718 GT4?
03-11-2019, 11:44 AM
#6061
Rennlist Member
03-11-2019, 02:36 PM
#6062
Burning Brakes
It may just be me but I have never been so curiously bored waiting for the next GT4. On one hand I am interested to hear what the specs will be. On the other hand Porsche drove me away from the 981 chassis when they dropped a glorified lawn mower engine into their mid engine lineup and tried to charge me 90K for it. .
It would take a whole lot to swing me back. My 991.2 has been treating me too well.
Too many years of them intentionally handicapping the mid engine cars.
It would take a whole lot to swing me back. My 991.2 has been treating me too well.
Too many years of them intentionally handicapping the mid engine cars.
03-11-2019, 02:39 PM
#6063
Burning Brakes
03-11-2019, 05:23 PM
#6064
I don't quite get the impatience for new cars by so many (not just on this forum). The constant need for the latest and greatest is a never ending chase. It would be one thing if it was a complete revamp of the current car, but to the untrained eye it will look almost the same and performance wise I'm not sure it will be an earth shattering improvement. Hard to justify the extra mula it will take to upgrade.
03-11-2019, 09:44 PM
#6065
Rennlist Member
Yes it's annoying that the 987/981 were purposefully hamstrung in output but the mid engine layout certainly lacks the traction of modern 911s, which needs factoring. Balance is the beauty of the mid engine cars. Having both owned a 2016 Spyder and now GT4, they both have trouble with traction compared to 911s but on nice B roads they're hard to beat. I lived in Germany 5 years and it changes your perspective. You go from a driver who's touched triple digits here and there to a driver that can average 130+ mph on 3 hour road trips, and has actually found the terminal speed of the car (over and over). So how often here in the US have we really explored even close to the limit of these cars? I also have a 991.2 Targa 4S btw in addition to my GT4 so I get where you're coming from. In my opinion even tracks don't fully give you the feel of the true power of these car, or at least the speeds they're capable of. Brakes maybe, but not speed. I think the GT4 at 385 hp is supremely adequate. At least you get to wind it out a bit and you're rewarded for doing so. If Porsche goes to 400+ hp with the next one, which they will, it just means there's a little more of the power that most will never explore. In my view the feel of the 991.2 power plant is sedate, and that idiotic power button is toyish. It really lacks the visceral punch you get with a NA GT4, or Spyder. It's quick, but not in a satisfying racy way. The next GT4s will sell quickly, and you won't find them sitting on lots for someone to ponder it and something else. That something else is probably a Carrera T, and it's not particularly powerful either in this context. But I always perfer less power to more, just so you can enjoy the rewarding extra effort.
After a 2 month search for the right CPO Cayman I ended up ordering a Carrera T and could not be happier. I drove a couple pre owned the GT4‘s but wanted to order something the way I wanted it and felt that in unmodified form the GT4 was a bit suppressed.
With that said, I miss my 981. The car had a very exotic feel. Time will tell if the new GT4 brings back that feeling.
03-11-2019, 10:57 PM
#6066
I am with you 100%. My 981CS was optioned similar to a GTS (ordered before the GTS was released). Unfortunately someone crossed a double yellow line and totaled it early last summer. I had to pry myself out of the car and got a hospital ride out of the deal. I drove the 982 GTS and felt it lacked any magic. Again, it was 90k!
After a 2 month search for the right CPO Cayman I ended up ordering a Carrera T and could not be happier. I drove a couple pre owned the GT4‘s but wanted to order something the way I wanted it and felt that in unmodified form the GT4 was a bit suppressed.
With that said, I miss my 981. The car had a very exotic feel. Time will tell if the new GT4 brings back that feeling.
03-11-2019, 11:27 PM
#6067
Rennlist Member
Over the decades I've owned four 911s, the last being a 997S. In 2013 it was my intention to replace my 997S with a 991S, until at the suggestion of a Porsche Sales Manager, I decided to test drive a 981S. Five minutes after the test drive, I custom ordered my 981S which cost about $45K less than a comparably equipped 991S. Six years later I find myself enjoying my 981S as much as I did when it was new. Nevertheless, I still look forward to the next GT4 which if my guess is right will be a challenge to purchase, unless you have a special relationship with a Porsche Sales Manager.
Patience is key.
03-12-2019, 01:52 AM
#6068
Drifting
It may just be me but I have never been so curiously bored waiting for the next GT4. On one hand I am interested to hear what the specs will be. On the other hand Porsche drove me away from the 981 chassis when they dropped a glorified lawn mower engine into their mid engine lineup and tried to charge me 90K for it. .
It would take a whole lot to swing me back. My 991.2 has been treating me too well.
Too many years of them intentionally handicapping the mid engine cars.
It would take a whole lot to swing me back. My 991.2 has been treating me too well.
Too many years of them intentionally handicapping the mid engine cars.
I am with you 100%. My 981CS was optioned similar to a GTS (ordered before the GTS was released). Unfortunately someone crossed a double yellow line and totaled it early last summer. I had to pry myself out of the car and got a hospital ride out of the deal. I drove the 982 GTS and felt it lacked any magic. Again, it was 90k!
After a 2 month search for the right CPO Cayman I ended up ordering a Carrera T and could not be happier. I drove a couple pre owned the GT4‘s but wanted to order something the way I wanted it and felt that in unmodified form the GT4 was a bit suppressed.
With that said, I miss my 981. The car had a very exotic feel. Time will tell if the new GT4 brings back that feeling.
So, if I don’t like the Carrera T, does that mean I should also not like the 991.2 GT3?
03-12-2019, 02:00 AM
#6069
Drifting
Long live the 996 GT3. Now that's a proper car.
03-12-2019, 07:36 AM
#6070
Rennlist Member
The next GT4 would need to be dazzling to make me go back. So far I have followed this thread from day one and still don’t believe Porsche will deliver on the short geared, higher displacement car we all want.
03-12-2019, 07:50 AM
#6071
Originally Posted by needmoregarage
I'm fine with the wait - mostly because I love the car in the garage. I'm not putting myself through the emotional rollercoaster that we went through the last time.
If I decide I want one (based on several factors) and I'm able to get a build - great.
If I can't get a build I'll be patient and maybe buy one as they pop up for sale.
Or maybe I decide I don't want one.
If it's meant to be, it'll happen. If not - I'm completely okay with it. It's only a car.
The current GT4 is beautiful and capable, and I built it the way I wanted it. Keeping it is not a hardship!
If I decide I want one (based on several factors) and I'm able to get a build - great.
If I can't get a build I'll be patient and maybe buy one as they pop up for sale.
Or maybe I decide I don't want one.
If it's meant to be, it'll happen. If not - I'm completely okay with it. It's only a car.
The current GT4 is beautiful and capable, and I built it the way I wanted it. Keeping it is not a hardship!
Originally Posted by JSF101
+1 we should all take this position...for a lot of reasons
03-12-2019, 08:47 AM
#6072
Nordschleife Master
Originally Posted by ClassJ
It may just be me but I have never been so curiously bored waiting for the next GT4. On one hand I am interested to hear what the specs will be. On the other hand Porsche drove me away from the 981 chassis when they dropped a glorified lawn mower engine into their mid engine lineup and tried to charge me 90K for it. .
It would take a whole lot to swing me back. My 991.2 has been treating me too well.
Too many years of them intentionally handicapping the mid engine cars.
It would take a whole lot to swing me back. My 991.2 has been treating me too well.
Too many years of them intentionally handicapping the mid engine cars.
03-12-2019, 11:10 AM
#6073
Rennlist Member
I don't love turbo's but to be honest the 3.0 base engine has a very nice power band and abundant torque down low that the GT4 in stock form was missing. Especially when it was coupled with the long gearing that was unchanged from the 981S.
If Porsche delivers a more torque rich NA GT4 with shorter gearing, they might have something.
03-12-2019, 11:51 AM
#6074
Porsche already delivered a torq rich lower geared 981, its the 718 GTS w/PDK, they are fast but a different driving style to me. The GT4 is really a beginner weekend track car, to get you into the GT lineup with a lower cost than the GT3 (it’s the gateway drug). On the couple tracks I’ve been on you spend your time in 2nd and 3rd and working on momentum, not powering out of turns and for that it works well. I will admit as great as the chassis is my next investment will be on suspension not power upgrades. I am looking forward to the next GT4 but unless some seriously big improvements it will be hard to justify the increased cost between selling my current one and purchasing the next.
03-12-2019, 11:52 AM
#6075
Drifting
And more importantly, according to me.I accelerated my planned 991.1 GTS purchase from 2016 to 2015 when it became clear the 3.0 turbo was imminent and it wasn't certain if that would be MY 16 or 17. I was very glad of that once the .2 came out. Many people like them, of course, and there's no question they're great performers. But I had specifically gotten out of a Turbo after only 2 years to go back to NA 911s, giving up like 200 torks in the process, specifically for that NA feel. Never have regretted it yet. I have two other turbo cars (not Porsche) that I like just fine, but not my 911 or my GT4; they gots to be NA!.