fc-racer

89's or 88 Turbo S' are great cars. You could drive one of this completely stock and have a blast. The steering and stability will shock you (in a good way) if you've been a 911 guy your whole life.

The key is to keep the boost reasonable and the HP under 350. If you're running max 1 bar boost and ~300hp on the stock turbo, you'll have no issues.

Laguna_Dude

Drive your GT3... the loss of depreciation due to tracking plus maintenance is still less than buying another car... even at $50k. So long as you do proper maintenance, tracking your GT3 should not hurt you on the back end.... especially for dealer trade... as even if you baby it, you'll still get bent over.

996FLT6

I concur with what laguna dude is saying. In 5 years maybe less u be bending over and there's nothing u can do bout it. Enjoy the car. Different story if u plan to race. If just de's u be spending dollars to maintain both. Mike

Btilley

I have a 1995 E36 M3 that I am currently racing in SCCA and NASA events. I picked up the car on craigslist for 2K and have put in around $20K for safety gear, suspension, motor, and some other upgrades. The car is putting down around 250 at the rear wheels and is about 2900 with me in it. If I drop another 300 lbs I would be a bit more competitive in SCCA STO and NASA GTS 3. But even in these races they tend to turn into parade laps after the first few laps. The car is fun to drive but still feels slow. I am about 8 sec/lap slower than a cup car at Laguna with my current setup. Also track consumables still add up with this car. I will toast a set of tires after a few weekends, brake pads, ect. It adds up.

After the last SCCA weekend at Laguna I decided to switch gears and go with a Spec miata. The racing is just too good in the class to not switch. You can run multiple classes and really enhance the amount of track time you get on an SCCA/NASA weekend. I had toyed with the idea for the last 6 months and when I had the opportunity to pick up a new build 99 I jumped at it and have not wavered in the decision.


I am happy to answer questions about my cars or the decision. Just email me.

BT

mooty

once u drive 6, you will find 7 boring.

e36m3 is pretty good too. cheap.

if you want a real cage, like race 911 said, tony at tcdesignfab in milpitas.

if you are not within 2:05 at TH over the top, just track the GT3. it's hard to go off track at that pace. i would listen to Race911 concentrate on driving not the car. he's after than me in his miata than me in my RS, and i am not exactly slow either.

tcsracing1

HORSTAIR:

The best bang for the buck track car is the 996 GT3.

BUT,

you currently have the latest greatest last of the narrow body GT3.

when at the track, one would want the best possible tools available which are present on your GT3. Why take the experience down a level in a secondary car with less goods then that of the 11' GT3 offering?

You would be wise to better your track experiences in the cream of the crop track car until the 991 is released. Fine tune yourself on the best platform while you have it.

yes, It is alot of money to risk on a track, but it is also more confident having the luxuries of the expensive car on the track. Great handling, great safety, great brakes, relatively durable and easy to maintain.

By the time the 991 is released and if you had purchased a secondary track car, the additional money you would have spent on car #2 would be more then what you would lose on the 11' GT3 come trade in time.

A low mile 997.2GT3 when the 991 is released will still take a large hit in depreciation. Miles or no miles. might as well enjoy it now. Especially while you have warranty. (unless 991 is a total flop)

I would make hay while the sun shines in the 11"GT3 before the 991 is released. Dont go backwards in technology when learning the track now. ( that being said it is easier to drive a slow car fast which is good for learning. think miata, spec boxster etc...)

Go out and drive the pants off your GT3. you will love it, and it will love you back

tcsracing1

Get a set of GT2 seats with fire extinguisher/harnesses and a Porsche factory Tequipment bar.
the Tequpment bar is less $$ then clubsport and simply bolts in. Will not hurt resale and can always be removed and resold.

The factory clubsport bar is more $$ and requires fabrication labour to install. A good installed clubsport bar can be a more desirable car to a buyer then without it.

either route is good depending on your budget.

a good track alignment with a set of rear toe links and you are done.

Worry about the LSD after the 991 is released and if you decide to hold or sell.

By then you will be ready for the 996 CUP shifter cables.

007DT

Agreed.. 6 Is a blast. Even Still an M3 is a fraction of the $ to run at athe track in consumables. I bought my strictly as a race car. It is so much fun to drive and if you plan to race there is a ton of competition. and again less $$ than DE'ing a GT3.

race911

[QUOTE=Horstair;8619669][QUOTE=race911;8619633]I'll try to stop by and say hi on Saturday. Yeah, will be there but just as a spectator. Never have instructed with NASA, only raced. I know 1/3 of the instructors, so it probably wouldn't be a problem to hop in. Just don't have my helmet/communicator down here; left them in the garage at Thunderhill. I'm also going to doing some in-car video setup work with a couple of the BMW racers, so there are additional scheduling issues.

onelove

E46 M3. Great deals can be had, you can set them up real nice with suspension / wheels & sticky tires and brakes at a reasonable rate. Great learning car and plenty of people running them to get help hwne needed on setup / coaching, etc.

cannon1000

Not buying a 996 when they are the best deal out there for a race chassis? Get a Mk.1 996 and change the body kit to a GT3-997...they are out there.

996's are great because they are so undervalued. You could probably find one with front end damage - replace it with a 997 kit and have a kick-*** chassis for a race car, far below your budget.

Ferdie

I can understand and share your opinion about the GT3 primarily intended for public-road use and occassional DEs whereas a second car is prepared and used for proper track driving. There have been quite a few nice suggestions in this thread already. I would even go as far and suggest a E30 BMW M3 which is sufficiently fast and can be adequately adapted for trackuse. Still, as has been asked above, where do you want to head in terms of track driving and the development of your driving skills? Each car mentioned above has its own driving behaviour, some need more adaption than others but it remains a personal taste.

Pardon my ignorance but which state are you referring to? I assume you are referring to Baden-Württemberg and therefore Neckarsulm but would be more inclined to see the origin of Audi in Saxonia.

Ferdie

Let´s keep the story as it is... won´t tell anybody.

Why don´t you start off with some DE courses this year? That way there is no need to modify your GT3 or find a second track car but the most important, your driving skills, will become better. If you are inclined to stick to the rear-engined layout a 911, 964 or 993 might be the cheapest way to go. Or the NSU Prinz.

007DT

I'd challenge you to spin the M3.
I'd challenge you not to spin the 6 GT3 at the limits.

The M3 is an easy fun to drive car.... It is Way more balanced than a 911 hands down.

This is from true experience. I have both platforms.

Ferdie

You´ve certainly not been the only one.