Found an amazing deal...no PSM....so torn! Advice?

Have been looking for an 00-02, prefer 02 for engine torque and reliability and 02 year changes. Virtually have to bring from the US as it saves $10-$15k. Downside is harder to resell up here, and more risk/pain involved in cross border shopping. An '03 deal locally has dropped into my lap. I can get it VERY cheap and it has as good a history as you can get, zero worries. Also very low mileage. Priced slightly higher than my original budget but it's a VERY good deal. I can get it significantly cheaper than I could bring any '02 up from the states for...and I prefer to buy locally. But since it's over budget I'd not want to have to put any more $ into it. Problem is I really want aero and PSM. Aero I can live with the side skirts only...that's $1k, doable as a retrofit. Vancouver gets a lot of rain and PSM has been a mandatory for me. This particular car doesn't have PSM. How important is PSM? Should I let it kill an amazing deal on a very low mileage '03? This will be a daily driver in a relatively rainy climate. Probably no tracking. I have a G35 and drive it 98% of the time without kicking it's PSM equivalent in, and could reduce that 2% with more careful driving. I've not researched but I'm assuming PSM is NOT able to be added after the fact, I'd be astonished, but...haven't asked anyone yet.

You sound really happy about this find. I say go for it

I don't have PSM on my '00 C2 Cab either and live pretty well without it (not a daily driver though). You've to adjust your driving style a little as the 911 has a heavy rear end and if it breaks loose, then it's hard to catch it again. However, after 2-3 spins you probably know how to control/avoid it. The ultimate 911, the GT3 has no PSM either, so go and get your '03. I'd not be too concerned about it. 15 years ago no one talked about traction control.

Depends on your driving style. If you're an aggressive street driver then PSM is probably a plus. If you enjoy the car moderately then there should be no issues. If you have some track experience then there should be no worries. Overall, PSM if never missed unless you find yourself in a situation where you NEED it. You can't plan for those situations, and even the best drivers make mistakes. Nonetheless, the car is not a death trap with out it. As stated above the more powerful, trickier to drive fast GT3 comes without PSM. For the record, my car doesn't have PSM. -KJ

i agree..... if you really know how to drive your car, i think the PSM is just a pre-caution or a maybe i need it, but if you are not familiar with the P-car and won't be tracking for experience, i say wait until you find one with the PSM........GL.... sounds like you have a nice one there.......i say go for it and learn to drive the hell out of it.....

I have had my car 6 months and I have yet to see PSM kicking in (never seen the light flashing), despite trying a few times to try and force it. I know I know, I should be more agressive....but I certainly don't baby the car. I think it's a great psychological aid and I certainly wanted it when I found my car......but maybe in the real world you don't need it so often.

My Boxster does not have PSM, but my 911 does. The PSM is nice to have in the snow, but it's not at all necessary. I find it can be obtrusive (even on the street) but it is better than the systems on other makes (BMW comes to mind). There is absolutely no reason you should have to have this system to drive the car in any conditions. The 996 can bite, but honestly you have to push it pretty hard in street driving to make that happen. Bottom line, it's a nice safety net but not really necessary IMHO. Good Luck!!

PSM only kicks in when the yellow /!\ illuminates, correct?

I don't have PSM, and I like it that way. 996's are very nuetral compared with older 911's and they didn't have PSM. I had the equivalent on my BMW and hated it. It made the car scary to drive in wet weather. These 996's have sooooo much grip that you don't need PSM

How about "soooooo" much grip on wet roads? Since our roads are wet half the year. It has 295s on the back :O

If it were me PSM would not be a deal breaker even if were to be my daily driver.

All I know is the 996 with decent tires and PSM was THE most solid car I've ever driven in the rain.

It's raining lately and I may have a chance to test drive this car soon. Maybe I should try pushing it (in a safe environment) and see what it takes to make it break grip. I'm probably being over paranoid with the PSM requirement for sure, but...have to be careful when it comes to safety.

I have it in my C4S (I think it's standard on the model). I think it is a fabulous option the way Porshe sets it up. It rarely intrudes when you don't want it but there have been a few situations where the "little man" saved my butt when I least expected it. So for me it would be a deal breaker. But a question for you is if you will track the car and how aggresively you will drive on the street. If you're a particularly mild driver then maybe PSM is irrelevant. Bottom line is there really is no right or wrong answer. It depends on your driving style more than anything else.

I have an '00 with no PSM. I drive it in the rain and in sub-zero temps (with summer tires). I'm not going to lie to you, I would have preferred to have PSM for my planned DE days. But I can also tell you that I haven't so much as chirped a tire on the street. The limits of the car are so stupid-high that I'm very confident you could live without it if you otherwise loved the car.

I have it and it's kicked in a few times, but when I was screwing around and not seriously driving it. The times it has kicked it I was on wet roads and pushing it around corners. On dry roads I've pushed the car pretty hard through a super curvey 15 miles and it was never close to coming on (at least I don't think so). Overall I agree with above that it's more about driving style than anything else. If the car is a good deal, go for it. You can always trade if one with PSM comes along that you like.

I'm not such a mild driver, but I'm not insane. I'd say I'm in the 75% quartile of aggressiveness I can kick the PSM in on my G35 (VDC) taking corners sometimes. But the 295s on the back of a 911 are bit wider and stickier than my 225s not to mention chassis/etc differences.

I have driven a few G35s and those things will peel out for ever without the traction control on. The 911 is way different. In a G35 you can light up the rear wheels with a quick shift from 1st to 2nd gear. This is impossible in a 996 unless it's wet out. I am fast driver and drive my car on windy roads everyday in the Santa Cruz mountains and have never wished I had PSM. Buy the car if you like it!

Get the local one. I have PSM. The PSM indicator so far only comes on when I'm F'n around exploring my limits.

Good point, they are very light in the ***.

That's a really good point. Front engine car, RWD, very lightweight backend. Hmmm....food for thought.

BUY THE CAR!

Hmmm......I can break the tires loose in my 996 (and get the PSM/Traction control to engage if I have it "on") on a quick 1-2 shift. FWIW, my current rears tires are 285/18 Pirelli P-Zero's. I can do this in the dry and it is far from impossible. In fact for me, it is easily repeatable.

Do it. PSM is awesome, but it shouldn't be a deal-breaker. Just be careful. It's useful, yes, but you can live without it. It has very high engagement points, anyway, at least for casual driving. I could see wanting it a lot in BC, but as others have said, if you change your mind, you can always just upgrade if you're getting a spectacular deal

Whenever I embark on a project like this, I like to write down my "must have" items and "nice to have" items. I also establish a budget and maybe how much I would be willing to deviate up or down based on absence/presence of certain items. During the process I keep referring to this paper to prevent impulsive decisions in the heat of negotiation. Ask yourself this question: after a few months/years of owning this car and after the initial thrill of a new toy has subsided, will you feel the pangs of remorse?

For drivers who have "special" circumstances facing them (e.g., driving in the snow, driving in the rain, driving autocross events, etc.), a careful selection of tires that perform well in those circumstances will greatly aid car performance and, at the same time, keep the driver and his occupants safe.

Hey Brock, Buy it. Thinking about it some more, you should just buy the car and enjoy it. I drove almost an hour today in the pissing rain to take my car to North Van for a wheel alignment and I didn't have one issue with the traction. My GT3 can get a little scary in the wet, but you just need to develop a feel for it. I guess I'm figuring it out. After you buy the car, I suggest you do a few autocross sessions to help learn your car. There are a ton of events going on around here so there is always an opportunity if you hook up with one of the local clubs. PM me and I'll send you a schedule of events for the year. Cheers,

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Much appreciated. I don't know the rest of the options on the car yet other than sports suspension and sport seats. Should be getting the rest soon. I have 5 options that are high on my list. - PSM (doesn't have) - aero (doesn't have, I can add...how ugly are side skirts w/o an aero bumper?) - 3 spoke steering wheel - upgraded stereo (option 490) as in theory maybe it makes doing an aftermarket easier? (speakers already there?) - heated seats If it has none of the 3 I don't know about I think I may pass. If it has some of them, I have a decision to make. I guess I could retro all three of those for 2-3k...so...hmmm... Did I mention I hate large purchases? I analyse them to death

PSM sucks and only wimps need it.

side skirts are not an aero. aeros have the full pack including the tsco or Mk2 wing. You are not an aero without, you do not have an aero by adding side skirts. i had a c4 with side skirt and gt fins, it looked good. it also had the girl psm standard. the car was a wimp and built for wimps. Hope this helps.

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"Hmmm......I can break the tires loose in my 996 (and get the PSM/Traction control to engage if I have it "on") on a quick 1-2 shift. FWIW, my current rears tires are 285/18 Pirelli P-Zero's. I can do this in the dry and it is far from impossible. In fact for me, it is easily repeatable." That is a claim and a half! Breaking your tires loose is a lot different than spinning the rear tires.

My car does not have PSM and I have not driven a PSM car ehough to be able to tell the difference. Ge the car. Not having PSM should NOT be a deal breaker. BTW - I'm glad that I don't have PSM 'cuz, according to M3killa, I am not a wimp!

Breaking the tires loose is exactly that (spinning the rear tires). As I mentioned if I do it with PSM "on" on can get the traction control to engage. It takes more that just "chirping" the tires to do that.

Fully agree and would even add AWD on a 911 is for wimps only! M3killa, does this make you a double wimp?

This was my previous wimp mobile. psm and awd................ girl car for sure.

it takes a macho man to wear a taco!

No PSM here in my 02 and I don't think it's really needed if you know how to handle the car and don't push it when wet. It did oversteer a little a couple of times when wet or pushed hard but it was very beneign and progressive. Car has so much understeer built in due to rear weigh inbalance. It's hard to get it to the point of no return.

Hey Brock - if you pass on this car let me know. I'm not fussy for PSM. What is the Canadian $ price by the way?

M3killa's a riot... Seriously I thought all 2000+ 996es came with PSM as standard? I'm cornfused now.

No, they did not. I have an '04 C2 and it does not have PSM. All 997 models, beginning in '05, have PSM as a standard feature.

Thanks for clearing this up for me. I've been limiting myself to '99 996 b/c I thought MY99 was the only year the 996 came without any traction aids (except for LSD as optional). I guess I'll look at the 2002s without PSM (3.6-L motors)--and plan on adding a 50/80 LSD later?

I bought my '01 996 about 2 months ago with no PSM. The 2nd day driving I spun out on the road. But mainly because I was trying to show off and didn't understand just how different a rear engine car handles. So I took it to an Autocross last weekend, and drove it REALLY hard but didn't spin out once. Also, in the rain this car is super stable and grounded. So don't worry about PSM, just give her some respect and you'll be fine. You should definetely take it to an Autocross or DE event to understand it's limits and gain more confidence. If you feel good about the purchase, go for it!! You'll love it just like we all do!