New member here, been lurking a bit for the last few weeks.

I currently drive a 2011 535i Xdrive M-Sport, and I'm about halfway through the 3 year lease. It's been a great car for sitting in traffic commuting to work, but my office recently moved so my commute was cut from 15 miles (30-45+ min) each way to 2 (5-10 min). Despite being a very attractive and comfortable car, it's a little boring, and really doesn't get my blood flowing much for how expensive it is. I'm considering bailing on the lease (offering as a lease swap) and getting into a sports car. After a lot of research and reading, the 997 is the leading candidate. Thinking $40-50k, coupe, manual. Likely an 06-07ish. From what I can tell, these depreciate at a reasonable rate.

My wife is surprisingly somewhat open to the discussion, but her biggest concern is comfort. The 5er is incredibly comfortable as you can imagine, and really can't be beat for long car rides which we take a couple of times a year. We bought a 2012 X3 35i for her this year, and while it's a great car, it's not especially comfortable as the seats are a bit firm. After typing that I realize I sound like a pansy. Anyway, after telling her of my "scheme," she said she didn't think a 911 would be comfortable enough. I had an Infiniti G37S Coupe 6MT a few years ago and she thought it was very uncomfortable.

So 997 owners, how do you feel about long (7 hour+) car rides in your car? I realize many of you probably have a second, third, or seventh car to use for that anyway, but I'd be curious to get some opinions. Do the different seat options make a big difference?

I know I should probably just go test drive one with her, and I will, but at this point I'm still just at the (very important) internet stalking stage of this car relationship. The smart thing would be to finish my lease first, but I don't always follow my head when it comes to buying cars. I have done two lease swaps before and it's surprisingly easy.

Also this may be far fetched, but do you think I'd have any luck finding a 997 owner in Denver who would trade cars with me for a couple of days so I could give one a try? My 5er is very nice and of similar value, and is garaged at home and at work.

 

As my primary vehicle, I've put 18k miles on my 07 997.1 in the last year, multiple single day trips from SC to MI (11-12 hours) or SC to Chicago burbs (13-15 hours). The car does feel small after hour 10 but comfort wise, I haven't had any issues, no back pain, leg cramps etc...

The dealership in Denver should let you have an over night/extended test drive prior to purchasing.

 

Wow - now those are some long one-day drives! Did some more research, and it sounds like the adaptive seats would be best for someone my size (6'2" 195lb). Trying not to rule out too many options though as I'm guessing most don't have that seat type.

 

I believe I can give a good perspective on this as I went from a 335i to a 997 C2 close to a month ago. My quest to find a more 'exciting' ride were same as yours - 335i just got 'boring' after several years of driving (it was an automatic). I started looking at caymans, but those felt 'too raw' in my opinion and I was looking for something more laid back and hence went with a 2006 C2 after a year of searching.

First impression after the new car 'trembles' were off after a day or two is that the ride is completely different and takes some getting used to. Where as I could of been zoned out 95% of the time just 'steering' the 335i...the 997 demands your full on attention. Everything from clutch engagement, light steering (takes energy to make sure it goes straight on the freeway) and just the pure attachment to the road now where you feel the road more is realized every time even during a minute cruise. I thought that 'storage' would be an issue in the 997 but my recent costco trip proved me otherwise. You have adequate space under the hood and enough back seat space to throw in most shopping trips / weekend getaway clothes that you might need.

While I have not taken a longer (more than 1/2 hour one way) cruise in the 997 the overall seating position and ergonomics are EXCELLENT. The a/c system is phenomenal, way better than the 335i and almost gave my hands freezer burn by driving on the freeway once. Now the negative - the car has significantly more 'road noise'. Yes part of it is less insulation, part wider back tires, part louder engine/exhaust - but you have to Expect that if you are going to be going into a 'sports car'. It is in my opinion that the porsche makes a significantly worse 'grand tourer' than a 5 series...and if I ever need to take a few hour trip the local enterprise has RAV4s for $30 a day - so no point wearing down the Pcar.

If you cannot part with a quiet peaceful 'relaxing' ride of your 5 - the Porsche would not be the best candidate for you. Couple other small notices - gas mileage average for me is around 16 now (80% city) where as I was getting 19 in the 335. I had to take a compromise and where my bmw was fully loaded with every option I do not have the nav, ipod integration etc in the porsche. Bottom line is you have to weight the pros and cons of both cars and at the end of the day figure out if you can live with the porsche on daily basis and on longer trips. The porsche makes each drive feel way more 'alive' then before, and where the 335 was numbed down in every way, the porsche feels like it has a soul of its own - and that is what I was looking for more in a car. Yes the bmw was a phenomenal all around daily driver...but to me was neither here not there in terms of offering sports or luxury full on...it was just a great 'blend'. I felt the same way as you - it was an expensive car to keep if I wasnt enjoying it 100%.

I definitely adapted more to the 'negatives' that come with the car and am happy I made the decision to switch up each and every day I climb in. Please let me know if you have any more questions.

 

u said it.

u will be surprised at what is 'comfortable' to us vs ur wife

so asking us enthusiasts if the seats are comfortable enough for ur wife seems pointless.

take her to a Pdealer, drive her around.. and see if she falls in love with the drive, rather than the seats.

but if she is into luxury, it will be a hard sell.

good luck.

another idea is to get rid of the x3.. let her drive the comfy 535.. and u get the 997 !!

 

My 997 is a daily driver, and I've taken it on trips between LA and Vancouver doing up to 800 miles per day with no seat fatigue. The seats are extremely comfortable for long trips. Of more concern on long trips is the road noise, especially on coarse pavement. I've occasionally resorted to earplugs to reduce the noise on long trips involving coarse pavement (such as I-5 through Oregon and Washington).

 

I understand that pretty much any other car, especially a sports car, isn't going to be as comfortable as my 5. I'm just hoping to find some balance between comfort and enjoyment. I'd agree that the Cayman would be on the pure enjoyment side, I'm hoping the 911 is more livable as advertised. Most of my driving is going to be short drives to and from work, I just need to make sure it's OK for the occasional long trip. Sounds like plenty of folks use theirs for long trips without issue. The M3 is still a consideration, and might be a better middle ground.

You're right that I just need to get her to try one and see what she thinks. I bet I could let her drive it and get some excitement that way as well. The X3 is less than a year old and we're planning on keeping it for a long time, so little to no chance that goes. Funny, it's more fun to drive than my 5, and is faster 0-60 than a Cayenne S. The little thing moves.

I'll have to see how the road noise is for sure. My usual long drive is I-70 through CO and KS, which is pretty smooth.

Another question - I assume the non-S model would be a little more smooth than the more sporty S?

 

I did 20 hours straight (only stopping for gas, bio breaks, and a little food) in my '08 997S last year. No issues. I would have been equally fatigued in about anything. The car was rock solid the whole way.

 

I also went from a 335i coupe to a 997 (c4). I have power comfort seats and find them find for the long drives. The lumbar is good and adjustable. However, like socialpro I found the largest adjustment to be road noise. It's not bad compared to my previous 350z but the 335i is a very quiet car. I got used to it but still find it slightly intrusive when having conversation.

 

I had an 2005 M3 convertible and I used it for long drives quite a bit. I now have a 2007 Carrera 4s with adaptive sport seats and it is much more comfortable than the M3 ever was. I would get uncomfortable in the M3 seats in less than 3 hours. I have driven the Porsche for over 14 hours and I was still comfortable after all that time. It is not a luxury ride, but neither was the M3 and this car is far and away a better drive than the BMW ever was. Good luck with your decision.

 

I had both a 2003 M3 and 997S at the same time. M3 was comfy ergonomically but the suspension was very harsh, especially with the 19" forged wheels. The 997 is very absorbent over road irregularities. That's the difference. Of course your M3 had a more mellowed suspension than the first gen E46 M3.

 

My wife and I took delivery our 06 Carrera coupe in Florida in June and drove it back to Bismarck, 2600 miles. We also drove from here to Boise and back in July, about 2000 miles. The 911 rides pretty hard and is fairly noisy. We find the seats (standard seats) to be very comfortable, and the ergonomics and HVAC are excellent. I prefer it on a long trip to our Cayenne or our Saab 9-5, as long as it's just the two of us, and we don't have much stuff to take with us. Our first 911 at age 61, and enjoying every minute of it!

 

I'm more comfortable in my Carrera GTS over my gf's Lexus IS250. Only thing that might be uncomfortable is that you feel everything through the steering wheel if you ever have to drive over bad roads.

 

I believe the S with PASM in normal mode is smoother than the non-S but firmer in sport mode (the non-S's firmness being somewhere in between the two settings).

 

I have std 14-way electric seats, and they are the most comfortable seats i have owned. Have some lower back issues, and the lumbar support beats any I've had before.