996-GT3 or Turbo?

[Sammy's dad]

Hi all,and firsly a very happy new year to you all.I'm completely new to the world of Porsche and i'm considering a 996 purchase.
A bit of backgroung first-I have had a few TVR's in the past,but now feel it's time to move on,preferably to something more 'quality'.I just want to get in,turn the key,and drive,without any reliability issues.The quickest TVR i've had is a Tuscan 4 litre,so when i get into a 996 i'd preferably like something a bit quicker if poss.
My budget is £40-45k,and i've seen a couple of early cars about for this kind of money.
What i'm looking for advice wise,is opinions on the reliability of the likely purchase on this budget,how many miles is sensible etc.and is there anything else that might also fit the bill that i've overlooked?What are these cars like to live with,i guess they're quite different characters?Would they be similar cost to run?
Sorry if this has been asked before,but i would really appreciate an up to date opinion from as many as possible,as all this is completely alien to me and i need as much info as i can get.Many thanks all,Sammy's dad

[magic torch]

Sammy's dad said:

if this has been asked before

Oh yes, it's the most hotly debated* topic on here.

The two camps will be here soon, frothing at the mouth.

Oh, Hi and welcome.




* If you consider name calling debating.

[peterpeter]

uh-oh..

here we go again.!

(wiping the froth away)

IMHO

if you plan on doing a few track days and you happen to live in an area where the road surfaces are fairly good, get the GT3.
It is a far better track and smooth road car.

If you plan on doing hardly any track work at all, are going to use it as a daily driver in wet/dry conditions and the roads are fairly shite near you, get a TT.. they are awesome.

Re. running costs, well my mk1 gt3 has always been under opc warranty(costs about £800 a year) and I have never spent more than service costs other than a geosetup and spoiler upgrade at Parr.

I cannot imagine a warrantied TT being any less reliable, as both engines are from the GT1 block.
(i think the turbo warranty costs the same)

Prices..well 40-45k will get you a very decent mk1 gt3 with under 20k hopefully.
Turbos at that price will be higher mileage but will be less likely to have seen the track (nothting wrong with that if they have been well maintained) Turbo I imagine will sink further in price relative to the GT3 which again IMHO is a more "special" model.

re. being faster than the tuscan. Im not sure either car will give you balls out feeling of crazy uncontrolled power and drama the Tuscan probably gave you, but on the track a GT3 would annihilate it. On the road, the turbo would annhihilate it, but would do it more quietly.

Nice choices, enjoy the hunt.

hope that was fairly balanced?

Edited by peterpeter on Monday 1st January 11:58

[touching cloth]

magic torch said:

The two camps will be here soon, frothing at the mouth.

The two camps? Should be more than that, I thought all Porsche drivers were camp.

GT3 will be too slow if you want to go faster than your Tuscan, Turbo can be chipped to be fast but too safe and gay with it's 4WD, have you considered a GT2 will stretch your budget though, only Porker I would consider.


Think my work here is done..................

[scotia_steve74]

If you want a big fat hairy TVR experience then the GT3 takes it to the next level!

A Turbo is a fantastic car and if you want to go fast, with slightly less driver involvement then that's the car for you.

I think the GT3 might suit you better and a Mk2 can almost be had for mid-40's. Expect to see them hit 45k by March I would think. The Mk1's seem to be bottoming out at the 35-40k level as it's rarer!

[andy tims]

Sammy's dad said:

Sorry if this has been asked before,but i would really appreciate an up to date opinion from as many as possible,as all this is completely alien to me and i need as much info as i can get.Many thanks all,Sammy's dad

Assuming this is not just a wind up try the SEARCH FACILITY for specific points.

This has been done to death & you'll get very little truly objective advice since the 2 cars (generally) appeal to different groups of drivers.

Simplistically - Road only use then Turbo is best, but throw in a bit of track action & the GT3 is the best choice.

Edited by andy tims on Monday 1st January 12:39

[richardofengland]

RE GT3 II

I guess thats assuming that there will be a deluge of trade ins for new cars coming soon. OPC still has GT3 II at 55k MINIMUM and there are very few under 50k anywhere unless they have done 30-40k miles and probably a lot of track and some history - I would like one now, having just sold the C4 so please feel free to find me a cracker sub 50K thanks

[Sammy's dad]

andy tims said:

Assuming this is not just a wind up try the SEARCH FACILITY for specific points.

No,it's definately not a wind up,i appreciae your concern though.I genuinely didn't realise that it's that hot a topic of debate-sorry.

andy tims said:

This has been done to death & you'll get very little truly objective advice since the 2 cars (generally) appeal to different groups of drivers.

That's a shame,but if anybody is looking in,i would still appreciate sensible opinions and advice.

andy tims said:

Simplistically - Road only use then Turbo is best, but throw in a bit of track action & the GT3 is the best choice.

Thanks for that,i must admit the Turbo does look to be slightly more suited at the mo.
Can you get rear seats in a GT3? Also can i ask anybody out there,can you get an Official Porsche warranty on a car when one has lapsed/had specialist history/is it age related etc.I'd like to know more about the terms and conditions etc.Many thanks,Sammy's dad

Edited by andy tims on Monday 1st January 12:39

[/quote]

[andy tims]

Sammy's dad said:

Can you get rear seats in a GT3?

The simple answer is no. In a comfort spec (i.e. w/o roll cage) it's physically possible to fit them, but the GT3 is a two seater as far as insurance goes.

[ArticM]

Sammy's dad said:

Hi all,and firsly a very happy new year to you all.I'm completely new to the world of Porsche and i'm considering a 996 purchase.
A bit of backgroung first-I have had a few TVR's in the past,but now feel it's time to move on,preferably to something more 'quality'.I just want to get in,turn the key,and drive,without any reliability issues.The quickest TVR i've had is a Tuscan 4 litre,so when i get into a 996 i'd preferably like something a bit quicker if poss.
My budget is £40-45k,and i've seen a couple of early cars about for this kind of money.
What i'm looking for advice wise,is opinions on the reliability of the likely purchase on this budget,how many miles is sensible etc.and is there anything else that might also fit the bill that i've overlooked?What are these cars like to live with,i guess they're quite different characters?Would they be similar cost to run?
Sorry if this has been asked before,but i would really appreciate an up to date opinion from as many as possible,as all this is completely alien to me and i need as much info as i can get.Many thanks all,Sammy's dad

depends what you mean by fast - as ppl have said a 996 GT3 will not have quite the speed of a tuscan in a straight line. but has the better chassis and brakes, so will end up being a lot faster on a track.....however the majority of people only get to experience the limit of their cars performance during drag style acceleration.

So, GT3 if you track would not dissappoint, if you like to press the loud pedal on the straights, it might - not thats its slow, but the Tuscan has the better stats (however i'm guessing that the diff si not huge as TVR and Porsche tend to skew their offical stats in different directions ;-)

[sportsandclassic]

[

andy tims said:

Simplistically - Road only use then Turbo is best, but throw in a bit of track action & the GT3 is the best choice.

Thanks for that,i must admit the Turbo does look to be slightly more suited at the mo.
Can you get rear seats in a GT3? Also can i ask anybody out there,can you get an Official Porsche warranty on a car when one has lapsed/had specialist history/is it age related etc.I'd like to know more about the terms and conditions etc.Many thanks,Sammy's dad


Hi there welcome to the forum..

The warranty issue as far as i know as long as it has full history and genuine parts and lubricants have been used you can get a 111 point inspection and subject to a pass on that you can get the warranty on the vehicle....do not settle for any less than an opc warranty on these sort of cars...

(opc is offical porsche centre) if you were wondering ...not taking the pi$$ or anything.
mike

www.sportsandclassic

Edited by sportsandclassic on Monday 1st January 15:54

[ricardo60]

Happy New Year & what a nice choice to start with.

Had exactly the same scenario almost 12 months ago!! Loved the pace of my Tuscan S6 (in the dry), but I was not good enough to drive it quickly in the wet and it all came to (ahem) a head on a wet & icy trackday _ enough is enough!

Tried a 996TT for a few days & what a fantastic car, but as it was trackdays I wanted to focus on chose the 3. Love the car on the track, but as daily roadcar I'd choose the TT, but only with decent rims and exhaust fitted. With a quick rechip I think you'd have the pace of the S6, but useable power 100% of the time.

Keep us posted

[ballcock]

Worth considering is the mileage aspect .. a TT with 50k on the odo would not be thought of as a hi miler , but the same on a GT3 , especially with a portion of track mileage thrown in , would raise eyebrows sooner.

Would 3/TT owners agree?

[Sammy's dad]

richardofengland said:

RE GT3 II

I guess thats assuming that there will be a deluge of trade ins for new cars coming soon. OPC still has GT3 II at 55k MINIMUM and there are very few under 50k anywhere unless they have done 30-40k miles and probably a lot of track and some history - I would like one now, having just sold the C4 so please feel free to find me a cracker sub 50K thanks

Theres a GT3 in the classifieds now,for £42k with 16k miles.


Thanks for the replies all,very much appreciated,keep them coming.I drove my first Porsche earlier today,a 1999 C4.This car was superb to drive,the steering very precise and well weighted,the gearbox(stickshift) was also beautifully smooth and precise.The handling and balance were amazing,especially compared to what i'm used to!I now know i'm making the right move,the only thing the C4 lacked was outright pace,after the TVR's i've had.Best of all this car had done 89k and still felt like new,it was beautiful.It was exactly the 'quality' Porsche experience that i hoped it would be,can't wait to try the GT and TT now

[ricardo60]

ballcock said:

Worth considering is the mileage aspect .. a TT with 50k on the odo would not be thought of as a hi miler , but the same on a GT3 , especially with a portion of track mileage thrown in , would raise eyebrows sooner.

Would 3/TT owners agree?

hmmm good point. My 3s done 40k and Id "guess" mostly track work, but it feels really strong - mind u, it will till it goes bang. Id hope that, as other people have said, the gt3 engine being "understressed" (? after a G&T I cant think of the word!!) that serious engine work not reqd until much later in life.

But Id guess that there are not that many high mileage gt3s out there? arguing with myself, Id also throw in that, in my experience, most of the gt3 owners look after their cars errr fastioudoulsly....

& on that note Im off for a further glass of bubbly!!!!!

[ricardo60]

Sammy's dad said:

richardofengland said:

RE GT3 II

I guess thats assuming that there will be a deluge of trade ins for new cars coming soon. OPC still has GT3 II at 55k MINIMUM and there are very few under 50k anywhere unless they have done 30-40k miles and probably a lot of track and some history - I would like one now, having just sold the C4 so please feel free to find me a cracker sub 50K thanks

Theres a GT3 in the classifieds now,for £42k with 16k miles.


Thanks for the replies all,very much appreciated,keep them coming.I drove my first Porsche earlier today,a 1999 C4.This car was superb to drive,the steering very precise and well weighted,the nowgearbox(stickshift) was also beautifully smooth and precise.The handling and balance were amazing,especially compared to what i'm used to!I now know i'm making the right move,the only thing the C4 lacked was outright pace,after the TVR's i've had.Best of all this car had done 89k and still felt like new,it was beautiful.It was exactly the 'quality' Porsche experience that i hoped it would be,can't wait to try the GT and TT now

You'll not be dissapointed Sir. I had a 996 C2 before the Tuscan & the difference between pace of this & S6/TT/996 is night & day _ now where's that champagne

thats the difference in pace between 996 C2 & the rest _ might give the champagne a rest after all

Edited by ricardo60 on Monday 1st January 17:41

[ballcock]

ricardo60 said:

ballcock said:

Worth considering is the mileage aspect .. a TT with 50k on the odo would not be thought of as a hi miler , but the same on a GT3 , especially with a portion of track mileage thrown in , would raise eyebrows sooner.

Would 3/TT owners agree?

hmmm good point. My 3s done 40k and Id "guess" mostly track work, but it feels really strong - mind u, it will till it goes bang. Id hope that, as other people have said, the gt3 engine being "understressed" (? after a G&T I cant think of the word!!) that serious engine work not reqd until much later in life.

But Id guess that there are not that many high mileage gt3s out there? arguing with myself, Id also throw in that, in my experience, most of the gt3 owners look after their cars errr fastioudoulsly....

& on that note Im off for a further glass of bubbly!!!!!

Just to clarify , I think the GT3 engine well capable of stellar mileage , there's just a perception out there of hi mileage 3's being 'just another abused track day car' ... It's more a concern for residuals than anything else , but if you're working to a budget and will need the car to be as flat as possible on the depreciation curve , it's definitely worth putting high on the list.

.. Time for another pint of Carlsberg!! (Champagne is a woman's drink ... , hic...)

[polarexpress]

What does low mileage prove?

a) the car has not been driven much and seals/bushes will be dry
b) the car was only used on track days
c) there remain a lot of consumables to be changed soon
d) there are potential problems waiting to happen which have not been discovered yet due to the lack of use
e) all of the above?

I'm of the belief that these cars are meant to be driven - not just from a philosophical viewpoint, but also from a reliability standpoint.

I've seen/heard of more problems with low mileage cars than with high mileage cars.

If I were in the market for a used 911, I'd look for one which has mid-mileage and has seen a variety of regular use with complete servicing (sometimes over serviced).

Just my £0.02.

[ballcock]

Agreed .. That's why I said theres a perception out there .. It's not my opinion , but it will count when it comes time to sell ...
.. It's a pity really as the 911 is the only supercar I know of that'll perform just as flawlessly with 100k on the clock as it did on day one.

I do think though that you'll go through more consumables putting day-to-day mileage on a gt3 , compared to a tt .. I can't imagine the suspension ,for one , being suitable for the bumps and rutts of daily driving.

[ricardo60]

Im back, :hic:

Really don@t think mileage is a big concern & only think consumables are going to differ if u r tracking, which is unlikely in a TT given that they are slow & boring on track (and they are not really).

Edited by ricardo60 on Monday 1st January 20:24