To me it seems there is no salt involved
Several have stated there is no change still unable to convince you.
So here goes. PET file Porsche of front axle and front body. One part nr only for 997TT 07-09, same everything. As has been stated numerous times there is no difference between 07-09 beside PCM/electronics. Therefore, if you really want the Mezger engine I would not limit my search to '09 only. I used to do the same and thought of 07/08 as a no go. Couldn't find the '09 I really wanted so expanded my search and now I am lucky to have found an '08 in a dream spec. Love the car and would only sell if a perfect 'dream spec' '09 came along. But frankly doubt it as the PCM difference isn't worth it to me anyway, I find the PCM 2.1 a decent system. The only thing I do not like is the vulcan grey finish but I am going to change that over winter in satin black.

 

Thanks. So, based on that, the correct conclusion is that the front wheel drive system require a separate box to house the electronics that could otherwise have fit under the plastic in a rear wheel drive car. When they improved the PCM system, they found room for the electronics regardless of the drive system. The right explanation?
Anyway, I'm tempted by the benefit of the extra space and the PCM, but I would agree with you that an aerokit '08 or '07 in a nice color with deviated stitching or the like would overcome those the pluses of an '09.
I have no doubt the '10 is probably a better car. For me, wanting a 6 speed, an '07-09 will probably be a good choice.

 

EXACTLY what I think would happen to me!
Basically had the same feelings when I owned an SMG M3...

 

Just so I can understand, could you point out the 'seperate box' on the attached picture please. This is an '07 car and I see no 'box'.
I am beginning to believe you are talking about the optional CD changer.

 

^ all of this, right here, x2.

Love SMGII in my M3 (highly underrated, it was ahead of it's time). I think I used Launch Control on it a total of maybe 6 times, though. How often are you really going to be dropping the hammer from a stop in your PDK? Hopefully not that often. Most of your daily drive is spent in motion, so the advantages of dialing in instant shifts with a paddle are less important.

It's a tough call as there are pros and cons to both models, but you can't go wrong with either the .1 or the .2

 

I have 2007 997TT, exhaust+ chip, rolling-roaded by 19C at 570hp and 550 torques.
It is manual. I love manuals, always had manual gearboxes in my cars.

When I drive in Swiss Alps, steep climbs with hairpins, I always think that at that point PDK would make sense. The reason is - I have stock clutch, it is long and not particularly fast (I feel it "grabbing" when I depress it (as quickly as I can) at high rpms), and the car loses too much speed while I am changing gears (I am just a regular driver, no track experience, no race experience), and in the mountains I clearly notice that Turbo is heavy and pretty much dead below 3000 rpms.

I think in mountains, with PDK's quick shifts (I mean manual shifts with the paddles, of course), the driving would be much more exciting.
On the flat road the 6spd is fantastic and the car hides its weight very well. Most of my driving is city (with incline starts from red lights, but I have never stalled the car yet). But the occasional spirited drive in the mountains always brings the thoughts of PDK...

Incidentally, could anyone tell me how much torque the stock clutch can handle? The whole clutch assembly (including flywheel) was changed just before I bought the car (the original clutch lasted 38k with tuning from day one, and new clutch has 8k on it, of which 6k are mine), it was expensive. I must admit I am not pushing the car to the limit in the mountains, as I am afraid to kill the clutch.

 

Impossible to confirm from your pic, but that doesn't look like an '07 turbo. It could be an '07 C2 or C2S.
If you have the optional CD changer in an '07-08 turbo, you have TWO boxes! I feel like I'm arguing about the "box" topic, but I'm just curious about why it's there and find it interesting that when they revised the electronics in '09 they were able to remove it.

No question PDK is better on the track. I drove a 911S on the track and recently even the 991S. You just focus so much more on the apexes. On the street, it's just more fun to rev match downshifts on your own.

 

The picture is from my own (now sold) 997 turbo 2007( Nav is standard on the turbo). I am out of here, too much twilight zone moments going on. Over and out.

 

You can't go wrong with either car; I have driven both and love both. A few notes though:

997.2: Not mentioned so far is the AWD revision of 2010/997.2 (in electronic programming: more rearward bias, less abrupt transition between 2wd and 4wd). 997.2 also has revised PASM (997.1 Sport setting is way too stiff, a design flaw that was corrected in 997.2). That said, assuming you are a "sporting man" LOL, you *will* need to replace with Bilstein or whatever for both 997.1 and 997.2, then this advantage of PASM gen 2 of 997.2 is canceled. Despite of all these "improvements" and the electronic aids such as torque vectoring, etc., the 997.2 Turbo is *still* a very soft car and boring car suspension wise, still with a lot of body roll in curves, etc.

AWD: Whoever that salesman that tells you about the AWD revision between 2008 and 2009, fire him. There *is* a revision between 2009 and 2010 in the AWD ECU to make 2010 more rearward biased as mentioned above, but none between 2008 and 2009, and AFAIK, the revision is in the software/ECU, not a physical change. Maybe that's what the salesman is confused about.

PDK: No question that it is faster and as mentioned by someone previously: no drop of boost between gear shift, making driving on canyon roads a fantastic experience. That said, if you are a "manual man" all your life, switching to PDK could be one of the costliest mistakes you ever make. Some love it, but for others the word "boring" has been used in the description more than once. No right or wrong, just personal preference; keep in mind my perspective as a long term owner of the Turbo: straightline acceleration is but one part of the driving experience and the novelty may not compensate for the fun of shifting, depending on who you are.

2009 Turbo: IMHO, 2009 is indeed the sweet spot of all 997 Turbo, it is the only Turbo ever with both of these: new PCM and Mezger engine. Congrats. This 2009 Turbo would be my top choce too, all things considered.

 

Adding your quote here to thank you for the detailed and reasoned response. I'm sure the PDK would be nice, but the biggest thing I miss about my M3 is the quality of shifting I had in my 997S. I really look forward to getting that feeling back. If I were a regular track guy, I think I'd enjoy PDK more, but indeed, I think I would get tired of it.

I think I "convinced" the salesman that the '09 axle changed! (A salesman will agree with the customer on ANYTHING to make a sale). Crap, I don't know what the box is, I only know the elimination in '09 makes for a little more useable space in the 4wd 911. If it is electronics and related to the PCM change, it is also possible that ROW cars didn't have it and was a necessary addition for US only (to my Belgian friend 993S). I've seen pics of plenty of cars with CD changers - there are 2 boxes in the trunk.

Thanks for the recommendations!

 

As I posted once before, here's a pic from the front end of a 2008 TT with navigation, no 6 CD changer...and it looks just like my 08 TT. The "box" has two contiguous parts with the one on the right side (driver's side) being the navigation - the top portion is the Nav DVD slot. The portion on the left I don't know other than it looks electronic. I've seen pictures of the 2009 TT front with no "boxes" - I assumed that most, if not all, 2009 TT's are configured with Nav and again just assumed that the Nav box and the other electronic box have been moved somewhere else. The second picture is from an 09 TT with Nav...as you can see, no boxes.

 

Exactly. I suppose its possible that this is the nav unit on 4wd cars, so a turbo WITHOUT nav might not have the box. I can tell you that '07-08 cars WITH nav, but only 2WD do not have a box.

 

This really answers it actually. It is only funny that the nav could fit in the upper part of the trunk area on a 2wd car, but needed to be relocated into the well on a 4wd car - for the '07-08 cars.

 

Je suis d`accord.

Still the turbo comes with Haldex 4th generation (5th is expected 2013 for VW).
It is quite simple to change/tune the software for your needs, if you wish.

 

If money allows I would go with a 09+ manual transmission turbo.
Like some of the members above me, PDK compared to manual transmission is black and white to me.

A turbo is insanely fast with PDK or with manual. For me it's not really a question of sheer speed or 0-60. I enjoy the manual transmission for the enjoyment and involvement in the driving, even if it's a little slower.