AmgBoy

pbglas- Good point!

D-5- I apologive for my comment if it was in canadian dollars.

hllatif

First you start off by asking what would pick if u want 2 have fun car, then u say winters get pretty hard!!!! Well alow me my friend 2 say that NO CAR and I mean NO CAR is fun 2 drive in heavy winters (except 4 very very few 4x4s).

The Cayenne turbo is no doubt a powerful SUV, however its a 2 and a half ton SUV. Imagine driving a porsche turbo with X50 package (450hp) and trailing a full TON behind you!!!! Now u tell me, where is the fun in that??!!

As far as the comparison between the E55 and the TT, I say go 4 the TT. Why? Because I happen to own a w211 E55 and a 996 GT2, and I tell u NOTHING beats the porsche when it comes 2 pure fun driving. In so many ways its not a fair comparison, however if I had to choose between the 2, I would without hesitstion go 4 the TT .

bonte

lol, would have been nice to see... Where was the cop hiddden? Or did you just not see him/her when he was parked nect to the streeet?

W210

1. RS6 is not available in Canada.
2. Even with the TT, you would need winter tires.
3. TT's low clearance does not make it a practical winter call at all, even with winter tires.
4. How about getting the E55 plus a Subaru WRX or Audi S4 as your winter beater?

FInality

Also another point to consider is that the 996 is being replaced very very shortly buest guess for the 997 is 12 months from now.

Your car will depreciate like a rock. I strongly suggest you get a Cayenne Turbo especially since it fills all your requirement nicely.

ntguru

Do you have a link to info about the release of the 997? Last I had read I thought it was going to be an '06 model available in Q3 of '05.....

mbprince

I didn't see them, but they must have been close because after I'd driven 2 blocks there was one car in front of me and one behind me, blocking me front and rear!!!! Must have been in my blind spot. Probably parked under a tree eating donuts!!

FInality

No official word yet but from absolutely everything I can gather we are looking at a Carrera next september 2004 ie a 2005 model with the Turbo showing the usual lag of 2 years? ( I could be wrong on that part).

Look for your standard flat six upgraded to 3.8 liters with the Turbo pushing at least 450 bhp, I actually believe its going to be 500 just because of the ongoing horsepower wars.

There are already spy pics around so I suggest you keep an eye out for them. I was very tempted to buy a C2 a couple of weeks ago but the massive depreciation hit I would take is simply not worth the price of entry into the Porsche world.

For those wondering there are rumors of a flat 8 for the 998 due 4 years after the 997.

ntguru

I doubt any hit on a 996 would ever be more than the hit on any MB! On my '03 C32 I'm hearing *high 30's* for trade-in value. That is a 30% depreciation in LESS THAN ONE YEAR!

Traditionally, the previous generation of 911's hasn't been at all hurt by the introduction of new generation, although anything is always possible.

BlownV8

Go with the Porsche TT. You can drive the TT daily and many do because they are very well built cars. Heck, Porsche is at the very top of the JD Powers list this year. Mercedes has been falling for a while in quality. The TT will hold its value much better than the Mercedes. You can look at 911 turbo's from the 70's all the way through the current and they are still going for big money - that says alot about a make. In fact, I see many 1980's 911 turbo's going for more money than 210 E55's.

The new E55's are very fast but not nearly as nice as the new 996 TT's. The Mercedes is a great car but not nearly as well built as the Porsche nor will it be as fun to drive. The 996 TT is easily modified too. I love Mercedes but the 996 TT Porsche is in a whole other league.

BoBcanada

Can u drive 996TT in the winter?what you think? it's 4wheel drive right?

JLBMERC

Speaking to the choice btwn the E55 and the TT in general---since I don't know a thing about driving in snow or snow tires-- being from Houston---These are both great cars-but so very different. The Porsche is domesticated enough to be a daily driver, but owning both, I prefer the MB to be my daily driver. The Porsche is definitely more fun to drive, but the flip-side to that is it requires relatively more energy and concentration. The Merc offers effortless driving and is very comfortable---and more utility--four doors, greater interior and trunk space ---and BTW-- it is much less expensive than the Porsche. If I was going with one car, I would pick the E55 or even an RS6.

krm

Just because the 996TT has AWD and as much as the German engineers say it's capable of winter driving, you probably won't want to be piloting that car in wintry conditions. Assuming you are getting a new TT with a decent amount of options, for that price I would suggest you get an E55 and a STI, WRX Wagon (more utility), Evo, or a small SUV as your winter car. Then you have the best of all seasons. Just my suggestion.

ntguru

Just FYI everyone, right now you can lease a low miles '02 996 TT for about $400/mo LESS than a new E55. I was looking at a new E55 but I think I will instead go with an '02 996TT and possibly something like the Acura TL ($329/mo) for the same cost as an E55!

krm

Yes, prices for used 996TT's are very attractive at the moment. If he does not mind an used vehicle, perhaps a used TT paired with a winter beater would be the ideal combination.

ntguru

LOL, I consider 3000 miles "new"....it just means I don't have to wait an agonizing amount of time to find out if the 996TT really will do 189

JasonC32amg

I guess you have to keep yellow mustard in the glove box instead of grey poupon since it's used

krm

I do not speak for the starter of this thread, but some people would rather have a new vehicle rather than an used one. Buying a used one would definitely be the more logical choice as prices for slightly used ones are very attractive. However, one of main reasons I would imagine someone to choose new would be that there is the choice of speccing the car to his/her desire, and with such a long list of options for the P-cars, who wouldn't if they are willing to shell out the $$$. There are surely other reasons as well.