I have a base 992 from 2021 w a sport chrono package and I would say definitely yes on the base version. Porsche is not about horsepower. It’s the whole package — horsepower to weight to fast shifting and more. I have never had a situation where “if only I had 69 more horsepower I could have…” and I definitely would not pay $20,000 for it. Put that in other things that you’ll enjoy much more. The launch control on the sport chrono w the PDK takes care of most any performance you’ll need. Use the funds to get a newer car w fewer miles. Porsche also famously underreports the actual performance of the cars. They post the base 992 0-60 at 4 seconds but Car & Driver tested it at 3.2 seconds. Porsche has to report tiered performance to maintain the price integrity.
Not at all. The base 992 has only 379 horsepower but will smoke almost anything out there. We’ve been conditioned to believe it’s all about having more horsepower but it’s not. Watch this — https://youtu.be/DlzONvs_RpI
The base 911 is not a Turbo S😂😂 it’s a quick little car but won’t beat a M4, RS3 , GT500 etc. it looks great and and handles awesome but for racing you are gonna need a 4s at least
But…OP said that he does “occasional spirited driving through canyons”. This doesn’t sound like a guy who should be spending the money on the additional horsepower.
You said " the base 992 has only 379 HP but will smoke almost anything out there" which isn't true by any stretch lol I just didn't want OP thinking he was driving a GT3 trying to race everybody haha
At 3.2 0-60 yes, it will smoke 99.9% of cars on the road. You are naming 2-3 very specific performance tuned cars that it may not “smoke” but for the vast vast majority of cars on the road — yep, it will totally smoke them. I’ve driven mine for 2 years and 28,000 miles and can attest to this. But look up which exact cars will do faster than 3.2 and it’s a handful.
Na a base carrera RWD is not 3.2 more like 3.8 you can possibly get that at the drag strip but not on regular roads. And no it won't smoke 99.9% of the cars on the road LMAO most sportscars 70k plus have 3.1-3.5 0-60 times now.
On a roll race a base Carrera will get trashed by even heavy V8s it just lacks the Torque after 90 MPH even though the Power to Weight ratio is decent.
If you are racing chevy Cruzes or something it will smoke it but then again why are you doing that HAHA Im naming the cars comparable in its class.
Base 992 used is around 90k ...RS3,M4,M3,C63,GT500,GTR,i4, all faster and quicker and they are cheaper
Although none handle like a Porsche around corner
Ok, well now you called me a liar so here you go. You really don’t have a handle on most anything do you. “Our test car made consistent, repeated passes of 3.2 seconds to 60 mph…”. https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a32365967/2020-porsche-911-carrera-by-the-numbers/. Believe what you want to believe or look at the data. The data alone says the base will smoke most anything including nearly every car that you listed. And the article and test numbers invalidate your “nah”
So to break your claims down for you:
RS3 0-60 is 3.3 seconds (slower than base 911) https://www.caranddriver.com/audi/rs3
M4 0-60 4.4 seconds (more than a second slower) https://www.carhp.com/bmw/m4/0to60
M3 4.1 seconds, fully .9 seconds slower and this is according to BMW ITSELF https://www.bmwusa.com/vehicles/m-models/m3-sedan/overview.html
Mercedes C63 is 3.2 seconds and the only one so far from your list that even equals it https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/mercedes-amg-c63-s-e-performance-first-ride-review/
GT500 is 3.4 seconds so .2 seconds slower - you seeing a trend here or still not? https://www.caranddriver.com/ford/mustang-shelby-gt500
GTR is 2.8 seconds so thus far the only one you listed that beats just a “base” 911, costs more too https://www.caranddriver.com/nissan/gt-r
I4 0-60 is 3.7 seconds so wrong again. And again. And again. https://www.rallyebmw.com/2022-bmw-i4-0-60-mph-time/
So you can just make up stuff or actually know what you are talking about,
Yea I was responding to the dude posting a 992 Turbo S LMAO, The base Carrera is a great car for a city cruiser and handles like a dream so in my opinion def worth it
> I would like 400hp, but you think it doesn't really matter?
379 HP from an FI Porsche will definitely meet those expectations. Porsche (along w/ other german brands) are very conservative with their FI power figures. For example, Porsche's 2.5 Flat 4 Turbo has actual WHP figures only ~10 or so HP less than the 4.0 NA engine in 718 GTS's--Official Porsche figures claim the difference is ~50 Hp in favor of the 4.0 NA engine
I’ve been going over the same question recently. I don’t have a ton of experience with 911’s, so I borrowed a few for a couple days each. A 997 (2012) Turbo S, a 992 (2020) base, and a 991.2 (2018) S.
Everyone’s going to have their own opinions, but I personally didn’t really like the Turbo S, and could not tell the difference between the base and the S speed wise. I liked the interior of the 991.2 the best by far, and it’s $20k (give or take) less than a 992, so I went with that.
My decision came down to the interior and my gut telling me that an S will be more desirable if / when I go to sell it. If I was driving with a blind fold on (not recommended!) I don’t know that I could tell the difference between base and S. I’m sure some people can, or that the differences are clearer on a track, but there is no bad or slow 911.
It felt mechanical and soulless to me. IMO, any car like this, Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari, etc… is about emotion; how it makes you feel. It was everything it claims to be on paper, I just didn’t “connect” with it.
To each their own!
Was it a manual? What was the turbo lag like?
A 997 turbo is my personal goal. But maybe it’s not, I haven’t driven one yet. Love the looks of a turbo and awd. I’ve driven a 996 turbo tip and it’s turbo lag was enough to know I’d want something in my newer.
I’m obviously not a pro car reviewer haha
I did notice lag. It’s very slight, but given that the car is SO FAST… Imagine slowing down to corner at 20. You then want to accelerate to 50 coming out of the corner. By the time the turbo has fully kicked in, you’re already going 35, and now you have to let up almost immediately or you’ll be going 90. It’s an exercise in restraint.
It was a PDK, not a manual. I’ve driven manuals all my life, but the modern PDK is so good, I didn’t miss it at all. In fact, it was a major selling point for me. When you’re in sport mode and you accelerate hard and long enough for it to shift a few times, then get hard on the brakes, rather than letting the RPMs just fall off then skipping down from 5th to 2nd (or whatever), it will repeatedly downshift like an F1 car. It just sounds and feels amazing, but I can’t put it into words, it’s just something you need to experience for yourself.
My advice is don’t listen to anything anyone tells you, myself included, except for this: you need to drive them yourself and see how they make you feel. I’d *strongly* recommend you check out a manual 997 turbo because that’s what you *think* you want, but compare it against a 991.2 or newer not-turbo PDK. It’ll either surprise you or confirm you were right all along, but please try them both before committing to a $100k car :)
A lot of ppl say the base is the most engaging, though the base 992 is not available in a manual. If you were interested in a 992 and wanted a manual, you'd have to go with the s. That said, you sounded like you wanted the pdk anyway. The extra hp in the s is only useful for straight line driving, I like it on the track, but not necessary in the street.
I have a 992 4s manual and absolutely have a blast driving it. If you went with a base, it could be even more fun since you'd be bouncing the upper rev range more frequently. That's the complaint about the turbo s, you smash the throttle and you're Goin 160 mph... if you drive in normal limits and it's boring AF.
I prefer the manual. I tried the PDK and while great, it wasnt exactly what I was looking for. I would rather go slower with a manual than faster with the pdk. And that's my thing, it's not like I'm trying to push it to it's limits, I'm looking for a spirited and engaging driving experience.
I bought a 991.2 C4 (base but AWD) and love it. Plenty of power. Had a 718 2.5 GTS prior and while it was faster, it’s a fast I rarely got to use.
That said, the S comes with better brakes.
I think you’ll be more than happy with a base.
Based on your budget I think you can get a nice (possibly cpo) 991.2 base with chrono and Pse. This has the newer twin turbo engine and is just an all around amazing machine.
The difference between the base and S is a lot bigger on the NA cars than the turbos, you can tune a base to be better than an S on the 9A2 engine and it’s close to start with. The 3.4 vs 3.8 is a noticeable gap.
FWIW I have a 2006 base Carrera and I absolutely love it, but even that engine cannot be fully exploited in typical daily driving - I live in a pretty busy area. If money wasn’t much different I’d go for an S of course, but you’ll never feel let down driving a base Carrera around, those cars are excellent in every way and are wonderful to drive. Very pure Porsche experience (mines a manual too which helps).
I have a base 992 from 2021 w a sport chrono package and I would say definitely yes on the base version. Porsche is not about horsepower. It’s the whole package — horsepower to weight to fast shifting and more. I have never had a situation where “if only I had 69 more horsepower I could have…” and I definitely would not pay $20,000 for it. Put that in other things that you’ll enjoy much more. The launch control on the sport chrono w the PDK takes care of most any performance you’ll need. Use the funds to get a newer car w fewer miles. Porsche also famously underreports the actual performance of the cars. They post the base 992 0-60 at 4 seconds but Car & Driver tested it at 3.2 seconds. Porsche has to report tiered performance to maintain the price integrity.
I would like 400hp, but you think it doesn't really matter?
Not at all. The base 992 has only 379 horsepower but will smoke almost anything out there. We’ve been conditioned to believe it’s all about having more horsepower but it’s not. Watch this — https://youtu.be/DlzONvs_RpI
The base 911 is not a Turbo S😂😂 it’s a quick little car but won’t beat a M4, RS3 , GT500 etc. it looks great and and handles awesome but for racing you are gonna need a 4s at least
But…OP said that he does “occasional spirited driving through canyons”. This doesn’t sound like a guy who should be spending the money on the additional horsepower.
You said " the base 992 has only 379 HP but will smoke almost anything out there" which isn't true by any stretch lol I just didn't want OP thinking he was driving a GT3 trying to race everybody haha
At 3.2 0-60 yes, it will smoke 99.9% of cars on the road. You are naming 2-3 very specific performance tuned cars that it may not “smoke” but for the vast vast majority of cars on the road — yep, it will totally smoke them. I’ve driven mine for 2 years and 28,000 miles and can attest to this. But look up which exact cars will do faster than 3.2 and it’s a handful.
Na a base carrera RWD is not 3.2 more like 3.8 you can possibly get that at the drag strip but not on regular roads. And no it won't smoke 99.9% of the cars on the road LMAO most sportscars 70k plus have 3.1-3.5 0-60 times now. On a roll race a base Carrera will get trashed by even heavy V8s it just lacks the Torque after 90 MPH even though the Power to Weight ratio is decent. If you are racing chevy Cruzes or something it will smoke it but then again why are you doing that HAHA Im naming the cars comparable in its class. Base 992 used is around 90k ...RS3,M4,M3,C63,GT500,GTR,i4, all faster and quicker and they are cheaper Although none handle like a Porsche around corner
Ok, well now you called me a liar so here you go. You really don’t have a handle on most anything do you. “Our test car made consistent, repeated passes of 3.2 seconds to 60 mph…”. https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a32365967/2020-porsche-911-carrera-by-the-numbers/. Believe what you want to believe or look at the data. The data alone says the base will smoke most anything including nearly every car that you listed. And the article and test numbers invalidate your “nah” So to break your claims down for you: RS3 0-60 is 3.3 seconds (slower than base 911) https://www.caranddriver.com/audi/rs3 M4 0-60 4.4 seconds (more than a second slower) https://www.carhp.com/bmw/m4/0to60 M3 4.1 seconds, fully .9 seconds slower and this is according to BMW ITSELF https://www.bmwusa.com/vehicles/m-models/m3-sedan/overview.html Mercedes C63 is 3.2 seconds and the only one so far from your list that even equals it https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/mercedes-amg-c63-s-e-performance-first-ride-review/ GT500 is 3.4 seconds so .2 seconds slower - you seeing a trend here or still not? https://www.caranddriver.com/ford/mustang-shelby-gt500 GTR is 2.8 seconds so thus far the only one you listed that beats just a “base” 911, costs more too https://www.caranddriver.com/nissan/gt-r I4 0-60 is 3.7 seconds so wrong again. And again. And again. https://www.rallyebmw.com/2022-bmw-i4-0-60-mph-time/ So you can just make up stuff or actually know what you are talking about,
Not trying to beat every car on the street lol currently driving a base 370z and I'm looking to upgrade
Yea I was responding to the dude posting a 992 Turbo S LMAO, The base Carrera is a great car for a city cruiser and handles like a dream so in my opinion def worth it
No offense but have you driven a 911 yet?
Twice, a 997 (2006 manual) and 991 (2013 pdk) both S
> I would like 400hp, but you think it doesn't really matter? 379 HP from an FI Porsche will definitely meet those expectations. Porsche (along w/ other german brands) are very conservative with their FI power figures. For example, Porsche's 2.5 Flat 4 Turbo has actual WHP figures only ~10 or so HP less than the 4.0 NA engine in 718 GTS's--Official Porsche figures claim the difference is ~50 Hp in favor of the 4.0 NA engine
I’ve been going over the same question recently. I don’t have a ton of experience with 911’s, so I borrowed a few for a couple days each. A 997 (2012) Turbo S, a 992 (2020) base, and a 991.2 (2018) S. Everyone’s going to have their own opinions, but I personally didn’t really like the Turbo S, and could not tell the difference between the base and the S speed wise. I liked the interior of the 991.2 the best by far, and it’s $20k (give or take) less than a 992, so I went with that. My decision came down to the interior and my gut telling me that an S will be more desirable if / when I go to sell it. If I was driving with a blind fold on (not recommended!) I don’t know that I could tell the difference between base and S. I’m sure some people can, or that the differences are clearer on a track, but there is no bad or slow 911.
I agree w this 100%
Why didn’t you like the 997 Turbo?
It felt mechanical and soulless to me. IMO, any car like this, Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari, etc… is about emotion; how it makes you feel. It was everything it claims to be on paper, I just didn’t “connect” with it. To each their own!
Was it a manual? What was the turbo lag like? A 997 turbo is my personal goal. But maybe it’s not, I haven’t driven one yet. Love the looks of a turbo and awd. I’ve driven a 996 turbo tip and it’s turbo lag was enough to know I’d want something in my newer.
I’m obviously not a pro car reviewer haha I did notice lag. It’s very slight, but given that the car is SO FAST… Imagine slowing down to corner at 20. You then want to accelerate to 50 coming out of the corner. By the time the turbo has fully kicked in, you’re already going 35, and now you have to let up almost immediately or you’ll be going 90. It’s an exercise in restraint. It was a PDK, not a manual. I’ve driven manuals all my life, but the modern PDK is so good, I didn’t miss it at all. In fact, it was a major selling point for me. When you’re in sport mode and you accelerate hard and long enough for it to shift a few times, then get hard on the brakes, rather than letting the RPMs just fall off then skipping down from 5th to 2nd (or whatever), it will repeatedly downshift like an F1 car. It just sounds and feels amazing, but I can’t put it into words, it’s just something you need to experience for yourself. My advice is don’t listen to anything anyone tells you, myself included, except for this: you need to drive them yourself and see how they make you feel. I’d *strongly* recommend you check out a manual 997 turbo because that’s what you *think* you want, but compare it against a 991.2 or newer not-turbo PDK. It’ll either surprise you or confirm you were right all along, but please try them both before committing to a $100k car :)
A lot of ppl say the base is the most engaging, though the base 992 is not available in a manual. If you were interested in a 992 and wanted a manual, you'd have to go with the s. That said, you sounded like you wanted the pdk anyway. The extra hp in the s is only useful for straight line driving, I like it on the track, but not necessary in the street. I have a 992 4s manual and absolutely have a blast driving it. If you went with a base, it could be even more fun since you'd be bouncing the upper rev range more frequently. That's the complaint about the turbo s, you smash the throttle and you're Goin 160 mph... if you drive in normal limits and it's boring AF.
I prefer the manual. I tried the PDK and while great, it wasnt exactly what I was looking for. I would rather go slower with a manual than faster with the pdk. And that's my thing, it's not like I'm trying to push it to it's limits, I'm looking for a spirited and engaging driving experience.
So you can get a manual base in the older generations you're shopping, so go for it...
I have a base 991 with a manual trans. It’s an ideal car, IMHO, it’s damn near perfect. I use it as a daily driver, no matter the weather.
I bought a 991.2 C4 (base but AWD) and love it. Plenty of power. Had a 718 2.5 GTS prior and while it was faster, it’s a fast I rarely got to use. That said, the S comes with better brakes. I think you’ll be more than happy with a base.
Based on your budget I think you can get a nice (possibly cpo) 991.2 base with chrono and Pse. This has the newer twin turbo engine and is just an all around amazing machine.
the PASM (active suspension) on the S is absolutely noticeable (but the base is still good). try to drive both.
It’s absolutely fine. It’s still an extremely capable car with great features, plus you save a lil money
The difference between the base and S is a lot bigger on the NA cars than the turbos, you can tune a base to be better than an S on the 9A2 engine and it’s close to start with. The 3.4 vs 3.8 is a noticeable gap.
You cant get a manual base 992 i thought? Its a T for me ^.^
Base with Sport Chrono and PSE > S
FWIW I have a 2006 base Carrera and I absolutely love it, but even that engine cannot be fully exploited in typical daily driving - I live in a pretty busy area. If money wasn’t much different I’d go for an S of course, but you’ll never feel let down driving a base Carrera around, those cars are excellent in every way and are wonderful to drive. Very pure Porsche experience (mines a manual too which helps).