Targa Tim

Come on Paul, you forgot how to drive a manual already?

Seriously I can totally understand people loving PDK on their C2S.

But if my RS comes with PDK but not manual, I will not buy it at all.

RonCT

I went from a 2007 C2S to a 2007 GT3 and back to a 2009 C2S. If exclusively (or nearly) a track car, get the GT3. But with you wanting to replace the Cups for "normal" tires I get the impression this would be a street car. If so, then the GT3 is not the better choice. I was like Old Guy in that I ended up not enjoying the GT3 on the street and pretty much left it in the garage unless I was going to the track. It's clutch is much stiffer, it's louder, it's less comfortable a ride, it scraped everywhere (driveways, certain road intersections, etc.). The rear visibility was bad due to the wing, side visibility was impacted as well (look quick, see part of the wing and wonder if it's a car in the blind spot).

But, the sure way to find out is buy the GT3 and then in a year you will be trading it back in for a C2S. I'm a big track junkie and even with that I found the 09 C2S to be "on par" with the 997.1 GT3 for track performance and the C2S is so much better the sreet car.

Question you should be asking yourself is "why" you are thinking of giving up your C2S. Is it not fast enough? Does it not handle well enough? If the answer to both is "no", then unfortunately buying a GT3 isn't going to solve those street issues. The 997.2 GT3 is ever so slightly a better performer than the 997.2 C2S - so slight you would never even notice it on the street. Just look at the Ring lap times to see just how close the new GT3 and C2S are. If it's an "ego" thing, where you always desire that "next best" thing, then you aren't going to solve that on a Forum. You may need to trade and then realize that what you had was better suited.

ross74

Wow! Didnt expect so many answers and points of view...

Here's the why:

yes I am the one that drove the 993 the other week and that was a revelation that got me thinking...does all that technology actually help me get more pleasure out of driving? Thats what got me thinking of the "back to the basics but in modern guise" GT3. Having said that I HAVE NEVER DRIVEN ONE and of course I will before I decide but I assume its a more precise driving machine with all the downsides of being that focused.

What is it that I dont like about my CS2 ? Nothing, its perfect. Best car I ever owned. Except I get the feeling most of the time I arrive at where I am going (and just to put it in context I mostly use it on twisty country roads) very impressed with the car. Maybe the GT3 would have me arrive smiling with the driving and my relationship with the car? Just wondering and hoping you wont find all that just bollocks. But I do miss that feeling and that 993 reminded me just that.


About the tires: Oh dont exagerate I wouldnt turn it into a CS2 but removing the Cups just want to feel safer in the rain...

simsgw

Test drive the new Boxster Spyder. Seriously. From what I have read, and from reports of people I respect, that Spyder is just what you're looking for. The visceral joy of tires married to a winding road, with the car feeling like an extension of your fingertips.

I can feel that in my Carrera S, but on public roads it is dampened by the cushioning I need with my aging body. And mostly, I doubt even with my experience that I could calm a Spyder enough to let it masquerade as a limo when Cindy needs that.

This may be heresy in the 997 forum, but I seriously believe I'll feel that way with my C2S only when I take it on a track. Sane speed (let alone legal) just won't stretch its capability to the degree it takes to feel that wonderful sensation of a car doing what it was designed to do and doing it superbly.

Gary

OldGuy

Lets see if I can put it into words better. I had the feeling that I was going to have to "settle"
with the C2S PDK. But once I drove it I was amazed at how good it did everything. There is always
a compromise with the GT3, the scrapes, the clutch,the noise etc. I am always amazed at this C2S. There is no settling with this car. It does everything so well. I have yet to get in it and not smile. Its really THREE different cars.
1. Wifeys car. In normal mode it drives like a Mercedes, only it handles better. Great gas milage
2. Sport mode-Its like turbo like in its ride and drive. It is SO quick.
3. Sport plus-GT3 like, Track monster, rev madness.

It has all these personalities. Its like Superman, with a Clark Kent mode and SuperBoy mode.

If I were you I would put an AeroKit on it and be happy.

Alan Smithee

This is exactly the route I am taking. My 997.1 replaced a pristine 911SC, and I had been trying to figure out what to replace the 997 with. While extremely competent and with amazing sport suspension, I found the 997S.2 even more refined and further from what I was looking for. Came close to buying a 997GT3.1 and GT3.2 when the Spyder was introduced. I'm hoping it will be the best of both worlds; tossable, light, and without filtered responses (like older 911s; weighs about the same as a 993), but with modern performance (very close to the 997S.2), yet not so extreme that you need to take it to the track to enjoy it.

Now, if they will just release the cars from the port...

Wilder

+1000 on the Spyder idea.

993s and GT3s are at the top of my 911 list but the Spyder really has my attention. With a few mods, the car can achieve the same weight/power ratio of a 7GT3.1 for half the price. The reviews (from those that matter) are extremely favorable. The downside to some will be the lack of roof but there are rumors of a Cayman version. Further reading:

7GT3 forum: https://rennlist.com/forums/997-gt2-...er-spyder.html

993 forum: https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...a-boxster.html

triode

I don't understand all the comments denigrating the GT3 as a DD. Unless you have some sort of calf atrophy or just don't enjoy raucous sports cars, the clutch stiffness is minor and is in keeping with the much more visceral nature of the car. I have only scraped a couple times in 6 months, and if and when I need another front lip it's cheap. In the meantime, the car begs me to run it hard and rewards the driver with an incredible exhaust note, 50 HP over the C2S and lighter weight, sharper reflexes and endless revs (the run from 6K to the 8500 redline is so intoxicating that I must do it as often as possible). All 997s are great cars, but the GT3 is just special.

alexb76

Agreed, I really think in most cases by far the driver is the weakest link between these cars, one of our fastest driver in local DE has a 964, and is faster than most GT3 and Turbos!

BTW, I think the difference between GT3 and C2S remains the same between generations. Here are the Ring times:

I suspect you will save minimum 5-6 seconds with cup tires and PCCB, so that's be like 7:54 for 997.1 to 7:50 for 997.2, hence the difference between Carrera and GT3 are about 8-10 seconds around Ring for both 997.1 and 997.2.

Again, me (the driver) probably adds 1-2 mins to any of these lap times, hence making them irrelevant!

jcnesq

My gut is you should stick with 997S. I was going to order a 10 GT3 but opted for a TT after a lot of thought and some impatience. I still want a GT3 even though I love the TT. I want them ALL! If I had a 12-car garage and the money, I'd have 11 Porsches of various iterations (and I'd save one slot for an f-car).

f4 plt

I agree with Paul. I went to my '09 C2S with PDK from an '07 GT3 and find the C2S "almost a quick" and if I had sport chrono the "almost' would be real small. Day to day the C2S is more comfortable and with my back the PDK is fantastic. If you need an ego trip, have lots of pare change or go to the track very often maybe the GT3 but even then unless you are a great driver the C2S will allow you to track just as quickly.

OldGuy

Jims right. I think the best thing to do is Aerokit, then start the GT3 sways drop links etc etc.
That would be far more inexpensive.

rpalomo

okay here, if you like it just for looks, then why dont you just modify your car a little and make it look like a gt3, rear spoiler etc.. but if you really are gonna track your car and that little extra second is gonna help you with your track time, by all means, get a gt3..if your just gonna treat it the same way as your current car now and you dont care abt time, my guess ur getting it for looks and not for that little extra performance.

RonCT

One of the reasons I didn't like my GT3 was the front lip and the rear spoiler. Why anyone would want to add those to a perfectly good C2S is beyond me Also, unless you are going to track the car (which the OP says he isn't), then no need to bother with control arms, etc. Just enjoy the car and if you feel you need to change something, try some new wheels like the beautiful Champions listed recently here at the forum (for only $2900 too).

KBS911

The GT-3 is fine for a daily driver, if you don't mind shifting. I came from an 6spd 08 C2S and have loved every minute of my 10 GT3. I did not get the lift kit and have not had an issue with clearance, but I pick my angles. The 3 is edgier, and that means noisier too. You hear every pebble on the road tinkling up from underneath in the wheel wells. I don't listen to the stereo much and prefer to ride with the windows down to hear that sweet flat six sound. It is intoxicating. The ride is a bit more taut, but not at all uncomfortable. My wife and i take weekend rides together with a group of friends and even she said, "it's not bad" which is high praise in my book. I drove 700 miles, 10 hours to the Tail of the Dragon and threw my bags in the room and went out for more.

The decision is yours, not ours. The GT3 does not have the finesse and creature comforts that the C2S offers but it trumps the S in driver feedback with it's more visceral feel and sound. You might be more comfortable with a 6 sp S with sport exhaust. That is a sweet cobo. In any event I don't think the GT3 will dissapoint. Good luck.