Mike in Chi

Following your logic, why waste your money on ANY GT3... UNLESS you are tracking the car.

If you're truly value oriented, and that seems to be the crux of your agrument, why buy anything other than a base Carrera?

After all, where in street driving can you regularly utilize the additional power and handling of any up model above the base Carrera?

Where are the roads where you can take SAFE advantage of the added cornering potential of a GT3 over a Carrera?

How often will you be going fast enough on the street to require the extra power to overcome the drag of a widebody?

Based on value and dollars and sense (that is not a typo), any model GT3 doesn't make sense for the street.

It is purely an ego thing. As such, it's very difficult to justify a 996 or a 997, or one over the other, rationally.

BTW, I have no problem with purely street GT3s (wonderful cars whether a 6 or a 7), or ego-driven selections for that matter. I just don't think you are on solid ground here with an argument based on value)

roberga

I will be keeping my 04. If I had a 996 C2 perhaps. I do not have the need to own the fastest car on the track regardless of price. I will use the money for school and track time.
The 996 GT3 is the value that works for me.

RR

Mike,

In 2003 I didn't want a Turbo and the MKII GT3 was the most powerful NA 911 available at the time 380HP vs 325 HP.

So what are you talking about?

Mike in Chi

Your logic.

And the relative merits of various 911 models.

Mike in Chi

let me say it another way... when you make decisions on the basis of value as a street car, neither a 996 or a 997 GT3's added cost makes sense. You buy them for other emotional reasons.

LastGT3

I guess I agree that generally NO car can be driven to its potential legally or safely (allowing for unforseen events - leaving something "on the table") on the street.

So, by extension all cars are (including a Honda FIT) not required for street use since they do provide value for their purpose. The GT3 is just an extension of that argument. However, if we drive for pleasure, then the sensations of a GT3 are far different from those in a 997 but similar (we hope) to a 997GT3. In the end, a street only driver WILL NEVER ever get all the potential sensation or "emotional value" via feedback, control, speed, satisfaction out of any car by not tracking it. Tracking a GT3 is just the next level. Tracking a FIT would also be better than just streeting it. Tracking my Odessey would also be more fulfilling than driving it on the street resposibly.

Mike in Chi

Last GT3

I agree, fulfilling a desired driving experience, even a purely ego-driven one, is a very valid reason to buy or replace a car. It's just not a rational or value-driven decision.

Great avatar by the way

RR

Ok Mike, obviously you have nothing better to do with your day than hi-jack my post. If I wanted a life lesson, I would have asked my dad.

Thanks,

R

Mike in Chi

No way am I trying to high jack your thread. You invited opinions, RR, in your opening post.

You logic made sense in that initial post. It didn't as stated in the second and third paragraph of the post above.

In life you're likely to meet lots of people whose opinion differs from yours. Ask your Dad how to deal with that without resorting to insults.

RR

Ok so anyone who owns a GT3 as per your calcualtions is only purchasing it to feed their ego, is not insulting?

This is what you wrote..

"Based on value and dollars and sense (that is not a typo), any model GT3 doesn't make sense for the street. It is purely an ego thing."

What I find egocentric and insulting is anyone who can make such a claim without knowing or meeting that person.

Mike in Chi

Sorry, never said "feed their ego"

I'm was refering to the difference between emotional and rational decisions. It is "ego-driven" in the sense of how you find satisfaction and fulfillment factors. It's wasn't about being an egotistical person.

Does that help?

billatlanta

Getting back to the original point of this thread, first I must preface that I have not seen anything definitive (has anyone?) about the 997GT3RS, so it is hard to comment. We don’t even know if the 997GT3 has a sunroof delete option yet.

But without assuming there is a significant power increase. I don’t see the sense in trading “up” from the 996 GT3 to the new savior 997 RS. It is to big a delta to make sense even on an irrational emotional level for me.

Z06

I think what mike is saying is "why we buy" is based on emotion, it's not needs, having the 996 GT3 is alot of car for the street but I love (emotion) the way it feels, the sounds the tighter handling, the overall experience, overall it's a realy cool car to experience. At speed this car sounds like a true race car.

Going to the 997 GT3 does not realy make any sence, how much better can it be and how much more could I get out of it. The GT3 is more car than I can drive at the track and I have 10 yrs tracking experience.

Porsche advertising is based on the emotional experience.. there are alot of books on this..why people buy and the reality the advertisers create to helps us dream up a new reality...this is what Porsche as others sells us on.

Even knowing this I still would love to get the a lighter 3.8 997 GT3 RS anyways, but since money is an issue I will not be getting the 997 GT3.

Traffic53

interesting thread. good read. i see some of the points being made here. i agree that the 997 doesn't seem exceptionally impressive- when sitting next to a 996. when sitting next to, say...an f430, zo6 vette, or lotus exige- i would say the 997 is pretty impressive. i just depends on what it's compared to. in this case, it sounds as if we are comparing the 996 and 997. tough to justify the premium and hassle of trading the 996 for the new model. equally difficult to justify spending perhaps $35k more as a first time gt3 owner for a 997 over a 996.

new is usually better, but not necessarily smart. short of cosmetics, what is it about the 997 that 996 owners don't have- AND WANT? traction? more power? bigger rims? 996 will do what the 997 does- mostly.

honda did similar things to their s2000 after it's 2000 model year intro. they put bigger rims, changed the sycros, softened the suspension, upped the displacement, freshened the bumpers, etc. after all that, the best year to buy if you're looking for a true, raw sports car is the 2000 model year.

gt3 is porsches best effort in producing a modern, drivers 911. you want to be unimpressed with a 911, drive a 996 or 997 carrera. i have a 993. i love 911's, and i LOVE to waste money by swapping cars every two years. as much as i've tried to give porsche some more dough, i've found that they have nothing to offer a 993 owner, except gt3. the 996/7 carreras are just not as fun a drive. so the fact that porsche offers the new gt3 with sunroof and various driver aides, is not one bit surprising- or out of line. some daily driver customers simply enjoy having a proper porsche. in my opinion, the gt3 is the only one of the lot. so if i'm outfitting a daily driver, there is a good chance i'd choose a sunroof if the option were available.

MJSpeed

RR and others,

Some of you are just simply making conclusions without facts. And the facts on the 997 GT3RS are that there will be one and it will make it to NA, period. Anything else, heck including that, is UNOFFICIAL!

I will say this, Mike's point that these are emotional, "ego-driven" purchases is spot on, none of us really "need" a GT3.

And I will make one assumption, the 996 GT3RS was better (relative to track performance) than the 996 GT3, yet it didn't have more power or anything "radically" different (of course one can argue that suspension was). Still it was the sum rather than the parts individually that made it better and I assume that the same will be for the 997 variants. One thing is, its potential on paper and the other is reality. Let's wait and see what reality brings to the table.