Hi everyone, let me first start off by saying that I am a new member and its my first post. I wanted to get some honest opinions as I am considering buying the new 991 turbo/gt3 early next year...or a slightly used CPO 2019 model. I am deciding between both models and would like your thoughts and inputs. My initial thoughts are below but would love to hear from current owners. I don't plan on tracking the car and neither will be my daily driver. Looking to put on about 5-6k miles yearly.

Turbo (991 or 992)
Pros: Tons of power, 4WD will be helpful in wet weather,, very comfortable and nice interior.
Cons: quite a bit more expensive then the GT3 (then again, more car), quiet exhaust note compared to GT3, blends in like a normal 911 at first glance

GT3 (991 or 992)
Pros: Striking looks (looks a lot more sportier and flashy), wonderful exhaust note, 6 speed option, maybe more rare than a turbo?
Cons: Rear wheel drive, interior build quality may not be as good as the turbo, ride comfort if driving on long trips.

Also any major maintenance differences between both. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Note: Thought I would post here since the 992 section doesn't seem to get much action.

 

Welcome here sir this is a great forum! either one will be your first P car? if money is no object I'll take the 992 TTS and keep it factory stock for peace of mind, it's a complete formidable daily or occasional bruiser. If play money is limited I'll consider a lower mileage 2014-2016 already modded by a refutable shop they are nuts and faster than the new 992 tts for almost half the price. Good luck and Happy Motoring!

 

This topic is, of course, widely discussed. to sum it up, i see the GT3 as a fancy go kart (fun but breaks no records and not very fast) and the turbo S as a all in one Supercar.
There shouldn't be any difference in build quality, i don't know why you figure. it's the same interior (plus minus elcantra/leather) build in the same place by the same people..
I don't see how the GT3 looks is striking, beside the spoiler, it looks narrow and pale VS the chubby turbo S with, in my opinion, much more classic and muscular smooth look with the retraced spoiler.
It's absolutely not rarer. opposite is true, the rarest is the one no one bought, in the special models lineup that means the non s turbo and non s turbo cab. "GT cars" craze bubble was in it's peak and everyone bought and ordered as many as they can build. GT3 and GT3RS they end up making by the 1000's. The turbo S is even faster on the technical race track than the GT3 (and 991.1 GT3RS), which is the purpose those cars were built (or at least, declared so) for.
In fact, the only advantage GT3 seems to have is the exhaust note.. (but then again, that comes in a price of no power at the lows and need to rev all the time).

 

I have had both. You cannot go wrong with either one. But there is something very special about the howl of the GT3 engine at 9,000 rpm. The entire car screams.

Where are you? What is the climate like? Are you going to throw winter tires on for cold weather driving or do you plan on parking it for winter? GT3 is a great 3 season car. But the Turbo on winter tires can be driven all year.

 

I never plan to track my street cars, and usually do not, GT3 rs and GT2 rs are great cars and fun to drive, but do their best work on the track, and generally harsh for street driving, unless you are lucky enough to live where there are really good roads, that's not my roads. I have a 17' turbo s that I sent to Sam at By Design, for some money you can build a car that will run with anything and beat most of them. The 991.2 is a great car, I just ordered a 992 turbo s that will be here by years end, that will also go to Sam for winter vacation and to be made fast. You do some mods to a turbo s and it will sound great. The all wheel drive turbo s just seems more planted to the road for the roads I live and drive on, it maybe different where you live and drive to which car is a better fit for you

 

There is only one "problem" with the gt3/gt3rs on the track, it's slow.
991.2 gt3RS excluded, gt3 and gt3rs are slower or as fast as a turbo S on most tracks. Think about it, a "race car for the street" that can't go faster on the track than a 150KG heavier "gt cruise car". And not to mention the lack of power and lack of power at lows that makes you slow in the real world..
That leaves the GT3/RS being a fancy fun go kart that sounds good (even that, a lot of gt3 owners "upgrade" with bypass and so.. meaning it's not enough too).

Driving a turbo S you can be sure it will be rare to meet a car that can outperform you, on track and mostly on the road.
By the way, now that Porsche throw that 4.0 engine all over the place (even in a boxster GTS), one Porsche remain the only with one of a kind engine that no other carry.

 

OP - go drive them both and see what you like. And ask your question in the GT3 forum too.

 

Thanks for your feedback everyone. It will not be my daily driver and only be driven spring through fall.

Only problem I see with test drive is that the person or dealer will not take me seriously and may think I am there just to joy ride. Any ideas on how to show them I am a serious buyer and not there to waste their time?

 

in my experience, dealers are very good about letting you drive cars. Especially Porsche dealers. I was a tire kicker at some point. Dealers still let me drive their cars. And some years later, I bought my first Porsche. Just look at your local dealers’ inventory and call for a test drive. Bet you will find them very happy to accommodate.

 

Ok, Psychology sub-forum, if you will be confidence that you are not there for a joy drive, so it shall be. beside, Porsche dealers, in particular are known for investing in future customer so even a joy ride is no problem as well.
BTW, don't take dealer's answer about gt3 vs turbo S for granted and go with what ever you like.

 

Easy enough OP just wear a driving shoes, a t-shirt with Porsche logo, and a Rolex or a Patek watch, lol sounds like you need a GT-3 since it won't be a daily, good luck!

 

I own a 991.2 911 Turbo Cabriolet and I can share why I chose that instead of the Turbo S and GT variants. I drove both the GT3 and GT3 RS for about a week each (via TURO) and the GT3 RS lacked the front axle lift... it was a nightmare driving it on the street. Any driveway was a concern or simply impossible to ascend without damage. It made it so driving the car was only fun in the freeway. Which was still fun but worrying while driving in the street just ruined the experience. Also, driving it in the canyons created a strange clapping sound in the front fenders, the tires would touch the inside of the vender liners. While the GT3 had the front axle lift, I had to press the button so often I drove with my hand over the button most of the time. Again... not fun. It took away from the experience. I only had the cars for a week each and even then i realized having a back seat would be useful. I could have driven around some smaller adults but without seats, it was impossible.

The Turbo S typically comes with the ceramic brakes, which are very expensive to replace. I live in the east coast and I need winter wheels/tires, so the awd of the turbo brought a peace of mind vs the rear drive GT variants. Due to the Turbo S having the fancy wheels with the single bolt, you'd need a special tool to remove them, if you want to install your own winter wheels (which is what i wanted to do). so the Turbo's wheels with 5 lug nuts are way more practical. you'll also find more shops that can install a new tire with regular lugs than that single big racing one. The Turbo without the spoilers extended has a lot of ground clearance and it is extremely rare that I am concerned about hitting anything while driving or entering /exiting driveways, it's not super low like the GT variants. I can use the rear seats (and have!). The convertible makes it super easy to load/unload large items in the back seats, i've carried an inflatable boat, an air conditioner and a large 100+ pound low profile car jack. My car is way more practical than if i had a GT variant or coupe. i'm not concerned about vanity/attention but i still get it very often with the turbo, (perhaps more because i drive with the top down but even with the top up i get tons of people speaking to me from the sidewalk as i drive, and tons of thumbs up while driving from other motorists and pedestrians). If you're gonna drive your car a lot, get something practical like the turbo. If you're rarely gonna drive it and prefer rear wheel drive for some reason, that makes extra noise, then sure, get a GT variant.

If you're gonna want to track your car, i wouldn't recommend the convertible as some tracks require a roll cage for convertibles and require them to pass a broomstick test, where the broomstick is placed between the roll cage and the front of the car and your helmet (while on your head) must not touch the broomstick.

pretty sure the gt variants don't come with some of the extra comfort items like heated steering wheel, heated seats, cooled seats, steering wheel volume control, pcm control etc. which is minor when when you're shopping and focused on performance but when you use it you're extra satisfied with your decision. i've had multiple gt3 rs drivers try to race me on the freeway but were unsuccessful... my car is faster. i like to drive with the special key ( looks like a diamond <> ) in the steering wheel programmed to show the air pressure of the tires so in case i'm driving spiritedly i can easily check/monitor the pressure. you also get sports chrono with the turbo/s so you can easily switch from commuter ish mode and its super sport mode. my car has given me more than the rated 24 mpg on the freeway, which i was no where near in the gt variants when i drove them. sure, i dont always maximize mpg, but sometimes you just want to relax and want to avoid pulling over to refill, you could be running late, need to use the restroom (and want to do it at home lol)... if you live in an area that has both available in turo, try them out before you buy. feel free to ask if you have any other questions, i'm probably forgetting a few important comparisons between the different models but this is what i remember right now.

 

So what do you think OP?

 

Thank you all for your invaluable advice. I will stick to the turbo.

 

You choose wisely. turbo/s is the pinnacle of Porsche (aside the gt2rs), not only performance but also a true meaning of a Porsche that has to be practical.