gmaki

Alright this thread is a question, but also my first post and an introduction.

I have never owned a Porsche before. Never been able to afford or at least justify one. But for me it has always been "The" car to own. in 2002 when I bought a WRX and tracked it a few times, I spent a lot of time hanging out with POC and my good friend and driving instructor was a 911 owner and POC member. Riding in his car on the track was both very memorable for me, and very influential. That very first lap with him, going into turn one at big Willow, absolutely convinced that he had screwed up and we were going to go straight off the course, then experiencing the car make the turn without incident (aside from my body wanting to literally fly out the window if not for the harness) was truly a life changing experience, and one I hope to have from the drivers seat one day.

My stock WRX was a lot of fun, but it gave nothing like that sort of feedback under hard braking and cornering that that 911 did.

Just being around that crowd, and all those Porsches, at the track, only further fueled my desire to own one.

So now several years later, I have recently switched jobs which came with a decent salary increase, my wife is 2 months away from graduating nursing school and her salary will literally be 100% discretionary income. All this while the kids are starting to come of the age where they will soon start moving out, one by one. Bottom line is, my dream is suddenly within reach, and I don't even have to be irresponsible to achieve it!

Without going into another long winded story, I will try and sum it up by saying I am a GT3 type of customer, aside from the fact that I probably could not hope to get my hands on one, and probably could not afford it even if one was somehow made available to me.

So, in my opinion that puts me in the market for a GT4, or a 911 GTS. Let's ignore the fact for a moment that I am about as likely to get my hands on a GT4 as a GT3. Even if I could, and even though the Cayman in my mind is logically a better car, the plain and simple fact is that to me the 911 is the TRUE Porsche, and all practicalities aside, it is the more aesthetically pleasing car to my eye.

The Cayman is in every respect a true sports car, and one I would gladly and happily own and drive, but the round headlights and the fat *** of the 911 are what really triggers those teenager Porsche desires of mine and that is what I really want to see on those late nights when I go out to the garage and just stare at it thinking "wow, THAT is really mine." In the end either car is way more car than I truly need or could ever take to its limits on a track, so I might as well get the one that I appreciate looking at the most. right?

So even though it was a bit premature, I decided to go to the dealer last week and start to look at them "in the flesh" if you will. and wouldn't you know it they had a MT 911 GTS in white right there, ready to go. And only one, at that. It was right about that time I started reading about the 991.2, and the turbo motors which all conspired to induce a bit of panic in me, as I want the NA 911, not a small displacement turbo. I got excited and panicked enough let them run my credit, and I took a test drive. And I came within a hairs breadth of driving that car right off the lot. Only the obligatory last minute call to my wife brought me back down to reality and crushed my dreams.

But she was right, and I should never have even considered buying a car on impulse.

After that I did some more research, and quickly came to the realization that what I really want is a non sunroof car. The car I drove had a sunroof. It also appears that I can still order a NA GTS as a 2016 model. I think this would be the much wiser course of action for me.

And this brings me to the point I am at today. I just emailed the dealer and told him that I am going to pass on the car, but that I would like to custom order instead.

So I guess I am hear to say "hi" in the hope that I will soon (in the next few months) be a member of this community and to perhaps get some feedback on my course of action. Does it seem like I am going about this the right way? am I off my rocker?

And if I am on the right track, what kind of advice would you give to a person ordering a car right now, keeping in mind that I would essentially be trying to order a "poor mans GT3." I am not really concerned about resale value. I like the idea of perhaps owning one of the last NA MT 911's, but I plan to buy the car and never sell it so I am not looking at it as an investment, but I do want something at least somewhat unique and something I can be proud to own for a long time.

Sorry for the long post.

Edit: To add the pic of the car I test drove.

KBS911

Great first post! IMHO if you have always aspired to a 911, I say get it. The GTS is the ultimate example of the N/A 911, GT3 aside. As far as tracking the car it will perform very well. By some accounts the 991S is a tad faster than the 2010/11 GT3 and those cars are no track slouches. I can tell you from my experience, having owned a 10 GT3 and 11 GT3 RS that the new 991's are very capable track cars. Pretty much change the brake fluid and add better pads and you are in the game with just about anything and anyone for DE/Track days. On my 13 991S I chose to add OEM GT2 seats, and a roll bar and harness because I like my HANS. I pass a lot of GT3's, RS's, and Z06's with my lowly 991S on the track. Most DE folks are weekend warriors, not pros. The GTS has more power and a wider track and should even be more capable. It is also a great driving car for weekend favorite roads and you can comfortably take along the wife and small kids if you like. Don't think you can go wrong, and if you've always wanted a 911 you wont have regrets. I just ordered a GTS myself nd have pre-traded the 991S. Should be here in early May. Can hardly stand wait.

gmaki

Thanks for the support KBS911. and I agree. And you hit the nail right on the head. I want primarily a capable track car, but I also want to take the wife to Mastro's on a Friday night and not be ashamed to Valet it... lol. Or at least not have her be ashamed. And I think the GTS fits that bill pretty well.

I admit I also do have a hope that 10, or perhaps 20 years from now to be able to look at it and still feel it is something a little special.

I plan to keep it completely stock, with the possible exception of a roll bar, for the same reasons you mention.

I have also become torn between the Aerokit Cup or the standard tail. I love the look of the standard with the tail down but absolutely hate it with it up. if I wasn't ordering the car it would not make much a of difference to me which one the car had... but now that I CAN make the choice, it has become a dilemma.

FergusH

My only comment (other than welcome!) is to think about finding a car you like that's already in stock at a dealer. I was considering the 911 GTS coupe and I found quite a few that were close enough that I would have been happy with them. I ended up choosing a manual transmission Targa GTS in an uncommon color so I had to order a car but if I'd picked the coupe, I'm pretty sure I could have found one at a dealer. I figured out which options definitely wanted, which I definitely didn't, and which I was mostly indifferent about.

If you do order a car, this forum is a great place to ask about options. The list is just insanely long. A good dealer can help you out and after you use Porsche's online configurator, you can post a link here for other people to give you feedback on - which lots of people will!

Have fun! BTW, love that white GTS; that's pretty much the spec I was considering. Oh, where are you located? Sonnen Porsche in the SF Bay Area often has manual transmission cars in stock.

KBS911

Wow, great looking car. Love the white with the black wheels. 5 lug too. How is it equipped other than MT and sunroof. I think a must for the track is Sport PASM, plus it gives the car a better look IMO. Can't tell if the car in pic has s/pasm. As far as sunroof, I bought my 991S off the floor (awesome deal) and almost walked because of the sunroof until my salesperson said, "you know you don't have to open it"....true dat! We joke about it now, although I did order my GTS sans sunroof, and with only PDK, s/pasm and aerokit as options. Point is, if you like the dealer car and it is well equipped for the track without a lot of extra bling you may be able to work a good deal. I'd say 7-8 % off minimum. If not, order the car the way you want. You'll just have to wait. Good luck!

chuck911

Seems like just the other day I posted somewhere about a minimally optioned, MT, no-sunroof GTS being a future classic 911. Skip the aero bits, they're spendy, do little at the track and nothing for your night out with the wife. Keep it basic. Look at it this way- either you really are the eminently sensible fellow you seem to be, in which case the basic GTS is indeed more car than you'll ever need, or you're not, and the track bug will have you throwing parts on there like there's no tomorrow. Either way, don't worry, you already made the most important decision: no sunroof!

shaytun

You basically wrote how I think OP. One note about the sunroof. I know not having one is the more pure option. However on normal drives with the windows down around 85mph the turbulence in the cabin is pretty bad. There are multiple posts on this. Tilting the sunroof open solves the problem. So I recommend at least the steel sunroof if not the glass which I personally like because of the black contrast that matches all the black bits on the GTS.

Vise

Welcome and congrats... assuming you do go ahead with your order that is. I was in the same boat as you, first Porsche after a lifetime of dreaming. I could not be happier with my GTS and suggest that you will be too.

In terms of ordering, as mentioned above the options game is a bit nuts but plenty of guys with experience here to help you through it. I do love that you can spec a car to your exact wishes/wants if you're prepared to wait for it to arrive. What I'd suggest is that you post up your build/config (Porsche code is even better) for us to look at and provide input. Much of the optioning process is personal of course but I found it very helpful to get thoughts from those that have been there before.

Other than that I say go for it asap!

fastdiablo

I also considered a GT3 vs a GTS as my first 911. I'm going with a GTS because of ride comfort, more tolerable cabin noise and overall practicality (option for small passengers in the back for one). i elected to also not choose a sunroof because i have one in my Cayenne S and never use it. It's one less part to break or malfunction since i tend to own my cars for a long time. For me, any wind buffeting at higher speeds would be resolved by rolling up the windows since it's harder to hear the stereo or talk on the phone with the windows down over 50mph.

Matt-R20

OP, not sure if the PCar will be your daily or not as I believe this makes a difference. I had thinking much the same as yours with my first Porsche and what I didn't realize is how livable a Porsche really is. Bought a Cayman S as a secondary car and it was so good I wanted to drive it every day. Reality is for a second car I wanted something more special.

So if you drive it everyday, go GTS, make sure to get PDCC and sport exhaust so you can dial it up when you want to. If its a second car, I highly suggest a GT car of any kind, they are very special indeed.

PC Valkyrie

To the OP: your story is not too dissimilar to my own.....starting going to the track in 2006 or 2007 in my C55 AMG, and then later on in a stick shift 135i in 2008. Saw lots of Porsche cars at the track over the years, consistently performing well relative to other cars. However, the models that stood out the most were the 911 Turbo's and GT3's in terms of pace.

Reached a point in my life when I could afford a high end sports car, so I got myself a 991 GT3. Like you, I tend to keep my cars long term to enjoy. If you can't afford a 991 GT3, I actually would recommend to you the Cayman GT4 over the 991 GTS. Unless you really need those back seats of the 991, I see no advantage (as an occasional track car and fun weekend road car) of the 991 GTS over the Cayman GT4. On the other hand, I view the Cayman GT4 as having more advantages over the 991 GTS.

The GT4 has many 991 GT3 parts and will likely be a better car to enjoy on track days, and it is truly a bargain given its price point. Many would consider the 6 speed manual transmission in the GT4 to be "better" than the 7 speed manual transmission in the 991's. And there is a coolness factor about being a "GT" car optimized by Porsche's Motorsports division........whether that coolness factor outweighs the coolness of owning a 911 is up to you. But objectively as a performance car, I think the GT4 wins.

Larry Cable

I'd say the chances of getting a GT4 allocation are slim at best, you may find a (991) GT3 "bargain" used you never know, the most attainable is a GTS; custom order the car you want, think about doing
European Delivery with your wife, and enjoy it!

gmaki

I have put together a custom build so I will go over it one more time for any last minute tweaks and then post it here for feedback, any and all of which is more than welcome.

To respond to a couple of comments above, this car will not be a daily driver. I will keep it to very low mileage. I would expect to track it 6 times a year at most, and then take it out for special occasions or for a fun drive from time to time. I will keep it under 5,000 miles/yr for sure. So I don't really care about any of the comfort options at all. If i could delete the stereo I would. If I could delete AC I would even consider that, but I'd probably end up keeping it only because I've been at the track waiting to start a lap and been so grateful to have it a couple times.

As far as the GT4, were it available I would have to seriously think about it. But again all I need to do is take a look at the picture I posted above next to a Cayman and I snap right back to "No I want a 911, just for the looks if for no other reason, and I am OK with that"

Be back with my build code soon. Thanks all for the replies and encouragement.

gmaki

Here is the code I came up with. Pretty minimal.

PGBJK6Q6
http://www.porsche-code.com/PGBJK6Q6

ipse dixit

If the above is true, then get a 991 GT3. A used one, if need be.