Also saw the 997 in Charlotte, NC
Hello,
I also attended the Charlotte presentation of the 997.
I'm just offering an alternative perspective from a future 993 owner(currently in the market)..
I get the impression that 993 or earlier owners tend to like the 997 while 996 owners tend to not so much..
I'm thinking its because the 997 looks so much like the 993, which I adore..so I fall in that camp.
I grew up idolizing Porsches up until the 996 came out. To me it was way too bland and the quality just wasn't there as with the 993.
I thought that the 993 was the pinnacle of Porsche engineering and design.
Now comes the 997 and the dream for me has returned. I want one of these! Unlike the 996 I couldn't stop looking at it!
The only thing I don't like about the car is that it still seems to have the same door latching mechanism which doesn't sound as 'solid' as when you close the doors of a 993. That mechanical 'click' or 'thunk' is gone..but at lease the grab handles are back! Though chasis bending stiffness has been increased by a whopping 40% according to the brochure.
The 19 inch wheels look great in person. They are very 'German' if you know what I mean. If you've ever been to Germany and observe their modern architecture you'll understand..They look purposeful, sturdy, solid..form following function which is what its all about.
The controversey over the steering wheel and console I just don't get. When has Porsche ever had a great looking steering wheel? Ok maybe the 996 3 spoke was nice!
The dealer had a black 997S, a silver (looks great but too common around here) 997S (sold) and a seal gray 997 (sold). In my humble opinion seal looks a little bland on the car. I picked up a brochure and there are some great metallic colors that I think would really set off the car nicely. Forest Greeen and Slate gray look awesome as samples.
Some interesting facts I learned from one of the salesmen there..they are only getting in 8 997's the rest of this year at the dealership (Doesn't mean you can't special order one). Also, Porsche is coming out with and even LOUDER exhaust than currently on the S. Only for the US since there are no decibel restrictions. I thought that interesting.
I do have 12 pictures. I email christian about the size limitation since they were all shot w/5.0 megapixels. Anyone that can help reduce, let me know. I just got this camera.
Congrats to those that ordered the 997 you won't be dissapointed! Now I know for sure I will be trading in the 993 in 5-6 years!
I also attended the Charlotte presentation of the 997.
I'm just offering an alternative perspective from a future 993 owner(currently in the market)..
I get the impression that 993 or earlier owners tend to like the 997 while 996 owners tend to not so much..
I'm thinking its because the 997 looks so much like the 993, which I adore..so I fall in that camp.
I grew up idolizing Porsches up until the 996 came out. To me it was way too bland and the quality just wasn't there as with the 993.
I thought that the 993 was the pinnacle of Porsche engineering and design.
Now comes the 997 and the dream for me has returned. I want one of these! Unlike the 996 I couldn't stop looking at it!
The only thing I don't like about the car is that it still seems to have the same door latching mechanism which doesn't sound as 'solid' as when you close the doors of a 993. That mechanical 'click' or 'thunk' is gone..but at lease the grab handles are back! Though chasis bending stiffness has been increased by a whopping 40% according to the brochure.
The 19 inch wheels look great in person. They are very 'German' if you know what I mean. If you've ever been to Germany and observe their modern architecture you'll understand..They look purposeful, sturdy, solid..form following function which is what its all about.
The controversey over the steering wheel and console I just don't get. When has Porsche ever had a great looking steering wheel? Ok maybe the 996 3 spoke was nice!
The dealer had a black 997S, a silver (looks great but too common around here) 997S (sold) and a seal gray 997 (sold). In my humble opinion seal looks a little bland on the car. I picked up a brochure and there are some great metallic colors that I think would really set off the car nicely. Forest Greeen and Slate gray look awesome as samples.
Some interesting facts I learned from one of the salesmen there..they are only getting in 8 997's the rest of this year at the dealership (Doesn't mean you can't special order one). Also, Porsche is coming out with and even LOUDER exhaust than currently on the S. Only for the US since there are no decibel restrictions. I thought that interesting.
I do have 12 pictures. I email christian about the size limitation since they were all shot w/5.0 megapixels. Anyone that can help reduce, let me know. I just got this camera.
Congrats to those that ordered the 997 you won't be dissapointed! Now I know for sure I will be trading in the 993 in 5-6 years!
If you want me to post the pictures, just send them over and I do it for you (including resizing). I have a 3 Mbit DSL line, no problem with large files. 
), I think a lot of people will regret that they didn't order or get one when they had the chance to.
