Please forgive my ignorance but could someone explain the differences between an S and a GTS?

 

Here's some published info on the topic...

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...e-test-review/

 

haha.
Here we go.
I was shopping for a GT3 as a fun daily. GT3 too expensive and too rough for a daily IMO.
Some people will daily a GT3. My hat goes off to them. My cousin did it for 12+ years and I have nothing but respect for braving LA traffic in a GT3 almost every day.
Once I decided not to get a GT3, I was looking at GTSsss. People who have GTSsss think they should sell for much more than I want to buy for. As a result, I passed on a GTS at the prices they were at WHEN they would pop up, which is not every day.
Also, I just really wanted a narrow body.
These are all personal reasons still and not what you are asking.
BUT:
GTS is widebody.
GTS for Porsche has always been the top of the line bells and whistles model with an angle to performance (because Porsche).
So, a GTS is a widebody in 2 and 4.
People can fill in the blanks here but it is like an S if you ticked every box and if the 2S was widebody.
They will have PSE, I think they have whatever is in the performance pack for that gen., and they will have some nice trick options as standard.
The GTS is a pretty good deal if you compare it to an S with those options ticked on the build sheet.
They hold their value to a degree where I am not willing to pay what people are asking as stated before.
IDK what that says about real value.
I drove a 997.2 C2S and a GTS back to back at a dealer. The only difference I could tell on city street test drives with a stressed out sales guy wondering why someone who looks like me was shopping for a car like that was the body width.
A lot of it comes down to what you want with these. I am not a widebody fan, so that is a mark against it for me. I have friends that LOOOOVE widebodies. Cool. I love seeing all the different variations when we meet up. There is a guy I see all the time in LA with a .2GTS cab. I would never ever want that car. ...but it is so cool. I love it. I just don't want it for myself. cool.

 

As above - it's a 2S with widebody normally found on a 4 model, with as standard:
- X51 power kit
- sport exhaust (PSE)
- sport seats instead of comfort seats
- alcantara interior (unless optioned away)
- center lock wheels (again unless optioned away to standard lug pattern)

 

You've already gotten the important differences from previous posts. What might be worth adding is that when the GTS was introduced it was in most cases described as a bargain by Porsche standards by car journalists. This was in reference to the options compared to a regular S and the price compared to a regular S. The X-51 power kit alone at that time was somewhere around $17,000 if memory serves.

 

Two different animals. And I'm not just talking about the engine, CENTER LOCK and the other expensive "add-ons".

I had a Carrera s (great car) and today I am with GTS (amazing car). To my taste, everything feels different.
It starts with steering that feels heavy (the PDK works amazingly), the handling, the maintenance, almost every segment of the car is different.
Wide rear tires, I found that many parts in different engine (different numbers), different breath pipes, different throttle, different spark plugs and all other extras that come in the X51 (original from the company).
PSE is very cool and I think it costs a lot of money.
Different front bumper
Different side skirts (like GT3RS / GT2)
And the list goes on

In summary, in my personal sense the GTS feels much solid.
The power of the engine is huge (even the red line at RPM is different in GTS).

Different and sexy body. The wide body (not turbocharged) exists on the GT3RS 997 / 4.0 and is very rare. As my friends have noted, the add-ons individually cost a lot more.

To sum it up, if you have the option - go for GTS.
By the way, the GTS retains value almost like GT cars.
The GTS Coupe produced only 2656 units worldwide. Less than GT3 997.1. For thought.

Just to be clear, Carrera S is an excellent and very fun vehicle and also very close to my heart.
GTS on the other hand is a kind of combination between carrera S and GT3 (both according to the Porsche statement on the day it was launched and as it feels to me).

Good luck with whatever you choose

 

And the suspension is stiffer on the GTS. There are numerous threads on this and it's been beaten to death, so regardless of the parts being the same or not, my C4S without sports suspension was a bit more compliant than my GTS without sports suspension. Anybody jumping from one car to another would recognize that. Add Sports Suspension and it drops it 20mm which is great for looks but very stiff.

While I think they will maintain a cult status, I think any really nice 997 will do well retaining value.

 

Thanks for all the replies. I love ‘09 C2S but always looking for the next best thing.

 

That can get pricey$$$$ Always looking for the next best thing. When you consider the price difference of trading in your 09 C2S in order to upgrade to the next best thing.. like a GTS... then that leaves a lot of money on the table to play with. You could easily get close to or match the GTS power output with a softronic ecu tune. Then add some stiffer/lower springs and sway bars and really change the feel of your car with a lot of money still in your pocket. You will not have a GTS badge, but your C2S will feel and drive like a much better car. Just something to think about.

The GTS will always retain a nice value because it is considered one of the last hurrahs for the 997 breed. It also shares the same suspension and engine power output of 408 hp as the 997 Sport Classic and Speedster. With the widebody configuration in combo with 2wd it will always be a rare bird. Although there is a Carrera 4 GTS .... The 4GTS is not as special because it is still very similar to a C4S with X51 power kit added. A C4S with sport suspension and X51 power option would actually have been the more expensive car to buy at the time because the GTS was being marketed and sold as a "special option package deal". Porsche still uses that marketing idea even with current GTS models.

 

For those unfamiliar with that discussion, here’s an example.

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...n-997-gts.html

Karl.

 

Agree. I love a GTS for the look, and they are no doubt a more special model but for the price a C2S on B16s or some other such setup is a lovely thing.

 

There is a video here on my GTS (search Carrera GTS video and feedback thread) or YouTube GTS Car Life, which shows a GTS up close. The above responses are all good information. My previous 911 was a Carrera manual transmission which I drove for 100,000 miles and absolutely loved. I never felt like I had to have anything more. When the GTS was introduced I just fell in love with it and had to have it. It is everything I loved about the Carrera and more. The most aggressive set up you would want for daily driving. The GTS is very special and if you plan on keeping the car like I do, it’s worth the step up. Any 911 is an awesome machine.

 

Well spoken. I would also love to get a GTS in a "perfect" world, but outside of the widebody coachwork, one could grab a C2S and make a much better car with those funds. Just think of what $20k can buy: tune and headers ($5k), GT3 LCAs, sways, Tarrett droplinks ($4500), high-end 3-way shocks ($6500), and used buckets ($5k). That is a heck of a car right there and will blow the doors off of a stock GTS. It won't have the resale value obviously, but from a driving perspective won't disappoint. Obviously this sort of setup won't please the "cars and coffee" crowd but it certainly will be a beast at the track and on back roads: a setup like this will give the 997 GT3 a run for it's money, if not be outright better. Good 3-way shocks are better than the the 997 GT3 stock setup, and you will retain 4 seats while being under GT3 budget, with the possibility of having a PDK (not available in the 997 generation of GT3).