Junior71

Dammit! Just when I thought I was leaning in one direction.
Thanks for that input. Ultimately it will come down to driving them but I can only test drive so much before having to make a decision which is why this input from those that have had them is so valuable.
I think everyone agrees that the 992 is great choice and maybe a bit safer choice for my planned use. But the Touring GT.
I'm trying to get a test drive on a 991.2 Touring with 63 miles on it but listed at $199K. We'll see if they actually let me drive it. But if nothing else, this feedback confirmed that i have to drive one before I decide.
Maybe others will weigh in.

Apan19

Happy to add more confusion to the “really good problem to have”...that you have. Your story sounds very familiar as I always had a 911 dream and manual was a requirement. I have a practical yet “not slow” DD - X5M and in early 2019 started evaluating which stick 911 to get and I was primarily honed into the 997.2 TT which was the last manual TT. I test drove 2 of them (both 2011) and was in love but was held back from pulling the trigger because 1) price was around $150k...for an almost 10 year old car; and 2) I kept looking for the right GT3T and couldn’t find one...and wanted to at least test drive one (because every single owner raved about it on the boards)...and I just wanted to check off the curiosity box before pulling the trigger on the more practical TT/turbo.

Later in 2019 (around Nov) I fortuitously ran into IMO my perfectly spec’d Touring that was luckily at a dealership near me. I called them on a Wednesday and I went to see the car the next day 10am. The dealership unfortunately could not let me test drive the car, but it took me 3 mins of just sitting in it to realize that I would forever regret it if I didn’t drive home with her. So I did and there are zero regrets since (+ a **** ton of smiles and grins). My apologies for the rather long story, but my point is that of course attempt to test drive a GT3T, but you need to at least see one in real life or just sit in one before you pull the trigger on the more conservative and practical 992 (which is already a home run of a choice) because you will always wonder and possibly regret it if/when you run into a GT3T later in life. If you’re like me and it’s always been a dream to get a 911 for a long time...you better make sure you get the right car that 100% accomplishes that dream (vs compromising for the safer choice). And IMHO practicality should be out the door if you already have a pretty fun/relatively quick DD.

And when I bought my GT3T, I was expecting to use it on weekends and trips, but not daily it. Since then, I’ve been so obsessed with the GT3T that I’ve driven maybe 750 miles in my X5M in the last 9 months, while the Touring has logged in 7000+ miles (granted my socially distant activity is driving around more often in the GT3T). I have the LW buckets (with the wedge that leans you back) and I think it’s comfortable on long trips....I drove 500+ miles on 2 occasions. And final point is that I’m in the NY tri-state area and haven’t been bothered by the manual in traffic (maybe that’s just me) and while it could be a little quieter (I have the Akra center muffler delete), the sound is what that car is all about...if you want quieter then head over to the Lexus dealership instead.

sorry again for the rambling, but it’s a win-win no matter the choice anyways, but just make sure you are not settling/compromising given you don’t have to at this juncture of “living the dream”.

virdoc

I have an Audi s8 as DD. Love the car. Got my Touring new in March 2019. Was planning to drive it only on perfect weekends maybe 2-3k miles per year. Instead, the only time I drive the Audi is to and from work (40 highway miles each way). Everything else from spring through fall is in the GT3T. It’s So satisfying to drive any time, really for any purpose, except for highway cruise control commuting. I don’t find it “harsh” one bit, and keep in mind that my DD is a full size Audi. I really can’t imagine a better car than the GT3T.

Junior71

More thanks for all the replies. And I appreciate all that are sharing their experiences and thought processes in choosing the right 911. Don't apologize for the long replies.
Those are the responses I get the most insight from. And the short replies just to buy one or the other just speak to how much people love these/their cars.
Neither choice will be a bad choice certainly.
And I don't want to give the impression that cost is not a factor. I'm sure if the perfect spec GT3T came available, it would be very difficult to resist. But at this point, the cars that are out there are either the wrong spec (mainly color), or they have a bit more miles than I'd like to start with. And the cars with REALLY low miles (>1000) all seem to be >$180K.
I still need to get a better understanding of what I need to watch out for purchasing a used GT3 or Porsche in general.
Because it seems most/many have around the same amount of miles on them. And possibly most of them are track miles, which may be a concern?
I ran into a gentlemen at one of my local Porsche dealers. He was looking at the Taycan and noticed I was really sizing up the different 992 variants. I told him about my dilemma and that I was trying to decide between the 992 and 991.2 GT3T.
He said he would be concerned with buying a used GT car because many that have the money and get allocations for them buy them, push them to the limit on the track, and then sell them for more than they paid with relatively low (but hard) miles on them so they can then purchase the next variant of GT3 with their next allocation.
I'm sure there is some truth to this. But it's just more of a needle in a haystack to find a GT3T with a close enough spec to what I'm looking for with low miles and a history that provides some future peace of mind.
If I do just decide that I want my first and possibly last 911 to be a GT car, is it just going to be impossible to find my perfect spec (or close enough) 991.2 GT3 or to get an allocation on a 992 GT3 down the road?
Interested to hear others thoughts this as well additional insight on the choice.

Thanks all.

mikey94025

Wow, it’s impressive that you we’re convinced to buy a car without even driving it (even just a bit). That’s commitment. I get that they don’t want people using their rare inventory just for fun, but surely they have to find a way for a serious customer to check out the goods (at least something of the same type) before they plunk down 6 figures.

Salespunk

Driving a standard GT3 will give you enough of the experience to decide if you really want to pursue the Touring. Yes I understand they are different, but the noise, ride, etc will be close enough for comparison's sake. If you get out of the GT3 thinking "that was fun for a short trip" vs "OMG, I need more and right now!" it will clarify the direction you should pursue.

992 vs GT3T? Where do you land on the spectrum of acceptable ride quality, sound, etc? As seen in this thread, some people think the Touring is harsh and others think it is fine for DD work. Personally with other cars to drive, Touring every time. First you have the turbo vs NA aspect and NA cars are going to become increasingly rare. In 10 years a 992 will a nice older version of a current model. The GT3T will still be a special car and something you will most likely enjoy until the end.

ipse dixit

Well, with the upcoming 992 GT3T, the 991 GT3T will (as you say) just be "a nice older version of a current model"

AdamSanta85

991 GT3T > 992.

You can soften the GT3 up some if need be... 4S tires, 18 way seats, DSC controller, add some sound deadening etc

Apan19

Sorry, but my story sounds a bit more gutsy and "committed" due to some granular details to the purchase I did not include in my original story -- it was actually much simpler and riskless than that. Given there was a bit of a chicken and egg conundrum with the dealership, after sitting in it for a few minutes and checking it out, I did inform the salesman that I intended to buy the car. I wasn't lying about my commitment to buy it and they subsequently did let me go out for a full test drive afterwards (before we started the paperwork)....so I could technically could have bailed if the wow factor wasn't there during the test drive. Looking back, I also believe that my true intent to buy the car on the spot did enable the test drive as I'm not a very good liar, and suspect that the salesman would have sniffed out any sense of just window-shopping on my end. And believe this if you want (I do)....the salesman waited until AFTER I signed the paperwork that day to tell me that he had someone else looking at the car at 12pm and showed me the text messages cancelling that appointment.

Porsche911GTS'16

Yeah, with heinous digital dials, form over function door handles, a huge booty, an awkwardly squared off front hood and an awkward interior with a huge cup holder. Other than that, Ipse, as usual, I completely agree with you.

smiles11

991 has the interior worthy of a 1970’s station wagon lol that is for sure.

Porsche911GTS'16

Ha - I edited that part out but you beat me to it. The 992 interior is more modern than the 991s, that is for sure. But that does not make it better (for me). Long live analogue gauges and buttons!

abujax

don't mean to hijack the thread, but there seems to be a lot of used 991.2 gt3s (touring and non) available right now -- 30+ nationwide on autotrader currently...is this normal or a function of the impending release of the 992 gt3?

Junior71

Just reviving this as the decision still looms. But now, with the prices on the 991 Touring and GT3s in general, I guess I will be waiting to get a 992 Touring a year or two down the road if/when I can spec one of my own.
I think I still prefer the the exterior look of the 991 but I think the 992 GT3 still has enough of that look and coupled with the updated tech/interior, will probably be my preference.
So now the wait begins to see how 991 Touring prices evolve and how many 992 Tourings are actually available to us first time Porsche customers in the next couple years.

rk-d

991.2 Touring is much better looking, IMO. If I was in the market for a Touring, I’d probably go for one of those.