David911

I have a 100 mile a day commute. Freeway. No turns.

I purchased a Mercedes E550 coupe to handle this, but 6 months in I find it lacking in involvement, though it is quiet, comfortable, and has a great stereo.

Went to my local porsche dealer to drive a C2S, just to see how I liked it. Also happened to drive an 08 GT3 with 2300 miles on it. OMG I loved it! It did not seem too much louder or rougher than the C2S, but it had such soul! I really liked that it was a simple, more involving car. I also preferred the steering and the revs!

Question 1: Am I crazy to want to drive this car on my commute as a daily driver? I will probably put 24000 miles a year on it. I know I don't care too much about the ride quality, but am somewhat concerned about the noise on an extended basis.

Question 2: Are there some must have options? The car I drove had a sport button, a suspension button, and a wart on the dashboard. It's stereo was unbelievably bad. I am not sure that it had Xenon lights - were these an option? I really like them on the Mercedes and BMW. Anything else I must have? I can deal with the local dealer, but it is not urgent so I could undertake a more substantial search.

Question 3: Should I just hold off looking for a 997.2?

Question 4: Pricing - The dealer is asking $94000. I will research this further, but if you want to throw in your $.02 I would appreciate it.

Thanks for your help,

David

mooty

as long as you dont have too much traffic, it's a great DD.

rip out the stereo and put a good one in it.

if you see little "nipples" in front of the headlights, then those are xenons. no nipples then no xenons. this was a $1000 or so option

all of them had sport and suspension button standard.
wart was an option, useless one however.

08 low miler command a premium, but 94000 is in dream land. 85 tops.

carrering

100 miles round trip right? if its just a straight freeway and assuming there is a speed limit that you roughly obey it will probably be boring in just about any car after a few times. all the noises and rattles that I think make the car more endearing may get to you on a daily basis. maybe if you alternate between the cars?
and to answer your question, yes you are crazy and welcome to loony bin. once you do get your hands on a GT3, please take it to the track for some proper exercise every once in a while. its a slippery slope that turns into a freefall for most, but the ride is great and good company too.

malmasri

A GT3 is undeniably the most celebrated and enjoyable of the 911's....but it would not be my choice of a cruiser...if you like the creature comfort that a BMW or MB offer and want a more engaging vehicle then you need to test drive the 997 TT which offers joy along with comfort....not exactly a GT3 NA fun but for long commute it would be the best choice.

TRAKCAR

Describe your commute.
If it involves traffic jams, I would go PDK. On the street a Turbo is more engaging, or even a big Torque AMG Mercedes or Nissan GTR?

docdan

Although I love my GT3 dearly, I wouldn't want that as my sole means of transportation for a 100 mile commute. The ride quality is fine as long as you don't mind firm suspenson.

Your comment regarding noise may be a valid concern. You will get a lot of engine, road, and tire noise within the cabin. If you need to talk on a handsfree mobile phone, this may pose a challenge for you.

That all being said, driving a GT3 in to work on daily basis will change your daily "commute" into a daily "driving adventure".

My personal car of choice for highway cruiser is my Audi S8.

MJones

Be warned:

It's noisy
It's low

C.J. Ichiban

last year my commute was 98 miles round trip- my cars of choice were the CGT and the 993TT. My RS would have been fun as well. I've got multiple cars so I never felt like I was overusing a single one- but for 85k or whatever I'd get something micro like a GTi for 20-25k and spend 60-70k on something really fun like a Pcar.

David911

Thanks everyone. The commute is straight, no traffic. According to the gizmos on the MB, I average 68 mph door to door.

The mercedes does as good a job as possible, I think, with making the time go by without thinking you are driving. The radar based cruise control, excellent stereo, and plush ride are all really fine. This is what I aimed for, and achieved, when I bought the car. But it is not fun. I really like driving. I miss the 3 pedals, even though I wouldn't use them much. Even in traffic, a clutch never bothered me.

I really like the GT3 as a "basic" car - focused on driving and not on other in car entertainment.

Does anyone have any concerns with putting this much miles on the car?

If the car does not have xenon lights, are they retrofittable? Would this be a good thing to do?

Are there any must have options?

Thanks,

David

ps I really prefer the NA GT3 over the turbo, both from looks and philosophy. I know the turbo can be more fun on the street, but it just doesn't float my boat (at least today!)

David911

One more question. How much does it cost to replace the front bumper lip after you scrape it off on some curb/parking block?

kyrocks

About $130-$200.

Larry Cable

what mooty said; this price is aspirational, mid 80's at best with CPO.

options wise it sounds like it has everything it needs, and some stuff it doesn't.

while a DD at that mileage is a LOT, you only live once, enjoy it as often as you like!

IAortho

You are not crazy......and it sounds like you are going to buy it anyway. That's what I did. If boredom is the issue, I promise you won't be bored with a gt3. I also did not like the look of the Turbo with vents and all even though around the Midwest it made way more sense. I have absolutely no regrets, and the gt3 is a phenomenal, exciting car -- you will know if you want it and it seems you already do. Give 'em $85K and drive it home.

Snowboarder54

Buy the car, install a SW bt-pass, remove the radio, drive the car, enjoy the car. You are not crazy, Mooty is crazy, I may be a little crazy!!

kyrocks

You are crazy...but so are we!
Remember this is not a soft luxury car and if you want to "put up" with that for a 100 mile daily commute, i'd say do it. I definitely would...although it is nice to get into a luxury automatic vehicle once in a while for longer drives.

The GT3 will definitely cure your boredom.

Good luck!