Hi all
tell you the truth I don’t love any other car or sport car like the Porsche, I owned Porsche turbo since 94 till this year whenever I sell a Porsche I come back to buy a newer one, since 911 3.6t, 993t, 996t, 997t now and recently i bought also a Z06.
since 996T I could tell that the car compare with its competitors is not like the Porsche before or I could say it’s not supercar like it use to be SL new M5 C5 Z06 i mean 996tt had hard time.<O</O
Compare with my 94 first 911turbo 3.6 366hp in that time there was no comparison with corvette SL's M5's or any Japanese cars 300ZX, supra ...etc, the 911Turbo was very fast & rare car

when the 420hp 993TT another performance standard is set it was very fast for it's time even faster then the Ferraris in its class.
Since they brought the 996tt & later 997tt so many of them on the road and the Porsche became more like bmw or Benz... and less like the Ferrari & the Lambo. They made the boxster, caymen, cayenne so many porsche u see in the street, u would see more the panemira will be on the market & the porsche wont be exclusive as before.....and now GTR,M6, & Z06 those good sports cars 10yrs ago they had to be modified heavily to beat a stock 911T or you see them compared with a 911T on a magzine, now you might have to modify the 911 to beat them, or check M5 used to be 400hp and has no chance with the 993t, now the 997T has hard time to beat up the new M5!...

you may say I only care about power...but those sports cars are now fast, handle , & the breaking is good too ....finally what im trying to say it becoming more ordinary car and to be compared with GTR & Z06 and it used to be consider ultimate sport car...i read the R&T i was suprised that test numbers of the GTR & Z06 were better then 997TT and it used to be the 911T way ahead

Let me read your posts tell me what you think & Excuse my English

 

[/QUOTE
]you may say I only care about power...but those sports cars are now fast, handle , & the breaking is good too ....finally what im trying to say it becoming more ordinary car and to be compared with GTR & Z06 and it used to be consider ultimate sport car...i read the R&T i was suprised that test numbers of the GTR & Z06 were better then 997TT and it used to be the 911T way ahead
[quote]

The field of cars which can deliver horsepower and impressive track numbers has certainly grown over the years but there is a certain refinement within the Porsche 911 models that I have never experienced elsewhere.
Simple things like lacking a blind spot in the rear view mirror to more complex things like a precision shift add character to the car which has kept it going for decades . The mere fact that the car with rear engine d has lasted over 40 years places its unique design into automotive history.

Ok -maybe years ago one could not see an M3 in the rear view mirror or a z06 or Gtr or even some of the larger sedan-- they are fine cars . But they are not what legends are made of in my heart . You have to decide for yourself what the car means to you and whichever you choose --I wish you the best.

 

Sometimes I think the same thing. It's a good thing they're making powerful cars affordable. I remember in 2000 the 996TT was the performance car to die for, and it was so expensive ! It was either that or a 360Modena. Now the enthusiast can have very powerful and capable cars at better prices. It's called progress. But still, every time I floor my Stage IV Turbo, makes a believer out of me again and again. So it's a keeper.

 

I totaly agree with you,the 996/997t are not in the same level as previous turbos when comparing with its natural competition.
Imo that is a result of the fact that Porsche got more commercial diversifying its model range(more 911 variants +other models not to mention a suv???) and the fact is that Porsche got closer to other manufaturers,not the the rest of the field closing up...
Getting more commercial resulted also in less R+D on the real sport edge of the cars and has soften the 911t charecter and performance,see for example how Porsche struggles to get anything to resemble an F1 e gear for years now,while Ferrari and Lambo already forgot when they first featured that gear option while Porsche uses Audi/VW stuff.

Saying all that i remain convinced that the 911 is the best platform for a sports car-after trying in the last years the competition offerings(lambo,ferrari,aston)and hence turned to Ruf in order to have a 911 like it should be!

 

I completely agree with you on. Now you're pretty much required to get ecu reflash just to keep up with the competition. I don't think Porsche owners used to modify their cars as much as they do now, because they could beat almost any car stock. This is certainly not the case nowadays.

 

Competition is a price driver my friend
when the market offers many products to chose from, so you are no longer left with only 1-2 options and forced to pay a price you are not to happy with.

They offer differetn things example one can carry more people. one is more comfy, other is faster at high ways. One is awd while other i rear etc

you should be happy you can pick what you like the most or at least have a 2,3,4 options if the rest do not match what you are after

 

Actually the DSG/PDK's technology was developed by Porsche and Audi/VW, Mitsubishi, even the all mighty GTR has to pay Porsche to get to use this fabulous patented technology. Another thing is, with Porsche consider purchasing the majority of VAG share, Porsche will own Lamborghini, Bugatti, Bentley, Audi, etc. But at the end Porsche can't have it both ways, either they stay the way they used to be (pre 996, cayenne, cayman, boxter) or like the way they are now, most profitable car manufacture in the world acquiring one of the largest auto maker in the world. I have to give major kudos to Porsche's accomplishments in the recent years! IMO, the 911 is still THE BEST sport car ever made and ever will be made.

 

Its competitors are the GTR, Z06, Viper Coupe, F430, R8 and forthcoming Gallardo LP560 and Lexus LF-A.

 

Competitors, none. Those who want a 911 turbo want a 911 turbo. Porsche addicts crave each new model. I do not think a 911 turbo driver is going to be a Vette driver etc.

Not the Porsche turbo buyers I know. . .

 

you may want to examine your driving skills if you have any problems with beating m5 or m6.my last car was a w211 e55 and i never lost to either one and my 997 turbo is way faster than the benz.

 

m6 is a beast from a roll after 75 85 mph to factory limit. In same vein in my m6 i haven't had problem shaking most cars, including 996 tt with reflash and exhaust when rolling.

the redline is unreal and the car charges right through the gears.

 

Not to single out this comment, but I think this is a real misconception amongst 997TT owners (and those who pose as such) on this forum. In reality, very few high end/supercar owners modify their vehicles either cosmetically or mechanically. In fact, only the most hardcore 2-5% actually do so. It just so happens that many of that 2-5% frequent this board and those like it. Since I purchased my 997TT back in November, I have met 20-25 other 997TT owners in my area and not a single one of them has even considered modifying their car from stock. Most don't even consider getting wheels. When you visit this forum, it starts to feel like everyone who owns a Turbo immediately takes it to Techart, Fabspeed or GMG and gets a new exhaust and ECU. But in reality, this forum is frequented by that very small percentage of extreme enthusiasts who are interested in such modifications enough to pull the trigger and do it. And if that is what makes you happy, I think it's great. Yet, I know from experience that the majority of supercar owners are not interested in aftermarket work at all and of those that are, only a fraction of them ever actually have anything done. My main source for forming this opinion (who will remain nameless) are two people who happen to own two of the largest modification outfits in the world. They are personal friends of mine and totally back up my opinion on this. And let's not forget, of the modification stories told on this board, the majority of them are done in people's bedrooms at night with the lights off as they doze off in a drunken stuper. In other words, they exist only the in the realm of fantasy.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy modifying cars. My MB SLK55 AMG has every conceivable mofidication you can imagine - over 50 total on the car both cosmetic and performance. In fact - I am embarassed to admit - I spent more money modifying the car than the base car cost me. And there is a simple reason why: I WANTED A BETTER CAR THAN I COULD AFFORD AT THE TIME. If I had been smart, I would have taken the money I spent on mods over that time and put it into a fund to buy a 997TT or a Ferrrari, Lambo or Aston. I let my relationship with those who own and run these companies influence me beyond the realm of good sense. Do I love my modified SLK? Hell yeah! But did I spend 2 years pissing money away that I will never recoup on resale? Hell yeah! Would I do it all over again? Absolutely not. I would have saved that money and simply gotten a better base car down the road. Now I have my 997TT and it is everything I could have hoped for. But there are always going to be better cars out there. Rather than soup up your Turbo to keep pace, save that money until you can get a more exclusive automobile. My ultimate dream is to own a Ferrari Enzo. I am a long way from it. But every penny counts!

I understand the modification bug and the uniqueness it brings to the car as well as anyone here. But we have to remember that those who modify their cars - especially performance modifications - are a very small percantage of the 997TT owner pool. I have decided not to modify my 997TT. It is powerful enough as it is. Any money I would pour into modifications is going straight into my Ferrari Enzo fund.

Just my opinion.

 

I couldn't disagree more. I have never considered purchasing a GTR, ZO6, or Viper.

I would agree the F430 (and F430 replacement) competes with the 997TT.

 

I don't really think the GTR is Porsche competition. There is no allure to a plastic japanese car, no matter how fast it is.

 

The F430 may compete in terms of performance, but not as a market competitor. The price ranges are just too different. The F430 is simply much more exclusive. You could nearly buy 2 well equipped 997TTs for what a 2006-2007 F430 runs. Even a 2005 coupe with less than 5K miles will run you $250K (closer to $300K for the spyder version). The last 2007 F430 spyder I saw for sale had 1800 miles on it and sold for $347K - the day it became available! Our 997TT may be faster, but it simply can't touch the Ferrari mystique or cache.

IMHO, Ferrari has no competition.**

**except in F1 where McLaren and Lewis Hamilton is going to kick its Scuderia off the track