prosumer

To the point, I'm looking for someone in Austin (Central Texas) with a 997.1 GT3 to send me a PM so I can ride in and even drive one, please.

I am not looking to test the performance of the GT3, there is no need or desire to explore that on any car but my own. What I'm I want to feel first hand is the daily driving experience on a city street, as I plan for the GT3 to be my daily driver (clutch feel, road feel on a street like Lamar Blvd, etc). Unfortunately there are none for sale in Austin, and Texas is a big place so getting to Dallas or Houston is a big trip. Also I'd like to meet a GT3 owner face to face and talk shop a bit too.

How I got here: I have been seriously shopping Euro Delivery M3 and ED Cayman S. Of course wisdom states these are two very different vehicles. I've finally realized that my problem was I hadn't decided what I wanted, a sports sedan or a sports car. After some soul searching and lots of test driving, I realized a sports car is really what I want and it's a good time to own one now, as I've got few responsibilities. Of course before I go galavanting off to Deutschland for a Cayman S, I decided I really owed it to myself to consider the 2007 997.1 GT3. At this point I'm sold on the GT3 for a lot of reasons. To answer my ED desire, I'll just own a GT3 here and do a Porche Experience travel group in Germany. There are lots of great tracks in America.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I have also cross posted on 6speeedonline (http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/g...xas-pm-me.html). Just so you know I'm not off my rocker, it was with a recommendation that I am posing this question (which I would not have done without encouragement).

ADias

I would hop to Houston or Dallas (RUF) (both less than 200 miles), rather than asking someone who does not know you to drive his car.

Nugget

I'll be out at Harris Hill Road in San Marcos next Sunday (the 30th) for the Gymkhana. The track will be open all afternoon and I'd be happy to talk cars, let you crawl over mine, and take you out for as many hot laps as you can stomach. I daily drive my GT3 so I can tell you all about that too.

C.J. Ichiban

hey for a first post that's pretty impressive! cutting straight to the chase.

the gt3 is a great car and compared to buying one new a .1 gt3 is a really solid value in terms of pct depreciation that has already happened. I've had a gt3 and 2 RS's and their great to drive daily- the only thing is that if you never take it out to hill country and blast around on those gorgeous roads I will send someone down to stick a knife in your tires! it's truly a sublime car in a lot of ways.

but- do not be fooled by the comfortable alcantara, it's kind of a bitch to drive at less than 10mph.

prosumer

Yes that's what I'll do next week if nothing comes of this. I understand the request seems odd, as I said without encouragement I would not have asked. :-)

A friend of mine instructs and has a membership at Harris. If I'm not driving to Houston next weekend, I might drop by. Thanks!

Thanks for the wise words, I expect it will ride about the same as the Boxter Spyder, maybe even a bit better with the PASM.

prosumer

I met with a very generous fellow yesterday morning who allowed me a short drive down Lamar Blvd in his GT3. I'm going to share my impressions in appreciation of the trust necessary for such an action. Though I lack the combination of journalistic and driving experience of Chris Harris (or either vocation on their own really), I'll do what I can.

It was Sunday morning, just about the perfect time of the week for a leisurely drive. No traffic to speak of, and though it was 40 degrees and overcast, the road was dry and visibility was good. In no particular order from my experience in the 0-45 mph range...

Impressions
shifter, clutch: The shifter is heavy and notchy much the same as the Z06 I have driven or similar to a Hurst shifter. Very purposeful movement. The clutch was heavy too and it was interesting to me how high it engaged. The pedals were very close together, more so than the Cayman S, which would make for some great heel-toe action (no that's not foot ****).

steering: The steering is telepathic. Amazingly easy to steer, but not unnervingly light as with the newer Audi's such as the TT. You are never fighting the wheel and the feedback is immediate.

brakes: How can you determine anything about brakes at 40mph? Well I can't comment on fade after hot laps or stopping the earth, but they did feel incredible. The braking was immediate but not grabby and just a modicum of modulation was necessary to bring the vehicle to a stop as if you'd hit a wall (no walls were hurt during this drive).

noise, sound, engine: Urgent, exhilarating, sonorous. Though when you're driving without speed in mind, moving up a gear provided a relatively quiet ride and kept below ~3000 rpms she's quite tame. I didn't notice any excessive road noise but I'm sure the tires would howl on Texas intra-state roads; however that's not specific to the GT3. The throttle is sensitive but easy to modulate.

suspension: This is where I compare the DD ride on a GT3 to a Honda Accord; a '94 Accord with 18" rims and an Mugen/Skunk/H&R suspension and ground effects (college buddy's ride). The ride is stiff without a doubt. It's also communicative and confidence inspiring, every part of the suspension all the way through the tires is telling you everything that is going on. I almost went back for that quarter I felt on the road but discretion is the better part of valor.

GT3 as a daily driver
My potentially offensive comparison to what some might call a riced out Honda was to encapsulate all one might need to know about the ride compliance. That is to say that if you have daily driven vehicles with heavily modified suspensions, you know what you are getting into. The GT3 has 93mm of ground clearance and with a 5.6 degree approach angle you really need to plan ahead and take most driveways at an angle. It's also important to take my inept metaphor further to the fact that countless cars have had suspensions modified by automotive enthusiasts to the point the effective feel is very similar to the GT3, but without all the goodness that comes with the GT3. A heavy clutch and shifter are to be expected in a vehicle of this calibre, and it's not a unique feature; no PDK here thankfully. The steering and brakes practically serve to make the car safer, as do the incredible feel at the helm and on the brakes.

General impression
The feeling I'm left with is that driving the GT3 is like wielding a really great Henckles chef's knife. The balance is incredible and the piece is very purposeful, a very versatile tool which can make short work of many different jobs in the kitchen. A knife so sharp, when you hand it to someone, you can't resist the urge to implore them to, "Be careful, it's very sharp". And much like the knife, the instrumental value of the GT3 is absolute and undeniable.