You're missing the point of why the 911 is so good. Yes the GTR is faster, but it's much less of a drivers car and less engaging = not as much fun.

Also, what did you smoke a 4S in? Surely not the Z. I'm telling you this new 991 model is ridiculous.

I'm assuming you're new to the Z scene otherwise you'd know the Nismo is basically a Sport package with a bodykit and exhaust... Albeit a sexy body kit :)

I think it's hard to quantify something as subjective as "feel". I personally like the way the Z drives. I also liked how my old RX-8 drove...and having the chance to drive a Ferrari F430 was a blast for a whole host of different reasons. The 911 is far from perfect. It's an engineering marvel for taming a car with an engine positioned behind the back wheels, but I still think the best formula for a road going sports car is front engine & rwd/awd. The new F12 comes to mind.

The new Carrera S has 400HP

The novelty of driving a Lotus Exige would quickly wear off. You'd really need to be obsessed with the car to drive it daily.

A good friend of mine just bought a Lotus Exige with all the track package goodies. Last I talked with Mike (bigdog1250), we briefly discussed the Lotus Exige. Again, any owner that drives a Lotus Exige daily is insane. It's a purpose built track car and the novelty quickly wears off. But I'm also 6'5", so driving the Exige was a major pain in the ***.

Owning a Lotus Exige in San Francisco would really suck!

another time I raced the car I had to throw my air Jordan on the passenger floor as the pedals were too close for my shoes

My father in law just bought a boxster. He got a little sports car envy from my Z and had to buy what he thought would be better than my car. A used boxster. lol. Thats how he is. He does it to his own kids. His other son in law bought an F-250. He sold his truck and bought an F-350 king ranch 6 months later. Just throwing that in there...
That said, porsche's are awesome... These new introductions are way too advanced for the Z to be compared. One thing about the Z though. They are going for this hybrid, sports car/muscle car mix. The porsche is more like sports car/semi exotic mix. The Z tries to match performance and capabilities on track. I think they kinda neglect the refinements in order to give you a functional package at low cost.
Right now, I'd be happier if they can at minimum match this motors power on a turbo 4 and give us the on paper stats of the newer porsche. If we lose some refined feel? so be it. My expectations from a sub $40k car aren't that high...

But this is one of the best reviews I've read thus far. some are right in saying driving the cayman is a closer comparo. But it's nice knowing that the Z can still be exciting to someone who drove the end all be all to road sports cars sub 100k.

Apparently the 370z was designed more as a rival to the Cayman than the 911. To my eyes, the Z's design/body looks similar to the 911 with a wide,low, muscular stance and sloped, bulging rear end.
The key difference is where the engine sits: over the front axle vs. behind the rear axle. Rear-wheel drive vs. available All-wheel drive.

I actually have a 991C2S custom order coming in November. I'll be posting lots of pics and driving impressions (already test drove 3 times :tup:) but I do agree with everything you said. Truly is a unbelievable car. I don't recommend for anyone to test drive one though, because they will never consider any car brand again besides Porsche. Even worth the 20k more than the GTR in my humble opinion. Cannot WAIT to get mine.

Congrats on the upcoming new ride. Can't wait for pics and review. I wish i could afford a porsche. Maybe one day, i'll get a used one?

I've owned a 370Z (all options) for 4 years and just test drove a 2013 Carrera S. You can't even compare the cars, the Porsche is on a whole different level, but of course it's also more expensive.

911: Felt light and nimble, when put in Sport Plus mode the sound was amazing, felt noticeably quicker than the Z, visibility much better, interior quality makes the Z look like Fisher Price, and I felt really at one with the car. Basically it's a supercar and feels like one.

Z: Still a quick car for it's class but the driving experience feels like I'm in a heavy submarine compared to the 911

The options pricing are high on the Carrera S though. Base is $97k but with all of the upgrades you'll be up to $150k+. I'm ordering mine with PDK, Chrono, sport steering wheel, suspension, PDLS, sat radio, and platinum wheels and should be around $109k MSRP. I really don't care about all that fancy extra stuff - I'm buying the car for one reason, to drive it.

Conclusion: The Z is an excellent, fun, fast sports car for its price range. It was the best sports coupe I've driven since the 911 but once you drive the 911 you'll quickly realize all of the imperfections of the Z.

damn that's expensive. You could buy a new viper for that price.

911 is still another animal. The viper wont come close in the refined portion of the driving experience. 911's are about control through any speed. Vipers are about taming the beast. It's a preference in drive style that dictates a purchase like this. Not hp.

Lotus, viper, GTR, the z and the 911 are all such different cars, but the 911 is closest to the z out of that lot. I was trying to decide between the GTR And the 911, and went with the 911 because of
1. The looks (very subjective)
2. Porsche brand and the engineering behind it
3. The refinement and lack of NVH, the supple ride that can change completely to a track car in a jiffy, and the feel of the interior.

I don't think the AWD component takes away from the GTR being a drivers car, I think it adds to it with the excitement you get with how it goes around corners, and remember you can turn those system aids off.
Here really is no substitute to the 911, perhaps the Maclaren (my dream car), but the price on one of those is a hard pill to swallow.
Oh and exit speed in a corner is outrageous in the 911, honestly I'm in shock with how much grip it has.

A car being able to transform from comfort to performance is a very underrated feature. And sitting in the 911, you feel like you're in a 100K sports car. That's a good thing. And the ergonomics of the car is superb. It really gives you the feeling of a cockpit, with great visibility too.

Gymtime, if you are indeed buying a 911, I know a little too much about the Porsche Configorator, so if you want someone to review your build I'd be more than happy to.

I guess... I still feel like if you put a new viper against an NA 911, the 911 ends up looking really overpriced for what you get. Might as well go with a cayman S instead, if you are all about the refined driving experience.

Obviously it comes down to preference, but I would be thinking "what if" every time I saw a 911Turbo drive by. If you are gonna spend all that money, might as well get the fastest one of the model line.

The turbo is another $50k+ ... I see what you're saying, but the price jump is HUGE. You have to spend within your means.

The Viper is a badass car but so is the 911, they are just very different. It's all about person preference. If you drive a 911, you'll see why lots of people choose it over other performance cars.