mikesufka

Gentleman -

I posted about a year ago asking opinions about the Porsche Turbo and the GT3. I had zero experience with either, but was thinking one of them would be my next car.

In any case, I'm getting more serious and had the chance to drive a 996 Turbo and a 997.2 GT3 within the last two weeks.

My last sports car was a 2001 Viper RT/10. I use the car to run back and forth to my lake home, which is about 90 miles from where I live. Roads could be highway or two lane country roads, depending what I want to do. I sold it because I didn't like the "roof was either on or off concept" among other reasons.

Anyway, I loved the 996 Turbo. I'm sure the 997 Turbo is even better. Very comfortable car. Fast as hell.

The problem is, I loved the GT3 too. More raw. That motor just wailed with the 8500 RPM redline. I'll admit though, not as comfortable. And louder inside at cruising speeds.

My dilemma now is I'm not sure what to go after. The GT3 is a wicked car, but common sense says the Turbo might make more sense for what I want to do.

My goal is to have either a 997.1 Turbo or 997.1 GT3 within the next six months. The question is what do I buy? Any thoughts?

Mike

ilko

You are the only one who could answer that question since you'll be the one driving the car. I just sold my 997TT and replaced it with a GT3. It's the better car for me.

Targa Tim

daily - turbo, track - GT3, driving pleasure - GT3, comfort - turbo, all weather capability - turbo, long term appreciation - GT3.

Inrev

I wouldn't discount the potential for appreciation of the 997 Turbo in manual form. Long-term that is. They'Re already holding their value very well.

Dr.Bill

Just get the best of both worlds - the GT2. The love child of a TT and GT3 - comfort with insane speed and amazing handling. At current prices, one of the best bargains too.

limitedslip

I'll share my opinion between the .1 Turbo and .1 GT3: there is absolutely no comparaison. Their look might be somewhat similiar but the driving experience couldn't be more different!

The one thing about the Turbo is that it'll make most other cars feel slow. 505tq @ 1950rpm is the official figure. It's a complete animal, especially with an aftermarket exhaust- I can only imagine with more mods! And having that much power on tap with the 6MT can be a lot of fun! The way it slingshots with the thrust of a jet fighter, there isn't anything quite like it!

With that said the Turbo does have some turbo lag -no matter what the brochure says about the VTGs, lacks a good exhaust note and has awkward AWD handling. At the end of the day it's not really a driver's car IMHO.

The GT3 has instant NA response, makes fantastic noises (revs to the sky) and handles and feels so much better. 100% a driver's car. Can't think of any negatives about the GT3 really.

I think most in this forum will take the GT3 me included but only you can make this decision so go drive both!

r6elmo

I believe at current all things being equal the 997.1GT3 costs a tad more than the 997.1 turbo. It's also likely the GT3 will hold it's value better since there were more turbos produced and the preference for drivers cars.

I think for most of us it's obvious which one you'd rather want as you'd prefer DD vs. track focused 4 seats vs. 2, all out power vs. handling etc...

ScottArizona

Hard choice...depends on what you want and value. As mentioned above, very, very different driving experience. I had a 996 turbo for 6 years and did just about every mod you could short of changing to bigger turbos, and it was wicked fast. You really feel the torque. GT3 is way sharper, but you gotta shift the GT3 vs. just mashing the pedal in the turbo, in order to extract all of its potential. It took me a while to adjust to that. I love how the gt3 continues to pull past the point that a turbo car runs out of breath. I love the way pick up is so instant after shifts (it is a huge difference...there is lag no matter what in the turbo between shifts), and I love the way the gt3 sounds. I don't care what anyone says...I had 4 different exhausts on my car and none held a candle to a STOCK gt3 exhaust note. They all sound like vacuum cleaners! Handling characteristics, not even close (and I was on aftermarket coil-overs...still wasn't close in terms of steering feel and precision).

Only thing I miss is the low down torque (but I'm going to address some of that with my 3.89 (.2 gt3 rs) final drive, which I'm going to install along with a 4.0 clutch kit at the end of the year). I'm pretty sure my gt3 would win in a drag race up to around 85mph, but the turbo "felt" faster due to the torque.

mm450exc

I had a 997.1 Turbo. Loved the car! Best car ever! People on forums said the turbo is a bit dull/boring compared to the GT3. I was like... you cannot be serious!

Tracked the turbo, did a few mods. Drove a 997.1 GT3RS. That was it! Sold turbo and got a 997.2 GT3.

GT3 is just so much more fun. More special. Sound, cage, buckets, harness, a lot better on track out of the box.
The turbo is a fast road car. Nothing special. The GT3 is a bit of a race car. It keeps the wow factor when you find some time on the weekend and go for a spin.

997rs4.0

+1 ^ When it comes to long term value maybe 996 turbo compared to 996gt3 will give u a good indication.

ssigarto

I am with RayDBonz. Get the GT2 and have the best of both worlds. Plus if you want to mod the car, the sky is the limit with regards to the power you can get out of it.

rnh204

I had a 996 turbo that was fairly well prepped for HPDE. If you plan to even casually do these get the gt3.

I think based on the responses in this thread you can see there are a ton of former turbo owners.

I'd be willing to bet that most people move from the turbo to the gt3 vs the other way around.

etchhead

Same here- had 6TT and tracked it regularly. I'm still faster in that at big HP tracks like Laguna, but the 3 is a much better car. Brakes alone are worth the change. I too had 5 different exhaust systems in the turbo looking for the Gt3 sound and got something I liked but not loved. GT2 for the win!

Rolltide86

Exactly. Very well stated.

Steve Theodore

I'd say if in doubt, pick the Turbo. Meaning, it can cater to more situations easily and is a fantastic first Porsche in its own right. I bought a 996TT and loved it for 4 years before I was ready to really appreciate a GT3. The GT3 is much more about the driving experience than raw power, but is very fast in the right hands.

Many of my turbocharged car buddies still have no clue why I love the GT3 so much, but if you're into straight-line racing you never will. Other cars are great, but the GT3 is like a religion!