GT3 Stick or twist

[reddevil]

Hi all,

Long shot but wondering if any IBers who also own GT3s would be kind enough to help me with deciding between a 996 or a 997.2 please? I'm looking for in-person detailed ownership perspective and for a ride in the respective cars (especially the 996) before hunkering down and targeting specific cars at dealers. I can provide good cheer, banter and Citroen C1 endurance racing tips (or promise not to) in return. 

I would really like a 997.2 but it has not escaped me that a 996 would be a guaranteed mechanism to also remaining in an IB and even making said IB a little more extreme.

All help gratefully received.

Chris

[stefwilks]

Hi Chris,
I’ve recently bought a 996.2 gt3 to go with my IB, I’ve only had it a couple of months and managed only about 300 miles!
I can’t tell you too much yet apart from it’s more focused and a harder ride than I remembered on the test run, not the easiest car to live with if your gonna do lots of miles, that said it puts a massive smile on my face every time I get it out the garage! [emoji2]

I’m more than happy to take you out for a spin, where are you based?
Stef


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[Richard Bernau]

Depends a lot on what you want to use it for I would think, although obviously they are fairly similar cars given the 997 is kind of a facelift 996.

On the other hand, they are both toys, so whatever floats your boat the most.

[reddevil]

Fast road and euro trips, def don’t want a club sport. I already have 4 cars with cages and harnesses.

Many say the 996 is more raw and track focused than the 997, but to be honest given how extreme my other cars are even a ‘6 would become the most luxourisously appoint of my fleet. I wouldn’t think twice about jumping in the IB with cage and harness and doing a couple tho miles. The lack of driver aids on the fried egg car does not bother me. It looks just ordinary enough that my wife would get in it for trips 🙂

The 997 is the more modern, faster car and historically might be viewed more fondly, esp in .2 form, but you can’t overlook the 100% price premium. Is it 100% better? Does it matter on the road that it is academically faster? I don’t know without seeing and riding in some cars. 

I know it’s a big ask but would really appreciate some help from GT3 owners, thanks very much stef for the offer but as we established via PM we are a couple hundred miles apart! 

Anyone in the SW/Midlands/Oxford-ish areas?

Thanks

Chris

[SP72]

Maybe worth asking on PH?

[Mondrian]

Out of curiosity why not 991 GT3 as they seem to be priced the same as 997? 

[reddevil]

9 minutes ago, Mondrian said:

Out of curiosity why not 991 GT3 as they seem to be priced the same as 997? 

I did consider this. In short, too fast, too clever, not enough involvement, plus they still have some way to depreciate. Have you seen the sheer quantity for sale?

Plus there is the engine worry... Porsche have had to recently warrant the cars for 10yrs/120k over specifically for the finger follower issue...

Awesome cars though. I'd be all over a 991.2 manual if they were in my price range.

[Wingnonut]

There was a 996.2 GT3 at the Historics Brooklands auction last weekend that I was sorely tempted by. 

The catch? It had 207k miles! Looked like it had a 10th if that on it. Recently repainted and a £28k engine rebuild 12k ago. 

Sold for £44k incl premium! 30% less than the cheapest around on PH etc. 

Kicking myself. 

[mean in green]

Think it was being discussed on DDK...

[reddevil]

To be honest I'd rather spend 20k more and have a 30k miler!

Interesting to know if I did decide to add 100k miles to one it doesn't completely destroy the value. 

New daily driver?

[reddevil]

 

22 hours ago, SP72 said:

Maybe worth asking on PH?

Well, the Pistonheads thread is going well. 12 hours in and it's already descended into a slanging match. 😂

[jevvy]

34 minutes ago, reddevil said:

 

Well, the Pistonheads thread is going well. 12 hours in and it's already descended into a slanging match. 😂

Haha, to be expected really!

I think you should get a 996, they really are superb machines and leaves the door open for picking up a later model (997/991) further down the line 😏

[reddevil]

Hi Jev,

That's my way of thinking presently. Have you been in either mate? I think I might prefer the more analogue car.

Chris

[jevvy]

 

1 hour ago, reddevil said:

Hi Jev,

That's my way of thinking presently. Have you been in either mate? I think I might prefer the more analogue car.

Chris

Not driven but been in both on track, from the pax seat not much to chose between them tbh. Their ability to cover ground is much more down to driver than the car - just like the earlier stuff really.

These guys seem to have a couple of each - might be worth a chat or a visit? https://www.autostoresales.co.uk/aftersales

Good luck!

[oliverjamesthomas]

A couple of years ago I was in Raeder Motorsport, who are in Nurburg.  They are part of the Manthey empire, but serve a slightly less corporate purpose.  Nevertheless their showroom, which consisted of car storage in the main, was full of very nice cars that were owned by people who flew in, collected the car and went for a play.  You can second guess what was in there.  The chap behind the counter was quite direct;  the Porsche to have for track?  996.2 GT3, or 997.1GT3.  They are the summit of the analogue mountain.  If you aren’t doing track, the GT3 is the wrong car; buy a cracking condition GTS or 2S.  It should be noted that I was looking at two 4.0 litres at this point and there are only 601 of those world wide, so his opinion is probably more accurate than mine 😂

From a personal perspective I would, naturally, vote 996 GT3.  I don’t give mine nearly as much use as it deserves, but it truly is a very capable car.  You tend to hold onto the gears to experience the way the engine does its thing, but the downside is you end up at Warp 9 and you could lose your licence very easily.  It really is that quick. That said, road manners are appalling on anything but very decent roads and sadly we don’t have many of those in Yorkshire.  Suspension bushes will need replacing if they haven’t already been done and you need to factor in a differential rebuild if it hasn’t had one.  The standard Bilstein shock absorbers aren’t the best things either, so you could be looking at a rebuild there although that doesn’t cost the earth.  With the benefit of hindsight I probably shouldn’t have gone that route and I should have replaced them with Bilstein B6, B8 or KW’s, but I wanted to maintain as much originality as possible.

if you can find a good one, you’ll probably be hooked 👍

 

 

 

[reddevil]

OK picked up my new 996.2 today... Very very nice indeed.

First impressions - comfort seats need to go, they are awful.

But what an engine! It is beyond indecently good. Sounds like a bag of spanners at idle but any more than 3k on the clock and it howls. What surprised me is the tractability of the thing, the car just has energy absolutely everywhere. However, you really need to concentrate to not be doing indecent speeds.

I like the 996 interior I think it has aged well (others will disagree) and mine has the centre console delete which makes it feel a bit old school. It helps that the car is mint I have seen some much more tired 9x6 cars inside and it makes them significantly less pleasant to pedal.

The ride is less harsh and the noise levels lower than the particular 997 I tried. I could really live with it as a road trip car no problem. The 997 certainly feels more "planted" but the 6 has better steering, it feels like a sprightly pup just desperate to sniff out an apex constantly! The car just moves around a bit more than a 997 and that suits me.

For what it's worth, I was extremely impressed with RPM and their level of prep on what was a SOR car. Included was a geo, to my tastes, I asked them for a road-biased setup to start with. I'm not a fan of dealers in general and prefer to deal privately, especially after the experience buying my IB, but I can see why people go back there again and again.

Having popped down the RPM in the air cooled with a mate, we swapped cars a few times and I must admit the 3.2 felt a bit "broken" trying to chase the GT3. However, loved watching (and hearing) my IB from the other car, it's so cute on the road - it might need to stay after all and get a pair of ITBs and some cams so it can keep up. I did ask RPM for a SOR estimate on it and the salesman said off the record I'd regret parting with it, as he had done with a 964 some years earlier...

For now it's gone into hibernation awaiting some expert attention to one of the rear ARB mounts, and to sort a small issue with the clutch not returning. Let's see if I miss it for a few weeks 🙂

[786]

On 7/11/2018 at 7:55 AM, Mondrian said:

Out of curiosity why not 991 GT3 as they seem to be priced the same as 997? 

Those are great, buddy has one and the sound it makes is incredible. This side of an LFA and CGT I’ve heard nothing that comes close.

 That being said, the engine issues are real. But with Porsche offering the extended warrantee you have that peace of mind. For the price they’re trading at now they seem to be a decent deal. But yes, I can see them depreciating quite a bit further. They made a ton of them and the engine issues aren’t doing them any favors. If that car was 10 or 20% less it’s a screaming deal. Excellent all rounder though and you can easily daily drive it in the city. Even on crap roads. I love it. And it looks stunning.

1 hour ago, reddevil said:

OK picked up my new 996.2 today... Very very nice indeed.

First impressions - comfort seats need to go, they are awful.

But what an engine! It is beyond indecently good. Sounds like a bag of spanners at idle but any more than 3k on the clock and it howls. What surprised me is the tractability of the thing, the car just has energy absolutely everywhere. However, you really need to concentrate to not be doing indecent speeds.

I like the 996 interior I think it has aged well (others will disagree) and mine has the centre console delete which makes it feel a bit old school. It helps that the car is mint I have seen some much more tired 9x6 cars inside and it makes them significantly less pleasant to pedal.

The ride is less harsh and the noise levels lower than the particular 997 I tried. I could really live with it as a road trip car no problem. The 997 certainly feels more "planted" but the 6 has better steering, it feels like a sprightly pup just desperate to sniff out an apex constantly! The car just moves around a bit more than a 997 and that suits me.

For what it's worth, I was extremely impressed with RPM and their level of prep on what was a SOR car. Included was a geo, to my tastes, I asked them for a road-biased setup to start with. I'm not a fan of dealers in general and prefer to deal privately, especially after the experience buying my IB, but I can see why people go back there again and again.

Having popped down the RPM in the air cooled with a mate, we swapped cars a few times and I must admit the 3.2 felt a bit "broken" trying to chase the GT3. However, loved watching (and hearing) my IB from the other car, it's so cute on the road - it might need to stay after all and get a pair of ITBs and some cams so it can keep up. I did ask RPM for a SOR estimate on it and the salesman said off the record I'd regret parting with it, as he had done with a 964 some years earlier...

For now it's gone into hibernation awaiting some expert attention to one of the rear ARB mounts, and to sort a small issue with the clutch not returning. Let's see if I miss it for a few weeks 🙂

 Big congrats! We need pictures stat. I know a guy that had every generation GT3 and he says that is his favorite.  I had that engine, albeit with a couple snails attached, and can attest to the bag of spanners sound at idle lol.  Great motor though, and tough as nails if taken care of. Lol at ‘cute on the road’ I can see what you mean.  I think that salesman is spot on though, I wouldn’t part with the old one. That’s quite a pair to have anyway.  Congrats again and enjoy in the best of health. 

[Wingnonut]

Pics pics pics!!! 😋

Not quote the same but I am currently sitting outside OPC Silverstone waiting for them to open and collect my new 981 Boxster 😊

[Busybee]

9 hours ago, reddevil said:

OK picked up my new 996.2 today... Very very nice indeed.

First impressions - comfort seats need to go, they are awful.

But what an engine! It is beyond indecently good. Sounds like a bag of spanners at idle but any more than 3k on the clock and it howls. What surprised me is the tractability of the thing, the car just has energy absolutely everywhere. However, you really need to concentrate to not be doing indecent speeds.

I like the 996 interior I think it has aged well (others will disagree) and mine has the centre console delete which makes it feel a bit old school. It helps that the car is mint I have seen some much more tired 9x6 cars inside and it makes them significantly less pleasant to pedal.

The ride is less harsh and the noise levels lower than the particular 997 I tried. I could really live with it as a road trip car no problem. The 997 certainly feels more "planted" but the 6 has better steering, it feels like a sprightly pup just desperate to sniff out an apex constantly! The car just moves around a bit more than a 997 and that suits me.

For what it's worth, I was extremely impressed with RPM and their level of prep on what was a SOR car. Included was a geo, to my tastes, I asked them for a road-biased setup to start with. I'm not a fan of dealers in general and prefer to deal privately, especially after the experience buying my IB, but I can see why people go back there again and again.

Having popped down the RPM in the air cooled with a mate, we swapped cars a few times and I must admit the 3.2 felt a bit "broken" trying to chase the GT3. However, loved watching (and hearing) my IB from the other car, it's so cute on the road - it might need to stay after all and get a pair of ITBs and some cams so it can keep up. I did ask RPM for a SOR estimate on it and the salesman said off the record I'd regret parting with it, as he had done with a 964 some years earlier...

For now it's gone into hibernation awaiting some expert attention to one of the rear ARB mounts, and to sort a small issue with the clutch not returning. Let's see if I miss it for a few weeks 🙂

Congrats @reddevil! Great choice. Like everyone else, pics, pics, pics. I’ve never driven one but I imagine it’s pretty darn good 👍🏎

[Jon Miller]

Great choice, I made the same decision earlier this year. Mighty impressed so far.




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[Type911]

Is that in your front garden Jon?

[Busybee]

My front lawn. Those burger bap hedges were an inspired moment for me  😂

[Jon Miller]

Is that in your front garden Jon?

Back garden Matt, the front is much more impressive [emoji3]


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[reddevil]

Some pics...

 

[Busybee]

Wow! She’s a beauty 👍😎