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Is the GT3 really that much "harsher" than a Turbo or Carrera S?
I have been daily driving my GT3 for 9 years. I've got about 85,000 miles on it, and have had no problems. I really like the relative simplicity of the controls, and the directness of the feedback. I have had few complaints until this weekends 1,000 mile road trip from Davis, CA to Santa Barbara and back, including a trip to Hearst Castle and a nice long stretch up Route 1 to Carmel. I found this trip to be absolutely punishing, both from ride quality as well as tire noise. As I want to do more road trips, and I don't track, this has me wondering about a new car (not that it ever takes much to get me wondering about that!).
My question is whether the other 911s are really that much better from this comfort perspective. I would hate to trade all the things I like about the GT3 in search of a minimal amount of increased livability.
A side question, if you had to get a 2-door car for these types of high-mileage, fun driving, all season road trips, what would you get?
My 996 Turbo was much better suited to freeway driving, being significantly quieter and softer riding. Also, the low effort turbo torque makes the engine much more relaxing to use.
Yes GT3 is much harsher and there is not much sound deadening material in the GT3, so you have that combo. I went from '07 GT3 to '07 Turbo for these exact reasons. Turbo was too soft so missed the GT3. I'd try the DSC module, that will really help bridge the two.
After all the time and miles daily driving your GT3 I figured you would have been fine with it on a long road trip. The low front lip spoiler and notchy 1st gear start on mine gets old when I commute with mine. There are usually a few variations of 911's on Turo. Maybe try out a couple for your next road trip. You will miss your GT3 if you sell it though.
It's a measure of percentages.... what percent of the time will you be doing more "long road trips", verses your daily commuting that you seem to have loved to the tune of 9 yrs & 85k miles?
I'd say keep the 997 GT3, and rent an exotic for the 2 or 3 long trips each year (or trade some time with a buddies Turbo).
IMO daily driving it around town isn't gonna be the same as taking it on 1,000-mile trips. For long trips, you want a real grand touring car. If this has never really bothered you before I'd say that A) the flaws don't seem to bother you much during your short trips around town and B) you don't seem to use it on long 1,000 mile drives very often. My GT3 puts a huge smile on my face in the first 30 minutes of driving it but I'd say usually about 2 hours of driving makes that smile disappear. It's been delegated to doing local-to-my-area weekend drives. Steering on the Jeep annoys me but makes me very happy to be in it on hour-plus drives, and I immediately hate driving the Atom anywhere that isn't a racetrack or a canyon road (people have no driver awareness anymore, nobody ever checks blind spots). All about having the proper tool for the job.
Way I see it, you have two paths ahead of you. You can either get a 997 Turbo or something more grand tourer, which may have the unexpected benefit of making your daily commute much more comfortable, or you can keep the GT3 since these long, grating road trips are not a frequent occurrence. Probably on your next trip try renting a Turbo or something even more fun on Turo, and not give up your GT3 and have to deal with the hassle of buying a new car.
Nowadays I like to just drive my Jeep out in comfort to my destination then rent a car if I want to go on a nice drive. I haven't had the chance to use Turo yet, but my next trip to Vegas (or Yosemite, think that's what the lady friend wants to do next) or the like I plan to do things that way. No sense punishing myself on long stretches of drive in between.
Last edited by LateBraking; 06-05-2019 at 01:53 AM.
when I really want to head a long distance from my home,... to get to some fun roads that I have not driven before.....
Highway comfort is how my wife & I roll.....
tows like a dream. waaaaay better than the F150 before it. Of course I have PDCC in my CTT,.. which I am convinced makes a big difference to eliminate Tail-Wagging-the-Dog, and the 'ol "Suck-Push" as you're passing an 18-wheeler...
I drove a 7.2RS to Rennsport from MN. Won’t do it again There were some epic days in the car but a lot more that made my gal and I wish we had my 991 GT3. NVH was a killer. That said, it is not enough to get me off of 7.2RS’s because in the sweet spot there is still nothing like it.
Depends on the specification. I just drove 1/3 across county in the RS. Didn't have any issue with road noise. RS probably quieter than my 2008 turbo cruising at 85. I had GT2 carbon buckets in my turbo same as RS. turbo was on X73 type suspension. Not quite as firm, but not soft either. So, again, depends on specification IMO.
I don't think either is very comfortable for a really long road trip, but comfort on long trips wasn't the main incentive for purchasing either a turbo or a GT3/RS. Much better options out there if that's the primary intended use of the vehicle.
06-04-2019, 08:03 PM
Is the GT3 really that much "harsher" than a Turbo or Carrera S?
There were some epic days in the car but a lot more that made my gal and I wish we had my 991 GT3. NVH was a killer. That said, it is not enough to get me off of 7.2RS’s because in the sweet spot there is still nothing like it.
