I am an avid enthusiast but have never owned a Porsche. Right now I have a few cars including a rare 2009 Lotus Exige 260 Sport which I just put up for sale.

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f94/...1-27-a-145265/

I am considering moving up to a '10 or '11 GT3 RS. I have been looking for a while and it seems finding the right car is quite difficult. My first choice is blue w/gold but they do not seem to be that common. My family wants the grey w/red. I am not going to use it on the track since I have a dedicated race car so the PCCB's would be fine with me. A one owner car with no stories is my preference. High options would be even better.

I know it sounds like I have made up my mind but I am looking for opinions on whether I should upgrade from the Lotus. It is an amazing car to drive that gets lots of attention. Plus it is very rare and looks really cool.

Besides the opinions, anyone that knows of the right car for sale that is reasonably close to Philadelphia, please let me know.

 

Cool Lotus. You didn't list many details as to why you want one and I noticed you mentioned that the Lotus gets a lot of looks. RS owners here are primarily track focused, though some will tell you that they can be an ultimate street car. If there are plenty of fun roads in your area without too much traffic, it could be a great fit. It's a seller's market right now as there is no RS currently available new from Porsche and used examples are holding their value well. As for color combinations, I would expect a greater variety of cars to be available once 991 GT3's and RS's are delivered. Have you considered ordering a 991 GT3?

 

I think that you will find the Porsche a great deal more solid and rigid on the track which I personally prefer over the lotus.

This adds to feeling safer as well.

 

I probably tried most of the 'cars' out there, and no matter what I always go back to porsche, or have another one in the garage. The 2011 RS was the best car I ever owned.
Can't go wrong, does everything, and it does well. Not the best daily, but it can be done if you choose to.

 

I would be very interested to hear street/track Exige vs. GT3 comparisons from folks who've driven both. I was torn between getting a GT3 or an Exige for a weekend/track car. Ended up with a 6GT3 which I love, but still glancing at the Exiges -- the 1000lbs "added lightness" beckons.

Brian, how much track work has your S260 seen? You can PM me if you don't want to derail the thread.

 

had Elise and exige
not the 260
but in trk lotus is more engaging. gt3 is faster unless track is tight
on street RS is FAR better than lotus and this is comkmg from someone who did 40000 miles on lotus in one yr.

 

I admit, I haven't owned an Exige, but I've spent laps in them. We run a 997.1 RS regularly. The Exige and the GT3 have remarkably similar weight distributions, but the location of that mass is different. In the Exige, the weight is between the axles, while in the GT3, it's beyond them. So while both cars are very sensitive to weight transfer, the way they move into and out of slides is rather different. The GT3 breaks into a slide strongly, but slowly. It's a big, slow movement, and wants a confident response for correction. The GT3 loves holding a big, smooth, long slide. That heavy engine behind the rear axle also means that when it goes wrong and the car goes into a spin, the rear just tries to keep going. It'll spin the car in a big, graceful arc.

The Exige, on the other hand, with all that centered weight, will move into and out of slides very quickly. Little, quick, smooth corrections keep the car slipping around nicely. I haven't spent enough time in one to really say how they powerslide, but I'd expect them to be more challenging in that situation than the Porsche, since they change direction and move into/out of slides more quickly or sharply. And when things go wrong, they want to go backwards (rather than the spinning arc of the GT3). The Exige is almost like a dart, only with the back bumper of the car being the front tip of the dart.

I really enjoy both cars, but I'm glad the one we own is the GT3. I really appreciate the way Porsche has designed the front lip on the GT3 - the cheap, easy replacement and the durability of the lip make minor offs less consequential than in the Exige. I also enjoy the big slow slides it does.

Brian, our 997.1 RS gets a lot of positive, happy attention on the street. It has that "racecar" draw that seems to wake up the excited 10-year-old in everyone.

 

Thanks for all the feedback. I have not had this Exige on the track. Others that have these cars say they are amazing and feel just like a go-kart. That is the feeling you get on the street. You can really push it and not worry about much. I have a BMW E92 M3 fully converted race car for the track so I am not looking for another track car. I want something that keeps a smile on your face and is fun to drive on nice sunny weekends.

For some reason as a new member I do not have access to pm's yet. You must need a certain time or post minimun to gain access. All of these forums have different rules. If you want to contact me directly, please email brianrbates at verizon dot net.

 

I think the OP should tell us more about why he wants to switch and what he's looking for. I'm new to this forum and am enjoying this info. Moving from motorcycles, need something safer, and was also torn between an exige or a gt3 as a second/track car. I've driven an exige before and it seems very tough to use on the road... whereas a gt3 honestly seems like an almost reasonable daily driver... no idea about the RS.

I have my name and some $ on a list for a 991 gt3 for 2014 delivery. hope to learn a lot in the intervening year from you all.

 

If you already have a dedicated track car then a 987 or 981 Boxster S would be the best car for putting a smile on your face on nice sunny weekends -- coming from an owner of a 987S and a 996 GT3.

I would have thought your S260 would have fit that bill nicely, especially with the top off. I was seriously considering it as a car that could both tear up the track and put smiles during a weekend drive.

 

That's what it sounded like. If it wasn't clear, my comments about the track were for hf1, who asked for street and track comparisons.

A better understanding would be helpful. I know you've said you want a fun car, Brian, but what makes a car fun varies from person to person, and can vary in different environments, as well. For a car to be "fun" on the street here in Houston, it needs to have enough compliance in its suspension for the bumps to not be jarring. Neither GT3 nor Exige fit that bill. But driving through the hill country around Austin, suspension compliance is much less of an issue, and the playful feel of the Exige would be great. IMO, the Exige will feel more playful and lighter feeling on the street than the GT3, while the GT3 will feel less like an invisible, fragile thing about to be squished. Which of these aspects end up being important to you for where you are will impact how happy you'll be with a GT3 RS as compared to an Exige.

 

duh! yeah!

 

This.

 

yeah. x 911

i've driven exige 260 on track.
fun, but chassis feels unstable and wavering. car also pitches alot through the corners. nowhere near as fast as an rs. gearshift is mushy. rear visibility is zero.
imo doesn't compare, but it can be fun toy.

 

i love the opel controls ...