phow

Hello all,

Long time 911 enthusiast but first time posting on this side of forum

Up until this point, all of my 911's have been water cooled and my most current "toy" is a 991 GT3. For the last 2 or 3 years I have been lusting after an air cooled 911. Unfortunately, I don't have room in the garage for both right now so buying one means the GT3 would have to go... I have been looking at 87-89 G50 cars and have found a few I'm considering making offers on. The GT3 leaving would easily cover the cost of the new purchase plus leave a healthy budget for any required maintenance and some modifications (the wish list is growing by the day lol).

The big question I'm dealing with now is will I regret parting with the GT3... My gut tells me "no" and that I can always buy another one but I'm also wondering if I'm romanticizing the idea of an air cooled 911 and I'm not really taking into consideration how different it will be. Clearly these are two very different cars and while I have loved my time with the GT3, I do miss the days when I really had to push my previous Carrera's to get the most out of them. The GT3 is effortless.

I would appreciate your thoughts/feedback and if any of you have also made a similar transition, it would be great to hear about those experiences. Thank you in advance for your replies.

wareaglescott

I don't think it is crazy. My Uncle once told me sports cars are like shirts. No matter how nice it is you get tired of wearing the same one every day. I like that analogy.

What sort of driving do you like to do? Do you track the GT3?
Personally I have two fast cars but I do not track them. Both are so capable on regular roads I would have to drive like a complete moron to really get full thrill out of them. Since I drive pretty reasonably they are both great cars but almost are a little boring at times on the streets because I am operating so far within their performance envelope. That is what led me to purchase an air cooled car. Now I am blessed with ample garage space so did not have to get rid of the others but I find my '79 SC the most fun to drive at times. I can go out and drive it through all the gears reasonably hard without being at go to jail speeds! I can't say if I had to choose one I would be willing to get rid of the others for the air cooled car but I can say it is a different and very enjoyable experience to have it. Hard to beat the smells, sounds and driving experience of a classic 911!

Like you said you can always get another GT3 in the future. If you buy the air cooled car right it certainly should retain value while your 991 generation GT3 will continue to depreciate. Seems like a good opportunity to give it a shot. Worst case you sell it, recover your money and buy a GT3 for cheaper that has depreciated in the interim.

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

The best advice I can offer is to tell you to drive one of those cars.

The ONLY thing your GT3 and a G-series Carrera have in common is the hood badge and you will either be surprised or shocked at the differences. Its a personal value judgement on which car suits you so you really need to drive one for yourself. Just bear in mind that any power differences can be bridged with sufficient resources.

Good luck!!!

groovzilla

I just went thru this exact situation----> I sold my beautiful 2007 997C4S meteor grey/black w/adaptive sport seats/PSE/etc and purchased a 1980 911sc in Silver/black - shown below in my signature.
I have a small 2 car garage and have drum set, 2 Vintage Bmw Motorcycles and no room for 2 cars - Due to the limited supply of nice 911sc's remaining and hard to find in Silver-black and the car sort of falling in my lap, I went for it.

Am I happy? Yes but I do miss the ease and comfort of the 997---> I've owned many aircooled 911's and there is a big difference in the earlier ride. I don;t drive my P-car much so it wouldn't impact me as much as someone using it as daily driver/etc.
I figured I could always find another nice 997C4S to replace mine.
Also the 911sc's are increasing in value. I got a screaming deal for low mileage 112K mile example. It's not perfect but really nice.

Considering you can always find a nice 997/991/ GT3 and availability good example aircooled cars diminishing on a daily basis and prices keep climbing, I'd go for the aircooled P-Car!

Good luck with your decision!

SARGEPUG

Wasn't he talking about women?!

SARGEPUG

Phow,

Not crazy at all! Your GT3 is latest tech and the 3.2 gen is everything but! I drive a '18 M5 everyday as my daily and a '17 Masi MC GTS Vert as another toy. I keep the Targa at the summer home, where I currently am and can't stop driving it! It's such a "visceral" driving experience and in addition, that 3.2 whine in the rear is poetic in it's own right. Do it and you'll never look back.

phow

Thanks guys for all the suggestions and comments!

Took the GT3 out for an early morning canyon run today to try and gain some clarity on what to do. There is no denying that the GT3 is an amazing canyon machine (I don't track it) and I would be sad to lose it. My wife suggested I just keep both and we will figure out the storage situation. At least for the first few months so I can make a more informed decision. Luckily here in West LA there are a lot of vehicle storage options so I'm going to start looking into those over the next few weeks.

So in the end I may end up with both which would be great or I may get the G50 and find I don't gravitate to the GT3 as much. Either way, a few months with both should help me make a better decision

Now I just need to settle on which one to move forward on! Thanks again!

Gdub

I have a 1998 Carrera S drive 2 or 3 times a week in summer had it out today for a three hour cruise more and more i have read on this site it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. What you get with older car is different feel of speed a nice feel in the steering wheel less comfort a slite smell of of oil and heat which we all get accustomed to when we exit car. My daily driver is a Toyota Tacoma it's new feels new drives new that's what i assume you will miss from your 991 GT3. I am having the same problem as you except i want a 2016 Boxster Spyder will i miss all the good stuff of my 1998 Carrera S ?.

Spyerx

G50 and 964 make great compliments to a gt3. They all offer very different driving experiences.

My 964 is more fun in the canyons than the newer cars. It’s more agile, smaller, lighter, and has just enough power for the street to where you feel like you’re going fast but not really going that fast. In my 997rs, my former spyder on the street a lot more pace required to feel the car.

You need to drive some of these cars. Just know they are old and require care and feeding.

AG81

Lots of great insight above. Nothing more to add other then I don't drive my more modern stuff much anymore...... The air cool car has taken over my life. It suits my style and age now and I'm more at home with the smells and feel of it.

Starbuckslova1

coming from a 997 gt3, its a very different car.

it depends on many things. how much your gonna use the car?
how long you plan on keeping it? an investment?

id honestly drive one

drive a 964 turbo
drive a regular 964
drive a 993

see how you like them and see if it feels right.

see which feels more you

depending on the other cars you have too.

i have a hilarious line up, i daily drive an escalade ext pickup, i just picked up a rx350 f sport for my wife and kid (used to have an old maxima).

and i have my air cooled 911 ( which is being painted for the last 6 plus months lol )

2 reliable daily drivers

old line up- 911sc, 997 gt3, infiniti i30.

the gt3 i could drive half alseep while texting. not my 911

just drive it and see if it feels right before you take the plunge.

also buy the best possible 964 or 993 you can get, its much cheaper in the long run, then do your own thing to it

phow

Thanks again everyone for the feedback. Looked at a few G50's today and found one I may move forward on in a couple of weeks. I'm going to keep the GT3 as well and we are going to figure out a storage situation. After a few months with both cars, I will have a better idea if I want to keep both long term or possibly swap the GT3 for something more compliant (maybe a Turbo).

Looking forward to starting on the air cooled journey

tcsracing1

991 GT3 is a great modern era 911 experience. You might be spoiled with the creature comforts compared to the dated features of a G50 Carrera.

You wouldnt replace one with the other. You want both.
Aircooled cars provide a certain novelty that is addictive.