Any love for the 997 GTS?
Discussion
Seen a couple of these lately and look to be lovely cars versus later generations.
Did get me thinking about stretching the budget and looking into the rwd variant.
Not many for sale and values seem to be a bit all over the place with the usual plethora of VERY high owner cars?
Most cars seem to be PDK - assuming this works well what other spec is deemed attractive?
The threads I have seen over the usual forums suggest these are great cars but haven’t spotted much recent chat on here.
To those in ‘the know’ what cars look attractive at the moment? Dare I ask on the subject of future residuals?!
Did get me thinking about stretching the budget and looking into the rwd variant.
Not many for sale and values seem to be a bit all over the place with the usual plethora of VERY high owner cars?
Most cars seem to be PDK - assuming this works well what other spec is deemed attractive?
The threads I have seen over the usual forums suggest these are great cars but haven’t spotted much recent chat on here.
To those in ‘the know’ what cars look attractive at the moment? Dare I ask on the subject of future residuals?!
I bought one a few years ago, rear seat, CL’s and PCCB’s.
I should have just bought a 987GT3 and had done with it, It was a PDK and I hated driving it, it was like a very Old 2.8 Granada Ghia gearbox that my dad has when I was a kid, it seemed to always hunting for gears but never actually happy in any of them ? It was fine on Mtwy driving and dual carriageways A Roads Etc but when the Dales called on a Sunday morning there it was in 4th when I wanted to be in 3rd, it seemed to like 5th and I didn’t, it must have been an emissions thing ! In the end and after a short spell I managed to sell it on at a profit as I’d pretended it was that good.
I bought a C4S Manual for high days and holidays and the Mrs ended up with a Biturbo Tiguan which is a cracking car ! If it’s a main car then an Auto might suit, if it’s a toy then for me if I was thinking about flicking an auto box I’d might as well change gear properly, apart from the early PDK the car was a belter and had a ton of extras on top of an already well specced set up.
Lots of love here. Had mine 6.5 years and going strong. Suggest spec/config is important (cab/coupe/4WD/RWD/PDK/Manual. Mines a RWD manual coupe with CLs and I still love it.
Does seem to divide opinion though and many threads on here about whether they’re good value or not. This thread has both ends of the spectrum and the second thread gives some comparison views. You pays your money.....
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Does seem to divide opinion though and many threads on here about whether they’re good value or not. This thread has both ends of the spectrum and the second thread gives some comparison views. You pays your money.....
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Bought a 997.2 C4 GTS mid Covid, cracking piece of kit with PDK and the power kit, Sport Chrono and PSE, handles beautifully and is great both cross country on B roads and cross borders, already been to France in it.
Just make sure you get the signature leather and alcantara interior.
Just make sure you get the signature leather and alcantara interior.
I’ve had mine 4 1/2 years and love it. Manual RWD Coupe. There’s a common theme here!
There were something like 100 manual and 200 PDK cars but PDK’s always outnumber Manual’s on the used car market by I would say a ratio of 10:1. A manual priced around £60k with sensible mileage and good spec would sell in days.
I think the reason these cars in manual form sell so well is that manual gearbox in combination with the X51 power kit engine is a wonderful thing. Combine that with the fantastic hydraulic steering and a a gearbox with the short shift kit and you have a car that on factory suspension is just a joy to drive down a British country road.
For the last twenty years the one thing that dates cars more than others is the gearbox (apart from SatNav but that can be sorted with your phone)....PDK in a 997 is now two generations old and probably bettered by units in some of the cars people drive daily.
RWD
Manual
Coupe
Alcantara/Leather Interior
Bose
CL’s
That’s the spec that is most in demand.
There were something like 100 manual and 200 PDK cars but PDK’s always outnumber Manual’s on the used car market by I would say a ratio of 10:1. A manual priced around £60k with sensible mileage and good spec would sell in days.
I think the reason these cars in manual form sell so well is that manual gearbox in combination with the X51 power kit engine is a wonderful thing. Combine that with the fantastic hydraulic steering and a a gearbox with the short shift kit and you have a car that on factory suspension is just a joy to drive down a British country road.
For the last twenty years the one thing that dates cars more than others is the gearbox (apart from SatNav but that can be sorted with your phone)....PDK in a 997 is now two generations old and probably bettered by units in some of the cars people drive daily.
RWD
Manual
Coupe
Alcantara/Leather Interior
Bose
CL’s
That’s the spec that is most in demand.
Manual is fab, but for day to day the PDK on the GTS works pretty well and is easy to live with.
It definitely frustrated me initially but I've adapted my driving style to it and it works pretty well in Sports Plus for the odd track day too.
I wouldn't want a manual for daily use now.....GTS has 104k miles now (new engine @87k!) and comes into its own in our crappy weather....epic in snow on snow tyres.
It definitely frustrated me initially but I've adapted my driving style to it and it works pretty well in Sports Plus for the odd track day too.
I wouldn't want a manual for daily use now.....GTS has 104k miles now (new engine @87k!) and comes into its own in our crappy weather....epic in snow on snow tyres.
Ranman said:
GTS has 104k miles now (new engine @87k!)
Why the new engine as a matter of interest..? They’re supposed to be bulletproof!OP: they’re the most evolved and desirable 997 for ‘sensible’ money so lots of love for them. Also relatively rare and only made at the end of the line.
Mines PDK 2wd high spec with full extended leather.
Great package if expensive now for an ageing car but still desirable to own and good powerkit engine with wide body delivers old school 911 reasonably rapid driving thrills
Originality is key to the best cars to own and rare manuals command the best prices.
Whilst centrelocks can be a pain cars with non standard centrelocks are worth less.
Great last of the line neutral hydraulic steering perfect weighting especially on 2wd cars which as usual for a 911 give the best combination of handling power delivery less weight and better economy with less transmission noise too. 4wd cars worth less ££.
Having owned a Carrera T from new until recently you could argue this 2018 car at top £60ks gives better value than an 8 year old GTS as they have similar traits. The engine being turbo charged is less convincing than the 408bhp GTS na unit but if you can live with this the Carrera T is a great modern alternative at similar money and could become as collectable in time given similar low build numbers.
Great package if expensive now for an ageing car but still desirable to own and good powerkit engine with wide body delivers old school 911 reasonably rapid driving thrills
Originality is key to the best cars to own and rare manuals command the best prices.
Whilst centrelocks can be a pain cars with non standard centrelocks are worth less.
Great last of the line neutral hydraulic steering perfect weighting especially on 2wd cars which as usual for a 911 give the best combination of handling power delivery less weight and better economy with less transmission noise too. 4wd cars worth less ££.
Having owned a Carrera T from new until recently you could argue this 2018 car at top £60ks gives better value than an 8 year old GTS as they have similar traits. The engine being turbo charged is less convincing than the 408bhp GTS na unit but if you can live with this the Carrera T is a great modern alternative at similar money and could become as collectable in time given similar low build numbers.
Yes mine has super high spec also with the leather dash, alcantara headliner and leather/alcantara seats and door inserts. Very nice place to be.
No centre locks thank goodness as much easier to swap wheels over without the mega torque wrench.
The car was a one owner 4 years old with high miles when I bought it, with a full OPC history.
Original owner did a daily commute from Birmingham to London, hence the high miles......meaning it had had 2 oil changes in 80 odd k miles....seems to be the reason the engine became a box of bits.
No finger pointing here...the car had been serviced as to manufacturer guidance....
I have always stuck to annual services and oil changes no matter the mileage or make of car for that matter...
Anyway now have a car with a low mileage engine which will remain in the stable for the foreseeable future.
As it stands it has cost me £69k including the new engine fitted with a 2 year warranty on the new engine from Porsche....which has now expired.
With the benefit of hindsight I could have bought a nice low miler for the money BUT probably wouldn't have driven it so much....
It's very liberating having a high mileage car that you're not afraid to "devalue".
Carrera T could we be the way to go especially if the engine had wee tune from Mr Litchfield.
No centre locks thank goodness as much easier to swap wheels over without the mega torque wrench.
The car was a one owner 4 years old with high miles when I bought it, with a full OPC history.
Original owner did a daily commute from Birmingham to London, hence the high miles......meaning it had had 2 oil changes in 80 odd k miles....seems to be the reason the engine became a box of bits.
No finger pointing here...the car had been serviced as to manufacturer guidance....
I have always stuck to annual services and oil changes no matter the mileage or make of car for that matter...
Anyway now have a car with a low mileage engine which will remain in the stable for the foreseeable future.
As it stands it has cost me £69k including the new engine fitted with a 2 year warranty on the new engine from Porsche....which has now expired.
With the benefit of hindsight I could have bought a nice low miler for the money BUT probably wouldn't have driven it so much....
It's very liberating having a high mileage car that you're not afraid to "devalue".
Carrera T could we be the way to go especially if the engine had wee tune from Mr Litchfield.
That’s a great story (if a little expensive!). Fantastic that you drive without a £ thought. That is really the way to do it. Sounds unfortunately like the previous owner may have lacked some mechanical sympathy, for example thrashing it on his commute from cold.
I drive mine as much as I can, but the fact is I just don’t get the time to drive it as much as yourself, hence super low miles (24k) not due to value preservation, simply time. I bought before they went up 6.5 years ago, so the fact they have come down (or that my car may have lost value) loses its relevance once you really decide a car is a keeper, which mine is. I’ve played with so many other options (including test drives discussed on PH) but the GTS has fended off the competition.
991s onward appeal as a different proposition to me. They feel like big GT cars that happen to have super human sports car abilities. Not what I want from my 911 right now.
Great pic BTW!
I drive mine as much as I can, but the fact is I just don’t get the time to drive it as much as yourself, hence super low miles (24k) not due to value preservation, simply time. I bought before they went up 6.5 years ago, so the fact they have come down (or that my car may have lost value) loses its relevance once you really decide a car is a keeper, which mine is. I’ve played with so many other options (including test drives discussed on PH) but the GTS has fended off the competition.
991s onward appeal as a different proposition to me. They feel like big GT cars that happen to have super human sports car abilities. Not what I want from my 911 right now.
Great pic BTW!
Cheib said:
Recently had a Fast Road Geo done on mine by RPM Technik which was money well spent. Part of me wants to fettle it a bit....LWFW, Sharwerks exhaust or similar etc....but then it’s such a great car as it is I can’t convince myself to do it.
I know what you mean. So easy to spoil something in the pursuit of “improving” it. I’ve done sharkwerks and TPC PASM module and the car had a factory short shift and all good so far. Messing with the engine or suspension hardware would be the next step but not sure I’m up for it. Did remember Chris’ car which looks great lowered but nervous about the suitability on my local roads....I had one for 4 years from new, followed by a 991 and then a 991.2. 997 variant was the most raw and what I would consider true to it's roots, front end felt light but never once understeered, sound was fantastic and many happy memories. 991 was probably the pick of the bunch in that it was more refined and great as an every day car but lacked the rawness of the 997.
Ranman said:
.
Original owner did a daily commute from Birmingham to London, hence the high miles......meaning it had had 2 oil changes in 80 odd k miles....seems to be the reason the engine became a box of bits.
No finger pointing here...the car had been serviced as to manufacturer guidance....
I have always stuck to annual services and oil changes no matter the mileage or make of car for that matter...
Anyway now have a car with a low mileage engine which will remain in the stable for the foreseeable future.
As it stands it has cost me £69k including the new engine fitted with a 2 year warranty]
Still surprised the engine went pop. I’d have thought that commute would have been ideal for any engine - warm, low stress. What were the symptoms when it started to go wrong? And do you mind sharing cost if new engine from Porsche?Original owner did a daily commute from Birmingham to London, hence the high miles......meaning it had had 2 oil changes in 80 odd k miles....seems to be the reason the engine became a box of bits.
No finger pointing here...the car had been serviced as to manufacturer guidance....
I have always stuck to annual services and oil changes no matter the mileage or make of car for that matter...
Anyway now have a car with a low mileage engine which will remain in the stable for the foreseeable future.
As it stands it has cost me £69k including the new engine fitted with a 2 year warranty]
I’ve owned my FWD PDK GTS since new and it’s now on 97k miles. Initially it was my DD, including a winter wheel set and roof bars for those essential ski trips 
Now it’s transitioned to a road trip and track day car following a bit of fettling - girodiscs, ohlins coilovers, PCM, Bose and rear seat delete, OZ track wheels etc. Everything is reversible should I wish to recommission it as a DD!
I have had the car serviced annually since new and never had any problems. It’s definitely a keeper.
Now it’s transitioned to a road trip and track day car following a bit of fettling - girodiscs, ohlins coilovers, PCM, Bose and rear seat delete, OZ track wheels etc. Everything is reversible should I wish to recommission it as a DD!
I have had the car serviced annually since new and never had any problems. It’s definitely a keeper.
Thanks for all the responses, it is indeed the relative rawness of the 997 that holds the appeal.
Interesting to hear opinion on manual v PDK which as usual seems to form the main differentiator/ talking point.
A tidy rwd manual coupe would simply be well out of budget I think although there are a couple of pdk cars in budget.
I’m not really a particular purist and quite like the ease of pdk but I do note the comments about the gearbox not being the most enjoyable / intuitive.
Anyone got a cab? I did think the below looks a bit of fun and is manual:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008252...
Interesting to hear opinion on manual v PDK which as usual seems to form the main differentiator/ talking point.
A tidy rwd manual coupe would simply be well out of budget I think although there are a couple of pdk cars in budget.
I’m not really a particular purist and quite like the ease of pdk but I do note the comments about the gearbox not being the most enjoyable / intuitive.
Anyone got a cab? I did think the below looks a bit of fun and is manual:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008252...
Edited by RichDS on Wednesday 7th October 11:30
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