limit on it. I-11 would be the interstate connecting the Phoenix and Las Vegas. Right now, Phoenix and Las Vegas are the only two large metro areas in the nation without the direct interstate link. IF I-11 does move forward, it is feasible for AZ to push for day-light no-speed-limit on it, or at least for a 90+MPH restriction. This is possible because proposed I-11 route would go through nothing and it would be one of the most modern interstates in the nation. Now, if day-light no-speed-limit option flies...I will drive to Scottsdale and buy me whatever is the fastest exotic car available. Lambo/911 Turbo/Ferrari, whatever. Now to the point, the no-speed-limit interstate is the only situation where I could justify buying a hyper car. I test drove Gallardo and F430; they are great as posters, but total pieces of **** as regular daily drivers. There is nothing enjoyable about sitting in the 500HP car behind a prius and put-putting around at 35MPH around town. It takes lambo 4 seconds to reach the speed limit on all interstates in the metro Phoenix, it takes 5 seconds to reach the top speed limit in the state. You simply can't use the hyper car in USA the way it is meant to be used. If you get lucky and have open on-ramp, you can do your 4 second run...but that is it. For the rest of time you are driving a low slung hypercar at the same speed as everyone else; except everyone is trying to take a picture, cut you off, or do some other stupid ****. You don't use the even 1/5th of the power the car has.

When I was looking I actually liked the looks of the C4s better and almost bought one in the exact colors but shied away as fears of the IMS entered my head lol. I am now better informed and would put an upgraded bearing in and forget about it but at the time was unsure. Don't get me wrong there is in my opinion no comparison driving the two cars but do agree that the extra power will never be needed on the road =at least driving legally lol. Bottom line am really glad I chose the Turbo.

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Or slow cars fast, and fast cars faster. Apart from a Chevrolet Cruze (a little city car that felt like it was folded from cardboard) I've enjoyed everything I've driven from forklifts, trucks and tractors through a selection of Japanese and european metal including various BMWs, to my old 928, and now my ~500HP Turbo. Nothing stirs the senses like the Turbo. I do sometimes think the 928 was a better match for town though, so I do see where you're coming from. But I'd still grab the keys for the Turbo every time.

Jerremy Clarkson summed up the C4s pretty good and funny "....if I worked a little harder..."