997.1 GT3 High Mileage CS vs Lower Mileage 'Comfort'

[Devil.Z]

I've been in the market for a GT3 for a few months and narrowing in on two options. Both are same colour, similar history / condition, neither have been heavily tracked or damaged.

1) CS, 80k miles. £4k more expensive
2) Standard spec, 50k miles.

My heart is saying the CS, but my brain is saying the lower mileage. So far my heart is winning.

I wish I was in a position to be care-free about mileage and just "drive the dang thing" but in reality I need to be at least a little sensible.

Thoughts before I drive myself crazy?

[Redline88]

Kind of depends on how much they are in the first place.

[guyvert1]

Personally I'd get the one thats in better condition, the older they are the more TLC they'll need.

[MDL111]

Gut feel - if it is a keeper than the CS, if re-sale is a consideration then I would go for the lower mile one given how sensitive people in the UK seem to be re mileage

[blackmamba]

guyvert1 said:

Personally I'd get the one thats in better condition, the older they are the more TLC they'll need.

Good advice. You can spend quite a bit on a refresh so worth checking which car has had recent expenditure otherwise you may need to budget for it.

If all else is equal, go for the one you like. It’s your purchase after all!

[Maxym]

Some folks look down their noses at comfort-spec cars. (For me, for various reasons, one would be the more practical.) Buy what works for you (and buy the right car, as recommended above).

[rrroro]

It's really very simple, it just depends on how you intend to use the car:

If you're planning to do lots of trackdays, hillclimbs etc then get the GT3 with Clubsport pack

If you're only doing them now and then and mainly road trips / other usage then get the regular GT3

If you want to be able to say "I have a GT3 Clubsport" then get the CS

They're both exactly the same car, with the exception of: factory cage and buckets, fire extinguisher, and harnesses, also the Clubsport doesn't have door bins for storage. I think that's it, there is a red herring re battery cut-off switch which is mentioned in the owner's manual but doesn't exist in reality...

[Devil.Z]

Thanks for the replies

Realistically the car won't see many a track day, but the theatre of sitting in a CS will surely improve the experience.

I suppose I need to have a good look at the condition of both - they're both priced low on the market so I'm not expecting perfection but agree that it can quickly become expensive if suspension/rust/consumables need fixing & replacing

I've seen the odd rebuild for cars with 60+ miles - is this usually a consideration? I've sent other Mezger cars happily knock on past 100k - what's the usual symptoms? Noisy engine? Lower compression?

Tia!

[rrroro]

Devil.Z said:

Thanks for the replies

Realistically the car won't see many a track day, but the theatre of sitting in a CS will surely improve the experience.

I suppose I need to have a good look at the condition of both - they're both priced low on the market so I'm not expecting perfection but agree that it can quickly become expensive if suspension/rust/consumables need fixing & replacing

I've seen the odd rebuild for cars with 60+ miles - is this usually a consideration? I've sent other Mezger cars happily knock on past 100k - what's the usual symptoms? Noisy engine? Lower compression?

Tia!

Rebuilds tend to happen more because the owner wants to upgrade the engine to a 3.8, 3.9, 4.0 etc, rather than from a need to do it. I wouldn’t say this is something to worry about, whatever you plan to buy have it inspected and you should be fine

Edited by rrroro on Friday 9th February 08:32

[MDL111]

just one addition, the cage does limit your ability to travel with it. It is still possible, but you need to pack accordingly - smaller bags, nothing hard shelled etc. (and getting bags into the back between the seats and then through the cage is a bit annoying when taking everything out and putting it back in if you are at a new hotel every couple of days). Does not sound like a big issue, but can be a bit annoying when you want to go on a 2 week trip somewhere.

[Shaoxter]

Devil.Z said:

Realistically the car won't see many a track day, but the theatre of sitting in a CS will surely improve the experience.

Make sure you actually fit in the buckets first... they're not really for the broad shouldered.
In any case the most important thing is condition, I'd recommend getting an inspection or a rev range report at the very least.

[rrroro]

Agree with the cage issue. I fitted an aftermarket Agency Power cage years ago (nearly smashed a window in the process), and that's a struggle too sometimes when roadtripping. It has a removable diagonal cross member, but I still find access a PITA. OEM bar is a fixed X design from memory, I can imagine how access would be more difficult with that in place

Does anybody know if the OEM buckets are based on the normal Recaro Pole Positions, or the XL version of these seats? I have the latter and even they are a bit 'snug' at the shoulders for me

[Devil.Z]

Thanks for the updates. The engine concern was sparked by the post on the FB group from the guy being forced into a 3.8L build - I suspect that was an expensive proposition!

I suspect I will mainly be driving it solo with the odd day trip. I have considered the idea of taking a comfort spec and retrofitting some backseats but I think this would realistically only be used once or twice a year!

Still debating the weighing up of options. Both cars have 0 hits on the Rev Report, full service history and "okay" reports - both need some paint on the front if I wanted to get the stone chips sorted. They have the original suspension components so I expect these will need replacing at some point soon.

Should I be concerned about gearboxes at all? I've read about the stiff 2nd gear but if it's good once warmed up then it's normal right?

Thanks for the help!

[PRO 5T]

Fearnsport have a theory there are a bad batch of 997.1 engines that are a question of when not if they'll let go as they've seen a few. It's presumed it's down to a batch of con rods produced.

[mm450exc]

Would not worry about mileage too much. My 997.2 has 64k on it now, half on track. Just about broken in now I think.

Have Matt at Fearnsport inspect it.

[braddo]

PRO 5T said:

Fearnsport have a theory there are a bad batch of 997.1 engines that are a question of when not if they'll let go as they've seen a few. It's presumed it's down to a batch of con rods produced.

Interesting.

My car is on about 75k but can still hit 150mph on Hanger Straight, so hopefully mine's not one of them!

[rrroro]

I remember hearing of 1 or 2 going pop donkeys years (like a decade) ago with hard use, but not heard anything recently. Actually I heard of one going a few years ago but not sure if it went pop due to a lack of care, or if the owner just wanted a 4.0 rebuild which is when I saw it. I also heard it was the earlier 997.1 GT3s, which I believe were built around 2006. Coolant pipes and underbody corrosion are probably more of a concern, if buying I’d be looking for one with pinned or welded in pipes.

Edited by rrroro on Friday 9th February 14:15

[Devil.Z]

Interesting - I'll try and give Matt a phone call. Unfortunately neither are close to him for an inspection, but there are some well respected independent shops near them that I'll be using.

Neither have had coolant pipes pinned but are (apparently) corrosion free

I suppose I'm getting too worried about the higher mileage - I would prefer the CS but aware that the rarity and my (lower) budget means I'll have to compromise on something higher

[Devil.Z]

Do these cars have the same issues with manifold hardware rusting, such as previous generation mezgers? The 80k mileage car has the original exhaust and a slight blow on the manifold gasket, I presume these are going to be a pain to remove and likely to require some stud extraction?

It also has "slight play" in the lower control arms, are these a a LCA replacement or can you just replace the bushings? I've read conflicting things

The Non-CS has PCCBs, but my understanding is the reputation of these aren't that great and would consider an upgrade. How much are these worth on the used market?

TIA

[IbanezDan]

Far as I am aware no issues with studs going rusty and creating major problems but as with all used cars studs are likely to corrode and given how low the engines are to the ground its likely to be worse depending on the cars usage and location. I havent noticed any horror stories with them on 997 GT3's though.

LCA's as far as I am aware need complete arms which arent cheap.

I was in your boat 2 years ago. Had a budget and unfortunately for me was exactly the same time as all the cars started to increase in value, longer I waited the more they went up... quite annoying. But I did make 20k more than I thought I would selling two other cars so it was relative...

I looked long and hard, would have settled for a comfort but couldn't find the right one and glad I waited now and got a CS. Ended up spending 20k more than the budget but did get myself into reasonably low mileage 997.2 clubsport with nearly every option (lots of carbon interior but no carbon brakes...), still under Porsche warranty (which has been brilliant - got a brand new exhaust fitted under warranty at around 8k cost - I didn't even think there was an issue with it!) and super low owners.

Cant say this enough but hold out for the car you really want. You will only get a comfort and wish you had the cage and seats!

Dan