mike.baa

Hi all,

It's winter here in Canada and that always lets the mind wonder while our summer cars are in storage. I'm on the "list" for the upcoming GT3 AND GT4 (no guaranteed allocation of course) and have just been thinking...

I know this is completely subjective and emotional, but looking for feedback from existing GT3 and possibly GT4 owners. I live in Toronto where traffic isn't the best. I don't track at all and hardly do I get the time to take my current p-car on backroads for spirited driving since i have 2 small kids that keep me busy. Having said that....would it be wasteful/silly for me to get a GT3?

Note: I currently have a modded 997.1 C2S

Thanks,
Mike

bronson7

I think you answered your own question already...."I don't track at all and hardly do I get the time to take my current p-car on backroads for spirited driving since I have 2 small kids that keep me busy". Being that you said that, if you don't mind a "Garage Queen", go for it. Basically only you know whether to get it or not. Good luck in your decision.

Asco

Have a look at the Turbo S. With the two rear seats would serve your purpose very well, as you could take the kids along.

Lapis

Having owned both a GT4 and a 991 GT3 and living in northern US, I can tell you that neither is practical as a DD, though the GT4 drives more like a normal car of the two in that it doesn't feel as hyper when driven in regular traffic.

Both look the business and and get plenty of attention from the public, which applies regardless of whether you track or get out to better driving roads. Both make you feel special driving them, though the GT3 leads in this area of feeling more like a special occasion whenever you get in it and start it up, so much is the difference between it and normal 911's.

I never track but try to get out to winding driving roads at least once every week or two when weather permits. I found that I consistently preferred the GT3 despite wanting to drive a manual, which is the GT4's main claim to fame, because the GT3's engine and steering and grip is so much more exciting than the GT4's. So I sold the GT4 (couldn't justify keeping both) and am on the list for a .2GT3 which will be available with a manual.

If if you get GT3, I recommend the front axle lift option since the front lip is very low vs regular 911's and will scrape on driveway entry, parking garage ramps, speed bumps, without it. I use it all the time.

CSLSuperfan

Mike


Newbie has to pop his cherry and I decided on your thread!!


I am new to the Porsche brand having admired from afar for many years.


IMO its not just about track days but also about how a car makes you feel when you're driving.


Don't let your family commitments and/or lack of time dissuade you in GT3 ownership.


Go for it!! even if you use the car just to commute to work.

tstafford

Is the GT3 lip lower (when not "axel lifted") than the GT4?

mike.baa

Thanks guys. I'm not in the "money is not an object" stage, so I have had to work hard and save for it. I just don't like being wasteful in general. The other option I had in my mind was getting a used GTR as a daily and keeping my existing 911. The total would be half the cost of getting a GT3.

My biggest gripe in the "decision" is, I don't want to be stretching to pay the premium on something I won't make proper use out of.

tstafford

I'll give you my two cents - I've owned 996 GT3, 997 GT3, GT4 and have an incoming 991 GT3. I've also owned a variety of other P-cars - 997s, TT, Cayman S, Boxster, etc. Simply said - I wouldn't own a GT car as a daily. I track the car and enjoy it for that, but I think the non-GT cars make much better DDs. That's just my opinion. YMMV.

CSLSuperfan

Mike are you referring to the Nissan GTR....great option with room for family, shopping, golf clubs and so on.


very capable car given the outlay of a used example.

mike.baa

I'm the type that lowers all my cars on coilovers the next day I buy them, so I'm used to the harsh/low ride. The GT3 wouldn't be used as a daily, but would be used a as a weekend car ...occasional date night car.

But good to know!

mike.baa

Yes, referring to the Nissan GTR as option B.

Lapis

yes, having owned both simultaneously I can confirm the GT3 front lip, when not lifted by the front axle lift option, is lower than the fixed front lip of the GT4. My GT3 would definitely scrape hard if not lifted on my driveway entry ramp while the GT4 would not as long as I was very careful with the GT4 and took it at a slight angle instead of head on.


When lifted by the front axle loft option, the GT3 would not scrape at all on my driveway entry even if taken head on, so it's definitely fair to say that with the loft engaged on GT3, its front lip is higher than the GT4.

Having said that, I'm also confident that a regular series 911 or Cayman (even a Cayman GTS with the slightly lowered sport non-PASM suspension) have more front lip ground clearance than even the GT3 with the front axle lift option engaged.

This is reminds me of something I wanted to shared about these two cars.... until pushed harder, I think the GT4 drives a lot like a Cayman GTS with manual transmission and the option Sport (non-PASM) suspension option, an example of which I test drove while I had my GT4. Other differences in feel between the two have more to do with standard tires on the two cars than with anything else. That is high praise, actually, as I think both are excellent. But thought about another way, the GT4 just doesn't make you feel as special vs driving a well optioned Cayman GTS as the GT3 makes you feel vs driving any other 911 short of an RS. Of course the GT4 looks great sitting still vs lesser Caymans thanks to the wing and wheels and side air scoops, but when you start it up and drive away in regular roads/traffic, from the inside, you just don't feel very much if any different from being inside a nice Cayman GTS. This very thing is what also makes the GT4 the more civilized DD vs the GT3 in my opinion. It's just very refined vs the GT3's raw raucous engine sound and feel and the aggressiveness of the GT3's PDK-S transmission snapping off quick multiple up shifts between 0-70mph

mass27

I understand where you are coming from and I am of a similar upbringing and philosophy. That being said, it's difficult to quantify the relationship between money spent on the car vs. enjoyment received. If a 10 min drive by yourself once a week gives you that feeling of satisfaction that cannot be replicated, AND you can afford it, then I think it's a "good deal."

I also think that a minority of GT3 owners extract anything close to its potential. I also think that a minority of GT3 owners are on the track frequently as that is a huge time and money commitment, which most of us do not have enough of either. Therefore, I would not be swayed by the amount of time spent in the car, or the amount of time spent on the track (where many of the posters here assert that is where the GT3/RS "belongs"). I would only ensure that the time spent driving the car gives you the enjoyment level you expect and want.

That is how I quantify emotional purchases.

Kobalt

As you say this is completely subjective.

If you intend to track the car it is easier to answer the question: Yes, get the GT3.

I think I would to try to find a Rennlister that lives in Toronto and get a ride in the 991GT3 to get an idea of what it is like. Too bad it is winter...

Nizer

GT3: if you can you must.