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£50k 997.1 c2s to 997.1 gt3 - worth it?

Kettmark

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Joined
26 Jul 2018
Messages
113
Hi, currently in a 997.1 c2s and contemplating a 997/1 gt3. As topic title states, I will be looking at circa £50k to trade up. Is the gap really worth £50k?
Would be difficult to tell on a short test drive..
I have the use of other vehicles so would be doing about 8k per annum and using as a possible daily.
Advise please fellow enthusiasts.
 
Would they even let you test drive it? Very mileage sensitive cars.

They are superb cars, very different to the one you have. It is worth £50k more in my opinion but only if it would fit in with how you use your cars.

There's a nice one going into 911virgin shortly. Almost 'Carrera' spec if there is such a thing. Probably the nicest example on the market.

Nice position to be in

:thumb:
 
Kettmark said:
Hi, currently in a 997.1 c2s and contemplating a 997/1 gt3. As topic title states, I will be looking at circa £50k to trade up. Is the gap really worth £50k?
Would be difficult to tell on a short test drive..
I have the use of other vehicles so would be doing about 8k per annum and using as a possible daily.
Advise please fellow enthusiasts.

Here you go

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=233&t=1774549
 
Cunno said:
Kettmark said:
Hi, currently in a 997.1 c2s and contemplating a 997/1 gt3. As topic title states, I will be looking at circa £50k to trade up. Is the gap really worth £50k?
Would be difficult to tell on a short test drive..
I have the use of other vehicles so would be doing about 8k per annum and using as a possible daily.
Advise please fellow enthusiasts.

Here you go

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=233&t=1774549

That was my post on pistonheads. Hoping to get some more viewpoints from here!
 
I'd be all over the Gt silver GT3 at Ashgood if I was in the market!
 
my 2p , historically the GT cars have always been the high value classics but not everyone is interested in the long term value and not using the car how it should be as it might affect the value.

Put aside future values and just look at the two cars sie by side which if you plan to keep the cars for only 3 to 5 years is the sensible way to look at it IMO .

now ask yourself are you going to track the car , are you going to regularly use the extra on the rev counter before hitting the red line. if the answer is yes then its worth the trade up . but if the answer is no then you need to ask yourself , why am I thinking of doing this :?:
Is it because you love your 997.1 but sometimes feel its missing a little bit of edge in that case a couple of grand on well chosen performance and handling mods would go a long way to sorting that . if its more the lifetime wish to own a GT car and you can afford it without stretching yourself then we are now talking about emotions and ambitions and only you can really answer that.

theres no doubt the GT3 is a lovely car but the Carrera is a third of the price and the turbo is quicker. Personally if I had the cash spare then I would buy one for the emotional reasons, the practical side of me knows they are not worth the extra 50k for the handful of times your mate with a GT3 gets the clear road and can actually use the extra revs to pull away from you slowly until hes overtaken by your other mate with a turbo :grin: theres always something faster on the road :thumb: :thumb:

It might be that your middle ground is a gen2 GTS and spend £30k extra not £50k extra especially given that the flagship cars prices are starting to correct after the mad pricing of recent years. anyway whatever you decide to do enjoy it :thumb: :thumb:
 
The thing is the only person that can answer your question is you. 50k is a big chunk of change for a car which looks like the one you already have and isn't that much quicker in a straight line. What makes the 3 over a C2 imo is a lot of little tweaks which make a % better than a C2.
Depending on your usage will depend on how much of those minor tweaks you will benefit from and whether the extra cash was a wise move. If your not going to track the car then you won't appreciate the real difference, yes you will notice the extra noise the stiffer ride and the urgency on the road but unless your willing to get the car on the limit of your own abilities and find out how the balance and line of the car can be manipulated and the buzz that comes with this you will not truely appreciate a GT3. There not for everyone there are just as many who say the the 3 is just an ego trip and bragging rights in the pub and you can modify a C2 to achieve similar results but I'm not one of them, I've owned mine 11 years now and lost count of the number of Trackdays and it still gives me a buzz and a challenge to drive, great cars.
 
I keep looking at GT3's, and asking myself, is it twice the car my current Turbo is?

The answer is no, it isn't. And in your case it's not 3 times the car, but if the itch is that bad then it needs to be scratched. As for using it as a daily, I think you'd quickly tire of it, a friend of mine did. :?:
 
Cunno said:
The thing is the only person that can answer your question is you. 50k is a big chunk of change for a car which looks like the one you already have and isn't that much quicker in a straight line. What makes the 3 over a C2 imo is a lot of little tweaks which make a % better than a C2.
Depending on your usage will depend on how much of those minor tweaks you will benefit from and whether the extra cash was a wise move. If your not going to track the car then you won't appreciate the real difference, yes you will notice the extra noise the stiffer ride and the urgency on the road but unless your willing to get the car on the limit of your own abilities and find out how the balance and line of the car can be manipulated and the buzz that comes with this you will not truely appreciate a GT3. There not for everyone there are just as many who say the the 3 is just an ego trip and bragging rights in the pub and you can modify a C2 to achieve similar results but I'm not one of them, I've owned mine 11 years now and lost count of the number of Trackdays and it still gives me a buzz and a challenge to drive, great cars.

11 years of ownership. well done Jon :worship:
 
If you really want to own and drive a GT3, then yes, you need to go for it. Even if it is not 'three times better' than a C2S, it will be at another level. It will likely not make a good daily driver, but on those occasions when you can get out and drive, or get onto a track, it'll be worth it.

But with that budget, I might be tempted to look elsewhere, as 50k gets a lot of car. I don't know what a 996 GT3 costs, but (as I understand it), the earlier GT3 is one the best drivers' cars around. There are a couple around here that are still in the original owners hands and which I see at the club trackdays ... which tells me something.

On the other hand, that 50k could also pay for a Lotus Exige, or one of the hotter Elises, or an Ariel Atom, and all sorts of exotica, but you didn't ask about that (I just can't help myself, I'd rather a garage of motors than just one exotic).
 
MaxA said:
I'd rather a garage of motors than just one exotic.

My point exactly :thumb:
 
Interesting topic.
I often look at GT3's and think 'one day' .
50k is a hell of a lot of money but if your able to scratch that itch then do it :thumb:

It would probably be wasted on me as all I'd want to do is drive it on the weekends in the summer and polish it.
I'll get my coat!
 
It may be another 911, but the GT3 is a completely different car. Turn the key, hear the bag of spanners rattle in the back, try to get it into gear whilst the gearbox is cold. That's before you start driving. You'll know if you love it.
 
I had a 997.1 GT3 comfort for the past year, now returned to a regular 911.

They're worth what the market says and much of it due to diminishing numbers of good examples, with the uprated components, many are invisible, but the drivetrain and steering stand out. Ultimately I think their greatness comes from the sum of their parts.

Im a pretty normal Porsche enthusiast (I think) and definitely felt the privilege of owning and driving an iconic version of an icon and much of its value was justified to me through that. I inevitably learned though, that I was hardly ever in a position to lean on the chassis enough, retard energy hard enough or unleash energy hard enough to put the car into the zone it was designed for. You can sporadically on the road, but for the rest of the time each of us will feel differently about the compromises.

You find out how far you're using one outside its zone when you get it on a track, preferably with some instruction to get you going if you're not experienced. Then it all makes sense, everything works in harmony and you find you are quite quick, but it may not be you, it could be the car :wink:

My use was urban roads, occasional road tour and couple of track days. I don't regret having one and wouldn't discount one again in future and if your use involves spending a decent amount of time using the car for what it was designed, it is an awesome prospect.

If its not, then its still fantastic if you're comfortable with why you have one IMO. Could be investment if you buy well, could be that getting the engine into the higher reaches of its revs range once a month is enough, could be just because you can, could be to scratch an itch, each to their own :thumb:
 

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