I'm considering buying a 2008 GT2 (not RS) from a friend. It would primarily be used as a track car, along with sometimes being used for my short commute (I don't mind a firm ride).

It would be an 'upgrade' from a Cayman R, which I still love, but it would be fun to try something different and do the 911 thing. So other options include the 997 GT3, 997 GT3 RS, and 991 GT3.

I prefer manual, but could probably live with PDK. Not really interested in the turbo because I prefer RWD.

Experiences and opinions would be appreciated.

 

I track mine a few times a year right now, and drive it to the gym or running an errand at least once or twice a week. I highly recommend some minor mods. Can't think of a better car for what you need. 3RS is the only thing I would consider as an option. The 991 GT3 will be better, but isn't it about a year or more out.

 

manifold, like yourself.. i drove the cayman for a year... put a tpc turbo in it.. and suspension.. and then the car now has side effects that i ll talk about later...
i bought a 2011 gt3 rs....
the cayman will be a causal daily driver at this point until i sell it for an M5 or another alpina b7...
reguardless... your heading in the right direction...
i cant speak for the 2... but from what i know at least get a 997.2 ...
the gt3 is not even comparable to the cayman.. they are 2 very different cars.. and i love them both... get the RS.... get it now....

 

Go with the 997.2 RS for best of both worlds

 

I'd say fundamentally you should decide if you want a turbocharged car or not since that is the biggest difference between the GT2 and the other GT3 models you mentioned. There are certainly pros and cons to each, but if you're not a hardcore road racer or plan to spend a lot of time at the road course, the GT2 might start to make sense. Best wishes!

 

Yes. And let me drive it :-) :-)

 

I'll probably be tracking the car 30+ days a year. Normally, I'd be looking at some version of a GT3, but the prospect of getting an over-the-top GT2 from a trusted friend is tempting.

 

Well, if you're up for the challenge of tracking a GT2 (sounds like you are), then I'd recommend buying that. I'm an absolute sucker when it comes to buying stuff from close friends...so I'm definitely seeing some advantages there over buying a car from a dealership or someone you don't know.

Best wishes!

 

Any out there with substantial track experience with the cars I'm considering, routinely pushing them to 8/10+?

 

You are aware a GT2 is TURBO? But you just stated above that your not really interested in a TURBO car...

 

I don't mind the additional torque and speed that come with turbos, as long as there's isn't much turbo lag. What I don't want is the AWD drive that comes with a 911 turbo. What I definitely want is a car well-suited for the track.

 

Search Rennlist 997 gt3 forum
This is discussed at length in multiple threads

 

I went from an 08 Cayman S to an 08 GT2.
Tracked them both. The GT2 is a monster.

The Cayman is a better daily driver and some say more forgiving on a track but I had never experienced anything more than understeer from going to hot into a turn. Oversteer is easily controlled and it instills enough confidence that you can throw the car into a corner.
The GT2 has a much firmer ride. The wife won't ride in it. Again understeer will creep up just the same but oversteer, especially with 325's in the back, is something that I don't want to find the limits of. The limits are so high and the car is capable of so much speed that testing them is something I'll watch Chris Harris and Walter Rohl do on Youtube.

Manual. You have no choice.

 

Then the GT2 is not the car you want. Sounds like GT3 would be your best bet. If you can find a GT3 4.0 that is what I would pick up for track duty...

 

I actually see this as a drawback with the GT2. I'd rather drive something like a Cayman at 9/10 (which I can do now) than a GT2 at 7/10 and hardly even get it sliding around. It could take me a long time to learn to drive the GT2 at 9/10, and at that point the higher speeds will mean higher risk. I lust for the car and its speed potential, but it also scares me.