911 996 Carrera 2 S or M5 or Audi S6
 

Seen as the 996 has dropped in price somewhat, it's a tough call going for a super sallon like the M5 or a "proper" sports car like the 911.

But then I like the idea of the S6 (even the Avant)

choices choices.. :D:D

What do you want to gain from owning the vehicle? Driving experience? Practicality? Ride comfort?

E39 M5 now looks very dated in shape/design, although it will alwys be a legendary car in the eyes of true petrolheads...

911s (996s) have indeed dropped, but again I cant help feel that they LOOK kind of out of fashin compared to newer cars, in particular the poor looking dashes etc..

I came very close to buying a 996 with full GT3 kit , but I bottled out, and settled for a 525d sport......this year hopefully I will take the plunge and get a 997....

:wonder: that's the problem I'm facing - going to be doing some long journeys, the ability to lug things around would be great but the 911 would probably be more fun (and I could but a £800 mondeo estate)

Core question I suppose - would the S6 too much of a compromise over a 911 ?

Yeah - surprising how fast the 330/335D's are also - more than enough to take on standard UK imprezas - one went past my wagon on the A19 at full pelt :razz:

Mate judging by your post - you really want that 911 - i dont think they are that inpractical.


just get one and like you said get an old Mundao/Passat estate for lugging stuff.


you can always sell it if you dont like it

:norty:

They don't do a 996 Carrera 2 S.

You can get a

996 Carrera

996 Carrera 4

996 Carrera 4 S

Really - what's the 996 on here then ?

TVR MADS - New and Used TVR Car Sales

A tiptronic S......

The S means a turbo bodied Porsche

Ahh - so no more power than the standard carrera then.

So I just need to compare a 4S with a 2 - extra power v drive train losses etc

Only the 997 S meant more power.

A 996 S is slower due to same power, more weight, and less aerodynamics.

:thumb: I need to read up on these a bit..

Dont get a tiptronic mate they're absolute crap

Yeah - aren't they all !

Manual for me..

and if you need the room a carrera2 rather than a 4/4s. Front boot on my carrera2 was pretty big and suprised everybody that seen it, boot in the turbo now, isn't much at all, but it wasn't my reason for buying it;)
peter morgan does a 996 buying guide for about a tenner thats definately worth a read, with loads of different specs etc.

They must be as you see so many for sale

have you ever seen top gear when they talk about how many different types of 911 there are ? even they get confused :)

911.

Rest cant compare

Based on your indepth and intimate knowledge of Autocar yet again no doubt.



Having owned a 996 c4 (tiptronic S), an Audi RS6 and a current shape M5 (but driven the older one) I can recommend the following:

1. Do not get the Tiptronic unless you do a lot of traffic driving. It really does take the edge off the car. A shame.

2. Do not get a "cheap" 996. It is cheap for a reason and they are very very expensive to fix. Lots of known issues like RMS etc.

3. The 996 interior is shockingly bad and cheap, but you feel good driving it

4. The Audi s6 is fantastic value but looks pretty dated now. When I had my RS6 it used to bother me all other drivers of some RS/S and all normal A6s had grey hair and grey leather shoes

5. The M5 is less comfy than the Audi but is a far better drive (depends on your requirements). It too is amazing value but watch out for Vanos issues

My conclusion: if you don't need practicality, get the 996 but buy carefully, and preferably under OPC warranty.

If you need practicality and prefer driving thrills over pure comfort, get the M5, its a classic

If you need practicality, want 4WD and are not big on driving thrills get the A6

Eh - no it doesn't - in this case the updated tiptronic system was called tip - S (ie clicky changes on the steering wheel).

The S signified a turbo body on only one model the C4S in the 996 range. It did signify a wide-body on the C2S and C4S on the 993 models. As people have said no standard power upgrade was given on n/a models in the 996 range - this was the X51 power upgrade (circa £8k option for 345BHP !!!), although it was standard on the 996 40th Anniversary (this has the turbo nose but not the wide body as the C4S).

The S also signified a power upgrade on turbo models (eg Turbo S - often called the X50 power upgrade available as an option on turbo models - 450 BHP).

All of these decisions need a little more thought (IMHO) - have you driven any of them.....

I currently have a C4S and love it to bits - as fast as you'll ever need for the UK, great handling, 4WD with a degree of practicality. I've debated an E60 M5 for a while now, but always wonder what if with regards to something radical like a GT2 or a TT (X50 of course ;) )

Cheers,
Simon

Fussy or what!

Awww upset you have I? :lol1:

ROFL :D

dunno about all these porsche numbers but i had a good drive of a brand new 911 a few months back ,it was a carrera s ,3.8 litre,350 bhp i reckon it was .Rear drive damp roads first time in a 911 ,i was a little nervous.:lol1:
No need my granny could drive it ,everything about the car oozed quality and it was very comfortable ,you could certainly use it as a daily driver no probs.
Only thing i was very slightly dissapointed in was its straight line performance,it was good but nowhere near super car fast imo.

The 3.6 version is quite a bit better though

Thanks for the responses so far, trying not to "feature creep" to a better later model :D

Parts & Accessories : Ultimate Buyers Guide Porsche 911 (996)
someones selling a copy of the book on ph well worth that. No assoc, etc with me, just thought might be of interest.

Sure, I'll take a look at that. I've decided to hold off on getting a sports car as I need to be lugging stuff around for a year or so. I'm not going to mess around with a cheap 996, I'll save a few pennies and get something decent now. A mate has an 2005 997 Turbo - so now have to better that of course:brickwall


Anyhoo, just got a 2004 wrx wagon ppp as a run about for now - that'll be fun for a while..

A 2005 997 Turbo? :wonder: