my 2penneth for consideration
1) I hated the Tip for the C2S and Cayman S, so had manuals in both of these.
2) before buying my current car, I tried a gen2 C2S PDK and a scruffy 997TT (manual) before finally trying a Tip 997TT, and it was so much more better than I expected, as others will say - the Tip works far better on the 997TT than it does on the Carrera, I guess it must be the turbos eliminating some of the sluggishness you feel in the NA engine with a Tip box ?.
3) I imagine (since I bought a clean 997TT tip in the end) that if I were a track day hoon and a gifted/skilled driver, that the manual would be the best place to be for maximum enjoyment/interaction.
4) Since I'm not a track day guy and simply enjoy spirited weekend drives from A-B on the twisties (when I can grab the time between family obligations), that I have not lost anything at all by not spending more cash for a manual that I would never likely get that extra perceived raw driving benefit from, I don't feel I've made a compromise or lost anything by buying the Tip.
5) gear changes are not sluggish on a 997TT tip at all, they are fast when you are giving it some and the box has adapted to the current driving style, they are just not as lightning fast as a PDK. The gearbox is also great for pottering around/sitting in motorway traffic which is where most people spend their driving time anyway.
6) If I had the cash to upgrade to a gen2 997TT, whether there was a manual or PDK put in front of me, I'd pick the PDK as the same logic/circumstances for myself would apply,but I'd have a slicker gearbox
you'll know what the right choice for you is, once you've tried them all out.
horses for courses....
