Think what you want. I have both. If I really, really want to go fast I'll run my 'slightly' modified Z06. If I want my Porsche 'quality' I'll drive my 'slightly' modified Carrera S 997.2. Be advised, however, although I love my Pcar dearly, it will in no way hang with my ZO6 and it cost way, way more money. I'd have to have a TT to do that and that's way more $$$.

I love having both. They are purposed differently. But to be snobbish about a Porsche v. a Vette is shortighted IMHO.

 

I bet you are right, but that didn't make it any more fun for me.

 

Whats with the thinly veiled hatred for the Corvette? I aspire to own a Carrera GT one day but in the mean time their is a way to get supercar performance for the more frugal!

 

1999Porsche911

I challenge you to put your driving skills up against Viper ACR's and Vette Z06's ON THE TRACK. Then we'll see how humbled you feel unless you are truly a superb driver.

Since I own a modded Z06 and a modded Carrera S (and a Viper until recently) I think I should be allowed to give my impressions. I have run, numerous times Road Atlanta, Miller Motorsports, Sebring, and Texas World and I AutoX as well.

Although I truly love my Carrera S with PDK it will in no way perform for me the way the other 2 cars will on a road course. It would take a TT to be a match. I didn't buy my Carrera S to be the fastest car on the road - there's always someone faster. At one time I had a Corvette that was published in a Vette magazine and was reputed to be, if not the fastest, one of the fastest NA Vettes in the US. Big deal. If you can't drive it then it really doesn't matter and it was barely legal and really belonged only on the track.

For street use I'll take my Carrera S with PDK. Anyone who says they can shift a 6 speed faster is either boasting or is a professional driver. I'll go so far as to say that short of a built street racer the Carrera S PDK (with a few mods) will be hard to beat. However, if you like the gut wrenching torque that an American V8 or V10 can provide that's another story.

Quality is a subjective thing. My Carrera S is very nice and I would like to say that it's head and shoulders above my Z06 - but I can't. It's a bit nicer inside (I have the full leather upgraded interior in my Z06). Things like the adaptive sport seats and a little better fit and finish set my Porsche apart. Exterior fit and finish is close if you compare them side by side at the same time. Sadly to say, panel fit is really not much, if any, better on my Porsche. The paint on my Porsche is better but still has orange peel, which is really hard to tolerate on a $100k plus car.

Anyway, don't chalk it up to driving time in a Porsche. I've driven Porsches as well as other sports cars quite a lot. As I said, do yourself a favor before you make comments like you did and put your skills against the others ON THE TRACK and see how you fare.

I love my Porsche and probably won't ever be without one. But sooner or later, mother Porsche is going to have to step up to the table and provide more performance value for the dollar.

Griswald

 

+ 1 on the objective post, I think the Corvette has the heritage and the performance to be a consideration for even the most jaded of sports car enthusiast.

 

I certainly don't hate corvettes - not sure you were really referring to me, just happened to be after my post. I really wanted to love the Z06- it is American, which I would prefer, goes like stink, looks badass in black, red or jetstream blue, and I tend to like the feeling that I am getting the most possible for my money. If the steering was just a bit more communicative/confidence inspiring, the visibility were a little better, or the hood didn't seem to stretch out in front of you for another car length I'd probably be driving one right now. When the C7 comes out I'll definitely give it a look. However, for me the whole was not equal to the sum of the car's parts, if that makes any sense, at least in test driving it a few times.

 

Hopefully some of the mods will be insatalled soon.

 

Agree with the variety approach.

For me I try to enjoy performance and sports cars for what they are, not necessarily how they directly compare to others although that too is fun but in a positive way. I've gotten to know owners who swear by their type of car and degrade all others simply because it is not what they own, and they have never even driven the car. It's a blast to learn about a car from someone who loves theirs and can share the nuances and then take it out or go out for a ride in it.

 

I will agree the Corvette does have its nuances, one being steering feel but its something that they continue to improve. The cars are very neutral and oversteer is always easy to find even though the signal from the front tires is a little vague. For me I found the 996 Turbo a little to competent, it was fast but it didn't leave me that thought in the back of my head with the little bit of fear that I get from driving my heavily modified Vette.

 

I know that the Corvette gets the image of being the car for the gold chain wearing crowd but its a very competent sports car. Its not the best at everything, and it does not have the greatest interior but it is one of the best bang for the buck cars that have supercar performance that you can buy. Its not a flash in the pan either with legacy, heritage, and racing history that spans many decades. The Porsche is better at some of the things but of course its price reflects that.

 

I agree with you in virtually all respects. Having both a Carrera S 997.2 PDK car and a modded Z06 I find that they both have their good and bad points.

I just don't like seeing folks bash Vette owners as Porsche "wannabes" or stereotyping them as not being as good as Porsche owners. Those of us who can own these expensive cars are a privileged bunch. And with that privilege goes some responsibilities. Among them is being able to refrain from judging people based on what they drive.

Like probably most people on this forum I could drive most anything I want (with some exceptions, of course). However, in my case, I like to DRIVE my cars and I would be uncomfortable driving the extravagantly expensive cars on the street. Crap, think of the guy who put the Veyron in the marsh to avoid hitting a pelican! I'd have opted for a dead pelican!

I love my Carrera S because, unlike the 4S or TT, I can still throttle steer this car to a degree - not unlike a lot of the American rear drive cars. Not only is this fun but it is effective on the track. I love the TT as well and may opt to add one to my garage at some point soon but, honestly, at that point it will be a decision between a TT, a GT3, a ZR1 or a RS8/10. Or maybe even another ACR Viper. I'm an equal opportunity offender after all.

I can't see being without a Porsche but then I can't see being without a Vette or Viper either. All have their virtues and vices and all are a ton of fun to drive for various reasons. I will agree that the Porsche has somewhat better fit and finish but if you compare value for the dollar then the equation gets more complicated. Even though I can own a Porsche, and do, this is what makes me like the Vettes and Vipers as well.

So, don't judge a book by its cover! If you ever get the chance to spend some real seat time in any of these cars I urge you to do so. Forget any prejudices that you may have to one brand or another and leave your mind open to what is happening with the car and your abililty to drive and enjoy it. Then, make your own evaluation.

Griswald

 

I test drove a Corvette before buying my 997.1 (it's a cab, but I'm pretty sure it's still a sports car!). I've always loved the look of the Corvette, despite hearing the degrading stereotypes from the uninformed and would have preferred to buy american too and the latest version is visually spectacular.
But, having raced karts as a kid, I long ago fell in love with light accurate and connected steering. And high revving OHC engines feel better to me than pushrod designs.
So it really came down to preferences, not performance. The Corvette is an amazing car, enormous power, excellent handling and great braking. The interior of the car I drove was a bit tacky, but they have since improved and the Porsche is better but not remarkable.
For anyone endlessly defending the 997, it's worth noting that a Cayman S tied a 997 around the track in the latest C&D review, and both were far slower than a Corvette.

 

Is it really about which car is faster - or is that just a distraction offered as marketing? I mean if it were really about any of those "features", would we be here? This is an advert (and now I see at the top of this forum - probably the nature of WEB adverts seeking the topic at hand) - and you have to think about how marketeers think. The idea is to make you think a particular thing is important to you, when, in fact, it probably is not.

I still maintain that we are not the target market for that advert in general. Although, now thanks to "Ads by Google", there it is all the time.

I'm shooting for adverts for Coffins, Toothbrushes, Riding Lawnmowers, Breath Mints, Pantie Hose, Garden Hose, Micro Brews - lets see how I do...

 

Yeah, I was pretty ticked by that. My 103G 997.2 equaled by a car costing half as much. Porsche needs to separate these cars a bit more...don't you guys think?

 

Again 2 different cars. One car does not need to be better than the other in all kinds of tracks/tests.

I like and respect the Cayman but prefer the pendular design of the 911 and I do not care if the mid-engine is faster. For me, my choice of the sports car I drive is not a numbers game. Actually, I think that PAG should develop the mid-engine car in competition - nothing wrong with that.