Twins Vs 991 911

[krayzie]

Originally Posted by serialk11r

I haven't driven an older Porsche but the new Porsche steering is way overboosted at low speed even without the Power Steering Plus option. I hate how in the parking lot it takes no effort to turn the wheel, but then it tightens up (a little) at speed, which I can never get used to. A little bit of arm workout while driving is not a big deal, but I guess the typical Porsche buyer might as well be driving a fat S class Benz. The steering wheel is also way too big, which doesn't help.

I'm really surprised Porsche still comes with big steering wheels (I couldn't even get a fist gap between the steering wheel and my thigh in a 996) when they are including such speed sensitive steering like you described. Reminds me of the '89 Accord's speed sensitive steering, exact same behavior and feels artificial when it firms up at speeds. Honda sports compacts of that era had torque sensitive steering which felt firm all the time.

Looks like the answer is a Porsche Cayman GT4 or dare I say a 924 Carrera GT/GTS Clubsport.

[RustySocket]

Originally Posted by Turbowned

Be careful; spend too much money trying to make the BRZ like a Porsche and you could just as well buy one instead. The prices on 997.1's are very reasonable these days; ask me how I know The 991 is awesome and so are the 987 and 981 Caymans. I've had a chance to drive them all. Manual or PDK you really can't go wrong; I was a three-pedal purist up until I drove a PDK-equipped car. Not all dual-clutch cars are created equal, and the PDK gearbox truly shines on the track and off.

The Twins are great cars to drive and tweak ever-so-slightly, but too many mods gets to a level of diminishing returns quickly, at least I feel. Too many excellent performance cars on the second-hand market these days to justify heavily modifying a $25k car.

Having just come to the FRS from a Cayman S I will have to second this statement with this caveat:


While you can certainly purchase a very nice 987.2 in the mid 30k to low 40k range you will still have the maintenance costs associated with an 80k car. A couple set of rotors/pads, N spec tires and just routine maintenance and you can almost purchase a new FRS outright. If you neglect these things the value of the car drops significantly as Porsche buyers tend to be like pilots in the sense that they want to see detailed service records with everything being done on schedule. It can affect the value of the car by 10-15%


I'd encourage everyone who has the chance to own one of these wonderful autos at some point in their life, you don't have to have terribly deep pockets to make it happen but you need to be aware of what your getting in to at the same time.

[Re~Mix]

Originally Posted by RustySocket

I'd encourage everyone who has the chance to own one of these wonderful autos at some point in their life, you don't have to have terribly deep pockets to make it happen but you need to be aware of what your getting in to at the same time.

How much are we talking in yearly routine maintenance (tire, alignment, oil, inspections, etc.)? I am about a year out from a 987.2 purchase and trying to figure out the numbers game. I.e. car loan, insurance, gas, maintenance, emergency fund...

[Turbowned]

Originally Posted by Re~Mix

How much are we talking in yearly routine maintenance (tire, alignment, oil, inspections, etc.)? I am about a year out from a 987.2 purchase and trying to figure out the numbers game. I.e. car loan, insurance, gas, maintenance, emergency fund...

The insurance was marginally higher on my 911 vs. the BRZ; call it a couple hundred dollars/yr extra. I actually got a lower interest rate on my 911 than I did on my BRZ, thanks to one of my local credit unions; 1.74% vs. 2.24%. I average ~19mpg in my non-direct-injected 911 vs 25mpg in the BRZ. The DI Porsches get a couple MPG better.

Maintenance-wise these cars are pretty basic and generally very reliable. Oil change interval for the factory is actually 20k miles, though the experts say not to go that long. ~8-9qts of synthetic vs ~6 in the FR-S/BRZ. Tires and brakes are more expensive, obviously, but if you have aftermarket wheels/tires and/or brakes on your FR-S the costs are somewhat comparable. You can get a set of 235/295 Falken summer for under $800 shipped from discounttiredirect.com, but replacing the OE Michelins will set you back $1,300. The steel brake rotors are pretty reasonable, but cars with the optional PCCB (carbon ceramic) have a rotor replacement cost of... wait for it... $9,800!! So I'd avoid that.

You should definitely have an "oh-$#!t" fund of a few grand at least, and fully expect to use it, though you very well may not need to. 6speedonline and rennlist are great resources for information from owners.

[RustySocket]

My oshit was tires, the 40k service and a clutch job all within a year. The quote for the 40k service was what pushed me over the edge...

Overall it was the best quality car ive ever owned, and i agree that it is extremely reliable.

As long as you have 4-5k of free cash tucked away that wont financially destroy you if you need to use it you will be fine, short of a catastrophic failure which is practcally unheard of.

[dratom]

Originally Posted by RustySocket

...you will be fine, short of a catastrophic failure which is practcally unheard of.

Not to be a hater, but the class action suit lost by Porsche North America suggests otherwise. The later M96 engines have a catastrophic failure rate approaching 10%. The M97 is much improved, but not bullet proof by any stretch.

All that aside, my first (and only) experience with an M96 model Boxster S left me awestruck. Phenomenal engine. I wanted one.

But after months of research and 1000km of test driving a twin - I've decided that that Japanese made option is smarter for me.

Less car, but more usable and less likely to consume my spending money.

YMMV