I am looking at both, and leaning towards 997, but that is about 60k, while 996 can be had for 30-35.

From what I understand the 997 has a great engine for racing, (plan to use it for track), and is considered bulletproof, and easily modded, with little cost, while 996 turbo engine, not so much?

Whats the difference between two cars, as far as engine, transmission, and suspension is concerned.

Also would you say 911 turbo with about 80-100k would be reliable?

Thanks in advance

 

996 TT and 997 TT are essentially same engine...different turbos and a few other updates but same core Mezger.

Both come in manual and Tiptronic, assuming you are referring to 997.1 and not .2.

I do not know that I would say easily modded with little cost? Depends on what is meant by "little"?

Very dependable with a few known issues. 997 looks more updated...both solid cars.

DC

 

For track use, it's probably a good idea to have the coolant pipes replaced with metal parts and pinned or welded into place. The OE plastic pipes can come loose and cause a sudden loss of engine coolant. It's not too common, but more of an issue for tracked cars. This isn't an issue for the 996.

 

I wouldnt see cheap to mod...mind you the 996 is a bit mor reasonable for basic bolt on parts, but in the end Porsche's carry a tax, right off the bat budget $4k for coolant pipe/weld fix. From there intake, exahust, clutch, tune, suspension could be another $10k roughly.

 

First of all, thanks to all who posted. REALLY Appreciate the education.

Well thats what I meant. I think I get it sort of. The block and internals are the same, but intercooler, turbos and intake manifold is different? Sorry for dumb questions, I know bmws, but when I was counting how much it would cost me to built up a nice m3, I figured might as well go with 911 turbo.

When I refered to cheap mods, I meant that for me about 550 hp should be plenty, with light car and good suspension (dont think anyone needs more than that for track use, developing skill is more important),

for 997.1tt, ecu flush, straight exhaust, and some stiffer shocks to make it more track friendly, figure this could be done with 7-10k. Maybe brake upgrade later on.

996 tt, now just guessing to get 550, you need to upgrade turbos and inter-cooler???(thus more expensive) or did i just say something incredibly stupid.

Also to people who tracked both e9x m3 and 996/997 turbo, how they compare? other than handling feel, are modded turbos much faster than sc m3 with coilovers?

 

Both 996 and 997 have coolant pipe issues. They are a little different but both fail. 997 had the plastic elbows under the oil cooler that fail.

 

Both engines are fantastic and very moddable, but the cost is anything but little. Porsche tax is very very real.

It's entirely possible to spend 13k+ on flash, exhaust, intercoolers, (aka the basics) which is astronomical compared to most other platforms.

I would caution against going with the high mile car for track use. Maintenance on this car is brutally expensive so now that the difference between a 45k mile car and a 90k mile car is like 10k dollars, you will come out ahead spending up front.

 

When we got our car, '08 997, it had a flash (not sure whose) and stock exhaust and intercoolers. Quiet and very driveable, still felt very fast, and put down 470hp/560tq on the dyno on pump gas. So you don't need much to get solid power. Spend the money to work on durability items - coolant pipes, clutch, and suspension in the first season. Then the remaining power to 600 can be incrementally upgraded.

 

this is ABSOLUTELY an issue for 996tt

 

From a performance perspective a 6TT is a better road course track platform since you can fully disable PSM by simply unplugging it leaving only ABS in place. You also do not have a VTGs which pump out a tremendous amount of heat when stressed hard for long periods and the 6TT is very easy to convert to RWD with the addition of an LSD. The 6TT can be turned into a purer driving experience without the ever present nannies that are inherent to the 997TT cars... Coolant pipes are an issue with all Mezger engines and need to be addressed for track use on both the 6/7 cars..

 

and the bottom line is the 996tt or tt in gt2 clothing is simply a better looking car!!

 

ECU Tune, Exhaust, Coil Overs, Brembo Rotors & pads, Guards LSD, Race clutch, flywheel, BBI slave, Sways , Short Shift, TPC -DSC, lighter wheels, tires

I have done all the above on mine in the last year..... Turns a touring GT into a track beast ... and its fun around town as well

 

In UK 6t and 7t are about same price now.
If looks is not issue, I would buy the best car within your price range irrespective of age or milage. History and condition is key.

 

Are you looking for a tiptronic or 6 speed?

That will have a large impact when deciding on a tune - with a 6 speed and tune your stock clutch will not last long if at all so ensure you budget for changing the clutch. Tiptronic shouldn't be an issue with tune.

 

I am curious if you have spent time on the track yet? This is a serious car that needs a highly capable driver. If you haven't spent considerable time on the track, it is quite likely that a car this powerful would lead to bad habits that could hinder the learning process. If you have spent a lot of time on the track then you are going to use a huge amount of consumables due to being fast. There will be considerably more running costs to keep something this fast on the track than something even a bit slower. If you miss a shift, could you afford a potential $10k+ expenditure to fix the engine? Tires will be a very high cost as well. Both the 6 and 7 will be will likely be over 1k for a new set of tires for the track. I just wanted to throw that out there. Good luck no matter the decision.