sgroer

I’ve had 2 manual and 2 PDK 991.2 gt cars. My current GT3 is a 2018 PDK. I always enjoyed manuals, never wanted to see them go. The damn PDK is so well done. I can honestly say that for me, the PDK is far more fun and fits this car better. Don’t learn how to drive a manual just for a GT3. Get a PDK and beat on it. It’s so much fun.

Some may think I’m crazy but it’s all about personal choice and I've had them both and my mind is made up.

Jimmy-D

Although the .2 GT3 has a light clutch and it is quick shifting; it does not make it an easy "Manual" to drive. For me I find it easy because I have been driving a "Manual" for quite some time but I would recommend learning on another vehicle first. I have a friend who DD a Manual and I was cracking up when he stalled my car a couple of time when we took her for a ride. It is a very sensitive system that rewards perfect "manual" driving but will punish poor shifting/practices.

wru

It's not a CGT... if you can ride a motorcycle you can drive a manual. Get the car you want, hop in and go find a hill without any traffic pressure. you'll be fine.

GrantG

After you rent a car for a week (not sure if you can rent a manual in the US very easily anymore), buy a cheap manual 911 (any vintage - but not a particularly fast one) to learn to shift it and get used to rear-engined dynamics. Take it to the track, if you like.

AndreasPeriera

My GT3T is my first manual car but I've different occasionally manual cars. After 17,000 km I would say definitely go for it. I was nervous at first, the first few months and would drive other cars but not anymore. It's pure joy and can't think of getting something for fun that's not a manual anymore. My touring have become my dd, hence the 17,000 km in 16 months.

Alan C.

I agree with the above. I just went from a manual .2 GT3 to a PDK .2 GT3. Prior to that I had a GT4 and a 15 GT3. I find the PDK every bit as much fun to drive as a manual. And let's not forget, one money shift can erase a lot of smiles.

911mhawk

this thread is great, reminds me of getting out of my e39 M5 a couple years ago and the valet kid had to get out and find someone that could shift, lol...
With all the empty roads, I'm tempted to teach my 11 yr old how to drive a stick

Palting

So you want to buy a manual GT just because you find a lot of people want it, and you don’t know how to drive a manual. Not a good idea. Most of the people looking for a manual GT3 already know they love manual.. Never having enjoyed a manual before, you may not enjoy it in a GT3. Buy a cheaper car with a manual trans, and see how well you can enjoy it. If your main goal is to enjoy a GT3, then don’t waste your money on the cheaper car and go with the PDK. A GT3 with PDK is an absolute blast. And I’m a guy who grew up driving and enjoying manual cars, including Porsches. I now have a .2 GT3 PDK.

mehoff

The GT3 was built to be PDK. The GT3 with PDK is a better car. The manual exists for people like me that have to have manual and will not purchase a car otherwise. I’ve only driven manual cars since I started in shifter carts at age 10, learned to drive on a manual at 15 and all but one (my tow truck) of my 16 cars have been manual. My race cars are slower because I only race manual. The fun of racing to me is the absolute control of the car.....not just about winning.

The manual was brought back for the people that NEED the connection to the car and would otherwise pass; that would not under any circumstance own an automatic car. The PDK is a bad a$$ mother forker and will almost certainly bring more enjoyment to you. The manual gets better reviews because us manual people are snobs about it. Without the lifelong connection to it I don’t understand why you’d want to go that route. All that said, MANAUL IS BETTER!

CAlexio

I 100% thought this was a troll thread initially. But yes, cheap beater car to learn is the way to go

helo008

Thanks all for the replies! Seems like the best route is to pick up a cheap car to get used to and see how I like MT before making a decision. A quick search online showed a couple nice Honda Fits for cheap and also a local manual driving school--think I'll be going down those options once things get better with COVID. Will watch the videos and give it a try! Not in a rush to pick up a GT3 given the present circumstances which means more time to figure out what I like the most.

Thanks for the suggestion! I'm based in Vancouver so not too far. This actually looks like a great option--once things settle down I may squeeze in a quick trip down to LA and take you up on this!

Also I see the opinion on PDK almost evenly matches the manuals! For all the suggestions to just go for the PDK, I have driven a 991.2 GTS and the transmission was one of the best if not the best transmission I've driven, but I have no seat time behind a GT3. For anyone with experience with both these cars, what are the major differences I should be expecting? I know these are totally different cars but please bear with me lol.

Haha I wish. Where my parents grew up they were lucky to have bicycles, so by the time they started owning cars automatics were already prevalent. So they never owned a manual car nor know how to drive one. As someone who enjoys cars I feel almost obligated to make up for that now

Porsche911GTS'16

OP - I did not know how to drive a manual very well at all when I finalized my build for my GT3T. I already have a GTS that is PDK and I wanted to have one of each transmission. I took two manual transmission driving lessons here in LA which were worthwhile. I also did a 90 minute GT3 (PDK) drive at PEC LA, to make sure that the GT3 was really worth the expenditure when I was already quite content with my GTS cab. If you look at my post history, you will find that I have given a lot of input on the difference between a GTS and a GT3. In a nutshell, to me, the GTS makes a better daily driver. Having a PDK in LA traffic is a huge plus. The GTS has a Jekyll and Hyde personality - it can be very docile and luxury sedan-ish in normal mode with the normal chassis and with PSE off but if you want to go into beast mode, the car can be very sporty with the push of a few buttons. The GT3, on the other hand, is always in beast mode - and it is a beast of a totally different color. I do find the Touring remarkably comfortable for a 500 hp, naturally aspirated track weapon, but it is not nearly as "cushy" as a GTS. You would be wise to get seat time with both before deciding on one or the other. Perhaps you can do what I did: Start with GTS ownership and then work your way up to the GT3.

As for manual transmission driving, yeah, it was crazy of me to buy a $200,000 car when I was not comfortable with the transmission. But I am a guy who likes to push himself. I saw it as a challenge. Was I scared to drive the car when I first got it? Hells yeah. I was petrified in stop and go traffic that I would stall, roll back and rear-end the car behind me, or find some other way of sabotaging my beautiful new car. Fortunately, with time and lots of trial and error, I got it. Just before the COVID lockdown, I drove my Touring 2,200 miles from LA to Oregon and back. The GT3 Touring is not just a car with a manual transmission, it is a 9,000 RPM revving, naturally aspirated monster with a sublime manual gear box. It is something you have to experience yourself to truly "get it." The connection between man and machine makes driving a manual GT3 a different experience from the PDK variant. Not necessarily better, just different. I am a huge PDK fan, 42,000 miles into my GTS, but after my trip up north, I decided that if I had to give up one or the other (and I LOVE my naturally aspirated 991.1 GTS cab), I would kick the GTS to the curb in a heartbeat. The Touring is something special. Maybe not as special as the R (or so some would have us believe), but it's pretty darn special.

helo008

Thanks for sharing your experience man. The Touring is hands down one of my all-time favourite cars and would be my ideal GT3--yours looks incredible. From what it sounds like, I think you've actually set me on the GT3 even more. When I owned an F-Type and drove the GTS I found that while technically and handling-wise it was a better car, it didn't quite have the rawness or noise and also felt a bit too cushy and refined. It sounds like the GT3 fits the bill perfectly. I'm lucky enough to live within walking distance to work so driving in traffic is not much of an issue, this will solely be a fun car--also, the roads in this city are almost entirely flat! It seems like the stars have aligned to pick up MT. I totally agree with your view that learning to drive in manual seems like a fun challenge, and I think it's better undertaken now with some of the best manuals ever produced than in a few decades when there may not be many (or any) available. Worst case, if I absolutely hate it I'm sure there's plenty of manual purists looking to ****** one up.

PEC LA seems to be the play though to try out the GT3 (possibly even a manual one), it sounds like I'll have to make a trip down soon. Maybe I'll even Turo a manual while I'm down there after I take lessons to get some practice in, haha.

Next time you take a trip up north you've got to come all the way up north to Vancouver! I promise the views and food are worth it. I actually don't think I've ever seen a GT3T up here (I believe there were about 30-40 total deliveries to Canada, none for sale online nationally), so you'll definitely stand out as well. Keep enjoying that beautiful machine!

911frostys

Interesting... I thought I was the only crazy guy to buy a 200k car without “really” knowing how to drive manual.

I picked up my GT3 Touring in Feb and love this thing to death. I can echo a lot of what’s being said here. Porsche has made driving manual “easy” with the no lift shift and auto rev matching. I used it to learn the mechanics of the car and I relied on that in the beginning. Now since I’ve gotten used to driving manual, I am experimenting with doing my own rev matching etc. Honestly, every time I get in the car it’s a little stressful but for me that’s what makes this thing special. It’s an experience and isn’t my DD. Wouldn’t trade it for anything else on the market.

GrantG

Nice going Manual is not just for old farts like myself...