997 Carrera & Carrera S (esp. '05-'07)

[shokwaves]

Originally Posted by Exigent

I'm trading my Exige for a Certified '06 Carrera S (8k miles) tomorrow. I feel sick and excited at the same time.

The MINI Cooper S left last month.
The Lotus is leaving tomorrow.
and the Land Rover is going sometime before May.

All the Brits are being thrown out.
& 3 cars should be enough.

You'll be sick happy about the torque that pulls all the way to 8K. Easy to do 180 mph in no time, the brakes are insane, super stable in the turns and confortable. You'll service it once a year, if that. Do the oil changes yourself. Congratulations!!!

[shokwaves]

Originally Posted by mjf

Interesting. The Porsche won on that track by 0.1 of a second, though it looked really close on camera, beat it by inches. The question is though, with a price difference of 20,000 pounds (approx $30,000) you have to wonder if it was worth it. Seems what you're really buying for the extra cash is creature comforts, not extra performance.

That said, I think it's a beautiful car.

That's at the track, but as a daily performance car, this is far superior than the Lotus. The Lotus is owesome to connect with the road, but the comfort level is really compromised, specially if you have performance mods. I could not take passengers in the Lotus and have any conversation without almost screaming. Good and bad on both, pricey Porsche, but good quality & performance for 3300 lbs.

[dma550]

Very nice, yeah, this may be my path too. My elise is a single person vehicle, might as well be center seat I can take one son, but the other is really unhappy about it, as is my wife if she has to follow us!

I had an 84 Carrera I had put 4 point belts in the back of (seat bus restraints). It was cool to be able to take the whole family out.

[gmendoza]

What about about a 996TT vs a 997S. What would you choose and why?

[Chris D.]

Nice choice.

[James A]

I had a Super 7 and Elise, kept the Super 7 as it was way more fun than the
Elise and bought a 997 GT3 which is just a blast on the track. Acceleration, braking, top end, and get ready for this one steering feel are just better than the Elise. I can accept it is just me, but the GT3 just feels so much more stable in corners and more confidence inspiring.
This is the first P car I have owned after many different Lotus models over the years.
Please no need to flame, just my opinion.

[AgentTripleX]

Great cars. I especially enjoy the 997S.

[elisesile]

997S Coupe...daily driver, kid seats in the back, comfortable when you want, sporty when you want, decent respect from valets...very very hard to beat.

[thetoast]

That is an awesome color combo, Exigent. Congrats!

[RaceCarDriver]

Originally Posted by mcoupe

997 C2S got the turbo brakes (amazing).

996 C4S has the turbo brakes as well

[Exigent]

I had a good time today. I didn't have to work and it was sunny, low humidity, and mid-70s. I needed a new battery for my motorcycle & the dealer is close to an hour away. Since I couldn't go for a ride, I went for a drive.

So I took the 997S out to go get a battery for the 998S.

I am really enjoying the Porsche. I was on some backroads and on the highway for a bit. I hit some traffic coming back, but managed to have some fun. The car can deal with most anything that's thrown at it. I was comfortable, cool, and enjoyed some good tunes.

I even stopped to snap a few new photos.....

[Noisycow]

Damn, that is a very nice Porsche. Congrats.

[xtn]

Originally Posted by Exigent

So I took the 997S out to go get a battery for the 998S.

Now that is cool all by itself. I would work that into conversation whenever possible.

xtn

[Jbone]

Where is the best place to find one at a decent price?

[Exigent]

Originally Posted by Noisycow

Damn, that is a very nice Porsche. Congrats.

Thank you.

[Exigent]

Originally Posted by Jbone

Where is the best place to find one at a decent price?

I like buying used cars with a little manufacurers warranty remaining. It gives you a chance to get everything sorted and 100% without having to spend any money to fix unknowable issues. Therefore, I only considered newer cars with warranty (esp. Certified warranty).

I bought mine at the Lotus/Porsche dealer in Richmond, VA. I just got lucky ... although I don't think I really got a bargain. More importantly, I got the car I wanted in the color I like with the equipment I wanted. That's not always so easy when you're looking at used inventory.

I'd start with autotrader.com and narrow the search by year, mileage, and certified cars (or cars new enough as to still be under warranty).