erik_plus8

I have put down an order on a GTS but as of yet no confirmed allocation. Dealer is positive that it will come but I'm getting nervous. Started contacting other dealers, even outside my country and I've just received a counter proposal: "No, we can't give you a GTS allocation, but we have a 50/50 chance on a GT4"...

So I started configuring a GT4 and ended up with something quite similar to the GTS... Full leather seats for instance. Not sure I want bucket seats, roll cage, 6p harness, etc... Yes, I will track the GTS (or GT4) but it won't be the main purpose. 70-80% of the time will be inspired driving on nice small roads. But then I thought - the GT4 is supposed to be other way around, 70-80% track. Maybe it's a mistake not to spec it for that - thinking of resale, of course. Yesyes, I know, buy the car you want and enjoy... But I know myself well enough to know that in ~3 years, I will have my eyes set on something else (like a M/T 991GTS...)

What do you think, are there more people like me out there that would love to have a GT4 as 30/70 track/road car or will it be a dead horse on the market in 3 years...?

realdrray

GT cars tend to hold value much better than the standard lineup of porsche cars. just checked used prices on gt3's, rs's, and gt2's. That being said the GT4 is a new model with no previous history but i would bet that any GT car does much better in value compared to it's non-gt brethren. if you can get a gt4 i would most certainly go that route especially for resale purposes. in addition porschephiles tend to be old school and opposed to change, and with the shift to an all turbo lineup i think GT cars will be unique in that they should stay N/A making them a bit more desirable to the porsche afficionado. a gts may be a better street car for some and for others a gt4 may be better. i would assum the gts has a more compliant suspension and less NVH compared a more track oriented gt4. i personally like a more raw sportscar experienve and for me GT4 is the way to go. if you can get a gt4 i would think the consensus is get the GT4!

jphughan

(Edited after acey81 thumped me on the head to remind me of the Clubsport Package...)

The GTS vs GT4 discussion has already been had at length in various threads here. Yes, the GT4 is priced surprisingly closely to the GTS, but its maintenance and repair costs will be at least somewhat higher, and you may or may not be ok with the compromises it makes to road civility compared to the GTS in terms of scrapes, road/tire/driveline noise, ride quality, etc. As others have said, chances are the GT4 will fare better in resale, but if the choice is between a better ownership experience and a bigger resale hit or a more painful experience that's cheaper overall, I'd take the former. Whether the GT4 would constitute a more painful experience for you depends entirely on your preferences and intended use, of course. Given that you'll be tracking at least somewhat, I guess it makes the decision a bit of a toss-up for you -- would you rather trade some road civility for more fun on track, or sacrifice some track performance for more comfort? I'll at least initially be daily driving my GT4 and tracking it ~10-12 days per year, so most of my miles will be on the road, but I think it will be worth the tradeoff to me personally.

But as for ordering without the CS package, we don't even get it here in the US, but I would imagine there will be a market for a more road-oriented GT4 later on even in markets where it's available. After all, some people who could have ordered buckets intentionally ordered the sofa seats, and seats can always be swapped out by the next buyer. As you already said, buy what you want.

acey81

jphughan: There is a CS package for the GT4, just not in the US.

jphughan

Sigh, totally forgot about the Clubsport package. Edited post above. Thanks.

erik_plus8

Thanks all for insightful responses, much appreciated!

I agree to all above and the thing is - I know exactly how this could be solved - someone lend me a CS-equipped GT4 for 15-20 min and I will know if I want it or not, i.e if I'm prepared to live with it in my predicted estimated 20/80 track/road usage. It took me less than 15 min to decide I wanted X73, PTV and M/T in the GTS when I testdrove that car...

But to my knowledge there is no dealer reasonably close (if at all) that has a demo GT4.

Honestly, I think the GTS is the right car for me most of the time but I am tempted to go the GT4 route just because a) it seems to be such a fantastic car b) it will very likely stay in demand and c) I just might have an opportunity that will not present itself again...

TechnicGravy

If you're set on X73 suspension and M/T, then you're already trading some comfort in your DD car. You will probably be fine with the GT4. Clearance is similar also.

If you were comparing PDK and the standard suspension it would be a bigger compromise

Dr.Bill

If the CS package were available here, there is no way I would order a GT4 (or GT3) without it.

jphughan

I agree. And worst case if you decide you don't like the GT4, you will have a much easier time selling it than if you got the GTS and decided to sell it. Both a GTS and GT4 would be rather difficult to get later in this scenario of picking the wrong car the first time, and you might not be able to get either of them new at that point, but a GT4 will undoubtedly be harder to get later than a GTS. And with the GT4 you could probably even sell it for what you paid for it, or even above, considering some of the markups that they've been getting at least in the US. I doubt that would be true of the GTS. So if you already know you like the sportier end of the GTS spectrum with X73, then I would take the plunge and get the GT4 personally.

erik_plus8

Yes, I am sure that I could live very happily with a GT4 and as you say, due to (even) stronger demand for the GT4 it should be the way to go: GT4 - if not happy - GTS. But I can tell you I've been looking for a manual GTS for more than a year now and I estimate the ratio being 5% M/T, 95% PDK in the used/dealer ordered market. And out of the few M/T no-one had all of my essential options: PTV, X73, grey/black/silver + dark wheels. So almost as illusive as a GT4 - and from very soon, there won't be more to choose from.

Still I'm undecided about the spec though - CS package or not...

jphughan

This might be heresy, but I would say that with your expected percentage of track time, CS might be overkill. You may however want to consider the bucket seats if you think they'll be a good fit for your frame (i.e. not too tight but not so loose that they're not useful as buckets) just because everything I've read indicates that they do enhance the feeling of connectedness with the car even on the road. But if you've already decided against the buckets, then I can't see why you'd opt for CS. In fact is that even a possible configuration given that the harnesses can't go through the power seats?

erik_plus8

Sorry for being unclear. I think in the configurator here at least when you choose CS package (roll cage, fire ext, 6p harness etc) the bucket seats are conditional. I.e. you can have the bucket seats w/o CS but not the other way around. Which is basically what you say in your last sentence

jphughan

Exactly. If this will be a purely fun car, I would definitely recommend considering the bucket seats, again unless you are rather large, very svelte, or have physical impairments such as a bad back or leg problems that might make getting in and out of them problematic -- although someone here bought a lumbar pillow for his back to enjoy the buckets and somebody else posted an X-ray of their spine showing a lot of hardware in there and he still finds the buckets excellent! If you can find a GT3 equipped with them (or any 918) to test, then so much the better. But if you'll only be tracking rather lightly, then a roll cage, harness, and fire extinguisher might be a bit over the top. Then again, perhaps you'll start tracking a lot more with the GT4.

hf1

If you fit in the buckets, get them. They are comfortable and will improve back-road joyrides too. If you're getting the buckets, you may as well get the CS package for the extra added safety on the track and the extra added chassis rigidity both on and off the track. There are no rear seats so the cage won't be messing up much of the car's utility if at all. In short: Get the GT4 with CS.