Hi all - just wanted to throw a question in the room and need help to decide. I have a black on black 09 C2S and really love it (only really missing sport chrono plus though). Bought it used 1.5 years ago but with only 1K miles on it, now it only has 10K. Thought of this car as a keeper for the longer term.

Only things I've added are GT3 steering wheel + shiftknob, alcantara consolde lid, clear tail lights, removed all signs and added Sharkwerks center muffler bypass and fabspeed black chrome tail pipes. Windows are tinted black. Has a super clean look now (will post some pics over the weekend).

Now I've been playing with the idea of an aero kit for awhile and I've found used but basically new a set of second gen GT3 front bumper and rear wing (not including the rear bumper with center tail pipes). Whole set would go for 10K + whatever bodyshop charges for paint job and installation. Don't want to go with GT3 rear bumper because at that point I would try to replicate a GT3 look entirely, which my S simply isn't (plus another 5K in cost, too). Idea is to create a 997.2 GT3 aero kit vs. first gen version from Tequipment.

At that point with all parts mentioned incl. GT3 bumper and wing, I would have dropped 85K on the car. Looks like for 105K you can get a <5K miles 2010 GT3 these days? And that car would have full leather interior, navi, PCCB, (all stuf I don't have) plus all the standard perks that come with a GT3 v.s. Carrera S.

My concern is that eventually I wouldn' stop there and at that point (or maybe already now) I should just go for a trade. Or just scrap the idea and leave the S an S and be happy with it.

No right answer to this but still appreciate some third party opinion. I'm sure the dilema of mods vs. just upgrading is pretty common...

 

Personally I'd enjoy the car as. In 2 years hopefully the .2GT3 prices will be 10-15k lower and you'll have extra cash you saved to put down on a .2GT3.

Or just get a .1GT3 now.

 

I know it's tempting to mod your car and it's fun but since you haven't started yet. I would just trade your car in and get a GT3, nice ones are going for mid 80's. You will not get much back with your mods. If you don't need the rear seats, gt3 is the way to go.

 

10K for just the front bumper and wing? That is way too much and you could do better, I think.

I would get the full aero kit from suncoast for half that, new:

http://www.suncoastparts.com/product...Code=997gen2ak

BTW, I am in a similar situation, I want a GT3 but my car is just about paid off so I decided to mod it out. I plan to get a GT3 next year or a 991...

 

If I were you, I'd try a .1 gt3, if you like it, hold onto that until .2 prices come down or you want to upgrade to 991. You'll end up throwing to much money at your current car only to get pennies on the dollar for the parts in the future.

 

Thanks all. I guess holding on to it / waiting for the right time to upgrade would be the most sensible thing to do.

Yes, I saw the aero kit at suncoast, as you said for <5K for awhile now. Thing is though the 997.2 tequipment cup aero kit is, as you know, basically the 997.1 GT3 version. I'm talking about modding my car to look like below. When ordering from Porsche, just the front bumper (plus other pieces needed for installation) and the rear wing go for 20K. I've double-checked that with dealers in Germany. Just the rear wing is USD 13K (12K EUR, less 19% VAT usually included in quoted prices, times 1.3 for USD exchange rate. Front bumper comes to about 5K. Plus couple of hundred $$$ shipping from Europe.

That said, getting all these pieces new for 10K seems a good deal, no? Relatively speaking, of course. Because the whole cup kit is only 5K. And as we already discussed, spending that type of money I could just upgrade to the real deal (which is probably price intended by Porsche; I mean there is no other reason why the rear wing alone should be 13K full price).

 

13K for the wing, not worth it. Get a good replica, keep the original parts and put it back to stock when you are ready to sell and move onto the next car. That's what I am doing. But, I enjoy tinkering with it and I am not doing this as an investment.

I have been hunting for a .1 oem GT3 rear wing for months. I was close on one but the seller stopped replying to my emails. My current wing is the TechArt Type III, first thing I bought and really wasnt thinking it through.

If you can make the move now, I would. If you want to wait and enjoy modding then do it.

 

Oh and yea, that's what I want too. Black or white!

 

Agree on list price. But I can get the OEM GT3 wing and front bumper for 10K (vs. 18K list price) so pic above would actually be the end game of my mods. Looks like good deal on paper but when you take a step back it also means dropping 10K on an aero kit simply put.

Personally, would like to stick to OEM even though there are some really good third party parts providers, no question. Only non-OEM part I have is Sharkwerks bypass just because I've only heard great things about it (which all turned out to be accurate btw). Oh and yes Fabspeed black chrome tips but that isn't any critical part so can't go much wrong here.

 

This is really good advice ^. The C2S and GT3 are sort of different cars and you may not like the comparative harshness/edginess of the GT3. If that is the case, then mod your car like a GT3 and retain the more refined nature of the C2S. Insofar as future return on mods, I think, and I mean it's just my opinion, that you should mod for your own satisfaction and not for any possible increase in value. That said, if you drop $20K on mods then the real decision is whether you are going to get $20K of enjoyment out of it.

 

Thank you - yes these are good points. Maybe I find a dealer who I can convince to let me test drive one. I understand the optical difference from C2S to GT3, as well as stats on paper. But I would certainly have to experience first hand.

So if I were to sell my car in the private market now (forget trade in price), I'd probably get 65K for it. GT3 goes for what like 100K? Plus tax and other one time items, which isn't little in NY state, probably 110K all in. That's a huge difference. Plus, it may actually not be the right car for me (I live in NYC).

Or I spend 10K for parts and let's say 2K for shipping and body shop and the basically have replicated the look of the black GT3, which I posted above (minus the rear bumper with center tail pipe, which I wouldn't do anyway).

Considering all this, 12K is probably not that bad of an option. And yes, we're all on the same page this is a sunk cost. Although how come I'm never the lucky guy who finds a left over GT3 mod set on eBay for 3K? There must be some residual value in these pieces as I would return my car to stock condition before selling. Just needs some patience to find a buyer.

Btw, this whole thing started because someone left a nice scratch in my front bumper, which now needs to be repainted entirely (don't have to pay for it though). Typical catalyst / excuse for aero kit .

One more thing though, I've read a lot of people start lowering the car post aero kit conversion because they realize it suddenly looks jacked. Is that the next mod trap I'm heading into? LOL

 

Aw thanks for the support mate!

 

nay, especially if you bought this car, it will only lose value....

 

Coming from someone who has modded every bit and piece of a standard 997, I'd just upgrade to a 997.1 GT3 or wait till you can get a .2 GT3 since you haven't really started modding. I went my route because I started modding my right from the beginning when the 997 first came out and now I'm just way into deep haha

 

It's your car and ultimately your choice. If your intent is to keep the car for any extended period of time, do whatever you feel will increase YOUR enjoyment of the car. However, if ultimately what you really want is a GT3 and this is a move meant to be a bridge until you can buy a GT3, put the money toward the purchase of a GT3.

I LOVE the speedster/sport classic but I wasn't ready to spend $200k on one and I'm not sure if I ever will. So I opted for some subtle upgrades on my .2 to capture some of the designs I liked while still keeping the car relatively stock. I spent the money on upgrades for ME, not as an investment with a chance of getting the money back on a resale.

I would find a .1 GT3 and drive it. See if you like it. As others have said, you should be able to get one in a range you deem affordable.

Best of luck!

KS