chakka

Currently working back into the market for a new P-car. Most recent was a 93' RSA that was a great track car, but still had ability to be street drivable. Although set-up for the track with suspension I could drive it to on the street. Very firm ride, but doable.

Sold it last spring and now looking to get back in. From previous experience, I did about 3-4 DE's a year with PCA (Black/Red group) and that amount of events is probably about it per year. Figuring the 997 C2S would be a nicer street ride than the RSA, how does it fair for the track in fairly stock form. Meaning I'd get normal safety gear(belts, brakes, harness bar) and would do pads & tires. How does the suspension fair on the track. Is that something i'd need to upgrade as well? Those that track theirs several times a year, what type of things have you done to get it where you like it? Ideally l'd like to find a car that has a lot of this done. Possible to find/do for $55k or less

If I bought a 996 GT3 i'd think the suspension, set-up would be much more track ready, but does it take away dramatically from street drivability? All that i've read is that it's a pretty raw car and not great for street driving. Like the idea of it, but will be street driving it as well.

Trying to get the best bang for my buck.

blake

I own a 996GT3 & a 997C2S Cab. Bang for the buck, the 996 GT3 will be the most like your RSA - a great track weapon! However, it is a bit rough on the street. "Painful" is the word my wife uses to describe our street driving together in the 3.... The other issue will be toe-in and camber. The 3 likes lots of camber up front for the track, and that will eat up tires for street use.

The choice will depend on how much usage you have on the track versus street. If mostly street car, C2S sounds right. But if mostly track car, GT3 is the no-brainer. Either way, drive both and see what you like.

My $0.02,
-B

911 Crazy

Sounds great, GL

chakka

I appreciate every $.02 I get! Mostly will do short drives or to the track of course! Do you track both? How have they held up given the track mileage. Not necessarily just the engine but how has the suspension & clutch held up. Wondering should I be looking at cars with a refreshed suspension & new clutch given a predominant track car? I understand the factors that can effect it, but trying to get a sense of how they hold up.

Schist4Brainz

Bump to Blake. If you want a track weapon more than a DD, then the 996 GT3 is the clear choice. However, given that you only track a few times a year and will presumably use it primarily as a DD, then the 997 C2S is perfect. I bought a CPO '05 C2S 997.1 back in '10 for exactly the same reasons you are considering it. It has a much nicer and more modern interior than the 996, has plenty of power & torque for the track, is comfortable and safe on the street but quickly changes for track use by turning off PSM and activating sport mode, and it's easy to upgrade to track readiness with minimal effort and reasonable expense. I drive mine almost every day and love everything about the ride and modern conveniences (iPod, nav, etc.). I also track it between 10 and 15 times a year, so I installed a GMG bolt in roll bar, upgraded to Gyrodisc floating rotors, and installed braided stainless steel brake lines. For the track I have a set of used 996 GT3 seats that I bought online, Pagid yellows pads for all 4 corners, and a set of OZ Allegerita wheels with NT01 tires. I now can swap the seats, pads, and wheels in about an hour. The only other item that I recommend is a set of adjustable GT3 control arms, because the stock ones do not allow more than about 1/2 degree of negatve camber on the front end (although I managed to get more than 1 degree in the rear...go figure).

The only real downside to the 997 is the engine. Although comparable in HP & torque to the 996 GT3 Mezger engine, it is not bulletproof like the M. The potential of IMS failure is always looming for pre-2008 997.1 cars. The problem was fixed in the 997.2 cars. Not sure which vintage you are looking at. I have tracked mine very hard for the last few years and have had no issues. I recently saw a thread on here about IMS failure being more frequent in garage queens because the fluid in the IMS bearing degrades if it sits too long or doesn't get heated often. So drive it hard and often like it is meant to be and you should be fine.

Bottom line: if its not a dedicated track car, get the younger, more comfortable runway model that can pose as a rock star when you need it to. My $0.02

porka

based on the motor and trans get the gt3

fbfisher

Can you get a sorted and not thrashed GT3 for $55K?