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I'm sure plenty of people have had good experiences with 430's but mine wasn't good. Bought a 2008 back in 2012 with 2k miles on it. Over 2 years it was in the shop 5 times. Seemed like every other time I drove it something would break. Car has tons of body flex. As a car guy I had to scratch the Ferrari itch, but that thing was a piece a junk.
They are much more temperamental than Porsches. That being said, I prefer the 360 over the 430. The 360 absolutely wails with uncorked exhaust and IMO is the prettier car. While maintenance intensive, they are fairly bulletproof.
My 997.2 gt3 RS has been in the shop waiting for parts since December of 2022 but when I have it I use it as a daily. It’s doable but you really have to consider your commute. Sitting in traffic for long periods of time really takes the magic out of daily driving the RS.
The only real impediments to using a 997.2 GT3 RS for semi-daily use are the lack of front clearance to lip (FAL helps) and if the car has carbon buckets it will be a bit harder to jump in and out of. My own 7.2 RS was used as a DD for the first 3 years of its life in the San Francisco Bay Area before I bought it in 2013, and from its service records it consumed 3 batteries, 2 clutches, 2 front lips, and 3 sets of tires in that period of time. Even the OEM lightened flywheel isn't too tough other than on really steep hills of course.
After I bought it my car 'retired' in comparison, and has only traveled around 9500 miles in the 10 years since my purchase. Now it's more about keeping fluids and tires fresh, but enjoying the car in a more pleasurable manner. They are such sensational cars to drive, and I truly enjoy mine at any speed.
I used to hop daily duties (unless bad weather) between a 997 2rs, 7.2-3, 7.1-3rs and 4.0. Yes that was nuts but if weather was reasonable and I didn't need kids in back seat, yes I took my 7-3 to coach my daughters softball team practices and games. Yes I'm sure people thought I was a **** showing up in a mx blue-3 or frog RS with wing and graphics but if I was gonna drive and weather wasn't terrible I wanted to be in a 997-GT. The 4.0 and 2rs wouldn't goto softball field but would take me to work most days.
I wouldn't do it today. I save my miles in fun cars for dedicated fun drives. My cars have also gotten more extreme. Imo, a 997-GT can be daily driven absent horrible weather. It's a bit of a commitment at times. However if you are at the stage in hobby where you want to be in a 997-GT as much as possible, I get it and I'd fully support it.
I have plenty of pics of them separate but very few with them all together. I wasn’t as “pic-crazy” back then but now my wife reminds me that I have more pics of cars than our kids
I wish I had some decent pics of them all together but this will have to suffice. I can’t leave out the frogger because it might have been my fave.
Driven my 997.2 GT3 daily for 6 years, 60K miles in Boston. Went through rain, snow and sun. If you don't mind the minor scrapes of the lip time to time, its totally doable. All you need is time to get used to it, in a few months the manual action becomes instinct, clutch will seem normal, traffic won't matter and you are having a blast whenever there is open roads during your commute. After my GT3, I also driven my 997.2 GT3RS quite often and the suspension is actually even more supple than the GT3 where a lot of the owners here mentioned as well.
I daily drove mine for a year or two, but then again I'm young and dumb. The cliche is that if you drive your "special" car every day, it's not special-- that's far from the case. As others mentioned, front lip I guess is the primary issue? But I mean honestly a selection of various grit sand paper, and some trim restorer solution easily negates that minuscule complaint. I am a firm believer that these cars have a conscience, the more you drive it, the better it becomes. I stopped daily-driving my 3rs for one reason alone, my exhaust setup is extremely loud, and I began to feel like maybe it wasn't so healthy to have ringing ears every day, but hey, that's an easy fix. And oh by the way, while the 3RS is rigid, that is entirely different to being rough. My current daily tosses me around far more over unexpected road conditions than the 3RS does. If you like to drive with music on however, the radio sucks and I could see how that may bother some potential owners.
I wouldn’t do it. But I know people who do that. I bought an s2000 for daily and casual weekend fun. And save the GT3 for the special hardcore outings and track duty. GT3 on the road is honestly really boring. On the road (or even the mountain twisties) my S2k is honestly more fun - you can use more of the car, gears are super short so you are constantly shifting, and I don’t have to worry about scraping or not having enough clearance. Sure it’s nowhere as fast or as special but that just makes getting back into the GT3 that much more special every time I get to take it out.
I wouldn’t do it. But I know people who do that. I bought an s2000 for daily and casual weekend fun. And save the GT3 for the special hardcore outings and track duty. GT3 on the road is honestly really boring. On the road (or even the mountain twisties) my S2k is honestly more fun - you can use more of the car, gears are super short so you are constantly shifting, and I don’t have to worry about scraping or not having enough clearance. Sure it’s nowhere as fast or as special but that just makes getting back into the GT3 that much more special every time I get to take it out.
997 GT3 on the road is honestly really boring!!??!! I must have low standards then ha... I though it was the greatest road car experience out there.
997 GT3 on the road is honestly really boring!!??!! I must have low standards then ha... I thought it was the greatest road car experience out there.
I definitely don't think "boring" is the word, but I understand the sentiment. Its capabilities are not very accessible in most road settings. Contrast with an air-cooled car, which permits 6-7/10ths without too much drama.
I see where he is coming from. Compared to other supercars like Ferrari and Lambo at the time, the GT3RS is still a usable 911 cruising around town. For some drivers it may seem boring because it is so civilized when you want it. The dual personality isn't for everyone as some drivers want an exotic feel even at low speeds.
I wouldn’t do it. But I know people who do that. I bought an s2000 for daily and casual weekend fun. And save the GT3 for the special hardcore outings and track duty. GT3 on the road is honestly really boring. On the road (or even the mountain twisties) my S2k is honestly more fun - you can use more of the car, gears are super short so you are constantly shifting, and I don’t have to worry about scraping or not having enough clearance. Sure it’s nowhere as fast or as special but that just makes getting back into the GT3 that much more special every time I get to take it out.
S2K is the ultimate fun road car that still has aircon, can go to the shops, doesn't break down or leak in etc.
Did about 55k road miles and 10k track miles in mine, suitably modified, what a machine!
GT3 is fun on the road but I prefer to drive my modified Z4M, same reason, short ratios, tail happy, also quite a lot smaller and lighter so easy to thread down the bumpy narrow roads we have here. Save the GT3 for road trips and track.
03-18-2023, 09:46 AM
