Gents,

I've been shopping GT3's for a month now and it's getting to be a bit of paralysis by analysis. It's been quite a learning experience. Learning about the cars at the same time as shopping for one has been fun but taxing. I believe I know the pros and cons of each car by now. Here is the rub. It's been a long road for me to assemble the funds. I have the budget to buy the right 997.2 in the 120K range I also have the ability to reach up to the 145K range on a '14 with some bank help. You can even throw a GT4 in the mix.

Many of you have already been through this and can move from one car to the next but for me it's a first time deal and I can't get a drive in a 991. I have driven the 997. I'm coming from a Cayman S Sport with some mods and to be honest it's a hell of a drive but a GT3 is on the bucket list and I'm not getting any younger...

I sort of feel like I should do this in the right order and lean how to drive and own a 911/997.2 first. I have to admit I'm a little smitten by the Mezger thing but there is no question the 991 has moved the game forward. Should I stretch for the 991? Doesn't seem right..

Throw some thoughts at me. Any and all. And truthfully, I hate these kinds of threads but I'm really am torn...

Mj

 

I'll need a flame retardant suit for this but once you see, sit in, and drive a 991 GT3, you won't look back at the 997. They were both on the lot and available when I bought mine and I'm very happy with my decision!

 

There's only one question you have to ask yourself. Do you enjoy driving the car with a manual transmission or PDK? It's a very rewarding experience when you drive a manual and everything goes right. But then again, that PDK in the 991 GT3 is so advanced, it almost feel like you're cheating the laws of physics. Good luck on your decision, either way, you'll be very happy with your decision.

 

Thanks Gents...

You think that helped?

 

Can totally relate to the "not made of money" part......it took me 9 years to save for my Diablo, and I will be 3-5 years saving for the next car (1 year in).

Yes, I've looked pretty hard at both. Did a pricing survey this weekend. The buy price difference between a 15k mile 2010 997.2 NON-RS and a 5k mile 2014 car looks to be about $20k.

For that $20k you get 40 hp, a bunch of tech goodies, and a 4 year old newer car. You give up only a MT, which I prefer......but in this case my target is the 991. Too much value.

 

The new GT3 reminds me of what everyone on 6speed say about the Nissan GTR. It practically drive itself with all that technology and automatic transmission. I have both PDK and MT Porsches. No matter how good the PDK is, it's still an automatic transmission. Unless you drive on the track all the time and every second counts, which majority of us don't, a MT car is more fun. With all that said, the 991 GT3 does look great both inside and out and more a daily driver than the previous GT3. Good luck with your decision, it's a win win situation.

 

My 2 cents. Unless you are a die hard manual transmission lover, I would go 991 GT3 without hesitation... under warranty, latest technology, it will go down in history as one of the very best Porsche's ever made. For those who say it is not exciting to drive, well, I seriously doubt they have driven it. In addition to the sheer speed advantage, the 991 GT3 is actually a much wider bandwidth car than the 997 GT3. Much faster when it's about going fast, and absolutely thrilling while doing so. More comfortable and usable when it's about that as well. The 997 will pound you to death over road imperfections and your left leg will cramp up after driving around town. Only qualification I would make is that the 991 platform is longer and wider and thus much more stable, so the sensation of speed at any given speed is a bit higher in the smaller, narrower 997 chassis. But this does not make the 991 GT3 any less of a thrill to drive at speed.

There are hard questions and then there are are easy ones. The one you pose is an easy one IMHO. Especially with the 997 version going at the stupid prices they are currently. At under $80-90K vs. $140-150K, maybe more of a 50-50... (and just remember, the REGULAR 991 Carrera S surpasses the 997 GT3's lap time at the 'Ring...think about that...)

 

Well, realistically it comes down to what you are looking for. If you want a sports car with an automatic transmission get the newer one, if you want a sports car with a manual transmission get the older one. Hopefully a dealer will realize that you are serious about buying a car and will let you drive one. Kind of bizarre that they wouldn't. It sounds like you like tradition so I would think you would enjoy having the 911 over the GT4. Test drive them all in one day if you can.

 

You need to drive both at the very least.

Preferably back to back. Really does come down to the manual transmission choice...!

 

I traded my '10' 997.2 GT3 for a '15' 991 GT3. No regrets. Some people are really hung up on the manual and Mezger. You need to drive both and pick the one that puts the biggest smile on YOUR face. The hunt is part of the fun. Enjoy it. :-)

 

Here, this might help. Sabine knows a thing or two about Porsche (note the 997 is an RS!)

 

Sabine may know alot about cars but sorry, this video is utterly pointless relating to the OP's posted query... drag racing GT3's is missing the whole point of these cars...

 

Agree, to some extent. The video demonstrates straight line acceleration and just how dominant the 991's extra HP and PDK are. If you note at the end, Sabine mentions that she would need to run the 991 through the Nordschleife to determine which is truly quicker around a track given the 991's weight disadvantage (I posit that the 991 still posts a quicker time, it is simply a much better platform than the car it replaced).

That said, the OP made no mention of what specifically he was looking for (albeit if you are looking at GT3's you should have some track duty in mind), that said, I would think it's for the OP to determine whether a comparative visual on acceleration matters to him or not in his decision making.

 

I think that the newer platform is lightyears ahead of the 997s. So I'd say 991 Gt3 all the way, unless you want a manual. I will say this however... I did prefer the size of the 997 car vs the 991. The 991 feels big to me. My other car is listed below and there is a huge difference in the 'feel' of the sizes of these cars.

 

Good on you for having the fortitude and patience to get these cars. Point taken..