There is nothing wrong with buying a .1. Prices in my opinion will settle into 997 territory in years to come and the .2 will always command a 20% premium to the .1. I may be wrong this my opinion. If I had to buy a car now and didn’t want to pony up to the .2, I’d get a 15-16, and enjoy.
Myself, I’m looking to purchase in 3-5 yr. I’m hoping to get a .2 for about 120ish.

 

Thank you to all that responded. I appreciate the input. I decided to start looking for the 991.2.
Looking forward to fun without storm clouds, after this wicked year of 2020.

 

Wise decision.

 

If you drive it you're F&*^#D because you will not want to get out of it: You have been warned.

Have you seen the YouTube video when Andreas say's to Chris Harris, "This is one of the most emotional cars we ever made; it's a screamer." Enough said and completely true.
The entire video is a great watch.

Fast forward to 17:50 if you want to get right to it:

My recently purchased 2014 991.1 can be a 'grumpy' girl with it's own personality that steadily keeps revealing itself.
The gurgles, deep engine note, fluid swirling sounds, squeaks, and straight *****-out acceleration hitting that 9k rev is unassailable and superlative: completely addictive. Even though this car has navi/radio, I have yet to ever listen to it.
I love the ability to 'clutch kick' as well as manually shift when desired.
When I want to satisfy my manual gearbox needs, I take out the 981 GT4 for now despite there being no comparison.
Buy it and drive it like you stole it, but get a radar detector for certain. I often think I will get a ticket just from all the attention it gets without speeding, lol: but seriously.

 

OP: Sounds like you're now considering a 991.2 GT3 a well. Smart move IMHO. I owned a 2014 GT3 (one of the early buy back cars), a 2016 RS, a 2018 GT3 and now a GT3T. A lot of comments above about the engine issues on the .1 GT3 (all worthy of consideration). I'll go with a different argument - the 991.2 GT3 is a much better car. The motor has more low end torque and the PCM is dramatically better. These things matter if you intend to drive the car regularly. FWIW - I liked both of the 991.2 cars better than the RS which I put about 3K track miles on.

 

This is likely in the top ten of most asked questions, so you'll definitely find enough material to drive you crazy. Like most car decisions, it often boils down to price and how much someone wants spend. I think what is often missing in some regards is more knowledge of the buyers intent vs. wether to buy a .1 vs. .2, etc. For example, if you lead with I only have a $115K to spend you're not looking at a .2 right now. Or, I won't buy any GT car without a warranty. Or, I plan to track this car extensively. Or, this will be a daily driver and fun weekend car that gets about 10K miles per year. Or, this will be the last 911 I buy. In your situation you stated your track days have passed and you enjoy spirited mountain drives. You could essentially do this in any 911. You're probably experienced enough to know each new model is an evolution and this comes with an inherited cost. For example, you can get your fill on the release of the upcoming 992 GT3 and how much better it might be than the 991 series. This part of the process never ends. To your question in the header...should I buy my 1st GT3? Based on my interpretation of your intended use you will be blown away at how capable a 991.1 GT3 is. Cruising around town and limited mountain trips, and the fact this would bey your first one, the only way you think you need a .2 is because of what someone else posted. These cars are priced right which is why this question comes up daily. Gonna guess someone could find a nicely used 15 or 16 with buckets and PPCB for $115-$120k. Then you factor in approximately five years of engine warranty. If you try your best and put 10K miles a year you'll have driven through, experienced and enjoyed, vs. the worry of depreciation. It is truly the bargain GT3 to get. Heck, if you feel it is not sufficiently powerful for mountain cruises, sell it in a year with still four years remaining on the warranty. Good luck!

Naturally everyone wants the best deal they can get on a car that meets the majority of their expectations.

 

I wanted something to go wrong, the g6 is the only engine to have in a 991.1. Only took me 4500 miles to achieve my goal. Engine still warrantied till 2025, yours?

 

This is probably the most logical and detailed analyses of said subject.

 

I appreciate your insight. I am sure that I would love the 991.1, especially because I never had a 911 performing on such a high level. I simply want to avoid predictable issues that might taint my first GT ownership experience. I believe the .2 offers a greater chance of achieving an awesome outcome.

 

Case closed....Enjoy your decision.
No way you can be disappointed in either choice.
Send us pics after purchase.....

 

So I'm assuming the 2016 GT3 RS has the same engine issues? Or upgraded engine?

 

Looking at GT3 is like buying a TV when you look at 20 TVs on the wall it’s clear which ones are best however if took the average one home and put it on your wall it looks amazing compared to the previous model. Name a car with the next generation isn’t typically better more expensive and at the end of the day I’m pretty sure no one here is qualifying for a pole position at the Austin Grand Prix or Le Mans 🤣

 

First of all, thank you for taking the time to respond with much thought and insight on the issue.

I totally agree, performance is not the reason for me to choose a .2 over a .1. I never had a car that operates on such a high performance level as a 991.1. I also would not complain if I spend 40K less.

I am leaning towards the .2 because I can achieve everything the .1 offers plus the peace of mind that it is not likely that anything will go wrong soon. A 2018 991.2 runs about 150K + and as the 992 is coming on the market that will most likely drift lower in the foreseeable future. These cars have factory warranty plus CPO, very safe play. They will depreciate of course, but if I buy a 991.1 I may pay less initially but expect that the depreciation of that car will be substantial the closer it gets to the expiration of the 10 year extended engine warranty.

Having said that, I would be open to a 991.1 with a recent G engine replacement. In that case I could be more confident about the car and would expect to keep it for a long time and thus making the depreciation much less of a consideration. I just don't know that I have the knowledge/experience to locate the right car. What I don't want is a car with an earlier engine that I have to break in the time frame given to get a new engine out of Porsche. I feel that does not need to be a goal of my first GT experience.

 

IMHO, You might loose as much in depreciation on the .2 if bought in the next 6 months, versus any expense of a warranty and potential repair or later sales price in the future on .1 I’m in process of .1 purchase
regardless of what you choose it will be awesome

 

Every time I'm out street driving my .1 my first thought is "damn this thing needs more low end torque"