When I got my C63, I really thought it was the pinnacle of what a fun car should be, and I looked forward to driving it every day.

Now that I've had my 911 for several weeks and put 1k miles on it, I really have to say that the 911 blows the C63 away overall. The C63 is a great sports sedan, but the 911 is real sports car and everything just feels right about it -- no gimmicks, just great pure design. Sadly, the C63 now feels somewhat inadequate.

That makes me wonder whether there's something else out there which is similarly even better than the 911. In other words, a possible future dream car.

I haven't driven a Ferrari, Lambo, or other exotic, but I'm sure some of you guys have, and some no doubt own them too. What do you guys think? Are there cars out there which truly surpass the 911? Or is the 911 instead really about as good as a sports car can be? Again, experiences of people who've actually driven such cars are what I'm asking about, not just reading about them.

 

Better than the 911? Ofcourse there are......in the same price range?
hell no !

Even if you leave money out of the equation.....I find all 911s kind of unique in that not many cars share the same engine layout/engine location/classic design. For example a 458 has countless rivals...lp560/mp4-12c/R8 v10/

From my experience(AMG performance tour at Yas marina circuit) , most of the AMG performance cars are not hardcore at all as they seem. Transmission overheating,Engine overheating, electrical problems(after sliding in water doing the skid pad), traction control is very restrictive.The cars included an SL63, E63, C63, S63, CL63 and SLS. I track my 911S at yas marina and dubai autodrome and thankfully had no issues in over 2 years. The SL63, E63 and even C63 couldn't complete 5 laps in a row without the transmission overheat message popping in each car. Ofcourse the only car out of the 5 that had no issues and was a dream to drive was the SLS. That car was fast,agile, stunning and had loads of traction as a result of the gearbox sitting on the rear axles. I loved everything about it....except the price tag....
Would i replace my 911 for an SLS in a heartbeat? Ofcourse.
Will it happen anytime soon ? Nope

 

If you are talking about the driving experience.

A 20k RACECAR, and I mean a real formula car, with 150 or 180hp, will blow your mind. Nothing compares to the benefits of low weight.

But in a street car, a porsche is your best bet when looking for that special equation between a sportcar and a luxury car, at a below 100k price.

 

I've driven a bunch of the AMG cars on the track and encountered the overheating problems as well. That was surprising since I've driven my C63 hard through more than 100 non-stop miles of mountain roads without any issues.

I agree that the SLS is the highest performance of the bunch, as it should be for the price, but I think I enjoy the driving experience of the 911S more. I guess I'd have to drive them back to back to know for sure.

My question was whether there are substantially better cars out there, regardless of price. In other words, if I drove a Ferrari or Lambo, would I say that they're much better than the 911, or just different? Comparing the 911 with my C63, I would say it's clearly better.

 

What if price isn't a factor?

 

i think there is no other sportscar that has grown to perfection like the 911.
it does everything brilliantly: sports, looks, quality, prestige, fun, value for money.
there are surely sportscars that are slightly better in one or the other department
but none of them combine all of those aspects in such perfect fashion.

 

No one has mentioned the ZR1 yet. It's not a car that I would want but a well optioned GTS would be in about the same price range as the ZR1. The ZR1 is a lot of bang for the buck.

 

Speaking of the ZR1:

http://www.streetfire.net/video/2012...ng_2266737.htm

Anyone have a similar track video for the 911, with all the instrumentation data shown?

 

Define "better". That's the trick imo.

I've been very fortunate and have been able to own almost everything out there. I sold a 911 to buy a Ferrari, sold the Ferrari and bought another 911. I sold that one to buy a Viper GTS, sold it and bought another 911. Sold that one to buy a Diablo, sold it and bought another 911. Now I have a 911 Turbo in the garage and I won't sell it. I just pick up whatever catches my eye and when I get tired of it I sell it. Now it's an Exige, next is a Z06 or ZR1, but the Turbo will stay. For me, the 911 is the best car out there for all around performance, driving on the street, or track. There are faster cars, there are cooler looking cars, but my interest in those always fade and end up back in a 911.

 

Good question. I guess my criteria are (a) having objectively high performance (lap times, grip limits, 0-60, stopping distance, etc.), (b) being subjectively fun to drive (involving, intuitive, thrilling, etc.), and (c) being comfortable enough for routine use (not restricted to track or weekend use). I'm not considering cost, storage space, prestige, etc.

Great to hear that you keep coming back to the 911!

 

This is such a subjective/emotionally charged question.

Lets compare two cars that are similar in price at the current time, the 2005 Carrera GT and a 2009 Ferrari Scuderia 16M. Both are about $300-350K depending on where you look. Both offer exhilarating performance, prestige, etc. So if one has to chose what does it come down to? Looks, emotion?

As much as I love my 911, I would love to have a Scud in my garage. It is just a personal choice. I have always loved Ferraris. That doesn't mean that the Scud is a better choice. It is really up to each person to decide what works for them. I don't know that you can say that any of the cars are "better" when you get into this category.

 

Out of curiosity, have you driven the Carrera GT or Ferrari? I'm interested how the driving experience compares with the 911.

I guess one of my motives of the thread is to eliminate, if possible, the thought that there are substantially "better" cars out there (not just different but on the same level), so that I can just enjoy my 911 and forget about one day maybe getting something else.

Having not driven any of those pricey exotics/supercars (other than the SLS), I'm not in a position to say that, but I'm having a hard time imagining that a car could be much better than my 911S. The only thing I think it lacks a bit is power, but I can forgive that.

Edit in bold.

 

What i meant was that i am willing to trade my Carrera S for the SLS , but if it was say a GT3 RS the i would chose it over the SLS.

 

Next summer, I'll certainly take a long look at the refreshed Audi R8 V10 that's supposed to be introduced. It has most of the advantages of a Porsche and adds exclusivity to the equation. Just not sure if I could leave Porsche, and not sure if I can stand being an object of attention on the roads.

 

Actually I have driven a few older models of Ferrari (512BB, 308, 348s). Each different in its own way. I guess the 348 was the closest to the 911. It was harder to drive than my 911 (it was also 13 years older). The handling didn't seem as precise as 911 (felt a little dead on center). It did seem faster 60 -130 mph.

Both cars tend to draw attention.

As far as maintenance costs, it is my understanding that the 348 is wicked expensive to maintain.

For everyday use I would take the 911 hands down. For a special weekend car maybe the 348.