cello

^ +1. Great dual use car if one is not using it primarily for the track...

Honestly, I think the engine will be great and the PDK excellent (if not my cup of tea - did many laps at Barber in one albeit not the sport version in this car). I do NOT like any solenoid based suspension add-on (RWS) or computer based electronic diff for track use unless there is a Team present to adjust/fix/repair it, lol...

Burger

If I had to choose, I'd keep the 996 at this point in my life. I'm not ready to drive an automatic sports car.

One question I have on this topic is why keep the paddle shifters? If the transmission is so fast and intuitive to the point that paddle shifting actually slows the car down around the track, why have them at all? If you're one of the people who are ok losing the manual, will you be ok when the paddles go away? Don't tell me that if they remove them, the experience will be less engaging. That's what all the manual lovers are saying now! lol

aussie jimmy

991 looks like it will be a great road car.
996 is too fast/aggressive for the street.

aussie jimmy

i'm in the same phase.
more risk-assessment these days.
before, it was always *****-out flatout.

went for a 200 mile country drive on the weekend - i was the caboose of the group.
maybe i will get an s-class and call it a day.

TRAKCAR

Not s class. CL
and CUP or real GT3 for me.

RS could happen but it better be super light and I have to learn to like PDK, pretty iffy.

aussie jimmy

yep, i love the cl. such weight, stability, power, and serenity!
our roads are crap here.
my body is beat up from the drive.

Riz

The 996 GT3 is a keeper. No electronic nannies to save you except ABS. I would consider adding the new one after driving one first.

FFaust

If I could afford it, I would love to give the new car a shot, but only once I'm ready to tone it down a notch. IOW, maybe when I'm tired of trailering, and start driving to the track again. Until then, there's still a whole lot of discovering to do (cup, racing, who knows), and the 996 is perfect the way it is.

NaroEscape

Nah....We've put 43,000 street miles on our 996 GT3 in the past two years....wife's probably driven 1/3 of those back and forth to work.

Burger

Guess that depends on where you live and the condition of the roads. I drive mine on the streets, but the roads here are generally in rough shape making the GT3 a bit of a handful. Rough roads at 60 in the Subaru are spirited. Rough roads at 90 in the GT3 make me feel like I'm about to die.

NaroEscape

Ha... We have pretty good roads down here in NC...then we have phenomenal road up in the mountains to drive...

Yeah, I remember the roads up North...we're originally from NJ...

Marv

I bought mine because it is closer to a real sports car by my definition and it is built robustly.

I would like my car better if it had less electronics in it that serves no purpose as a sports car. I do need A/C in Florida.

I believe the new GT3 is a technically better track car, but would not satisfy the primal sports car desire for me. Maybe when I get old and feeble I will change my mind.

Marv

Arr, matey, you be a wimp!

80,000 street miles and I drive it everywhere anytime. Okay, we don't have winters in Florida, but I have taken many 8+ hour trips in the car and we have another big one scheduled this September.

sithot

Here are the thoughts of 2 instructors I know well. One raced at Daytona in the 24 and podiumed in an IROC RSR back in the day. He's smooth, he's fast and above all he knows his stuff.

"Had a guy up there that got it sideways in one of the turns and after making it say “boy, I was barely able to save it”, told him “you didn’t save a thing…the car saved you.”

This is from a pilot who flew jets for a living.

"I had a guy at Watkins Glen going hard on the gas way before the apex in the carousel and rotating the car by coming off and back on the gas through the turn letting the aids do the rest... And we were going FAST! A whole new twist on throttle steer. I was amazed at how it worked for him. If I tried that in my race car I'd kill myself!... I had to dial him back to work on the basics... Slow in fast out, be smooth and keep the car balanced and happy so you can develop skills that "don't rely on the superior skills of the car as a driving technique".
These people are flying F-16's without ever going up to learn stick and rudder flying in a Piper Cub."

To sum it up your "new driver" is letting the car drive for him. Unfortunately you learn a lot of bad habits. These X-Box and Play Station cars have taken away from reality.

One more thing; those who are using these techniques are eating up rear brake pads at an alarming rate. Keep that in mind.

The 6GT3 was the LAST pure car from Porsche. Nanny has moved in now. It's a shame but to sell cars you have to make them idiot proof and money doesn't impart talent.

Tom

PS: I like the idea of an automatic but until it works as well as the Ferrari box it's just another automatic.

Burger

You bring up a great point. Not only in the new Porsches, but any car with stability control that is so smooth you can't tell when it's engaging will ultimately consume pads and tires at a faster rate. Many new cars will not let you disengage these systems, and why would you since they're the reason you get fast without a need for improved skill.