I've been personally debating this myself for the last few years, but eventually I decided to just keep the Turbo for a few reasons:

1. I have two little kids (4 and 6) so I actually use the back seats.
2. The AWD of the Turbo means it's a useable winter vehicle (though this doesn't matter for you in FL of course!).
3. PSM - I like to drive fast and PSM can really save your butt, especially when traction gets bad like in the rain (which of course you will have a lot of in FL!) or when you hit a patch of loose gravel, which happens a lot here in the mountains of CO.
4. Putting the power down - My plan was always to modify the car from the X50 stock setup to somewhere in the 600+ WHP/WTQ range. I already had issues putting the stock 444/457 HP/TQ to the ground, especially on wet pavement. The AWD helps enormously. I've never dynoed my car, but on the track I pull on 997 Turbo S cars on the straightaway very clearly.
5. Price for performance - I have the financial means to buy whichever Porsche I wanted (well except a Carrera GT ), but at the same time you can make a 996 Turbo into quite a car with some basic modifications. I got an amazing deal on an MAShaw front bumper with carbon fiber lip. Including painting and installation it was only a bit over $2k to put it on. MAShaw offered me a smoking deal at the time for $1300 for the bumper and $225 for the carbon fiber lip plus only $150 for an extra lip so I'd have a spare!. Shipping was $100 or maybe $150 at most for all of it since it fit in one big box. Painting and installation was about $400 or maybe $500. I don't exactly recall since it was over 3 years ago now. You can certainly get it done for much less than your $5k estimate you put above.
6. Having owned an AWD 996 before (2001 C4) I know that by turning off the PSM you can make the car very similar to a RWD platform. It's never going to be quite the same as getting a RWD 911, but it's pretty close based on my experience driving late-model RWD 911's for at least a few hundred miles.

How much are you going to track the car, and what % of your yearly mileage do you expect will come at the track? If it's a lot, then I'd go for the GT2. Otherwise, I'd stick with the Turbo and modify it.

 

I am pretty torn because I have 2 little kids and they would be really upset if they couldn't get in the car. That said, after racing and tracking cars for 14 years the purest in me wants a GT2 although, to be honest, I am tracking cars less these days...

In the end after blasting around the last few weeks I must agree that the AWD/PASM is a huge bonus on the street. My main issue with the GT2 (besides the seats) is no stability control for every day driving. I think I am going to keep my car and do the mods I planned on. If I want a track car I think I will go with one dedicated for the track with a roll cage. If I only had a bigger garage!

 

Have you driven a gt2?? Let me share something with you, proper tires and alignment on a gt2 with its immense mechanical grip = very hard pressed to get that *** end out with normal aggressive driving... It's rock solid and not scary at all

I had a turbo with no sunroof, no back seats, rwd conversion/lightened up and it could still never be a gt2 , not even close.

Both were great cars in their own respect, but the gt2 was what I needed from the start. If you feel the same way, maybe it's for you, however if you are having all of these apprehensions it prob is NOT for you and your daily life..

I've driven my car last year for 6 months straight daily in track form here in fla, yes sometimes it was a bit much but not undriveable, I also went through monsoons on r compounds and survived... It's not that bad as long as you can drive

Good luck

Prices are about rock bottom and slightly increasing for what's available and clean, the market is becoming scarce onthem from what I've researched.. Don't worry about the investment, it won't be, drive whatever you have and just enjoy it... I've lost like 100 k on mine , oh well, the smiles and thrills in the car are irreplaceable

 

I drove a GT2 back in 2006 just not on the track and loved it. I think my main issue to be completely honest is kids. They would be sooooo unhappy if they could never get a ride again. And when you have 2 kids you can't leave 1 behind. I would much rather have a GT2 but if it's one or the other family has got to come first.

 

I see.

If you'd like to go for a ride in mine let me know, honestly you'll see it's not bad tooling around! Besides, you cant even exploit the cars true potential on these terribly flat and traffic polluted roads

BTW, i've heard of people retrofitting back seats into GT2's, not a hard job to do... Just can't have the roll bar then

 

This is the kind of offer that you do not say no to! You are making my life complicated! Save me from myself!

shoot me an email at sberger6@gmail.com and I'll give you a call.

 

997 Turbo

 

I once read something on this forum that stated 'The Turbo is the cardboard box that the GT2 comes in' or something like that. Pretty humorous for sure, but if you talk to enough guys who have owned a Turbo and a GT2 they will pretty much say the same thing. iLLM3 sums up their comments pretty well.

I've started to give this more thought as I begin planning for my next Porsche, as I plan to sell my 2001 Turbo after owning it for another year or so. I briefly considered a Nissan GTR (the new cool car, right) but I won't be able to see myself leaving the world of Porsches...they are the perfect cars for me overall.

So, I see myself having a few options...all of them expensive (compared to my Turbo).

1. Porsche 996 GT2
2. Porsche 997.1 TT
3. Porsche 997.1 GT3

I can make pros and cons all day long for each of these cars (with all having examples available between $65k and $80k in todays market), but there is simply no denying that the GT series cars were built to a higher standard and have the desirability and near collect-ability that many of us would prize. One thing that does concern me is that I know if my Turbo is totaled that I could replace it without much trouble, but with the GT series cars this becomes a bit harder, although not impossible.

It is hard to justify spending nearly twice what my car is worth on another car that looks the same to the outside observer, and that is where the GT2 becomes a tougher sell. But, I can also tell you right now that it's a very easy case for a car enthusiast to justify. When you consider I want to upgrade the following items on my Turbo, the GT2 starts to sound more like a bargain:

PCCB brakes - $6k used
suspension - $3k installed/aligned
GT2 clutch conversion - $2k installed
GT2 rear decklid - $3k painted/installed
sport seats - $2k
turbo upgrade (from my K16s) - $2k minimum
solid (no-sunroof) roof panel - $5k painted/installed

I suspect just in the parts/labor for what I listed above I'll start to get close to a GT2, but the sad reality of modifying a Turbo is that it will always be a Turbo with regard to resale value. Some guys will pay a premium for a nicely modified car for sure, but nowhere near dollar for dollar. The GT2 is pretty much my vision of what I'd want to build anyway, so probably starts to represent a real value compared to modifying my own car.

I just know that it would feel pretty strange to suddenly have a car that looks 'the same', and is reasonably similar...but costs so much more. Harder to justify for us working stiffs!

I cannot wait to drive a GT2 for the first time though!

 

I think you can upgrade a turbo for less than the difference and it would easily beat a stock gt2. K24's are nothing special. I think you are assuming that upgrades bring u to gt2 power level. But you will far exceed a stock gt2 with turbos clutch and seats.

 

Of course that is very true, but I think it's more of the overall ownership experience you're after. To out-perform a GT2 by the numbers wouldn't even cost that much, particularly if you started with an X50 equipped car, but to really build a GT2 facsimile (out of a Turbo) would. So, it's probably more up to what your standard of reference is and what you're trying to achieve.

As I said, I look forward to driving a GT2 one day so I can quantify for myself if the GT2 experience is that much more special, or extremely reminiscent of my own car, a lightly modified Turbo. I'll obviously feel a lot better if it feels quite similar.

 

i too, have seen the "light" of psm. i'm all for it

my buddy just bought an 08 gt2 with roughly the same power output as my moderately tweaked tt. his hair will soon be white. he doesn't really even know it yet.

 

i'm fascinated by the oft described "differences" between a modded turbo and a gt2, but i have not had the luxury of being able to describe the differences as an owner would. so i'm curious. is there any way to quantify the difference you feel exists, between a modded tt, say, and a stock gt2? given similar power levels, suspension etc.

i ask out of curiousity, and i don't think anyone would argue against the exclusivity factor or "track ready" appeal of the gt2 over a stock tt. but mods are a factor.. no? so, again, i'm wondering if you feel the difference(s) can be quantified. as in the very obvious difference between a n/a gt3, and a tt or gt2.

even not knowing though, i'd always go for the best i could afford, all else being near equal. which would put me in the gt2rs any day, safety or awd/psm be damned plus it's the only time i ever liked alcantara