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racerx said:
Some comments from a 911 outsider (i have driven a few though)
The 997 is the most luxurious 911 yet. Fit and finish and thoughtfulness of the total package is the best ever. But the one glaring problem is what all of you are mentioning - HP.
The 911 was always similiar to the baby ferrari. But as mentioned already that gap is getting too big. 480 to 355. That is just huge. The 997S should be at 425 now. Better than the mass produced american C6, mustangs etc. and able to hold its owm against the 430. I would tend to bet that if the power was in that range there would be longer lines at the dealers despite little complaints about retro this and that. Plus more attention to exhaust note. (Not a tough job)
Is porsche finding a limit to the 6 cylinder format in NA form?
As to depreciation don't all cars in that price range take huge hits? Like the merc sedans. Just a fact of life. Can somebody say if the 911 line has become pricier in steady dollar terms adjusting for inflation?
Lets hope the 4th model will learn from these discussions.
Tom
The 911 Carrera never has been a direct competitor for the 360 Modena or vice versa. Look at the price tag and you understand. Surprisingly, the new 997 Carrera S has the same straight line performance as the 360 Modena for substantially less money. And track performance is worlds ahead, especially with the 20 mm chassis option.
And even compared to the 360 Challenge Stradale, the 997 Carrera S with 20 mm option offers a pretty impressive track performance with 60 HP LESS!
Some of you guys don't seem to understand one thing: the 997 Carrera and Carrera S are just "entry-level" 911.
There will be a GT3 with aprox. 400 HP and a Turbo with aprox. 460-480 HP and this should be enough power to cope with the competition.
Why do you guys always compare apples with oranges?
The direct competitors (from a marketing point of view) for the 997 Carrera and Carrera S are the Mercedes SL500, the BMW 6series (not M6) and the Maserati Coupe.
It is funny that people start to use now the same arguments regarding the 997 some other people were using when the 996 showed up, replacing the beloved 993.
This actually means only one thing: it is the same "the old one was the better one bragging" which happens every time when Porsche puts a new 911 on the market.
We talk again next year.