[jdlowery]

Here's an update to my post. Went in to test drive the 996 C4S. I also wanted to test drive a 997 just to have something to compare. Loved the feel of the C4S; nice and low and gripped the road well. The sound was great. Manual shifter throw was maybe a little long but I hear there is a short shift kit from Porsche. Drove a 997 C2. Unfortunately, there were no 997 C4S or C2S on the lot. Worst of all, the 997 was an automatic tiptronic. It kind of felt like I was riding much higher than the C4S. Why on earth would anyone want an automatic 911? The 997 had more creature comforts (navigation, phone integration, etc...). If I had to decide between the two it would be the 996. However, the comparison was probably not fair.

As far as pricing, we didn't talk a lot about numbers but I let my sales guy know that the 996 is probably in the $33-$35K range and I would probably need $15K for my Lexus if I was to do a trade-in. He wanted to do a deal today but I still need to look and research some more. The 996 C4S was pretty sweet though.