hey all..looking buy my very first 911. Need help with a couple of choices. Its going to be a 997 Cab 6 spd, just not sure if 2006 or 2007. Any major differences in those years? I wont be tracking it, so pretty much ruled out the S due the stiffer ride. I have test drove one 07 Carrera and liked it. Have seen some 06s at a good price. Suggestions? Thanks.

 

This forum and Rennlist are great source for info. A search, as I am sure other will mention, is all it takes. The 997 911's basically has versions, the 997.1 and 997.2. 997.1 is from 2005 to 2008. 06 and 07 don't have any differences as far as I know, but if there are, it's very minimal.

 

Don't rule out an S. The regular ride is not much different than a non-S and may be a little softer. The stiffer setting is sometimes better on bumpy roads because it seems to shorten shock travel.
19" wheels are stiffer but look better.

 

As Jim_f points out, the suspension stiffness is not so much a function of S vs non-S, it is more which suspension the car has. Very few cars have the sport suspension (-20mm lower than stock) so I won't address this here plus I have no experience with it despite thinking it would be a nice-to-have feature from a cosmetic point of view.

There are two major suspensions, PASM and non-PASM. PASM cars sit 10mm lower than non-PASM and have two different settings, Sport on or off. The broad consensus is that a PASM on Sport mode is the stiffest (of course), the non-PASM suspension is second, then the PASM suspension in non-Sport mode is the least stiff. In other words, you will get the least stiff suspension by getting a PASM car and using it in non-Sport mode. The forum has seen several complaints by folks with the standard non-PASM suspension that it is too stiff.

As he also mentioned, the tires on 18" wheels have more sidewall and also make the ride feel less stiff... if that concerns outweighs any desire you may (or may not) have to use 19" wheels and the narrower sidewall tires.

Edit: One last key is tire pressure. Many make the mistake of using a cold tire pressure of 37/44 front/rear. This is for a maximally loaded car. Many of us use something much lower. I use 33/37 which isn't uncommon and does a lot to make the ride more compliant. If you are test driving a car and it seems too stiff, check both the age and pressure of the tires. If they are inflated to the larger number and/or more than 4 years old that may explain the stiffness.

 

There are plenty of good solid cars out there and a few not so good ones. Be sure to get a PPI done including a DME report listing over revs to help you sort through them. Range 1 & 2 over revs are no big deal. Small counts in range 3 are OK. Range 4 and higher would worry me unless they were hundreds of hours ago.

Just be certain you do not fall in love with any one car until you see the PPI results. It's easy to overlook major flaws when you are in love. Solid PPI report? Buy it. If not, move on.

 

I drive my 08 cab S every day and the ride is not at all stiff, to me at least. I have never tracked the car and rarely put it in Sport mode, even stiffer, but still "drive it like I stole it" at times. I have almost 73k miles on the car and love it as much today as when I bought it. I focused on the S because of the lower stance and increased HP, could do without the "wart" though. Drive both before you decide but in the long run I think the S is the better choice.

 

PPi DME & your good, 2006 / 2007 same car

 

You have to get what is right for you. My brother-in-law wanted to get a 997.2 4S 6 speed coupe like the one we have. He was all talk and then bought a base 911 6 speed coupe and said the "S" just rode to rough for him. A complete misunderstanding of the car. Important to note he has never owned a Porsche before so he was unfamiliar with the features, options, etc. I imagine the S he drove had 19's and may have had the PASM switched on to firm up the car. All I know is our 4S with 19" factory turbo wheels ride soft and easy unless I turn on the PASM to firm it up. Then it rides firm and perfect for me.

Drive more than one car of the variant you seek to make sure you are getting what you want. I would hate for you to buy one type only to discover 3 months later you wished for another. Good luck in your hunt.

 

I agree with StormRune's comments on PASM. My old 996 C4S with 18" wheels had a much stiffer ride than my 997 with PASM and 19" wheels. With sport mode activated, the ride is quite stiff. With sport mode deactivated, the ride is quite comfortable.

 

Condition matters much. 06vs.07 does not matter since the cars are identical.Find the car/price/color/options that makes you want it, get a PPI, and do it. If the price is right and you aren't happy you should be able to sell it for about what you paid. If you are happy, nothing else matters.
I used this logic before buying my car last year. I had never thought of buying any 911 until 9/1. I had never owned a convertible and hadn't had a manual transmission in 20 years.On 9/28 I was flying to NYC to drive my new to me 06 C2S cab MT home. I am very happy.

 

I cannot believe the response to my thread. Thank you so much for all the input. It looks like the S is the way to go. I visited Champion Porsche in Pompano Beach Florida yesterday, and spoke to the service advisor. Like you guys, he suggested the S. When questioned about the years, he mentioned that 05/06 were part of the class action lawsuit. 07 and higher were not. Thanks once again for helping out a newbie.

 

I thought all 06 cars have the larger bearing. It is supposed to be very reliable.

 

This was due to the overlap into the very early 2006 models. Just check the engine number dot stamped label on the block. Also, I have not found an '06 reported with an IMS failure on the forums.

This is quoted many times on the IMS thread(s),

"Engine (3.6) number up to M96/05 69507475 has the older IMS bearing and Engine number from M96/05 69507476 has the larger revised IMS.

"S" engine (3.8) has designation "M97", also has both the older IMS and revised larger IMS bearing:

Engine (3.8) number up to M97/01 68509790 has the older IMS bearing and Engine number from M97/01 68509791 has the larger revised IMS."