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

Never owned a Porsche, it always wanted a 911, ideally I’d love a 991.2 Turbo S but can’t justify the expense at the minute, so looking for something a little cheaper and a relatively safe bet. Initially was convinced the manual was the only way forward, as it was the last of the manual turbos, relatively rare, shouldn’t lose anything over the ownership aside from maintenance, but then saw the price of tiptronics and they suddenly became interesting. I know it’s an argument that’s been had many times, but, I’m not looking to track the car, or hammer the life out of it, so would a tiptronic be ok, or are they really just not great, hence the much lower cost?

Both are good cars and will put a smile on your face. Tip or manual? Down to personal choice in my view. I have a manual version but can see why a tip would appeal. The manual turbo is a very different proposition to the 991.2 turbo S. Love driving my Turbo S too but, to me, it always feels good to get back into the 997. If you put a PCCM+ system in the 997 it makes a huge difference to have easy access to carplay.

You'd need to get at a minimum the 997 (gen 2) turbo - from late 2009. This has the PDK transmission instead of the tiptronic (which really isn't very good). If you're not fixated on a 'Turbo' (they actually aren't the best 'drivers' cars) - then I would recommend a 997 GTS (PDK).. All depends on your budget - but in my view the Porsche 997 gen 2 cars are the perfect 911 - before they became too 'GT', with too much technology and bloat.

I owned a 997s and drove a gts/turbo - I prefered the turbo out of the lot of them tbh

Aside from not regretting my 996 Turbo Tiptronic which I found to be great for getting stuck in traffic and having fun on wiggly A and B roads, you will probably need to try them yourself. I've watched and read a fair few reviews on 996s and 997s, and I'd agree with the above mention of the 997 GTS if you want that balance of driver's car and daily usability. That said, I suppose any car is usable by the right person. I used to commute in London traffic in an imported Skyline R32 GTR drag car (single dustbin lid turbo with 650bhp) when I was much younger - but nowaday I wouldn't even bother driving that on an empty road! If you think you'll get stuck in traffic a lot then get a Tip. I suspect that 80% of the time I'm stuck in traffic and an autobox makes a lot of sense. You can always shift it into manual mode which I do sometimes do until it gets tiresome. I'd advise looking into aftermarket exhaust systems if you go down the Turbo route. And in fact even if you get a non-Turbo. The standard sound of a modern 911 is pretty disappointing.

16610LV said: You'd need to get at a minimum the 997 (gen 2) turbo - from late 2009. This has the PDK transmission instead of the tiptronic (which really isn't very good). If you're not fixated on a 'Turbo' (they actually aren't the best 'drivers' cars) - then I would recommend a 997 GTS (PDK).. All depends on your budget - but in my view the Porsche 997 gen 2 cars are the perfect 911 - before they became too 'GT', with too much technology and bloat. This ^^^ pretty much reflects my opinion. Had a new 997.2 PDK Turbo S for three years. PDK was definitely a big step up from the outdated ‘torque converter’ Tip. However, it would have been a much more enjoyable car, and much more ‘ 911 ’ with a Manual gearbox (never available on the ‘S’ and very rare on the 997.2 Turbo).

If it's good enough for the Stig!!! https://youtu.be/sWt2kJfRtMI?si=WqxTeRPQJt-NsvcR

Really depends on what you are using it for. The 997 is very different from the 991 being the last of the genuine Porsche sports cars with a very firm suspension. I had a gen 2 997 Turbo S convertible but kept it less than 1 year as too uncomfortable for driving on UK roads regularly. 991 will be a lot better in that respect. However if you don't mind that and will be using it at weekends only then it was a phenomenal car on the right road and small enough for UK country roads. Good luck.

Dr mojo said: Really depends on what you are using it for. The 997 is very different from the 991 being the last of the genuine Porsche sports cars with a very firm suspension. I had a gen 2 997 Turbo S convertible but kept it less than 1 year as too uncomfortable for driving on UK roads regularly. 991 will be a lot better in that respect. However if you don't mind that and will be using it at weekends only then it was a phenomenal car on the right road and small enough for UK country roads. Good luck. I keep reading that the 996 and 997 Turbos are "everyday cars" but I can't see how that's possible. My 996 Turbo is tiring to drive. I'd hate to commute everyday in it for an hour each way!

Still love my 997, can drive it for hours if needed although I rarely do. They're noisy (but better than the 996) which can make them 'tiring' but I just turn the radio up. And it has the best arse in the business. I was thinking of keeping my .1 manual long-term, but asking prices are starting to rise significantly so I'm likely to move it on soon and try something else, but it's been a fabulous car. I came out of a 997 GT3 and I much prefer the Turbo for my use case and its do-it-all nature. To answer OP, lots of people like the old tiptronic, it's a solid box. But the manual box in any 997 is the best in the business and on the Turbo it makes a great package that Porsche no longer sell.

Jefferson Steelflex said: Still love my 997, can drive it for hours if needed although I rarely do. They're noisy (but better than the 996) which can make them 'tiring' but I just turn the radio up. At the risk of sounding like a whingebag who probably ought to buy a Volvo, the problem I find is that it's so firm and the steering is so heavy. It's great when you're flying along a newly laid country road but I spent an hour in London traffic last night. Oh, I don't mind the noise, one thing I didn't do is switch on the radio! Helps having a non-OEM exhaust.

996 turbo owner here with a tip gearbox, well technically its the wife's car. As far as i am concerned, the tip is perfect for a daily driver. lovely and smooth in traffic, creeps better than the PDK i tried in a 718 cayman s, its always in the right gear (helps we have 650bhp on tap in a car that is quite light.). Tip is adequate at 7/10ths on an A or B road blast in auto and not bad in manual mode, you get used to pressing the button 1/2 second earlier than a PDK to account for the slower change period (can be converted to Merc-Benz (it's a MB gearbox) paddle shift if you're technically minded but i have never felt the need). If you really start pressing on (7/10th +) then first off you're going to be in very illegal speeds for the road. When im having a blast i can put it in manual and just flick between 2nd and 3rd. Dont need anything else unless you want to be well into 100mph+. PDK is obviously better at 10/10th but you really shouldn't be driving a 911 turbo at 10/10ths on a public road. its far far to quick. Edited by MB140 on Wednesday 10th December 14:43 Edited by MB140 on Wednesday 10th December 14:45