yoda888

All,
I'm possibly looking for a GT3 as a HPDE/weekend car.

So a quick list of "fun" cars I've owned:
E30 M3 (should have kept it! ): fun to drive on the streets and at the track; however I was so paranoid of door dings on this car that it made parking in public stressful.
GSR 4-door: this was a really fun car on the track; I had an JDM ITR suspension on it and it drove/rode great; really fun and tossable on the track
E36 M3: recently sold to make room for the next toy; fun on the track; great bang for the buck at today's prices; suspension is now too harsh for me (getting old!) and it's not even a crazy setup!

So I sold my E36M3 and started looking at NSXs and 996 C4Ss. I've been waffling back and forth between the two cars and was leaning towards the NSX. My wife's vote is on a porsche as she thinks the NSX is a younger person's car. (NSX holds a place in my heart because that was THE supercar to get when I first started to drive). The NSX has the looks, but it's technology is very old by today's standards.

So I started to look at 996 C4Ss. Love the way it drives! Further research has gotten me scared due to the IMS issue. Which again lead me to look at NSXs. Then I pondered a GT3 since it does NOT have the M/96 motor with the IMS issues. (Some recommended the 997S to me, but it doesn't change over to the newer motor until '07+ I believe. At those prices, I began pondering the GT3 instead!)

So now I'm looking at GT3s! Questions for you all is:
-Is it too harsh for weekend driving? I don't plan to drive it every weekend, just once in a while depending on where I'm going and the parking situation. I honestly thought my E36 was too harsh with Bilstein Sport Shocks and Vogtland Club Sport springs. (I'm no spring chicken anymore! ) I don't want to be cruising it up to Napa and it rattles me to death!
-How is the noise level on it? I know it's got way less insulation than a regular 996.

My plans for any p-car is to leave it stock (famous last words!) and use it as a 3rd car and HPDEs a couple of times a year.

Last question, does anyone know how many white/black combos were sold in the US for the GT3s? They all seem to be silver, yellow, or black.

Thx!

996FLT6

Have u considered a 7.1 gt3? Better weekend car. I don't like riding my 6 in the streets. Less then perfect roads u get beat up. White/black very hard to find as well and u probably pay a premium for that color unless it's beaten up. U have a better chance of finding a white 7.1 in white/black. 6 is not a looker for some- I kinda like it because it's different then any other 911 out there. Mike

AudiOn19s

Tough to say if you will be ok with the ride, might be best to try to drive one and decide for yourself. You will either fall in love or know quickly it's not for you

The real concern is that you say your E36 is too harsh with just blistein's and springs. My old E36 had ground control coilovers with 500lb springs and it's pretty similar in ride to a stock GT3.

Serge944

You have to break speed limits and be a little wreckless to enjoy a 996 GT3 on the street - just saying.

The car is only fun when you exploit its limits, because it's inherently a huge compromise! That said, I still racked up a bunch of street miles on mine.

Drive one and see.

MechanicalEng

Have you considered the 996 Turbo?

yoda888

I thought about it, since it's a great bang for your buck. But I'm not a big fan of boost. Just more stuff to mod and potentially break.

Plus I'm worried about reliability if I'm tracking it during hot weather.

TrackJunke

I did not consider the GT3 too harsh for the street. It is an invovling car to drive but the limits are so high that to really have fun you are driving at dangerous speeds for the street. After mine was crashed (not by me), I realized that I enjoy driving my 993 almost as much because I do not have to be going over 100 MPH to have fun.

SH || NC

Mine is a weekend car, but I also take it to track, with stock suspension. Regardless of speeds, for me its special to drive; you just feel it. The fact that I can drive it to the track, enjoy the hell out of it, then drive it home, is an even bigger reward.

Like previously mentioned, drive one, and drive everything else you are considering; you'll know.

GentlemanRacer

I recently bought a 2005 gt3 and absolutely love it, street and track. However to go faster on the track and for better handling, I have started to modify it. Now while I still enjoy being in it everyday, it's harder to enjoy it at 50 kph when you know it's nirvana at 150 kph going around corner 4 and 8 at mosport. It will end up being 90/10 track/street by the end of this year, but I plan on driving more track too .

I find the biggest problem with enjoying the car is not the harshness or the limits, it's the fact that there is so much traffic around town that I hate driving period! I would rather walk.

GT3 is awesome, you could never go wrong.
NSX is awesome, you would not miss the Porsche if you got one or vice-versa

Gofishracing

exploit the limits !!

CeeP

yoda, where are you located? I'm in the south bay and paid a premium for my stock white/black GT3 maybe eight months ago. If you're nearby, I'd be happy to take you for a spin.

I drive mine on the street 2-3 times a week (not commuting, just for fun) and no complaints. My wife drives it and also thinks the ride is tolerable, though when she drives it, it's usually just to the mall and back. Unless I knew I'd be driving in traffic or to somewhere with steep driveways, I'd have no problem taking it a couple hours to Napa.

rodneyr

There are many threads about driving a 6GT3 on the streets. It is not a street friendly car unless you like to replace front splitters like eating candy. Like others mentioned a 996 Turbo is a whole different animal, and I would not worry about the realibility. I really enjoyed my Turbo on the streets. Remember, it has the same engine block as the GT3. On the other hand the 7GT3 is a breeze to drive on the street, and you will have a lot of fun in that car. Yes, people drive the 6GT3 on the streets, but unless the road is really smooth the ride will be harsh.

plima

I have driven my 2004 GT3 extensively on the street. When I lived in San Jose, I drove it to/from work daily and loved every minute (I don't drive at rush hr times, though). I've got over 40K on the street and wouldn't have any other car, it is so much fun. Got to watch the splitter, though, but that's my only concern. Now I live in Carson City, and track the car several times a year. It is great to drive to the track, take out the floor mat and radar detector, have a blast, put them back in and drive home. My car is nearly stock; light weight flywheel and Euro GT3 driver seat is the whole list.

Mikelly

I'm going to weigh in here since I consider my commute on the extreme end, and I've moved from an E36M3 into the 2004GT3.

I drive 75 miles ONE WAY to my client site. Since having my car delivered on May 29th I've put 1500 miles on the car. most of it commuting, and for one week I didn't have the car while it was being 3m coated.

The car is more noisy in a few areas... My rear diff is noisey. The clutch is stiffer, and the alignment currently on the car causes it to "hunt" in the lane. I get a squeek in the top of the right rear strut once in a while, but otherwise...

All that said, I don't find the suspension to stiff and I LOVE driving this thing. I came out of a 996TT a year ago that pretty much was set up for the track, So I expected the same from the GT3, but The GT3 is a better car overall. This is the rawest and purest of the water pumpers. It is what true enthusiasts think of when they think Porsche... There's no way I'd go back to another car now. Moving from the E36M3 to this was the absolute best thing I could have done...

Fuel mileage is at about 24mpg and the car gets a lot of positive attention. I enjoy driving it so much that I miss it when I take my Ninja 1000 or my tow rig. The only things I've added are a Bluetooth standalone device and the Dension Gateway 500 for Ipod integration.

BTW, when I was searching, there were two White/Black GT3s available back in the spring.

Mike

AGO

My 997.2 gt3 is quite comfortable, I use it also to go to work a couple times a week. I know it has a better ride than the .1 and 996 gt3 which push my decision to go for it. I pretty much use it as you describe it, few DEs and street use; problem is that performance envelope is too high for street.