After stalking these forums for over a good year now, I decided now would be a good time to make a post. I am on the verge of walking into a dealer and placing an order for something. I have a relatively good idea of what I want (Porsche Configurator = awesome) but I just wanted to see what some more knowledgeable people think would be most appropriate for my situation. My price range is around 100-110k, but further convincing could stretch it a bit more. I'm not too interested in used cars.

The first criterion is that the car remain elegant, yet visceral, and can turn into a beast instantly. I know this is pretty much what defines a Porsche, but it's what I really want, and what has helped me make color choices etc.

The car will be my only car, so it must be comfortable and PDK for me is pretty much a no brainer. It will also be driven across country, mostly from Houston to the Rockies. I don't really intend on driving it up there during the winter, however.

I am not afraid of really speccing this thing up, and am more than willing to pay for them.

I have to say, that this forum is AMAZING. The amount of information on here is like nothing I have ever seen for such a specific topic. I trully appreciate your time, feel free to ask questions, make comments about my idiocy etc.

 

Hi Majestyk,

You've come to the right place. Most of these guys know models, options, deals etc very well and you'll probably get an avalanche of advice.

Having bought my first 911 (ok - 997) 7 months ago after many other cars before one thing I'm glad I did was keep it simple. As you say virtually any 997 will be elegant, visceral and turn into a beast when you want it to so you don't need something fancy or heavily optioned to acheive that.

For me one thing I did do wrong was go for a non-S which as you can see I am now rectifying. However in the 09 cars the differences between a non-S and a S are less than in previous years, and they've moved many of the creature comforts years on with this update across the board. The PCM is way better, Nav and bluetooth likewise and so on. The S still has PASM as standard, and better brakes etc but the base cars are more than adequate in both those areas.

In terms of options I'd treat this like you would any other car purchase and just choose the ones that make sense to you. If you drive it every day and use the phone, get the bluetooth kit. If you listen to alot of music get the universal audio interface, etc etc. None of those things will change the way the car feels or goes. You'll enjoy it regardless.

 

Welcome!

It will probably be easiest if you post the config you have so far from Porsche configurator and we can make suggestions from there..

 

Alrighty. I have personally narrowed it down to either a Carrera S, or perhaps (depending on financials/ what you guys say) a GT3. The GT3 would pretty much be the base car, with navigation.

Here is what I am thinking for the Carrera S:

19" Sport Design Wheel
Sand Beige interior
Aqua Blue Metallic exterior
Dynamic Cornering
Park Assist
Self Dimming mirrors
PDK
PASM Sport
Sport Chrono Plus
Sport Exhaust
Adaptive Sport Seats
Porsche crest in headrests
Carbon Package
BOSE
Multifunction Carbon steering wheel

Some of these things might later get removed as "unnecessary", but for plugging into my financial spreadsheet, it gives me a ballpark number for what the car is going to cost.

Thanks guys!

 

Without trying to sound trite have you driven a car with these options? For things like the PASM sport and the Sports Exhaust suggest you try before buy as they're not things you can "switch off" on those long drives from across country.

 

It was my belief, from reading some of the literature available, that the Sports Exhaust had a switch in the cabin, where if activated the exhaust would be much louder, but if left alone, would maintain the same loudness as a regular 911 w/o the exhaust.

Regarding the PASM sport, I have a buddy I work with who has let me have a go with his car once or twice that has this feature. I have to say, not only does it make the car look a little bit better, but I don't mind the feeling of the car at all. Along I-10, the ride comfort is fine. What concerned me primarily on the long haul trips were the seats.

 

Much of this is personal taste . I look at this and save money in some areas but spend more in others . First the natural brown leather looks amazing on the aqua . (I may even have a pic if I look hard enough.) It's more expensive than beige I think . Carbon package isn't cheap .. count on spending money . I prefer the idea of select carbon bits and a Techart Carbon steering wheel (Blows away OEM) . Also there are so many amazing spoje wheels .. why get sport design , The HRE P43 and Champion RS171 come to mind instantly. They are lighter , stronger , and better built than the cast OEM wheels . There are some stitching options that Camhabib might know as he ordered them on his car. Park assist changes the idea of ever replacing the bumper and looks odd to me on a sports car.

 

Majestyk, welcome to the forum. As I'm sure you already know, this place has a ton of helpful people who are more then happy to lend a hand. I just went through this process a few days ago for a custom order MY2010 C4S. A few tips and suggestions:

If you're looking for a car sooner rather then later, act quick. It took me dozens of calls, several pleas for help, and the soonest I could find was a car that would be delivered in October on the other side of the country (I'm in New England, dealership is in Cali). If you found a dealer that has an allocation for a car that you want, great, if not, start looking early on.

As yarrlis pointed out, 99% of options are personal preference. The great thing about these cars is, fully loaded or base, the car is what it is. Adding all sorts of sensors and fancy leathers and what not does personalize and suit the car to your particular tastes, but in the end, it's still a 911. I'm a firm believer that you should do it right the firs time so you're not trying to fix your mistakes later - however, options add up quickly and can easily overwhelm.

That said, I personally went with a full carbon and natural grey interior. Natural leathers are a higher quality then others and the carbon I think looks great. Contrast stitching for the entire car will set you back ~$3k, but if done in a lighter color can easily begin to look dirty over time. Most unnecessary option (which I got anyways) are the PCCB's. Make sure to sit in all the seats, as they are not cheap to replace if you change your mind later (and often impossible if they're done in a special leather). My biggest suggestion would be to visit a bunch of dealerships and sit in as many cars as you can. Figure out what little things you like and don't like. Make sure to pay attention to the small details, like side skirts, etc, as they can easily add up and really clean up the look of the car. If you look around a bit I'm sure you can find a copy of the order guide, which will detail ALL of the options and their respective codes (there is a lot that isn't in the online configurator).

Best of luck with the process, and most importantly, enjoy it.

 

Cool - sounds good. As the others say, the rest is personal preference.

 

Just a couple of comments. My tastes may or may not represent yours or the norm so take this literally as simply my opinion:
1. When it comes to 911's, simplicity and performance really rule. I have a very basic set of factory options in my car - minimal factory luxury, comfort or appearance options. Base seats and audio, no upgraded interior trim or added leather. Despite it, or perhaps because of it, I don't feel like I'm missing anything. Well, maybe a few things. I wish I had better seats. Next time I'll pay whatever it takes to get the best I can. The stock ones are not bad but seats are part of the driving experience. The new folding sport/CF seats, though pricey, seem excellent. I also swapped the stock steering wheel. For a sports car, it's really terrible. But I've swapped out the stock wheel on a number of my cars. Very picky about those. And I decided to add GPS to my car. I simply have a terrible sense of direction and I didn't want to stare at an aftermarket model. But I don't miss the Bose, or leather, or carbon, or crests, or stitching. And though I added an integrated bluetooth with iPod, I rarely turn on the audio system except for phone calls since CA law requires something. But the engine sounds better than iTunes. That said, I have added a number of aftermarket modifications. But most are focused on improved performance and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend going in that direction.
Regarding the GT3, I'd be concerned about selecting it as your only car. There are frequent debates on this forum as to whether a GT3 is suitable as a daily drive (DD). The votes seem to indicate that it can, but that's a few steps short of it being your only driver. That, coupled with the long distance driving that you outlined would make the GT3 a questionable selection. That said, it is an unbelievable car and from what I read, the .2 is even better. It is the only car I'd give up my cab for, but I also have a Prius for DD'ing.
Though the base 997.2 has improved, so has the 997.2S model. I would strongly recommend selecting the 997S over the 997. Bigger engine and tires. Sportier driving. A bit more power - even more useful when you are driving at elevation. I would absolutely recommend fewer options on an 'S' than the reverse.
Regarding the non-performance options, other than my 'less is more' comments, they are totally personal and subjective. No comment.
Best of luck on the purchase. Owning a Porsche is an ongoing love affair. You will never look back.

 

No bluetooth and XM? If you want comfort and convenience these are a must in my book. Also you stated you will travel cross country, then the NAV is a no brainer too. Keep in mind XM and NAV retrofit is not possible at this time so if you need them in the future you maybe out of luck. Regarding the seats, I am 5'7'' and weight 165 LBs, I sat in both sport and comfort seats. I fit perfectly in both but the sport seat it felt a bit firmer than comfort seat. I went with the adaptive comfort seats for the long trip to Toronto. For my body size the comfort seats keep me planted in my seat very well when I take the corner. I also got full interior leather with deviating stitching. This is personal preference of course because I wanted a full leather interior.

John

 

I'm with Verde on this...if resale isn't at all going to be a consideration and you have the finances then knock yourself out. Just keep in mind if you ever get to the point you want to sell the options (most of them) have little or no resale value. People want the car and don't care so much about the options. It seems the only options that make a difference on resale is the Nav and Bose and maybe a few more. I see 07 997S's that MSRP'd for 100k only to be sold for $60k while a stripper that MSRP'd for $89k sell for $56K. Something to consider..

If I ever get a new one again..I would limit to Sport Pasm, sport seats and bluetooth..that's it. Forget the Bose and Nav...although the 997.2 Nav is much better than the .1 Nav. The 997.1 Nav is pretty much useless.

Dave

 

The people who make up this forum are very knowlegable and will be able to give you first hand advice as most have owned 1 porsche..and yrralis1 is on what...#8 or #9?

Since I just sold my 06 and am looking a for a new fix...here are my thoughts on your options...but it's your $$ so spend how you would like but remember that an over optioned car come resale time can be painful.

19" Sport Design Wheel-
Sand Beige interior
Aqua Blue Metallic exterior
Dynamic Cornering - Not a must have
Park Assist - Had this and I did like..because of the wife
Self Dimming mirrors - Didn't have and wished I did, most get this
PDK - Shfts are incredible,
PASM Sport -Must have
Sport Chrono Plus - MUST MUST HAVE, It's what makes PDK
Sport Exhaust - Nice but $$, better after markets out there
but it is cool to be able to turn on/off
Adaptive Sport Seats - If your a big guy, you won't fit if you have these
Porsche crest in headrests- Sure...why not
Carbon Package -Looks great but not worth it IMHO
BOSE -YES if your not going after market
Multifunction Carbon steering wheel- If your going blueTooth and going to use your phone...I'd think about it.

Not that it's important to me but XM radio/ipod interface/Nav is one of the "new" changes for these cars..from a resale standpoint I'd get..Full Leather makes the interior of car IMHO.

Welcome to the disease...it's terminal

 

Hey thanks alot for the comments and suggestions guys.

I guess I have one more question:

If I decided to go for the full leather interior, which doesnt sound like too bad of an idea -- what is the difference between the Special Leather and the Natural/Special Leather? I believe someone mentioned that the natural was just generally a higher quality, so what does that make the special leather?

Thanks!

 

Not 100% sure, but special leather is anything, color or quality wise, that it outside of the normal. "Special leather" includes the naturals if I'm not mistaken. The natural is a higher quality then the remainder of the special leathers however. As it was described to me, the dying process is different, as the regular leathers have the color "painted" on in a way, while the natural leathers are dyed through and through. Hope that helps.