roberga

you can be driving a 996 GT3 home tonight. How long is the wait for the 997? Is the 997 worth that wait and the $35-$40 K delta?

amerlemans

Its reported at 295 but, like most Porsche published ratings, according to a few other Cayman S gearhead owners it is in fact slightly over 300 (310+-).

Even if its not, does it really matter if its 295 or 300?...or even 310.

LVDell

Just asking. Relax dude. Seems that I hit a nerve with you. The Cayman is 295hp no matter how many "Porsche is Conservative" or "Gearheads say..." you come up with .

I simply asked what it was for clarification and you got really insecure and defensive about your 295hp Cayman. I like the Cayman and seriously looked into purchasing one but I didn't fit (too tall) and the power was a bit on the low side for me which is why I started my search for a GT3.

frayed

I'm a huge bmw fan, and moved to Porsches because Bangle bastardized modern bmws beyond recognition. I always thought that bmws were about the pinnacle of drivers cars, then I stepped into porschedom and have been blown away.

I had a 996 GT3, and sold it to buy a more suitable daily driver, a 997S, and a track car.

I still wonder if it was the right decision, though, as GT3s are quite special and have a way of getting under your skin. I would call it a love/hate relationship. I found the 996GT3 to be incredible on the track, but a PITA on the street, not just b/c of suspension stiffness, but b/c of ride height and bumpsteer issues. In the real world, on less than perfect streets, it became a tiresome car. (sidenote: the RS suspension, a bolt 'kit' of 60 pieces for 8k is said to address suspension geometry issues)

Now, I find myself on the wait list for a new one.

LVDell

Jeff, I am in the same boat. I am thinking more and more that I need 2 new cars......1 for the track and 1 for the street.

In the 996 we currently have (and will keep) the suspension is upgraded to the RoWM030 and the streets around here in Raleigh require a trip to the physical therapists afterwards. As much as I love driving the car we usually pick the Cayenne to put around town for the soft ride.

Any comments?

996FLT6

Also don't be do bothered if for street driving that your gonna hear squeaks/rattles and if you got POS roads like here in San francisco-be prepared for a jarring ride. Other then that it's an awesome machine at the track. Hopefully if you plan to get the 996 vs 997 be great it also has the track goodies with it ie seats,etc : ). Regards. Mike

frayed

Kind of what I ended up doing, and found that the GT3 would sit in the garage, while I took the lexus to do around town errands (live in the city).

multi21

Thanks for the feedback. I knew that a lot of you guys had an M3 and could give me a good comparison. Being down here in SoCal, I like to drive to various tracks (Buttonwillow, Willow Springs, California Speedway, Vegas, etc.) so the ride harshness to and from the track would not be welcome, that is why I've considered the 997gt3, but there is something about the rawness of the 996 that is appealing. This would not be a daily driver, but neither is the M3. On another post, I noted that someone was looking at a Guards Red GT3 at an Oakland dealership. I called on that car and the info I received from a sales rep. on the phone was that the guy that traded it in had the roll bars, etc. installed afterwards and then found out it was too much car for him. He traded it in for a 996 TT. I don't know if that is true, but that's what he said. Of course he never mentioned what others on this forum described as rear bumper damage and the like. That's what I love about this forum, you have people from all over the world and we can mention 1 particular car and at least 2-3 people have first hand information about it and can steer you to it or away from it!

amerlemans

Perhaps it is 295 perhaps it isn't. I see 295 on the spec sheet and have heard as much as 310 so I said 300. If it was 395 and tested at 410 I would have said 400. It just seemed as though you were calling me out on it.

I like all Porsche's from the Boxster to the 997TT. If someone were to say that the new 997TT has about 500 HP I wouldn't say "I thought it had 480".
No big deal to me. Sorry if I can across as defensive. I was not in any way...more of a "picking fly **** out of pepper" reaction. Trust me, I know there are a number of cars out there with more performance than I have. I got what I wanted and love the mid engine Cayman S....would be truly phenominal with another 75 HP or so IMO.

btw, love the 997 GT3!!

frayed

If it's not a daily driver, I would have no qualms buying a 996 GT3. The ride quality to/from tracks shouldn't be a big issue, as ride quality isn't really *that* bad.

From the reports on the 997 GT3 it sounds like it'll be a better all around car, but for track use, it's really hard to imagine that it'll be much better. I'd say get the 996 and save the cash for track rubber!

mooty

i dont know exactly how many REAL hp is in gt3 or caymsn s (i have both). on paper 380-295 = 85. but my *** tells me the cayman is more than 85hp down than GT3. i just drove them back to back on the track last weekend.

i would not say one car is BETTER than the other. but just want to leave a data point as far as the delta in perceived hp.

mooty

and you WILL need it.
i chew up 5-6 set a year.

mooty

i know the owner and know the car and know the sale man you talked with.
it is not too much car for the owner and no he didn't trade for a 996TT. that's sale ppl bull **** (besides that, i do like that sales guy, drive an elise very very fast, well i should say very aggresively on track). i thnk the damage under the bumper must be done during a test drove or the dealer did it. the owner didn't tell me about that. i dont think he would mislead me as i had no intention of ever buying his car nor was he selling it at the time.

mooty

tell me about it. i bought three of them and sold two.
i am STILL dealing with this hate/love thing.
who knows. tomorrow i may sell it AGAIN.

LVDell

Seems to be just a big misunderstanding. that's what I hate about cyberspace. Because if we were just hangin at a bar shooting the **** and I said the same thing it would have been interpreted different. I was just asking because I was looking for clarification. I remember Porsche distinctly saying they were NOT going to allow the Cayman to cross the 300hp mark, hence cannibalize the 911 sales. That's all.

Agree with you, the 997GT3 sounds awesome! But, the wait and the extra 40 K is hard to swallow.