New 997 owner

[zog]

Hello everyone, recently became a 997 owner and am looking for advice about must do upgrades, maintenance, etc....

2007 C2 Cabriolet

[Aerkuld]

Welcome - I haven't been posting on the board for ages but I saw you were in the area so . . .

In my opinion there are no 'must have' upgrades. These are great cars right out of the box. It took me six years of owning my 996 before I made any changes to it at all. Once you start though it becomes a case of "Well, I may as well just do . . . . while I'm at it. Next thing you know you practically have a new car! Save the upgrades for later and just enjoy your car for now :-) Now, I'm sure there are some that will point to the IMS upgrade and I will admit - yes, I've done it. I consider it a peace of mind item. To be honest, when we took the old bearing out after 119,000 miles everything was absolutely perfect! Which brings me on to . . .

Maintenance - that's a whole different issue. I think the best advice;

Don't skimp!

Change oil regularly, by that I mean every 5,000 to 6,000 miles or every 6 months and fill it properly full. Use the oil Porsche recommend (Mobil 1 0W40) - They're Germans and they didn't just throw a dart at a dart board to pick that!
Keep up with the other service items too. If you need a recommendation on a good local independent then PM me. If you want to go the main dealer route then that's fine too. Just keep on top of it!

Other than that get out and drive. It's a Porsche and it needs driving. Hard! You have plenty of good roads within a few hours drive so get up to the mountains and work it. I honestly believe that good maintenance and hard driving are the real secret to IMS health!

Have fun!

[bar10dah]

Congrats! Nice looking car.

[jkubiak14]

The car looks fantastic. Upgrades are certainly a personal preference. I tend to prefer keeping thinds as stock as possible. Are those 18 inch wheels? The 19's may fill in the wheel wells better but offer a stiffer ride due to the lower tire profile. Enjoy the new toy, it is a unique work of art and a mechanical gem. Congratulations!

[schulr]

Don't own one yet but on the list, beautiful example of what a Porsche should look like. Keep an eye on the IMS and RMS with these engines. Lots of posts on this subject.

Bob

[zog]

Been having fun, did two AX events this summer so far, placed 3rd and got my shot glass. Spent this weekend in the VA mountians and took the long way there and back, some of it on the BRP.

Been reading more about upgrades, I guess the one thing I would like is a little more noise from the exhaust. This is a toy, not a DD, so it's not like I would tire of the louder exhaust note.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Great looking car. Real HP gains are hard to come by, though a louder intake and/or exhaust add to the experience. If you track the car then suspension is where it's at, and there's a ton of options available.

[Newtonian]

@Zog. I'm right there with you; just sold my 993 cab and bought a super clean 997 coupe from a car-fanatic friend.

@AerKuld, your advise is true for all Porsche's (drive hard but maintain well). Keeping these in a garage and not driven is just not right. Also, I had an '87 cab in Carmine Red. It's a really great color.

[Janna James]

I had a 2008 Carrera cabriolet and loved it. I hope you enjoy, but don't know much about upgrades. Sorry.

[Becker135]

Newtonian,

I am also thinking of trading my 993 Cab for a 997, but just can't seem to let her go. Your thoughts now that you've done it?