i am thinking about buying a porsche 911 model 997?

I totally disagree with the person who states that a Tiptronic is only for a Cayenne... what a stupid comment !!!

Tiptronic is for enthusiast who want to drive the car both ways, in case that guy does not know, it can be driven manually and automatically, that's the whole idea behind Tiptronic and comes from the F1 cars !!!!! I guess he thinks Hamilton and Alonso don't know how to drive. What a mediocre knowledge he has about cars.

I think a Tiptronic is for you if you want an easier way to drive and have the freedom to decide whether you want to drive faster or just enjoy the road. A manual car only is boring in usual city traffic and if your legs hurt due to sports or strain... it can be a pain in the a...

There is a reason why Tiptronic cars are more expensive and have a higher resell value.

as for "normal" Porsche or a S one, well the S is exciting and the wider air kit and all make it look amazing. if you have the money.. get the Tiptronic S !!!! Wow, and if I you will configure it from factory, go for the yellow on black with the yellow safety belts... it is out of this world, no ferrari looks that cool.

have fun shopping and I hope this helped.

Manual vs. Tip: while the Tiptronic is a very good automatic transmission, it is an automatic transmission (not at all similar to an F1 gearbox as Klye has already pointed out). And while each generation of this improves in performance, it is still compromised and will result in both more weight on the vechile, more parasitic power loss, and slower shifts. I've driven a number of such units on student cars at track events - they are not terrible, but I would never choose to own one. The manual can feel like more work in heavy stop and go traffic... but since all my cars are manuals I am used to this and it's not a concern. A manual transmission too is much more fitting for a car like a Porsche.

C2 vs C2S: Some interesting comments on this so far. Bottomline... if you are interested in the added performance that the S has, don't think you can simply add it to a regular 997. At least not for many times more than the factory version costs. There are many upgrades that come with the S; however, even if you look at just the engine, don't be so naive to think that spending $2k to reprogram the fuel maps will be the same at another .2L displacement (though you will get the added bonus of decreased weight from a lighter wallet).

To decide on what suits you best, you need to decide what you are buying the car for. If it is mainly for the occassional Sunday drive along the coast or such, the added goodies of the S may not be worthwhile. And here too maybe the tip wouldn't be a terrible fit if you don't know how to drive a manual. At the other end would be buying the car mainly for track use, which would mean a C2S with the manual transmission.

The carrera S is a pretty big performance jump compared to the normal C2. The power output is fairly close, but the S has a much more track oriented suspension.

Tiptronic is a joke. No porsche should be sold with it except the cayenne. Whats the point of having one of the best drivers cars in the world, then taking out like half of your involvement with the car (by having an auto box).

That being said, I would look at 996 turbos, personally. 997 C2s's are wicked cars, but 996 turbos are even faster, cheaper, and more tunable (if thats what youre into).

In terms of performance, honestly, its completely up to the driver. I could quote performance stats, and all of that, but the fact is, on a racetrack (which is where the car deserves to get some time at), its 95% driver. A good driver in a miata will roast a bad/new driver in a carrera GT.

no matter what you get, I cant stress strongly enough how badly you need to get a few trackdays. A 911 never taken to a track is a total waste. If you want something for a badge, buy a mercedes. If you want something designed to be an awesome performing car, buy a 911. Whats the point of having a car designed for the racetrack if you never bring it there? most decent sized porsche club of america regions have regular Drivers Ed instructed trackdays that are wickedly fun, wickedly informational, inexpensive, and very safe. Think about it this way: You will at least double your capability in the car with a single track weekend. Thats like getting twice the performance for like a 300 dollar, awesomely fun weekend. Not half bad if you ask me.

also: George is partially right, but its pretty ironic that he says its about handling (which it is), which is the primary upgrade for the S, but it wasnt worth it...

To the moron below me:

Tiptronic is a completely different system than F1. F1 cars use paddle shifting sequential gearbox. A tiptronic is an automatic transmission with a manual gear selector on it that isnt actual manual at all. It just tells the computer: "change gears, if you want to, and it wont hurt anything." Its completely uninvolving and is all of the hassle of a manual with none of the added control. I only know of 2 regular guys at the PCA track events that use a tip. Out of about 150. If they were so great, the most hardcore, most dedicated porschephiles would be all over them. But they arent.

And my wifes last 2 cars have been tips. I know exactly what they are and what they arent. Theyre a gimmick. Theyre just automatic transmissions with a mode that nobody uses.

Heres a nice little quote from wikipedia: Though Tiptronic transmissions allow the driver a certain measure of discrete control, the Tiptronic design is implemented using a torque converter like other automatic transmissions. A Tiptronic is not a computer controlled clutch-manual transmission or semi-automatic transmission. Most Tiptronic implementations still make some shifts automatically, primarily to protect the engine and transmission.

Tiptronics cost more because A: theyre more expensive to produce, and B: if people need an auto box because they cant drive stick, they will be willing to shell out the cash (because they have to).

They tend to have a higher resale value in most average car, but in porsches it doesnt really add any value. Any added value would be because most of the people with sticks tend to drive the cars harder because its not a total yawn-fest to drive.

And when you own and race 2 of the most pure porsches ever made with the porsche club of america (and my son races a subaru), do all of your own work on your cars, are an engineer by trade, and arent blatantly wrong in your post, THEN come talk to me about not knowing anything, especially about porsches. Idiot.

I have a 997 Carrera... had a 996. Both with manual gearbox. I truly believe it's the way to go, not unless if someone else who would use it can't drive a stickshift. Some people also opt for the tiptronic if they use it as a daily driver and are always in stop and go traffic.

If you wish, you can go for the S. To me, it didn't really merit the extra $$$ to go for the S. When one drives a Porsche, it's not about acceleration... it's about handling. Besides, you can put a chip in a regular Carrera for less than $2K and you're up to par with the S.

Whatever you decide, you will never go wrong with a Porsche :-)

Go with the S and manual. 997c2s is a fun car to drive around for sure! mine got a aero kit and x50 package too.

added...

FYI.. the 997 Turbo Tiptronic S is 0.3 sec faster than the Manual. So, Tiptronic is NOT a JOKE.

997 Tiptronic

while the 996 models are nice, I think you would be better off with a 997 as they hold their value more because they are a newer body style and the engines are larger. Maintenance costs are going to be about the same, but I think they would be higher for a 996 since they aren't produced any more and are older vehicles.

Manual transmissions are NOT fun if this will be a commuter car as shifting in traffic get's old...if it's a weekend, fun car, then get the manual.

Good Luck!

in short nice car but auto trans on a "sports car" is never a great idea.

Full manual all the way FTW