The 2014 "water pumper" hate seems to have entirely died off.

[Alan A]

Originally Posted by Rick Brooklyn

To get the thread back on topic: let's say you're transitioning to a one-car setup, so you want a year-round 911 that you can use as a daily, but also enjoy for fun. AWD for the northeast winter, and open-top to enjoy in the summer.
Let's say you're ok with PDK and you're not one of those "aspirated engine only for me, thanks" snobs. For the same money (e.g. $80k), would you buy a 997.2tt cab or a CPO 991.2 C4 cab?

NE Winter and Cab. Personally I'd pass.
I'd buy a 997TT turbo coupe. I'd look for either an 09 - because there's always going to be a market for them - or a 997.2 with a stick. If you want PDK a 997.2TTS, but it'll be a bit more.

But since it's your car and not mine...
Same advice but substitute soft top for coupe.

[Matt Monson]

I drove the Boxster with a hardtop for 1.5 winters. I was 996 Cab shopping when I bought my coupe. With a hardtop I wouldn’t hesitate to drive any of them year round. No wind. No noise. Heated glass rear defrost. I only took the hardtop off May-October.

[1979-930]

Originally Posted by Rick Brooklyn

To get the thread back on topic: let's say you're transitioning to a one-car setup, so you want a year-round 911 that you can use as a daily, but also enjoy for fun. AWD for the northeast winter, and open-top to enjoy in the summer.
Let's say you're ok with PDK and you're not one of those "aspirated engine only for me, thanks" snobs. For the same money (e.g. $80k), would you buy a 997.2tt cab or a CPO 991.2 C4 cab?

997.2tt for me


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rick Brooklyn]

Originally Posted by Matt Monson

I drove the Boxster with a hardtop for 1.5 winters. I was 996 Cab shopping when I bought my coupe. With a hardtop I wouldn’t hesitate to drive any of them year round. No wind. No noise. Heated glass rear defrost. I only took the hardtop off May-October.

From what I hear, modern cabs are pretty water-tight and comfy now. And in the summer with the top down it's glorious, of course.

[Alan A]

Originally Posted by Rick Brooklyn

From what I hear, modern cabs are pretty water-tight and comfy now. And in the summer with the top down it's glorious, of course.

Drive one.
Top up the rear visibility sucks and there is less headroom.
MHO - you like it, get it, just try it first.

[NYNick]

Originally Posted by Rick Brooklyn

From what I hear, modern cabs are pretty water-tight and comfy now. And in the summer with the top down it's glorious, of course.

I've had 3. One 996 C4 Cab with hard top, that I attempted to do what you're proposing. A 997 C4S Cab with a hard top that I drove only in the nice weather. And a 997TT Cab that I drove in the nice weather in NY and then moved it to FLA.

I immediately upgraded the 996 to a GT3 type suspension. I tracked that car quite a bit and it was absolutely a fantastic handling car. Had the "sport" button too, I think. MetroNY PCA required hardtops back then.

I attempted to DD that car uo and down the Taconic 12 months a year. The car never let me down, until it snowed more than about 4-6 inches. Then it was just too low to go.

I never drove the 997C4S in the winter. Gorgeous car with that disgusting baby puke colored interior.

Let me just say this. Those hard tops are a ***** to remove and then store. You need two people and then the proper storage arrangement.

The 2009 997TT MT was of course the zenith of my Cab experience. I never drove it in the snow but did take it out in lousy weather. I put 20K on it before I sold it, even tracked it a bit.

I eventually decided the car was too much for me. It was a joke driving it around town, never even getting out of 3rd. Even on the highway, you can do 80 easily in 4th...2 more to go? Where would I use that power?

The car will do fine as a DD. You'll pay modern Porsche maintenance cost, which is to say you won't be doing any of it yourself most likely.

In the end, I decided to go the classic only, nice weather route. We've got a modern SUV to handle the rest.

And you're correct; they are glorious in the summer.

[DWBOX2000]

Not sure this is applicable since this posts has gone so many directions.

10 to 15 years from now you will have the guys selling air cooled parts today saying "the 996 has such a soul and a "Visceral" feel compared to the modern electric cars. Did I mention I have a nice water pump for sale".

Today with their stock pile of old parts, "No soul in the new water pumpers".

I've done both. Personally I won't go backwards on this but I also get the not going forward for many. Whatever floats your boat.

Put me in the "love' the 914 group though I love them all.

[sugarwood]

Maybe this assessment should be amended to be specific to "aircooled 911 owners." I doubt the guys driving 2018 911s are like this. Maybe they're dicks for other reasons, but I doubt they are self-righteous car minutiae.

Also, is it just 911 guys who have this level of dickbaggery? I can't think of any other car that engenders this level of A-hole-ness in its owners. Every other car has its share of fans and posters who are simply stupid, ill-informed, clueless, or wrong, but none that I am aware of has this many self-righteous jerks. The vast majority of Porsche vehicles ever sold are not air-cooled 911s. Think about it. Porsche has sold far more 924, 944, 928, 914, Cayenne, Cayman, Boxster, Macan, and Panamera cars than they ever sold of the air-cooled 911 over its entire production run. The company has spent the bulk of its history, and made most of its money, selling things other than the one true Porsche. I don't know the exact numbers but I'd guess it's something like 20 to 1.

For future reference:
5 years ago, when someone would ask about a 996, they would be met with a barrage of "water pumper" name callling, not a real Porsche. 5 years later, I rarely hear this anymore. Have the last of the old codgers died off? Have they changed their tune and decided that the new cars are superior? What has changed? In 2019, if someone yelled "water pumper!" at someone in a 997 or 991, that'd just look foolish.

It's ironic that the purists used to scoff at the 996 as a "fake" 911, yet their biggest gripe was of the cheap plastic interior.
Yet, a purist driver would not give a damn about the interior. A race car does not even have an interior. Funny contradiction.

The other thing is that at track days, there are barely any air-cooled cars anymore.
There are tons of "water-pumper" Porsches like 996 & Boxster.
Water pumper to air cooled is like 10 or 20 to 1, at this point.

Anyone yelling water pumper now looks silly and clueless,
since "real" air-cooled Porsches are most often gathering dust,
while the "water pumpers" are out on the track, where they belong.

The VW Beetle is also visceral and full of "soul".
Rear engine sweetness singing behind your head, no radio needed.
Only $3k instead of $30k !

You are a real driver out there not stroking the dash and counting cup holders.

LOL, yes !!
Interior too bare bones? Whining about cheap interior and no cup holders.
Interior too nice? Whining about too many features and loss of the purist driver's car.

What a great example of car guys being petulant hypocrites who don't even know what they want.

Car guys are fools.
That is the answer to all car guy paradoxes.

[Alan A]

You catch more flies with honey.
Just thinking out loud...

[911heaven]

Apples and oranges are sold separately in different baskets, i.e. they appeal to each shopper in different ways. Lumping them together won't get you any sales. If you want to pump water sugarwood, get on your waterbed and make haste -- life is too short!

[pmax]

Originally Posted by Alan A

You catch more flies with honey.
Just thinking out loud...

Not sure about sugar but those into farm animals will get this immediately like our Raw’ !

[NYNick]

The guy bumps his own thread 6 months after the last post to incite and rant again about a non-issue to begin with, except to him. I'd say the only one displaying douchebaggery is the OP.

[dwelle]

par for the course...

[juanbenae]

Originally Posted by NYNick

The guy bumps his own thread 6 months after the last post to incite and rant again about a non-issue to begin with, except to him. I'd say the only one displaying douchebaggery is the OP.

Originally Posted by dwelle

par for the course...

Marc & Nick speak for me in this instance.

[Matt Monson]

Yep, I reckon so

[juanbenae]

lone watie's quotes are my favorite, i reckon.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/outlaw_josey_wales/quotes/

best ever::: All I have is a piece of hard rock candy. But it's not for eatin'. It's just for lookin' through.

[Rawknees'Turbo]

Originally Posted by pmax

Not sure about sugar but those into farm animals will get this immediately like our Raw’ !

That sounds like you are hoping that I will offer to dip you in honey, pNutz!!!