Here's Why The 997.1 Porsche Carrera 2 S is Now The Perfect First 911

Another day, another Porsche - but this one is very special, and close to my heart. Here's why - and a few reasons you should buy one.

#Porsche #911 #997

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[LukeMarthinusen]

This is my first Porsche. Was relatively affordable. Love it. 3 years on, definitely not even close to thinking of selling it.

[RaviFernandez]

Hey James, I’ve had my 997.1 for 12 years with 162k on the clock now! And couldn’t part with my previous 911, a 993, which I’ve now had for 20 years. That one’s done 104k. Still use the 997 every day and love every minute :-)

[The.Mr.M]

6 year owner of a 997.1 C2S, love the car and have recently considered selling. Watching this video reminds me why I love it so much. DSC controller, bilstein coilovers, exhaust and a few other updates has really brought the car to a special driving experience.

[VS-qdqw]

Finally the 997.1 C2S gets some appreciation. Its the right size, great 6-speed gearbox, enough power and you can actually feel the road beneath you - price is stupidly low, better than ANY standard newer 911s. All it needs is a nice touch screen to bring it into 2022. (Owner for 13 years).

[BAC_Mono]

James, this is spot on. A couple of months ago I sold my much loved (and totally reliable) BMW 650i and bought a 997.1 manual. It's everything I imagined a Porsche should be, and I really can't imagine the new ones being any better. It's been to Center Gravity (yes that is the correct spelling, it's the best place to go for 911 setup and well worth the £350 or so it costs, you also get a full mechanical inspection) for a Geo setup and drives fantastically well. It's not better than my other 'fun' road car (a 1991 Honda NSX) but is very complimentary. It's so small and well proportioned for todays cramped roads and the drive train is so refined.. As a daily driver it's just about perfect. I use mine as a daily driver. £30 to replace the sticky ac switches and £140 to fit a bluetooth receiver and it's everything you need.

Don't fuss about the bore scoring issues and just get one is my advice to anyone wondering. PS you can inspect the cam deviation data to see whether your IMS bearing is likely to fail, so it's not as much of an issue as people think. Also fitting a low temperature thermostat can reduce the risks apparently.


(BMW 650i and then this, some say I like living dangerously!)

[andyfriar]

I've had my 2008 997.1 C2S for 3+ years and it's been excellent. They are cheap to look after if you use the extensive specialist network, and if you're inclined, they are easy to work on with advice from the thriving owner community including on YT. It also hasn't depreciated anywhere near the rate of everything else I've owned (recent used car market madness acknowledged)

[qikqbn]

Have had a 997.1 C4S for over 12 years now. Have put almost 100k miles on it. Love it to bits. I have driven the newer ones and to me, they are not worth the trade in, upgrade and price. The 997 still checks a lot of boxes for me and still exciting to drive every time I jump in to it and go for redline. With a few mods it can really dial in the sharpness and excitement even more. No plans to sell. It's a keeper. The early 997's are 17 years old now. Name any other car that is 17 years old, drives like this and some how will never need a possible engine refresh in the future. There are none. Point being, ALL cars will need some TLC at some point in their life if they are driven as designed and bring the owner great joy while doing it. Glad to see you give the 997 some love and respect. Keep up the good work .

[psantangeli]

Drove an 87 Carrera cab for 20 years. Moved to a high milage 997.1 C2S cab a couple of years ago. Just crazy how they managed to keep all the great things about the older cars but make is a totally modern experience too. Love it to bits.

[analogguy]

I’m the anti-new car - car guy. I’m 75 and my 2018 Mustang GT PP1 is my 5th car. I have always paid cash, as in NO CAR LOANS. This doesn’t mean I don’t love cars - I loved all my cars & I love taking care of them. Something very satisfying about driving a great drivers car with 200, 000 + miles. In all those years the only on road break down was my 1970, heavily modified & raced VW Beetle - My buddy and I were able to replace the blow engine with a replacement from a wrecked VW on a Saturday afternoon! That said I enjoy all your videos - Happy motoring.

[chrisroden]

I’ve owned one for 2 years, 2005 C2S in silver, PSE, PASM, love it more now than the day I got it…..hard to think of anything to replace it with, review is spot on

[joegt]

This was a dream car for me back then... such a great refresh after the 996

[Matt]

My first Porsche was a 2006 997.1 C2S manual in Guards Red and it was fantastic. This car started my love of the brand. I'm now onto my 5th Porsche and currently enjoying a pristine 987.2 Cayman S manual. You just cant go wrong in a Porsche. I also LOVED my 996 C4S, headlights and all. Great cars...

[Porsche__Experience]

The best first Porsche 911 is the one you can afford. My first one was a 996 Targa. Loved it once I got in it-Still have it 3 years later and added a 997 Turbo 6 months later

[richardstoddard]

Bought my 997.1 about three years ago. It’s a keeper. It’s red with gold wheels and Porsche script down the side. You drive most other cars, but you pilot these. Great vid. 👏👏

[mr.zn]

Also went to Stuttgart, at the time they also had a special order factory . When I arrived they were just completing special order work on the Oman Royal Bodyguard's Fleet of cars, they were Lambo LM002 . Quite a sight all lined up with the Royal Crest on the side !

[MrElnuno]

I bought my 997.2 in 2015 while living in London, and loved it so much I shipped it back to Australia with me when I returned home. The car still sits in my garage today and is going beautifully. To be honest I can't really imagine selling it ever such a great car that it is...

[MarJay]

I'm glad you mentioned bore scoring... There are some specialists who won't touch a 3.8 gen 1 997 because the bore scoring is almost inevitable. IMS is definitely overblown I think, although it's impossible to know if it will or will not happen on any given early car.

Either way, I paid quite a bit more for a 997.2 C4S manual. I wanted a 2 but I couldn't find one with the spec and colour I wanted, so I settled for the 4. I'm told the .2 4s has a different 4 wheel drive system to the .1 and puts much less power to the front wheels on a routine basis, only shoving torque their way when needed. I have experienced such a situation when I managed to aquaplane my car... The car did sort it out but it took a moment and I was... concerned. Still, I'm glad of the safety net, and the car is immense fun. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't slightly disappointed with the overall performance, but I have a 1000cc motorcycle for that so nothing short of a McLaren would impress on 4 wheels. The porker has a different more subtle appeal; it worms it's way into your affections. I absolutely adore mine. I love the looks, I love the way it goes around corners, I love the interior, I love the smell, I love the way it makes me feel. I'm not so big on the maintenance costs, but I found a tame specialist who I really like and so it's not thrown me too many big bills (a/c condensers... ouch!) Great vid James, as always. You did get a bit lambasted on some porsche groups for your 997 turbo review, but there's no pleasing some people and it seems you've redeemed yourself with this. Say nice things about 997.1s and the internet 997 massive will love you.

[jazzragu]

Following M2 ownership, this was my first Porsche a couple of years ago and it was a daily. Delightful! Always started up and pretty reliable. Used a lot of oil so and had a few other issues so 3 weeks out of action, but then worked delightfully again. Changed into a 718 Cayman S subsequently- as needed something with updated infotainment and reliability for daily. Good review, and I agree about the lobster claws- they looked epic on 997.1 CS. I had blue extended leather but worked well with exterior colour.

[CarMadElliot]

My dad also bought one of these when I was a boy in 2006 and went on track days, many memories. Place in my heart for the 997.1C2S too

[jasonasher]

A few weeks ago I bought a 2006 Carrera S Guards Red/Natural Brown and pick it up Wednesday. My first Porsche.