I never asked this question before because my 997S cars as well as Turbo have been nearly flawless .Of course a few minor things come to mind like the 997.2S fuel pump or the early minor recall on the 07 Turbo but these things generally were minor .

The things which sparked the question is that I have been studying the 991 cars in general trying to decide on whether to keep my Turbo and buy an 991S or just go for a new Turbo S .

I look at used 2012 cars and i am seeing cars with as many as FIVE open recalls !!!! Not every cars has this but even the ones which don't still have at least one open ticket . Many of the recalls are labeled "voluntary " . This was something which the 997.2 S cars had with the fuel pump . In short .. either the car had to actually break down OR the owner had to mention it to sevice before it was fixed . some guys actually broke down .

Many recalls on the 991 cars are listed the same as "voluntary" on carfax . Some dealerships have even opted to list another history source (on used cars other than carfax )which gives the title history but does not mention the recall info .

My biggest fear is to spend 185K fora Turbo S , sell my current reliable Turbo and M3 , and then break down on the road !! many of the used 2012 cars for sale have low miles and appear nicely speced as if someone took time to buy a dream car . Now maybe its just a few cars .. but the price on them also is concerning . A used 2012 991S asking in the low to mid 90's on acar taht spec sheet looks into the 120's is quite a depreciation curve .

Any thoughts on this ?

 

Eye watering prices now without a doubt. It sounds like they will be cranking them out which I think may increase reliability, think Camry. I am trying to decide between ordering a NA C2S 7 spd with the X51 or trying a GT3 or TT-S. I have not had the PDK before, that is what worries me.
J

 

Good points and as someone with a '12 997S that priced in the $120's, I am hoping that I will be able to get closer to 100K. But yes, I am concerned about your point. That said, there is always a penalty for being an early adopter - there were lots of problems the first year of the 996. They are now in the 3 year of this platform and many of the systems of the Turbo will be common. The turbo and especially the steering are new. But Porsche has experience with both.

 

It has been my experience that Porsche has always stepped up to the plate but it has only been recently that thse "voluntary" recalls started . When i see used cars with as many as 5 .. I get nervous .

I would have to wait to see how they hold up but so far the 991 cars have not been typical (higher price to buy plus more recalls than I'd expect to see ) .

I am seeing 2012 cars in the 90's . (searched 90-95K) http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...rch=true&Log=0

If one looks at the 997 cars like Gts or 997S cabs priced in the low 90's there are no recalls on them . It's most of the 991 cars priced at the same level which have at least 1 and as many as 5.

My conclusion is that the longer a model is in production the more time Porsche has to iron out the quirks .

I would love to order a car but by that time i imagine a used 991S priced at half the price of a Turbo s used might sway me to keep my current Turbo .

Unless that Turbo is simply amazing and history shows it to be reliable .

 

It will have a warranty - just make sure to sell it before that's over. Enjoy the new technology!

 

Drive the 991 chassis before deciding. I had a 991 C2S and ended up trading it for a 2011 Turbo S. For me, it was too much luxury car and not enough sports car. Fortunately, the one I bought was a former Porsche executive car, so the huge depreciation hit was not mine!

 

I happen to agree with you that a 991 C2S Vs a 11 Turbo S factoring in price would point to the Turbo . A few guys on the 991S forum of course did not agree .

However .. matching 997.2tt to 991tt is still not known .

What concerns me are the recalls but i was assured today that the few quirks of the current 991 cars can be remedied pretty smoothly . I also discussed the huge depreciation curve on the current 991 (I'm even seeing low mile used 13 cars asking in low 90's) compared to how strong the equally priced 997 cars have held its value .

I go back and forth with it . while at the dealership today I loked at my car sitting right next to a 991s and I was glad i drove mine home . But before i left an absoluely beautiful Mclaren Mp12-4c (volcano red) with a "sold" tag drove up the ramp and it left left me speechless . Too expensive though but very beautiful indeed.

 

I like the 991TT as a showcase and tech achievement but I'm not convinced it has any real world edge over a C2S (in the US). I think a 991 faster than the C2S has pretty diminishing returns while likelier to land you in prison if you actually put your foot down. At least the GT3 adds a whole dimension of motorsport feel. Anyway, talk is cheap -- I for one look forward to test-driving the new Turbo one day soon!
My 991S is a launch vehicle. I've owned it 11 months. It's had 4 recalls to date, all minor (meaning failure rates were low and PCNA recalled early enough). To tell you the truth recalls aren't an issue to me. Bit of an inconvenience but I like having the car under the dealer microscope anyway. I have them do a full checkup while it's there which otherwise only rarely gets done.
Recalls aside, I just passed 12k miles, plenty of track days, winter driving, etc. and barely a hiccup to speak of, knock on wood.
Re depreciation, it's as bad as it's always been but I'm not sure any worse. The apples to apples 997.2 are definitely cheaper than the 991, though maybe not as much as a % of sticker. But honestly for guys that buy 2013 new and dump it later the same year, what do you expect? The depreciation curve obviously flattens soon after that.
If I were buying now, I'd go CPO. (I was in a time pinch when I bought mine and liked the way the launch cars were optioned). Especially on a PDK car and with the long warranty, I feel mechanical risks are low.
Overall I think it's a great time cost-wise to get in one of these cars. Around me they are doing 27 months no money down $599/mo for new Boxsters. 991 Carreras at $999 same terms, also cheaper than it was for many years. Finally, there seem to be great used deals on the 997.1's which is such a fun car.
I LOVE the McLaren. The 991 has made me appreciate suspension tech more than ever and the MC might have the very best suspension out there. I'm really anxious to see what their "911 fighter" look like when it debuts hopefully in 2014. I personally have difficult imagining a non P-car that can deliver the same blend of every day street practicality, build quality and track performance -- but I'd def keep an open mind if it was closely priced.

 

Great write up !!

1) I have been exploring the recall information after reading it on used cars' carfax . Apparently many of the campaigns are geared towards things like software updates and as you've stated most of them are minor. there are a few exceptions but generally speaking it's not as bad as I perceived .

2) Go fast enough in any car and one can get a ticket or an accident . Realisitically a Cayenne V6 is all one needs for street use and I debate those things internally every time I long for a performance car .
I think the key is to drive them responsibly . Even a pickup truck or a Honda Accord can cause an auto wreck and my opinion is that at least a 911 has enough handling capability to avoid a wreck at proper road speed because it is that good (wheras many of the garden variety cars may not).

3) I don't know what I am going to buy yet . I love my 15K mile EVT700 997 Turbo so much that i can't bring myself to sell it . My M3 has low miles and is impeccable . I custom ordered that car too. My Cayenne V6 is speced beautifuly for comfort and practical use .

I just don't know but will say this .. buying thse cars every few years can really add up over time. If i include the Cayenne as a Porsche I have bought 10 . For some reason when i was younger (and could not even afford them ) it didn't bother me as much as it does now .

4) The Mclaren is gorgeous and the market is somewhat softer than when they first launched . Add to that the car has become more reliable as in the past Mclaren did not have cars with this high of production . With more cars came some growing pains because in the past of one car broke down it didn't matter if a technician had to take apart the entire engine to fix it . With more cars it meant making it easier and less time consuming to repair and Mclaren has done that .
I just can't imagine driving this type of car daily . The volcano red spyder with a bunch of options topped 300K . Too much for me !!

 

I hear ya! It was more fun when we were younger and threw financial caution to the wind. Value was just what it was worth to me to satisfy the need. Now, value means that + auto-irrelevant things.

 

from Porsche? no