swbatte

I'm wondering what options you would get, or avoid.

After selling my NSX, I'm now in the market for a 996 GT3. I'll be tracking the car occassionally at Mosport, and will take it on drives to club events etc. As you know they are the best performance option out there, and I've seen the amount of knowledge owners have on their cars, so I thought I'd put the question out there.

I know the PCCBs are something I do not want, I'm going to try to stay away from heavily tracked cars and am looking for a car with Xenons but other than that, if you were to buy a GT3 all over again, what options would you look for, or stay away from?

Thanks in advance!

Bob Rouleau

xenons - GT3 seats, roll bar and harnesses. The rest is useless. Many 2004's are equipped that way already. Buy from a club member so you know the car has not been crashed and has been well maintained.

P.J.S.

what he said

mine has cruise control which I never use and because of that option you get an extra stalk coming off the steering column and I find it to be always getting in the way...

A/C was a no cost option... only you can decide about that...

Mine (purchased used) has some nonsense options -- crests in the head rests, stainless door sills etc... when you buy used though you are getting this stuff at virtually no cost..

I would think xenons, A/C, and find one already set up for track days as mentioned previously... and if seller has an extra set of track rims

ohh and make sure it has tiptronic trans

christallon

I just bought mine last week and all it had was xenons, a thicker steering wheel, and cruise control. The previous owner also added Fabspeed mufflers, which quite frankly I doubt do anything over the stock units. That's it and I love it.

Good luck with your search. The hunt is half the fun. It took me 2 years to finally decide to do it.

HooliganX

Agree with that, plus A/C if you live in a hot climate and will be driving the car on the street and/or to the track.

EDIT: The only other option my car has are the aluminum-look gauge faces. They look very cool and probably make the car at least 1/2 second a lap faster at most tracks.

pu911rsr

Chris,
Congrats, looks like a great car!
Phil

On Pole

I don't do enough DE's to warrant having this car. It sure is fast and fun!! Give me a MB CLK Black Series.

ltcjmramos

I actually had cruise control retrofitted to mine. I do the occasional drone down I5 between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and driving to most any other curvies requires some highway time. I like having cc then.

amaist

Who did the retrofit?

The only thing my car is missing is cruise control and a stereo that can play MP3s.

ltcjmramos

My dealer. I don't have the parts listing offhand, but do a search as I posted it here previously.

Found it:
Parts:
1 996-613-219-10-EWC, Column switch assy, $270
1 PNA-721-043-00-040, Repair set K - #9600, $36
2 PNA-721-043-00-063, Repair set 03 - #960, $28
10 999-513-007-40, Tie-wraps ($2.45 ea!!!, what a crock!!), $25
1 PNA-721-043-00-122, Electrical housing #960122, $17
$225 in labor

[Total was $568, discounted to $350 + tax (of course).]

NOTES: Installed column switch, and fabricated wiring harness. Coded
and verified operations

KOAN

Another nice thing to have is 3M or some protective film. It really saves the nose from rock chips. Check to make sure you can get an aftermarket warranty, if that is something you are concerned about. They are often only available if the car is still on the factory original. The 2004s are gradually timing out.

swbatte

Thanks for the tips guys. I see dealers' prices are higher in some cases and have been told by the dealer it's because of the options the car has. I know dealers will cost a little more than a private owner. There are 2 black GT3s I'm looking at now,

1. 9000 miles, lots of carbon, full leather, no Xenons etc. $79k
2. 15,000 miles no optons except Xenons $73.5k

Is the price difference mainly due to mileage irrespective of options?
Should I negotiate based on what a bare bones GT3 is going for?
Can I add the interior bits later easily?
Aren't the Cup seats added after purchase?

I'm glad I'm asking these questions now...

930man

then you should sell to me!

christallon

swbatte

It all depends on your taste and condition of car. I've seen 8,000 mile cars that are trash and 25,000 mile cars that are near perfect. The options really don't amount to much in the used car arena. Xenons tend to be a must for resale, the rest is all personal taste. Color can also be a deal maker/breaker. Find the car that suits your taste and is in the best overall condition possible, then look at the price. To buy based on price alone is not the way to go. It seems that at present the prices for good cars are from low/mid $70K's to mid $80K's.

My .02

Martin Bishop

as a pricing note. I met a guy last weekend who bought his with 1,500 miles on the clock Yellow with practically everything yellow trim inside and yellow stitching for $86K. Supposedly it was bought to drool over and that is about it. Was traded in on a Lamborghini that will most likely have the same fate. The new owner bought it to drive and has already put 1,000 miles on it in a month or so.

I actually drove it at the track a bit (at like 60%) and it was just about brand spanking new. Original tires were a little hard, but everything was still tight.

Just as a reference note about pricing.