E-Man

This is great news to me. Now Mr. Seinfeld and I have something in common. We have both purchased the same black 4.0 twice! (Different black 997 RS 4.0's of course, but still.) And yes I paid more for mine the second time I bought it. I have a feeling Jerry cares less about money than I do.. LOL

pissedpuppy

me too

bweSteve

but it's interesting to me how much hype there really still is out there for the 991 GT3's. So much activity on the 991 forums about which options to choose (manual -vs- PDK still takes top honors for discussion point),.. talk of how prices have finally come down enough, and inventory on the market to choose from. Even from guys I know that are looking for a more comfortable & compliant GT3 that can serve multi-duty for them. Not everyone is looking for that raw visceral experience,... nor have they come from a long history of driving older 911's either,.. so they want cake & eat it too.

I think it's still going to take a lot more years of 991 GT cars trading hands, and enough of those guys trying different variants,... before some of them start to desire migrating back to 997's.

We shall see. But Jerry buying this one back, and making the statements he did,.. certainly lends cred to the 997 generation.

In the meantime I'm enjoying the hell outta driving mine.

As the years/decades tick by, the definition of "collector miles" will rise, and my prediction is that solid 997 GT3 driver cars can still have 50k miles, and sell well (in 2035).

sixtyfiver

Looking back through all 911 generations and realizing they’re all very much in demand with a few models that dominate and one in particular that fell short. I believe 997 GT3 & RS will dominate, it’s 73 RS then 997 GT3 / RS. I might be wrong because I haven’t driven ever model but in my experience it really doesn’t get much better than a 997 Gt car. Never driven the 4.0 RS but I am sure it’s a “little” better than 3.8 but at these levels, a “little” has double the value and at some point 4-5 times the value.

Seinfeld probably had sellers remorse, he wasn’t able to substitute the feel of the 997 4.0 and had to have it back. For him it’s not about money but certainly about the connection that very few cars offer.

Jrtaylor9

Dang, I've been trying to convince myself to sell one of the two 997rs I own and you guys are making me want to hold both or buy a 3rd! This place is a bad influence. (kidding on the 3rd!)

bweSteve

Hey I agree on all counts,... my only point in my post #33 above, is that we may be in the minority,... until all the younger hot-shots catch up. which could be decades from now.

RL posts here are such a small subset of owners out there,... & it seems there is sooo much hype being given by the 30yr old Youtube bloggers doing donuts & promoting their own "channels". They're all 991 guys & only interested in the 1/8 mile burnout & 1/2 mile PDK 9K redline gear shifts. It's getting old for me (don't care to hear about it anymore), but clearly they don't think so. Drama pulls in viewers. I despise that. So much happier in my own little shell, driving till my hearts content.

rant off.

Jrtaylor9

^^^Although, i can't say I've ever seen a YouTube vlog that is anything other than gushing when a 997rs is the subject. It is pretty universally accepted as a special car(s) and the 4.0 typically mentioned in same breath as the original 73 (which is good for all of them) and/or one of the greats of all time. I don't think 997rs as one of better drivers cars of all time is a secret to any serious car people

991 still has the latest-greatest crowd for sure. I do think 991 pulled away some drivers that just wanted a warrantied manual gt or warrantied track toy (pdk or 3-pedal); these drivers would have bought 997s. And I do think plenty even traded out of 997s just to try the new product. 991 isn't as special but it's a HELL of a car and has pulled away would-be buyers and brought 997 trade-ins (plus the gt4!); there are just so many more options to choose from in the world of Porsche GT product (992 only expanding that list). I don't know where things go from here. Time will tell.

QueueCumber

It’s a “New is better” mentality, and adherence to the idea that “faster is always better” when it comes to 0-60 and 1/4 mile metrics or lap times. The problem is that most people in the world won’t ever own any of these types of cars, so all they can be “wowed” by are the metrics. When you’ve driven the top end modern cars that have come out recently, especially the ones with turbos and computerized handling, they all start to feel like the same car with the same technology added to increase that one metric that “wows” people on paper. There’s no character or play in the driving experience. There’s very little excitement and engagement, except when you slam the throttle.

But, many people don’t drive for the experience. Many just buy these cars to have something expensive and/or elusive to show off to other people. In those cases, metrics work great for bragging rights, and consequently sell a lot of vehicles. Thus the dilemma. Sport car companies have to choose between a reputation based on metrics, which will likely sell more cars, but creates a less engaging experience to produce those metrics, or an engaging vehicle that is not as fast and will make the company look antiquated and less desirable to the masses.

In the newest cars out there, I don’t get scared driving at all because they handle so well that they’re boring. The only way to get scared is if I let someone else drive while I ride shotgun. I might as well go to a fun park. There needs to be a balance between the metrics and engagement to create risk and excitement.

QueueCumber

They’re all going electric slowly. But they’ll keep using oil for as long as possible in the interim. They’ll reuse old designs as long as possible (before they’re regulated out due to emissions) to reduce development costs and to help subsidize the movement to electric. Likewise, for the numbers game, electric can be faster due to the potential for instantaneous acceleration.

In the interim some companies are moving to turbo. The end goal is the same though; reuse old technology as long as possible in order to subsidize the development of new technologies that will accommodate regulations that the companies see looming on the horizon.

spiller

I think the other thing to consider with popularity of 991 vs 997 is that most youtube viewers are only general motoring enthusiasts, not necessarily Porsche enthusiasts. Therefor some of the people shopping for these cars only appreciate the GT3/RS as one of a number of exotics on offer with the likes of lambo, mclaren etc etc. To a non Porsche enthusiast, the nomenclature is quite confusing to the point that they might not even know if the 997, 911 and GT3 are three different cars or the same car! My point is, they might not even be consciously aware of older generations of GT3. They only know what the newest car looks like because it’s the
one they see plastered all over the internet. I would like to believe anyone forking out (or financing) a large chunk of coin for a GT3 would be aware of all of the offerings and what each one represents, but I’m not sure it’s the reality. For example, it’s often suggested that the 996 GT3 was undervalued for so long because lots of buyers who weren’t in the know didn’t realise that it did NOT actually have the engine issues of the non-Mezger engined 996’s. I always viewed the GT3/RS as a true hardcore enthusiast’s vehicle, built in low quantities because only a select few wanted them. The game has long since changed and it’s quite clear that the GT3 branding today means something very different and it appeals to a different type of buyer. I think it’s sad to see the that the brand has been watered down.

XrussianX

Porsche saw $$$$$ they built more GT cars. In a way it’s awesome because more drivers can actually drive them. But then it does have a negative side as you mentioned

FatBottomGirl

Where can I get that air intake?

Jrtaylor9

Also, as a YouTube vlogger or ANY reviewer, you kinda gotta keep reviewing new stuff or it's a short career. The last 997 came out in 2010/11? There's a few throw-back comparisons that can be done but it's the new stuff that keeps it going.

I love the 997; One of fav cars of all time. But it doesn't take anything away from the 991 imo. 991 just kinda wrecked the s/d picture for most all p-gt's, including the 997 to some extent. The lower prod numbers and desirability of 997s will help them relative to their 991 brethren. But overall direction of p-gt market has headwinds that will take a while to turn and/or 997 to outperform enough to disconnect from rest of the herd.

mooty

Jeremy, ceramic coating helps a bit b/c it makes stuff wash off easier, but you can scratch ceramic coat easily. it's just a clear coat, much like paint.

991 vs 997
one is a tool, a car... the other is a toy
but every driver is different. I had 5 991 GT/RS variant at one point, today I have zero 991 variant.
997 I kept
and newer better faster, yes.
but I went from
2019
2018
2016
2011
2007
2006
1995
1992
1973
1972
1970
and now 1957...

older, slower, better...

when I was young I like beer
now I am old, red wine is better

YMMV

Kermit_the_Frog

Am still regretting that i didn't join the auction at the time. 550k was cheap given it's a 4.0 with that history.