Got a call today from a dealer re a T allocation......
So, now that the T has been out for awhile, what's the verdict? When the GT4 and 981 Spyder were released, there was some concern that they were parts bin cars and might not be so good. We all know how that turned out. So what's the final feeling about the T? Is it as desirable as the GT4 and 981 Spyder?

 

IMO, no. Those cars you mentioned have GT division parts and tuning on them. The T does not. So it won't be viewed the same. In the short term. You're not going to see 3 year old T's at close to MSRP like the GT4.

In the long term, who knows?

Doesn't mean it isn't a great car though.

 

Depends on your perspective. I recently took ED at Zuff and drove my T just shy of 1,800 miles over 4 alpine passes, the Nurburgring, Black Forest, Autobahn etc. Of the prior 911's I've had, my new T is the best of them. I'll be using my T to hop in and have fun on some back roads, occasional weekend trip with the wife, and some everyday use. For me and my use it's going to be a great all around car.

 

I think the value holding of the GT4 and 981 Spyder has more to do with them being NA and in fewer numbers than anything else along with the almost complete shift to turbo charging in the 991.2 and probably 992 lines shortly thereafter. Do they have GT DNA? Of course. Are they being driven a lot? If you use the few you see up for sale and their mileage as an indicator (which could be flawed), I don't think so. Awesome cars, for what they are meant to be. Desirable? Depends on how you define that.

For me, and many others, the T is as desirable as a GT car. But that is based on what we want it for and will probably do with it. Drive it. A lot. Everywhere. Because we can and most of us are mere mortals that can't or don't want a touring car that we can spec with some great one-offs at twice the price. No 9K RPM howl, though, sadly...

If you believe desirability is the same as rare, jury is still out (but looking less likely given the little Road and Track snippet flowing from Rennsport as of today...). The crazy thing is though, and this is without debate if some recent figures and projections are accurate, as far as 991.2 cars, there are probably only going to be about 1/4 as many T's in the world as GT cars of all stripes. Pretty cool. Do I think that will help any long term success of the car? Yes, but I define success my own way. It does say something, commercially, that Porsche is apparently going to continue this designation and they aren't just doing it because it is cool. More likely it's because: $$$ gained and their marketing and research works. Do I think it will help keep a premium on them in the near or mid term? No way. I don't plan on living for 40-50 more years, so anything for this T that equals the previous ones collectability or retained price will be my son's issue to deal with. I plan on driving its wheels off before then...

If desirability is in driving pleasure, cool factor (given your ability to spec things in a base 911 that you never could before), relative low cost for what you get (with the exception of a couple dudes on here, drive a MT one and you'll agree), and a pretty limited run of a car with a special tag on it (remembering, for example, that the first Porsche Monte Carlo Rally victory was in a T in 1968) then it is a car for you. If you can find one on a lot (I saw @ 40 nationwide earlier today on Cargurus) that you like, grab it. If you can't, take the dealer up on the offer and spec it like you stole it and get in line with the rest of us poor slobs living vicariously with the folks that own one and are keeping us going with all their great posts.

 

 

The T and the GT4 are much different cars, and they are again different to the Spyder.

Your considerations should be; mostly touring around and/or daily driving with 1-2 track events per year, or I always drive at 5000+rpm and/or i track it 6-8 times per year.

The T is awesome with its shorter gearing, high low end torque, limited slip, etc. It is a really sweet car to drive.

The GT4 is a NA car and torque is below 300 and hp is 385 or just a 15 more vs the T. However, the 3rd gear is very long and the car has a dead spot in its midrange. Therefore, it is not a great car to tour around in, but a much better option for heavy track use vs the T. it has more adjustment for ride height, camber, more brakes, etc. Even then, people still tune it and change headers to get rid of the dead spot. GT4 rides lower so can be more problematic around town.
I am not familiar with Spyder and don't know much about it.

If depreciation is important, different discussion and already covered multiple times over. They really like to talk about it on the GT4 and GT3 forum.

 

 

If the T were as desirable as those cars, there wouldn't be so many sitting unsold on dealer lots. It may have happened somewhere, but I never saw a GT4 or Spyder unspoken for when it hit a dealer. I'm not trying to compare them in any way other than the desirability scale you asked about.

 

Yes, I have been looking at the ones on the lot and they are indeed sitting like some of the other 911's, there. Perhaps the dealers ordered too many.

 

No. GT4 and Spyder were never parts bin cars. 911T is. Still a great car but not that much different than a C2. 911T is an end of year model to renew excitement before the next model comes out. That is all.

981 Spyder and GT4 were game changers. Wait till the 718s come out.

 

I've ordered a T for my daily driver and its in production as I type this. There's demand for this car from purists who want features that aren't on normal Carrera's...RAS, carbon buckets, lightweight GT2 glass, improved gear ratios with short shifter, etc. so the one guy who said above that no GT car parts are included is wrong. I bought it to drive it...

There's a few 911T's sitting on dealer lots that are bloated cars. This isn't supposed to be a bloated car.

 

Thanks for the great responses.
I love my 981 Spyder but I have to point out a couple errors in what has been stated thus far.
First, only the GT4 has GT parts, but most importantly the motor isn't. GT purists don't consider it a real GT car. I don't think the spider does have any GT Parts. It has suspension and steering rack from the 911 Turbo, and brakes, I believe, from the 911 S, Maybe. something like that, but I don't think there are any GT Parts in the spyder.
Second, they both are absolutely parts bin cars. Parts from pricier models, for sure, but parts bin nonetheless.
Last, there definitely were some GT4s and spyders sitting on Lots, Especially the spyders. It took a while before people understood how awesome they were. A lot of people received some nice discounts on the spyders. The amount of cars sitting on lots right now is really not all that different from the amount of spyders that were sitting on Lots back in 2016, to my recollection. And they only brought about 800 to this country. I'm not sure how many Ts have been produced already, but my dealer contact told me there are still 126 allocations available in the system.
As for the T vs the base 991.2, my driving impression of the base is that the car is a bit floaty, and that the throws are long. (Much prefer the handling and throws in my 981 Spyder, but like most Porsche folk, always imagine I'll get back into a 911 one of these days.) Does the T take care of those issues? Also, this isn't meant to take the place of the Spider. If I go for it, it's an addition. What the hell? You only live once.

 

 

T is Porsche-speak for how to sell a base Carrera.

 

The T is obviously a threat to some. I don't get why that is. I have yet to hear a negative opinion from anyone who has been behind the wheel of one; but plenty from those who own other 911 models. They're all great, choose the one you want.