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Currently, dual driving (i.e., double duty) my 997.2 GTS as prepped per my signature.
Lately, I've been thinking the GTS is a bit 'nice' for the DE duty.
I'd like to reduce operating costs including DE insurance, and add safety features (full cage, halo seats, etc.).
I'd also like a proper manual rather than PDK.
However, I'd like to keep costs to a minimum. I would keep the GTS, but put it back to street and not track it.
Thinking Spec Boxster or maybe Spec Cayman (too expensive).
Look at spec 996, similar lap times to your GTS and similar running costs to the spec boxster. Agree if going to race spec Boxster would have a large field, but for DE you will have to bring Advil for your arm..
I had similar thoughts last year and now have a BMW E46 330i. Significantly less power, but I'm much happier driving it harder and am unconcerned at being peppered with grit and clag. It's also cheap enough to run without event insurance, parts are cheap(er), easy to work on and a lot of YouTube knowledge.
I added a rear roll hoop, harnesses and seats, which makes it much safer.
I miss the 997 power but am having a ball!
I am about 6 weeks ahead of you. I have a 997TT and was bit by the track bug hard last season, and have thoroughly enjoyed using the 997TT on the track. I was on the verge of spending serious bucks to make the 997TT more track worthy (and inversely proportional less street worthy) and my tech said 'man you should just buy a race car'. For some reason that hit home with me, and a few weeks later I acquired a completely built 987 Cayman S track car.
I had it out for the first time this past weekend for PCA DE weekend, and I had the most fun I've ever had on 4 wheels. All my friends said dude, your're going to be bored, you're not going to like it, it's 250hp less than your 997TT, blah blah blah. Within a few sessions I was turning lap times 1 second faster than my 997TT personal bests. That's when I knew I had made the right decision.
As far as running costs go... The turbo kills a full tank of fuel before lunch, then kills a full tank of fuel after lunch. The Cayman S ran almost all day on a single tank. The tires I'm running on the 997TT are 325/245 19", the Cayman's are 265/235 18". Pagid brake pads are cheaper for the cayman and last a lot longer as it's ~800-900lbs lighter. I paid the CAD equivalent of $22k USD for the Cayman turn key ready to hit the track. I would have spent that money on mods to make the 911 more track worthy plus double that with the extra depreciation, so I am using the car-guy logic that the Cayman race car was essentially free haha.
Go for a cheaper dedicated race car - you will turn faster laps in a fully prepped Cayman or Boxster and you'll have a **** ton more fun than in your double duty street car.
I was tracking a 997.2 gt3. Had similar thoughts to you. Now I race a 2004 F stock boxster S 3.2. Similar operating costs to spec boxster but more hp. Great for DE and great racing. First time out at Limerock, I dropped two seconds off my lap times compared with the GT3. I was definitely holding back for fear of damaging the Gt3. The increased safety and decreased worry of blemishes really makes the experience that much better. The money you save on insurance alone will pay for the track car. By the way, I don't bother with track insurance on the Boxster.
I think you’re absolutely on the right track. I expect you’ll have a lot more fun as you can afford (both safety-wise and financially) to take more risks and make more mistakes. I’m on the path you’ve outlined, currently building a Spec Boxster.
Cheaper cars are great because when something happens you don’t worry, you just fix it. If somebody bumps you, you don’t lose any sleep over it. In my situation I couldn’t comfortably do that in either of the 911s I owned but I can with the 986. Modest power (relative to a TT) means you’ll be at a lower speed if you have an incident, you’ll have more time to act and react to stimuli (learning and executing skills), and you’ll see a bigger lap time penalty or benefit from making or correcting minor mistakes.
In most regions DE is really all about driver skill until you get to the advanced groups - which is also the point where you can switch over and go race instead of just doing DE track events. If the goal is to run in the advanced DE group in a 986/987 alongside good drivers in 600hp machines on Hoosiers, that would definitely get old quickly. But if the idea is more along the lines of working through DE to eventually race wheel to wheel I don’t see any better way to go.
My SPB replacement motor was $3k shipped and not a ton of labor to install in the car. You might check eBay on SPC and 996 motors and other major components before pulling the trigger on a race car. I was glad I could comfortably afford to replace it when I lost my motor earlier this year. I went ahead and took the opportunity to put a lot of other parts on the car, so it will be better for it. (It was likely an IMSB failure.) If I had needed to spend ~$10k for just the motor before install and incidental parts I would have been unhappy with the situation.
Spec Boxster, F Class Boxster of Gen 1 Cayman are all good choices. Don't forget trailer and tow vehicle - it's s slippery slope but your learning experience will be awesome!
Recommendation - try to drive the type of car you want to buy before you commit. Whether it is a SPB, SPC or something else, make sure you enjoy the ride.
I spent lots of $$ to convert my car to a different class only to spend lots of $$ converting it back a year later because I did not enjoy that new class.
08-21-2018, 08:51 PM
Next DE car
