Hi Guys,

it's me chocodip again!

I went test drive the new 997S cab tdy.....it's quite hard to make a decision now. Please help!!!! Both are a very good in stylin and powers!



please help!

chocodip

 

:v I drove both as well. The 997 is a great car but totally different than a SL55. The porsche is a true sports car while the SL is a tourer. To my tastes the SL is much more luxurious and better appointed than the Porsche. The Porsche is a little too spartan on the inside and it does have the canvas top. At that, the rag top is very well finished and almost as quiet as the coupe. Personally, I like the hard retractable roof much better than the cloth top.

Tough choice, good luck.

 

You need to decide how important a "driver's" car is to you. The SL55 is, most of all, the best GT, the best convertible, the best car for travelling long distances. As a driver's car though, it disappoints because it is a heavy car and because the messages back to the driver which keep you involved and interested are filtered out.

The 911 is the reverse, a driver focussed car which is much more involving to drive but it's hard riding and feels quite an old design. I much prefer the coupe styling to the cabriolet which has its inevitable compromises. Porsche sell cabs by the boat load though.

In my case, I have both, because they meet my different requirements with the Ferrari offering a still purer driving experience.

Given the choice of a single car, SL55 or 977S, I'd go for the SL55 every time.

 

I have the 996 and the 55. I use the 55 as an everyday car and the 996 as the "party" weekend car. A porsche was def. hard on my back to drive everyday. A sports car in the purest sense, if thats what you're looking for, go with the 997. If you want both luxury, speed, not the best handling, but you get the idea, the 55 is the way to go.

 

While they are very different cars (driving wise), I also was choosing between the two. The 997 is a true sportscar, while I liken the SL55 to a very sporty GT. Oddly for me, the decision came down to trunk space... I love the new 911's but I'm glad I went w/ the SL55. Can't have my golf clubs riding w/ me in the front seat on the way to the club.

~ Ian

 

That's as good a reason as any to choose between the two. Trunk space in the 911 is very poor, especially if you have a 4 wheel drive car (C4S, turbo).

 

This was the exact decision I came across a few weeks ago... I decided on the SL55 (as you can tell :-P)... The 997 just felt cheap, and wasn't that impressive. Handling wise it was great, but just very rudimentary feeling, with a harsh suspension and creaks and rattles (IN A NEW CAR w/ 30+ miles!!).

SL55 all the way.. No comparison.

 

I think the 911 is better than you suggest and it is much less expensive than the SL55 unless you go wild with the options. On the twisties, the 911 will leave the SL55 gasping but that will not be important to you if you never go there. The 911 will still be here long after the SL55 has been consigned to the history books.

 

The 911 is overrated IMO... I believe only a few drivers really know how to push the 911 to its limits and utilize its quirky handling (rear engine w/ snap oversteer). I used to have an M3, and drove countless iterations of the 911 (993, 996, 997) in both turbo, non turbo, gt2/gt3, 4s, cab, and non cab variations. Of all of those, not a single one impressed me. The ones that were 1-2 years old felt like the chassis's were shaken loose, the new ones just felt very barren. Handling was quick and very go-kart like, but no different from that of a Mini Cooper. Furthermore, the steering feel was precise, yet LOOSE at the same time, a very agitating condition. Brakes, although effective, are hard to modulate as they require lots of pressure. The steering ratio was also too slow on the old 996's. The regular 911 Carrera engine is just crap, especially when driven back to back w/ the exotic I-6 in the M3. No torque down low, and not as quick and responsive (of course comparing any 6 cylinder to that of the M3 is like comparing any watch to a Patek)... this is also a moot point if you are looking at a Twin Turbo iteration of the 911. However, I believe a M3 CSL (At the same price range as the 911 Carrera) is a much much better car--more refined, better feel, and handling, and also much easier to handle at the limits to both the average and experienced driver.

I think if two average drivers took a 911 and a SL55 up into the twisties the SL55 would leave the 911 in the dust because it takes a lot of ***** to throw the 911 into full 10/10'ths driving. Plus the SL55 is just infinitely faster when on the go. On the other hand, the 968 (Boxster) is an AWESOME car from porsche. I was infinitely more impressed by the new Boxster than the 911's i've driven. It's a shame that they (Porsche) put underpowered engines in it, because the chassis is just fundamentally better on that car. Mid engine = greater stability and faster rotation around the center axis.. You should know that, having a 355 :-)

 

Certainly, putting the engine in the middle reduces the polar moment of inertia and allows the car to charge direction more easily when you want to and spin like a top when you don't. I do know that, having a 355 :-)

The 911 is a dated design, no question, but taming the quirky handling is part of the appeal. If you compare cars of a comparable price, the 911 Turbo S has a higher power to weight ratio than the SL55 and is faster - the 911 is also more suited to track use if that's of interest.

The new Cayman will be interesting. A harder edged car than the Boxster with more powerful engines in a 911-look something alike-body.

Criticise Porsche all you like. You may not like the cars, but for every one who doesn't, there's many for whom it remains the most iconic car ever made and a must have. As one reviewer says here, if you can, then you must. As it happens, I'm off to visit the factory next week and circuits of the Weissach test track are all I need to convince me Porsche have a great deal to offer.

 

I agree with you, with some qualifications. I'm assuming that you're talking about two average owners of these vehicles, not the fiftyith-percentile driver in the entire driving population; that driver wouldn't know what to do with either car, and especially wouldn't be worried about the 911 at 10/10s, having no idea at all what trailing-thottle oversteer is.

So let's assume a driver with some, but not a lot of experience, maybe a track day here and there. Under those circumstances, I think which is the faster car/driver combination depends on just how twisty the road is. On roads that consist mainly of under-50-mph turns, the 911 should be faster. At those speeds, both cars will be traction-limited on turn exit. The rear weight bias of the 911 will allow the driver to use more power and exit the corners faster, even if he is slower on entry because of fear of oversteer. The 911 is prone to understeer on turn-in at low speeds if weight is not transferred to the front end, but even without proper weight transfer, the 911's understeer is damped by mid-corner, which is more where exit speed is detirmined, and which is where the SL55's low-speed understeer is the worst (I like much of the SL55's handling, but I don't like the sudden way the outside front wheel loses traction in low-speed corners.)

On high-speed sweepers, confidence in the SL55's handling will allow the driver to use more of the potential of the vehicle than in the case of the 911, and exit speeds will be more a function of power-to-weight ratio than of traction, allowing the SL55 to come out of the corner faster, and if you come out faster, you're almost always faster overall.

Caveats: I speak as a former owner of several 911s, including a 996, and a present SL55 owner. I have never driven a 911 with traction control, which should give a 911 driver more confidence. I have spun a 911 on a race course (turn 2 at Laguna Seca), but never on public roads. I'm talking about normally-aspirated 911s here.

Jim

 

It's funny because I hear this all the time from many Porsche and non porsche-philes. As a direct result of this, I went and test drove nearly a dozen porsche 911's before I purchased my SL.. Unfortunately, even though it is the iconic sports car for many, the 911 didn't appeal to me at all. I tried long and hard to like the porsche, because everyone else seems to, but decided in the end that I didn't. Felt like an inferior version of an M3 Competition to me
Probably tells you more about my driving skills than anything else :p

 

Well that's the point of choice; not everyone chooses to use my services against the competition which is fine. I daresay the same applies to you.

 

I think I'm an average driver, but the 911 IMO handles far better than the 55. I have alot of roundabouts where I live, and I can tear into them going 35-40pmh/hour where in my SL, I can only go 20-25. Also, at high speeds going into turns on the freeway, I can accelerate witht the 911 to turn 90-100pmh hour while in the SL, I slow down to take a turn on a freeway going no more than 80. My SL is also lowered 2" front and back, with 20's. Still IMO, the 911 would leave the 55 behind. Still like the 55 better though.

 

Yesterday, I was driven around Porsche's Weissach test track in first a 997S and then a 996 turbo by Porsche chassis development engineers. All the proof I need that the cars are real sports cars and handle so well. 140 mph down the back straight and a beautifully controlled stop with the yellow caliper ceramic brakes. Sorry, but the SL does not come close as a sports car, even though it is an outstanding GT.

 

That's just what it is, if not the best. No use comparing it to an orange since it's an apple. Else we could also compare it to a kitchen utensil.

 

I completely agree.. I'm just saying that to the average driver I think a SL55 might be of more use... 911's are difficult to manage if you're not an excellent driver.

 

AGREED 100%.

Though it's been a few years between my 996 and my SL55 (making the comparison a little distant), as a average driver I felt more confident with of the 911 in the turns and in precision cornering. Hell, I would say that my 350Z handled better than the SL55 in the twists... However neither car compares to my 55 overall...

~ Ian

 

Hi Chocodip,
I also had the same conflict between choosing which vehicle to order, SL55 or 997s Cab. After cautious research, I found that Porsche owners were much happier with their vehicles in regards to quality control and performance. Don't get me wrong, Im not speaking on behalf of all porsche or mb owners, but I noticed there were so many complaints with the malfunctions in their vehicles. I've also personally asked my friends who have owned and still own the SL55 and they too, were "frustrated" with the "serviceability and the frequency" of their $100k+ vehicle. At the end of it all, without test driving, I ordered the 997s Cab. Why you ask? I think SL is a car that is great to look at on the road, it's gorgeous. However, I prefer to drive a car that is really meant to be "driven". Anyhow, I should be getting it next week ^_^. If anything, you should consider what you like more.. "sports with speed" or "luxury and sporty looking". Hope this helps.Good luck! Let me know which car you chose (they are both cool cars).

 

I wouldn't call the SL55 "Sporty Looking" in any context... and the only thing that the 911 has over the SL55 as being 'more' of a sports car probably comes in the turns. 0-60, 1/4 mile, top speed are basically the same.

You won't hear too many complaints about the 997's because they've only been out for 6 months, so it only makes sense that you hear more complaints about the SL's.

~ Ian

 

What's the price delta for the cars that you are looking at? Are they comparable? I don't know the market value for a 2004 SL55, but I think the 911s Cabs are around 100k.

How many miles does the SL55 have?

 

if it helps i have a 2002 c4 cab that i will be returning the lease in favor to the new sl500, the decision came down to having a comfortable cruiser rather than a loud sports car which wont really reach its potential as a weekend ride (why waste the potential while the SL can give me its potential for being a comfortable Grand Tourer)