Porsche 911 (Early 991) Carrera S

Next, I drove the Carrera S. This one has over 50,000 km on it and comes equipped with PASM, sports exhaust, and the Sport Chrono Package.

The engine revs very well and it’s hard to believe it has over 50,000 km. How you drive really matters. You can’t judge a used car by mileage alone. The engine’s responsiveness is smooth, and the low-speed torque in town is definitely stronger in the Carrera S.

I’m not saying the base Carrera lacks anything, but in the base model, switching to Sport mode and downshifting one gear in town makes driving very fun. On the other hand, the Carrera S has such thick low-end torque that you can enjoy driving in town without needing to do that.

My first impression of this Carrera S was that the ride comfort is excellent. It feels plush from low speeds and has outstanding road-holding. From the moment it starts rolling, it’s very smooth and pleasant.

This car was fitted with 20-inch Carrera Classic wheels and PZERO tires, paired with the standard S brakes, which is definitely one of the foolproof combinations.

The cornering behavior is very natural—not too sharp, not too soft. It’s easy to drive rhythmically, and the strong road contact gives a reassuring feeling even when pushing hard. Honestly, this car’s level of refinement made me personally think, “I want this one.”

The only downside I noticed was the shift shock during upshifts at high revs in Sport Plus mode. For a PDK, the shock was a bit larger than on the 25,000 km base Carrera.

At low to mid revs, it was very smooth, so this was a minor disappointment. I suspect this difference comes from the 50,000 km mileage and how the car was used.

Finally, let me report on the seat differences. Both cars had standard sports seats, but the base Carrera had 4-way partial leather seats, while the Carrera S had 14-way fully leather seats.

Comparing them, you can definitely feel the price difference. Although the seat shape is the same, the material quality affects both appearance and feel. The difference between 4-way and 14-way is clear in terms of support and comfort. At first, I even mistook the Carrera S seats for Sports Seat Plus.

That said, I should clarify that since these were compared side-by-side, the difference is noticeable. If you don’t compare directly, I think you wouldn’t feel much dissatisfaction with the 4-way seats. Incidentally, the partial leather seems more durable.

991 Carrera 4-way Sports Seat (Partial Leather)

991 Carrera S 14-way Sports Seat (Leather)

Having directly compared the Carrera and Carrera S, I found the engine power difference was less noticeable than I expected. On a circuit or the Autobahn, you’d probably feel it more, but on public roads, it mostly comes down to the thickness of low-end torque in town driving. So, I don’t think you need to worry too much about the power difference.

More importantly, you should choose based on options like PASM, PCCB, and the Sport Chrono Package. There aren’t many articles comparing Porsche options, so information is scarce and it can be difficult. I hope this article helps readers a little in choosing their used Porsche.