spooky69

I'm trying to decide between two rather different cars:

1. 964 C2, guards red, Japan import with 40,000km for £42K. Condition is generally excellent and I believe the mileage based on condition. The only rust I could find was on the inside of the engine bay on the bit running parallel to the rear bumper. I'd start with suspension and wheels and go from there (probably short shift, some cosmetic modification, steering wheel and seats).

2. 996.2 GT3 Clubsport, silver, excellent history, 50,000km, all carbon options for £68K. I shouldn't need to do anything to this.

Two very different cars. The GT3 is, well, a GT3. It looks great and I know it would be a lot of fun. I expect the 964 would also be a lot of fun, perhaps lower costs if something serious goes wrong, the potential to make it exactly what I want it to be (and 964s do look fantastic - it's what a 911 looks like to me, having got into cars as a teenager when the 964 was new).

I might track it occasionally but it will be used primarily as a road car for fun and tours in Europe. I don't need a daily driver these days.

My heart is pulling me toward the 964 but I also love the GT3 and have no doubt it would be instant fun rather than a journey (although the journey would potentially make the 964 special to me as well).

Thoughts? And no, I can't just buy both at the moment...

JC Lacayo

The faster, Mezger engine one would get my vote.

WaddleDee72

The GT3 would undoubtedly be a better driving experience, but if the 964 brings back your teenage nostalgia, it's tough to put a price on that. If you found yourself in the GT3, and a 964 pulled up alongside you at the lights, how would you feel then?

spooky69

I'd probably wish I had a 964 as well. It's a good question.

rsabeebe

i went through this very choice and opted for the GT3 initially, but i would probably do it differently a second time through. i have since added a 964 and i simply love the character of the aircooled car. both would be a great choice and what you will use it for would be a huge factor. if you want to do some track, the GT3. if it's about driving and the experience of ownership, for me it would be the 964.

the one thing i also noticed was the price for the 964. depending on condition, that's a very good price for a C2! personally, i'd be jumping on the C2 knowing that price is below market if condition checks out. you'll be happy with both, but i like the comment about being in the GT3 and seeing a 964. they're both very special, but i'd want to be in the 964.

spooky69

It was an excellent price that the owner offered. Oh, and it was actually a C4, which I don't mind for my intended use. When I saw the car they needed to charge the battery and said they would get back to me in a couple of days so I could hear it running before I bought it. The dealer asked what the owner had asked for it and I made the mistake of telling him - he looked very surprised... You can guess what happened next... no replies to my emails to the dealer, chasing to go and hear it so I can buy it, after one week I email the owner who said it's been sold and isn't replying to any further emails... And it remains advertised (with no price listed, as it was before).

I don't think it actually has been sold - I think the dealer told the owner he was crazy to sell it for that money and games are being played, or the dealer spent the week ignoring my emails and quickly trying to find a buyer who would pay more, which shouldn't be hard as it seemed a very good car.

I'm quite annoyed by the situation, although it probably was underpriced by some margin.

Anyway, I've seen a very nice 964, lovely colour, updated and fettled but original looking with various RS parts mechanically and visually and a couple of GT3s - all about the same price.

I was ready to buy that 964 over a GT3 for the price difference. It's an even harder decision when they are roughly the same money.

Track use would not be frequent at all and this is mostly for the wonderful country roads we have here and trips across Europe.

rsabeebe

ouch! yes, you should have absolutely kept that price to yourself. i'm not sure i actually understand the dynamic between yourself, the owner, and the dealer, but you have been screwed. depending on the actual car, that's even a great price for a C4 right now.

as you said, 6.2 GT3s and 964 C2s are pretty much on par price wise right now. if anything, a super nice 964 might bring even more money. GT3s still seem to be in that $75-100k range for very nice examples while 964s can actually top that by a bit if in equal condition. with such a demanding market, buyers are having to react much quicker than normal and sometimes foregoing things like the inspections we all considered a necessary step.

good luck to you.

abiazis

GT3 all the way....nbo second thoughts...rare car

Patrick3000

The 996 GT3 for the win

spooky69

That seems to be the most popular vote so far. I keep going back to the 964 though, even though my head tells me that the GT3 is 'better'. There's something about the design that's tugging at the old heart strings...

In my shortlist I have 2 GT3s that are both Clubsports and 2 964s, one of them a C2 with KW V3 suspension and the other a C4 with all the mods done that I would have done, albeit with Bilstein suspension, but lots of RS mods and with a great inspection report - I'd only want to change the steering wheel initially but I have confidence in the quality of the car. I'm having an inspection done on the C2 tomorrow morning.

One GT3 has a superb history and the other is a colour I prefer but with a rebuilt engine (20,000 EUR bill for it) and Ohlins R&T suspension.

A decision will be made shortly...

The red 964 C4 that I was initially discussing is still being advertised and the advert was updated over the weekend, despite having been told it had been sold over 2 weeks ago. No messages I send are answered. Utterly bizarre behaviour.

rsabeebe

these 2 threads of yours seem to be mirroring themselves. for me, the 964/993/996GT3 range is the sweet spot in the entire 911 line. they are all great from either an aesthetic/design point of view, driving dynamics, or performance/unfiltered experience. they all bring something different to the table, but they all shine on their own merit. if i had to decide between the 964 and the 6GT3, i think i'd have to go with the aircooled 964. it's just a more nostalgic experience and that's how i lean. the 6GT3 is fantastic, but it's really a different experience all together. it's a difficult choice as they don't really do many things in a similar manner, even if they are the same car just a generation apart. interior/cabin design clearly goes to the 964.

oh, and a nod to the C2 over the C4 964. nothing against the C4 directly, but i'd opt for the C2 if the differential (and mods) is within reason.

maschinetheist

seems like the seller is waiting for a higher offer to come in before replying or just ghosted you

spooky69

I booked an inspection for the 964 C2 and the owner was exceptionally confident going there. Unfortunately it had badly repaired crash damage at the front, non-matching engine that was leaking and had paste applied to stop it, odometer that had been opened and more... He seemed very surprised and rather upset. Apparently it was originally from Lithuania... I reckon a stolen car. So my money has been helpful for him...

I went to have a look at the C4 and it was an exceptionally good car. 3 owners and originally delivered in Germany, with the current owner having it for 9 years, full recent inspection and class 2 classic certification, lots of RS mods including flywheel, engine mounts and lots of other bits, nice condition, 12-way seats, all electrics working fine, on Cup 1s with a spare set with winter tyres, Bilstein / H&R suspension set up by a very well-known place in Germany, etc, etc. The only negative was that it is wrapped - he wanted to repaint it in a green colour after a panels-off strip down to make the body good about 4 years ago but was persuaded that it was better to keep the original black colour, so it was painted black, left for four weeks and then wrapped. Not ideal and it was wrapped while parts were off and then assembled, so taking the wrap off will be a bit of a job.

Nonetheless, it was wonderful to drive so I have put a deposit down and should have it within a couple of weeks.

I'll investigate removing the wrap and getting the paintwork up to scratch - I love the colour he has chosen but I'd rather be able to see the bodywork and I like black as well.

I'll start another thread to ask about upgrades - I have some ideas already.

spooky69

The original C4 that I was offered for 49,000 EUR and then given the runaround and told it had sold is, of course, still for sale and they have finally decided to change the advertisement from 'price on enquiry' to... 92,000 EUR.

So I was correct about being lied to and about the reason for the bizarre behaviour. Car dealers...

I think it's interesting to see what they think they can get for it. It's a Japan import, resprayed on one side but apparently original paint elsewhere, low mileage that I think is probably genuine based on general condition but it will probably need various oil and fuel lines looked at and the engine tin is very rusty (the only rust I could find on it). It seems a good car based on condition, despite a lack of history, and was certainly worth more than the price I was offered but 92,000 EUR?

It makes me happy with what I got for 75,000 EUR (double the mileage, although still low, but with lots of the upgrades I would have wanted already done, German car with 3 owners, the most recent one having had it for around 9 years).

Anyway, I updated this post because I found it interesting to see what they now think they can get for it. In the current market, maybe they will.

Mark Dreyer

I owned a 996 GT3 and now own an 89 Carrera. I sold the GT3 as it was just too harsh of a ride for me and the clutch too stiff for the stop/go traffic in central Florida. The Carrera on the other hand. That isn’t going anywhere. I vote 964.