I'm in the market for an interesting Porsche that will be an occasion street driven car, with the remote chance of some track time. I'm torn between the two choices in the title. Any of you experts willing to jump in with some thoughts on the trade offs between these two? Thanks Bryan

 

hard to beat turbo thrust on a street car, but GT3 does have a more 'exotic' sound..I love the jet fighter noise of my GT2 on throttle(gets many compliments too)
996GT2 vs 997.2 '3 is a fairly different car, power delivery, electronics, aesthetics, 997.2 has centrelock wheels/hubs which are a known PIA...6 GT2 is more rare and subtle, 7 GT3 more known and vibrant
best to drive each IMO
Best of luck on your search,

 

Rob, Great insights, here's two questions you may be able to help with. What about over the road comfort, I realize they're both out there, but how do they compare? Secondly, what about ongoing maint. & repair costs. I know about the cams, CL's and lift problems on the GT3 but what about the GT2, I've heard they're expensive to tune and tend to cook the rubber parts with the heat from the turbos? Thanks, Bryan

 

Hey Bryan,
Road comfort is a win for 997, but definitely not unacceptable in the 996, I've found it to be near perfect for my tastes on the road(although I am planning on shortly going stiffer springs/valving for track). Again, this is where a test drive will really help you decide.
I haven't owned a 997, but from everything I've researched/listened to, the 996 is overall a fair bit cheaper to run, with less issues. No issue with heat so far, both have fairly isolated engine bays so all will be hot, the GT2/TT have good use of heat shielding near turbo/manifolds to help and modern materials are very good. Tunes seem to run $1000-2500 depending, expensive not necessarily being better(EPL, UMW, 911Tuning, Softronic, being some of the great options in addition to custom local tuners), and GT2 already is faster out of the box...
Cheers,

 

if you are not going to track much, GT2 is less common and a beast. Just get a good look at rotors as they only come in PCCB

 

Yes but front steel rotors from a cayenne 350mm and rear rotors from a 997 turbo work. I have had 2 6GT3's and 6GT2, heavily modded for track. For street I would go GT2 but for track I love my 6GT3, both ate raw cars and the 997GT3/2 are more civilized

Peter

 

and if you want PCCB replacements, I've got a nice set I'm selling..

 

6gt2 must be a hoot to drive on track. Mike

 

Thanks guys, great insights, doesn't look like there's a bad decision here....

 

And then there's an 08 GT2 in the FS section to drool over....IIRC, $138k

 

Ed, It musta sold, I couldn't find it, but it's a little over my budget of around 100K. I am thinking of stretching that to about 130K which would open up some options. I keep getting drawn in by 997 turbo's, there are so many and in interesting trim combinations. I'd love the acceleration and it will be street driven but I'm having a hard time accepting the weight and complexity issues that come with a turbo. Plus a Porsche with the front wheels driven never has the same steering feel of a 2WD. That 2.6 0-60 sounds pretty exciting though!

 

yea, when your budget is $XXX, theres always something on the upper fringe.......BTW, no affiliation, but the FS post was by a paid member mepps. Car is located in central Ohio. check on the 2nd page of Vehicle classifieds...GL.

 

Sounds lie, you have received some great advice from others and they are being unusually cohesive in their thoughts.

There is not a bad choice between the two, however after reading your post it sems that you are looking for a street only car. Both will look good rolling up for dinner, both will drive well, and both should be reliable.

This said the GT2 boost is one of the most fun parts of any drive, it will wrap the time space continuum and make your heart beat faster and blow the mind of the passanger if they are not seasoned old salts.

No trCk, GT2 hands down. But on the track it's a monster and called the Widowmaker for a reason, use just the nails of your toes for accelerating out of corners and you will be fine.

Have one and love it. We went way deep into mods but I still remember the fabulous car that drove the PCH and made me smile the entire trip. There's a post on here rescue of a garage queen that addresses our mods and the continuing process. The motor failure was no doubt track related, occurred at 186 mph at COTA and seems like an isolated event. For a street car no issues man. Good luck and post your choice here we all love pictures.

 

here's a low mile 6GT2 in Texas. ebay item # 161136280670