Sun Ra

agreed given their lack of news, the car deserved more space to discuss the car fully. here's what I wrote them, and then I follow with how my views have changed since:

"The best sports car made. I have about 1500 miles and just got back from a day at Willow Springs Raceway. The car rocks- it is truly the best-- better than Challange Stradale and even better than 996 GT2, the two best sportscars ever produced, of which i owned 2 and 3 respectively for about 20,000 miles each. The balance of handling, grip, power and braking evident at Big Willow, a fast track, is a huge step up from 996 GT2 and 3. Mech. grip and mid range torque is much better than Stradale. The cup tyres have been improved enough for street use in S CA, but care is required in standing water. Once equipped with the lightweight flywheel/clutch standard in RS, a Cupcar lower Ring & Pinion, Euro GT3 seats and Champion RS98 wheels, you've saved 130 pounds and enlivened the car, it becomes almost perfect, except for the sunroof. If Porsche had delivered the car at 3000 lbs. with proper gearing like that in a Stradale, Euro GT3 seats and no sunroof, it would have been perfect, but this is close enough. I have been looking at buying another Stradale, but why bother?

Watt Webb, Malibu, CA

Others Considered
Another Challenge Stradale. I owned 2 strad.s before this and loved them. The GT3 is better all around, its only relative defect the high gearing. Stradale's gearing is perfect, as are the factory seats.
Gallardo. Too bling and too small inside and too heavy
Porsche TT. Had one for a month while waiting for the GT3. Too fat, too heavy, too ugly. Absolutely useless as a sports car. Better to get a SL65.
Likes
Superbly balanced total sports car: superb power/handling/braking [i have the new, improved PCCB], sport button, and sport shock setting for track
Looks better than 996 GT3
More mid-range torque [blows Stradale away in this regard]
Improved mid-corner bump handling vs. 996, Stradale still better.
The US factory seat is actually decent, for the first time in memory. Still Euro-GT3 seats will be better.
Dislikes
F.g 45 pound sun roof in a sports car, we should have been allowed to delete it - complete Factory disregard for the customer "

and my view today:

- immediately after writing the above, went on search for another Strad which just arrived. Logic given above failed to stop me. strad.s are just cool, beautiful and have enough performance for the modern world.

-then my 3 developed multiple oil leaks and has been undriveable. The leaks are no more than what was usual in 1972 911S, but it's 2007 now. The brake peddle needs to be pumped back up in heavy mountian driving. so the jury is still out. while the gt3 is fab at the track, these could be design flaws.

- the vertical hobby horsing the 3 does on freeway bumps [throwing you up and down] is very uncomfortable, and I haven't ever needed more comfort than 996 gt3's and gt2's which are pretty spartan but ride much better.

Are all you guys just glowing over your 3's or are you noticing negatives? quite a few people indicated they had incipient oil leak problems.

YA911Fan

Yeah, they should have told us that Watt thought the GT3 was so good, he immediately rushed out and bought another Stradale!

Snowboarder54

Are all you guys just glowing over your 3's or are you noticing negatives? quite a few people indicated they had incipient oil leak problems.[/QUOTE]

I now have 8953 miles on my 997 gt3 with literally 6000 miles of the total driven in 2nd & 3rd gear at 4500-8000rpm. The only negative i have is the frequency with which I have to changes tires. It's a 3 hour round trip to my tire shop and then I have a hundred miles or so to break them in which kind of slows me up on the way home! It works out well as I change the oil every time i change tires. No oil leak and I love the sunroof!

NSXTC

How did they arrive at the depreciation? Esp. since it hasn't been out for 5 years? Year one is way off IMO. Unless they meant Appreciation. 8)



TRUE COST TO OWNSM
Year 1 $43,868
Year 2 $25,193
Year 3 $22,782
Year 4 $22,110
Year 5 $21,012
Total: $134,965
Average cost per mile: $1.80

DEPRECIATION
After one year: $21,836
Five-year total: $57,510

Sun Ra

just couldn't take the sheer Tuetonic intelligence

95spiderman

your comments on gt3 vs stradale are interesting

i just got my gt3 last week and love everything about it. however, i would trade it for a stradale anytime. looks, sound, exotic flavor of the ferrari cant be beat.

ive never driven one (but have tried the 430) so i cant comment on the midrange torque difference you mention. is this in street or track settings? pacticality would be the only other thing in favor of gt3.

Jack

Strads are SLOW -- they need some real torque like the F430 has. Gearing can only make up for so much....

Enjoy the new ride -- drive it in the best of health!

zellamsee

The Autoweek article mentions a dash rattle -- after about a 1000 miles in my RS, I now too have an annoying rattle in the dash. Anyone else have the same? If so, any luck having the dealer fix it?

Sun Ra

uncle jacques --

strad fast enough and much, much prettier than the Lego that is the 430

c u at willow on thurs.....!

Jack

YOU'VE BE WARNED.


I agree that the CS is the best looking 360 iteration and is beautiful, but I'm now of the opinion that the 430 looks better when both are compared side-to-side. Of course, reasonable people can differ on such a subjective matter.

The best looking CS....yellow is also the fastest.



Better looking 430.....



Of course, the bling RS is fantastic..... I'm such a

Sun Ra

Giallo is rockin' and you never should have sold that car.... and i have counseled Fred to keep it.

Jack

Watt,

I don't look back and I don't buy the same car two...three...four times over.

Besides, you know that black beauty will be gone come December.

OldGuy

We have to be careful with Mr Watt I have known him for 4 years now and in fact he led me to my first GT3 and what a find it was. You have to know what fiscal qtr it is to get his opinion on Watt car he thinks is the best. When I first read his posts and ask him his opinion( very GOOD opinions and advice on almost what ever car you care to talk about -he has owned them all) I think he was driving an extremely modded 993TT for open road racing, then several months later it was maybe a Ferrari. Then it was a GT2 -then a fiscal qtr or two it was a Stradale, then a GT3 then another Stradale, then another GT3 then a Z06 then the New GT3 and now a Stradale. So you can see that depending on what Fiscal qtr it is you can get a different opinion on Watt car is best. There is a pattern here and I almost have enough data to do the 4 year P & L plots. But I may have some of the Stradales in the wrong place and I think I am missing a GT2 or two in there somewhere. But if you want a good opinion ask Mr. Watt- Just wait for the right qtr to get the right opine. Also if you dont know Watt to drive just wait for one of his pre-owned cars to come up for sale. These cars are primo, low miles meticulously maintained pristine examples of what ever F-Car or P-Car it is depending on Watt fiscal qtr.

Jack

Watt is the MAN and a good friend -- that's why we kid each other so much.

Sun Ra

primo? low mile? paul, you too much reefer up dere in de desert

jacques has been known to call my cars "rough" when they're primo, high mile