997.1 Definitive Buyers Guide
This guide was compiled to help prospective owners learn about the joys of 997.1 ownership. A big thanks to Petza914 for contributing his expertise to this guide, and the community. Curb Weight -3,075 Lbs. Manual / 3,164 Lbs. Curb Weight -3,197 Lbs. Manual / 3,285 Lbs. Curb Weight -3,131 Lbs. Manual / 3,219 Lbs. Curb Weight -3,252 Lbs. Manual / 3,340 Lbs. One of the first questions prospective owners have when buying their first P-Car is whether to spend the additional money for an S model. S models were very popular in the 997, reportedly outselling the base models by a wide margin. However, the base Carrera is no slouch. They represent a tremendous value to get into your first P-car, particularly if they are optioned with the 19鈥?wheels. One of the biggest drawbacks of the base model is the ride height but this can be easily remedied with aftermarket lowering springs (Eibach, H&R) or coil-overs.
The S models increased displacement from 3.6L to 3.8L and added 30 more HP. In addition they have the larger Big Red brakes - larger diameter rotors for a larger heat sink (brake fade occurs later). PASM suspension standard. This is the electronic adjustable suspension option (button with a picture of a shock in the center console). Hardly what it sounds like, but a must have feature for many. It makes the dash top and the tops of the doors real leather instead of molded plastic, and also makes the backs of the Comfort seats leather too. Standard Power Comfort Seats - these are the normal power seats that from the bottom of the back get narrower all the way up to the headrest. If you're of larger stature, these will not likely be very comfortable seats for you in spite of the name as where the backrest gets narrow it hits just inside the shoulder blades. Options 2 and 3 below are better, and why they're more expensive. Manual Adaptive Sport Seats - these are hardback sport seats that still have tiltable seat backs.
They are easily identifiable by the winged shoulder supports in the shoulder area. The manual version have a release lever in front and a height adjustment lever on the side. Seatback recline is power. There is an alcantara option for these that makes the center section of the top portion and bottom portion alcantara instead of leather. Adaptive Sport Seat Plus Seats - these are the full power versions of the Manual Adaptive Sport Seats. In addition, they have two additional switches on the outside front corners that are for the pneumatic air adjustable side bolsters - one for the seat bottom side bolsters and one for the seat back side bolsters. These are the best all around seats for a 997. There is an alcantara option for these that makes the center section of the top portion and bottom portion alcantara instead of leather. Carbon Buckets - these are full carbon fiber shell seats with leather seating surfaces (also available in some type of nomex material).
They are beautiful and still have a tiltable back-rest for access to the rear seats but only a fore/aft manual adjustment (no recline and no height adjustment). They are both narrow and deep so not the easiest thing to get in and out of, but are also compatible with a harness bar for track days. GT2 Carbon Buckets - these are the raciest and least comfortable seats. They only adjust fore and aft, the seatbacks do not tilt forward, they have very little padding, and are very deep and narrow. If the car is equipped with PCCBs (Porsche Carbon Ceramic Brakes), these need to be inspected very carefully. PCCBs have yellow calipers and the fronts are a 6-piston vs the normal 4-piston usually found on the Carrera models.This means both sides of the rotor especially around the circumference. The PCCB brakes are extremely durable in regular street use, even if used in a spirited manner - rotors will likely last the life of the car into the couple hundred thousand mile range.
Pads should last anywhere from 75k-100k miles. They are fantastic though - significant reduction in unsprung weight which makes a perceptible difference when driving, and essentially zero, I mean no brake dust, and unbelievable stopping power, especially when warm. There are two headlight options for these cars the lower end Halogen and the upgraded Bi-Xenon. The Bi-Xenon headlights are excellent with a very bright and good color temperature beam and are also self-leveling. PSE exhaust is identifiable by the rear tailpipes - two circles on each side with one smaller than the other. On cars that don't have Sport Chrono, they will have a PSE exhaust button in the center console (graphic of exhaust tips). Cars with Sport Chrono do not have this button, just the SPORT button and PSE can only be activated in Sport mode. 10k factory option that boosted S and 4S models from 350bhp to 376bhp and torque from 295lb ft to 306lb ft.