With the GTR, I often find myself switching over to manual to add a bit more driver interaction to the ride. With its refinement, I actually find myself longing for the clinking and clanking of drive-shafts, airbox noises, vibrations, and exhaust notes more than pure speed or that top-spot on the comparison charts. Don't get me wrong, GTR is A BEAST!!! And when the turbos spooled up, hang-on for dear life, my friend! The speed that this thing is able to achieve is simply phenomenal!

With the GT3, I enjoy it more because of all the vibrations, the athletic/agile nature of the drive, the sound, and quite simply the raw feel and effort involved of it all.

The GT3 was my DD and when it hit 15k miles, I bought the GTR with the intention of using it as the next DD, but that never happened. I put on 4 times more miles on the GT3 than the GTR still.

On the other hand though, I get way more thumbs-ups from passer-bys with the GTR than the GT3, and as my kids often observe, people seem to be more passionante about your GTR than you do!

Personally, overall feel is harder to quantify than the numbers alone, and I've learned that I can always add more parts or buy more speed, but will it be fun to drive? Now, that's a very personal decision...

 

I would LOVE both.
The gtr highly modded for the ultimate power it can handle and the gt3 for it's on track capability and endurance.

You can't lose either way.

 

I bought my first GT3 in August '08 at the same time I got a new GTR.
Now on my third GT3 and never regretted it. For daily driving it is a toss up maybe depending on taste and depends if you are more addicted to the sound of a GT3 or the boost of a GTR.

If you track the car GT3 all the way every time.

 

And there you have it.

The reason I started shopping for a 996 GT3/Cayman S, etc... I don't mind going slower around track. I just have a hard time justifying anything over the extremely low costs of a Miata. Those things are just too much fun.

 

I had three track cars during all of 2009, 2010, and most of 2011! One was a 670hp 996tt, and my Datsun v8 Datsun Zcar. The mistake was by far the most educational car for every member of my family. If you think you are a good driver, hop in a specmiata, and find out.

Btw, an E36 m3 (I just sold one of those too) would be a great alternative.
Mike

 

I notice someone posted that the GT-R depreciates quicker than the Porsche. Not true. Depreciation on GT-Rs is exceptionally low. They hold thier value better than pretty much any sub $250k car produced today, and significantly better than Porsches.

That said, if you want a better quality car that gives you greater involvement, get the GT3. The GT-R is an outstanding all-rounder, and one of my favorite cars ever, but in terms of pure excitement it doesn't compare to a GT3.

 

For a car nut, it's really hard to understand how it can be more enjoyable to go slower. It's not that the gt3 is harder to drive (though it is), its that it does everything it is supposed to do as a sports car. You feel every nuance of steering and throttle input (not to menion the sound!) more precisely than in any other car, period. Does that enable you to go faster than a car that can perfectly control polar moment through thousands of computer cycles and torque redistribution mid corner? No. Does it enable you to enjoy the experience more even at 4mph lower pace? Absolutely. Keep in mind, the gt3 is nowhere near slow.

This whole discussion reminds me of the saying "for those that get it no explanation is necessary, for those that dont, no explanation is possible." If you are the former, go get a gt3 asap, you will never come here asking if you should trade it for a gtr.

 

Very well said... +1

 

What is really hard to understand? This is all personal opinion. Many experienced car nuts claim they have more fun in slow momentum cars like miatas etc.

 

for those who just want to go faster, it's hard to understand how you can have more fun going slower. by the way, there is a limit to this theory; for example, it IS really hard to have much fun in a miata...

 

Disagree...

I have a TON of fun in one. Stock.

It felt like a newer Elan (probably for a good reason).

 

Ok, i meant that a little tongue in cheek. They can be fun, the problem is that the chassis is so much more capable than the engine - its very easy to drive right at the limit.

 

It's only hard until you drive a developed race car. When you can feel EVERYTHING that's going on around you and how your actions determine what comes next, nothing compares to it. You can feel as though you are going faster even if you're not because the new goal of technology is to be comfy and fast, so sensations get dulled. The GT3's are able to retain much of that feeling while still be quite comfy as street cars, that is the amazing part of them and why they are so popular.

I liken it to riding roller coasters, the new technology goes way faster and pull more G's, but there's nothing like the good ole stomach in your throat feel of the up and down on a wooden coaster (even though you end up with a headache). A smaller slower drop on a wooden coaster gives you as much fun as a significantly bigger drop on a big coaster.

 

Nothing beats vinyl...

CD's are too technological.

(I paraphrased)

 

You may want to pick another analogy, or maybe you got it right. You do know that a properly cut record exactly reflects the true waveform of the original underlying analog sound whereas a CD is a significantly diluted approximation?