996 turbo or r35 gtr
Discussion
looking into these options as a possibility in the next year or so. has any1 got experience of both?
my budget of around £40k currently would buy me a 911 turbo with plenty to spare (25-30k) or a 2009 low mileage gtr under 10k miles.
the thing that worrys me about the gtr is possible unknown faults, gearbox potential issues, and the fact there are so many electronics to possibly go wrong! on the other hand, 600hp can be easily achieved, and even in 530bhp trim is quicker than an enzo or carrera gt round the nurburgring!!
my other issue is the 2009 cars that are in my budget are just about to come out of there warranty period, and parts seem expensive! i suppose there are a fair few 911 turbos being broken these days so even major issues such as gearbox failures wont be a huge outlay? i think a replacement gtr box is £20k odd!
any1 with ownership experience and running costs out there
i know im in a slightly biased porsche forum, but maybe some1 with experience of both cars can give a good insight into positives and negatives of both, one things for certain is that the gtr although a nissan, is really giving cars 5 times or even 10 times as expensive a run for there money! as well as rave reviews from the press!
thanks
nick
my budget of around £40k currently would buy me a 911 turbo with plenty to spare (25-30k) or a 2009 low mileage gtr under 10k miles.
the thing that worrys me about the gtr is possible unknown faults, gearbox potential issues, and the fact there are so many electronics to possibly go wrong! on the other hand, 600hp can be easily achieved, and even in 530bhp trim is quicker than an enzo or carrera gt round the nurburgring!!
my other issue is the 2009 cars that are in my budget are just about to come out of there warranty period, and parts seem expensive! i suppose there are a fair few 911 turbos being broken these days so even major issues such as gearbox failures wont be a huge outlay? i think a replacement gtr box is £20k odd!
any1 with ownership experience and running costs out there
i know im in a slightly biased porsche forum, but maybe some1 with experience of both cars can give a good insight into positives and negatives of both, one things for certain is that the gtr although a nissan, is really giving cars 5 times or even 10 times as expensive a run for there money! as well as rave reviews from the press!
thanks
nick
Use the search function - a can of worms, this topic.
I have a 996 Turbo X50 and it is a fantastic car; a real bargain at the price you can pick them up these days.
One point to make is that you mention the 530bhp version. These are the newer cars (2011 onwards I think) and these are still close to 60 grand. In other words, this is 997 Turbo territory.
I have driven the new GTR (530bhp) and it was an excellent car. Very clinical, grip, handling, technology, space/leg-room etc. but, as snobby as it may be, it is not a 911 Turbo. Running costs on them are supposed to be astronomical.
Would I swap my 911 for a GTR? Well, maybe, yes. But I am gonna wait until the 997 Turbos come down a little and opt for one of those instead.
I have a 996 Turbo X50 and it is a fantastic car; a real bargain at the price you can pick them up these days.
One point to make is that you mention the 530bhp version. These are the newer cars (2011 onwards I think) and these are still close to 60 grand. In other words, this is 997 Turbo territory.
I have driven the new GTR (530bhp) and it was an excellent car. Very clinical, grip, handling, technology, space/leg-room etc. but, as snobby as it may be, it is not a 911 Turbo. Running costs on them are supposed to be astronomical.
Would I swap my 911 for a GTR? Well, maybe, yes. But I am gonna wait until the 997 Turbos come down a little and opt for one of those instead.
nickson said:
the thing that worrys me about the gtr is possible unknown faults, gearbox potential issues, and the fact there are so many electronics to possibly go wrong! on the other hand, 600hp can be easily achieved, and even in 530bhp trim is quicker than an enzo or carrera gt round the nurburgring!! allegedly lol
thanks
nick
thanks
nick
yes the 530bhp cars are the newer cars, but you can get the std 480bhp car to 600hp for about £2k lol!
i have also done a fair bit of research over the last day and seems running costs arent as high as you may think. std services around 4-500 pounds (6k service only £180), and the most expensive service only every 60k is still under £1k! (at independant specialist)
independant specialist also currently putting together a comprehensive extended warranty package to eliminate worrys of future issues! and uk cars seem not to have any issues with the gearbox either anyway!
discs and pads and tyres are the most expensive part at £600 per corner for brakes, and around £400 per corner for tyres. tbh running costs dont seem to be any more than a 911 turbo as far as i can see!
i think with 2009 cars coming out of warranty in the next 6 months, and the 2012 model being released, prices will also drop within the next 6-12 months
with any car there are horror storys, and after speaking with a fair few owners now, nearly all owners have had no trouble at all, and the very few horror storys that are about are scaring potential owners. when realistically the gtr has no more issues than any other performance car out there!
also the cars that have seemed to have any issues with the gearbox, were either early jap imports, or early cars which had the launch control system abused. the other cars were highly tuned examples with 700bhp+ which is likely to cause issues in any car really!
i think the only way to decide for sure is to drive them both and see which one has the wow factor!!
also remember for £40k you get a 2009/10 car, with under 10k miles! the equivalent 996 turbo are 5+ years older, and 40k+ mileage.
give me more reasons why the 911 turbo is the better choice, as at the minute the gtr is speaking to me! the overall performance and the fact you dont see many around appeals to me, there are so many 911's out there, i feel the gtr offers a more exclusive experience.
i have also done a fair bit of research over the last day and seems running costs arent as high as you may think. std services around 4-500 pounds (6k service only £180), and the most expensive service only every 60k is still under £1k! (at independant specialist)
independant specialist also currently putting together a comprehensive extended warranty package to eliminate worrys of future issues! and uk cars seem not to have any issues with the gearbox either anyway!
discs and pads and tyres are the most expensive part at £600 per corner for brakes, and around £400 per corner for tyres. tbh running costs dont seem to be any more than a 911 turbo as far as i can see!
i think with 2009 cars coming out of warranty in the next 6 months, and the 2012 model being released, prices will also drop within the next 6-12 months
with any car there are horror storys, and after speaking with a fair few owners now, nearly all owners have had no trouble at all, and the very few horror storys that are about are scaring potential owners. when realistically the gtr has no more issues than any other performance car out there!
also the cars that have seemed to have any issues with the gearbox, were either early jap imports, or early cars which had the launch control system abused. the other cars were highly tuned examples with 700bhp+ which is likely to cause issues in any car really!
i think the only way to decide for sure is to drive them both and see which one has the wow factor!!
also remember for £40k you get a 2009/10 car, with under 10k miles! the equivalent 996 turbo are 5+ years older, and 40k+ mileage.
give me more reasons why the 911 turbo is the better choice, as at the minute the gtr is speaking to me! the overall performance and the fact you dont see many around appeals to me, there are so many 911's out there, i feel the gtr offers a more exclusive experience.
Hi mate,
I've just sold my 996 Turbo to fund a R35 GTR (Well deposit is taken and await collection, so fingers crossed). I to will be going straight for some some modding ; )
Lookin' to get a Stage 3 conversion and the gearbox upgrade by litchfield. Should be in the region of 600 bhp/torque. I have absolutely loved the Turbo over the past 3 years but it's time for a change. I will no doubt return but I need to scratch that itch
Good luck with your search for either car mate. They are both great. The 996 Turbo certainly represents fantastic bang for buck at the mo.
I've just sold my 996 Turbo to fund a R35 GTR (Well deposit is taken and await collection, so fingers crossed). I to will be going straight for some some modding ; )
Lookin' to get a Stage 3 conversion and the gearbox upgrade by litchfield. Should be in the region of 600 bhp/torque. I have absolutely loved the Turbo over the past 3 years but it's time for a change. I will no doubt return but I need to scratch that itch
Good luck with your search for either car mate. They are both great. The 996 Turbo certainly represents fantastic bang for buck at the mo.
i havnt made up my mind at all mate! there are things i dont like about the gtr as well, tbh i prefer a manual gearbox and a clutch, the gtr is very large, and im undecided about the looks as well! the 911 is almost certainly a safer bet, and the fact the gtr is still a nissan slightly bothers me, i have had fast jap stuff in the past and wanted to move onto something a bit more prestigous such as porsche.
but the gtr does seem to have a pretty incredible real world performance, and like i say, i sometimes prefer to go agaist the grain!
i think it will be a case of do a fair bit more research, and see how values of the gtr go once cars are out of warranty and the new model is out.
the other option is a mk1 gt3 which will hold its value better than both above options. the only thing with the gt3 is its not quite as fast in a straight line, and tbh i really want something with 500+ hp that really rips your face off!
but the gtr does seem to have a pretty incredible real world performance, and like i say, i sometimes prefer to go agaist the grain!
i think it will be a case of do a fair bit more research, and see how values of the gtr go once cars are out of warranty and the new model is out.
the other option is a mk1 gt3 which will hold its value better than both above options. the only thing with the gt3 is its not quite as fast in a straight line, and tbh i really want something with 500+ hp that really rips your face off!
EvoSlayer said:
Bloody 'el Jim, that was quick, told you the good 'uns wouldn't hang around...well done mate
Mate, the phone hasn't stopped ringing. The very nice fella that has left a deposit did so before the car had even been online for 24 hours 
Had a lot of interest so if something goes wrong on the pick date I have a few people to re visit ; )
A mildly tuned 996 turbo would be pushing 500... and even quicker and certainly creeping into 'rip your face' off territory would be a similarly tuned GT2.
Slightly more expensive though and you probably wouldnt get the all year round confidence in throwing the car around as you would with the GTR.
A decision i made when I had a similar budget - proper supercar running costs put me off initially - consumables mainly. Servicing, as youve found is actually quite reasonable as are initial tuning options.
Read a few things about small 'dings' causing £000's of damage and ECU resets required post crash. Expensive tyres / brakes and they get worn fairly quickly.
I only got this from the GTROC board though....
Slightly more expensive though and you probably wouldnt get the all year round confidence in throwing the car around as you would with the GTR.
A decision i made when I had a similar budget - proper supercar running costs put me off initially - consumables mainly. Servicing, as youve found is actually quite reasonable as are initial tuning options.
Read a few things about small 'dings' causing £000's of damage and ECU resets required post crash. Expensive tyres / brakes and they get worn fairly quickly.
I only got this from the GTROC board though....
Hi mate
If you save up an extra £10k, you can get a nice 997 turbo for £50k!!. However if you wait 6 or 12 months will be available for £40k ish.
I've posted a similar thread on the Aston Martin & BMW M sections of this website.
Currently drive a BMW530i & Aston Martin V8 Vantage on the weekend. Also ride & race a few motorbikes.
Was thinking of changing the daily driver for a BMW M6 or 997 C2S, test drove a few of each and then drove a Nissan R35 GTR. Have driven a few on track in the past but none on the road prior to last week. What an awesome car, 0-60MPH in 2.8secs, feels superbike fast !!!
Now thinking of getting one, however the running cost are something else as a daily driver, £1,000+ per year for servicing, £1,600 - £2,000 for tyres, £3,500 for new disks+pads every 15,000 miles. Maintenance cost back in Aston Martin territory!!!
Cheers
Rich
If you save up an extra £10k, you can get a nice 997 turbo for £50k!!. However if you wait 6 or 12 months will be available for £40k ish.
I've posted a similar thread on the Aston Martin & BMW M sections of this website.
Currently drive a BMW530i & Aston Martin V8 Vantage on the weekend. Also ride & race a few motorbikes.
Was thinking of changing the daily driver for a BMW M6 or 997 C2S, test drove a few of each and then drove a Nissan R35 GTR. Have driven a few on track in the past but none on the road prior to last week. What an awesome car, 0-60MPH in 2.8secs, feels superbike fast !!!
Now thinking of getting one, however the running cost are something else as a daily driver, £1,000+ per year for servicing, £1,600 - £2,000 for tyres, £3,500 for new disks+pads every 15,000 miles. Maintenance cost back in Aston Martin territory!!!
Cheers
Rich
i have been doing a fair bit of research and there is a lot of rubbish out there regarding the gtr putting people off, and even the running costs people are mentioning are a fair bit off the mark.
main issues that seem to be floating about the rumour mill
gearboxes fail- only a few failures on early jap imports. or on cars running 750-800+ hp. im told uk cars dont suffer with any issue at anything around the 650bhp area, and for piece of mind if your paranoid, independants can put a special circlip in the box. also most of the failures that have happened were on cars where launch control was abused
engine failures due to excess sealant- literally a couple of engines! again, early cars
servicing is every 6k on these cars, 2 services a year to keep the warranty. 2009 cars are coming out of warranty now anyway, and independants are recommending 1 service a year is fine, as long as your not doing lots of miles. independants are also putting together a comprehensive extended warranty policy for cars coming out of manufacture warranty
servicing costs are as cheap as £120 for a 6k oil change service, the average service is around £400-£500, and the really expensive service is at 60k and is £975inc vat from litchfields
brakes are around £600 per corner for discs and pads from independant, its doubtful your going to need to change all 4 at once aswell
tyres you can get much cheaper than a dealer will charge. people have even said nissan started at £3000 odd quid for a set, they said thats a joke can you do a deal, and within 3 minutes the price had dropped to £1600 odd quid. other makes of tyre can be had even cheaper, people have managed to get a set for around £1200.
the other thing about the bonnet pedestrian protection system going off is again one car had an issue, and due to the internet making things spread like wildfire, it instantly became an issue and all cars could be effected. when in reality, one or 2 people may have had the system go off in a small crash, and then nissan buggered them for a silly repair price.
with decent independants such as litchfield imports offering a comprehensive service and maintenance program at decent prices, why any1 would use nissan is beyond me.
like with any vehicle, people like to try and cause a fuss, or downtalk a car if they see it as a threat to there own type of car they drive. and as the nissan is so bloody good at what it does, people are trying to find a reason why others or themselves shouldnt buy one! creating horror storys etc, to justify why they spent twice as much on a car that the gtr will spank in most scenarios!
if you speak to a gtr owner, they may have a hundred storys about how unreliable or expensive a porsche is to run! but in reality, most of its probably hear say, or rubbish! yes every car has a few inherant issues, no car is perfect, and many cars cost a lot to run and maintain, its just part of performance car ownership!
as others have said, the only way any1 could decide on which car to buy is to drive a few similar cars, and see which one you like the best!
and thats exactly what i intend to do!
main issues that seem to be floating about the rumour mill
gearboxes fail- only a few failures on early jap imports. or on cars running 750-800+ hp. im told uk cars dont suffer with any issue at anything around the 650bhp area, and for piece of mind if your paranoid, independants can put a special circlip in the box. also most of the failures that have happened were on cars where launch control was abused
engine failures due to excess sealant- literally a couple of engines! again, early cars
servicing is every 6k on these cars, 2 services a year to keep the warranty. 2009 cars are coming out of warranty now anyway, and independants are recommending 1 service a year is fine, as long as your not doing lots of miles. independants are also putting together a comprehensive extended warranty policy for cars coming out of manufacture warranty
servicing costs are as cheap as £120 for a 6k oil change service, the average service is around £400-£500, and the really expensive service is at 60k and is £975inc vat from litchfields
brakes are around £600 per corner for discs and pads from independant, its doubtful your going to need to change all 4 at once aswell
tyres you can get much cheaper than a dealer will charge. people have even said nissan started at £3000 odd quid for a set, they said thats a joke can you do a deal, and within 3 minutes the price had dropped to £1600 odd quid. other makes of tyre can be had even cheaper, people have managed to get a set for around £1200.
the other thing about the bonnet pedestrian protection system going off is again one car had an issue, and due to the internet making things spread like wildfire, it instantly became an issue and all cars could be effected. when in reality, one or 2 people may have had the system go off in a small crash, and then nissan buggered them for a silly repair price.
with decent independants such as litchfield imports offering a comprehensive service and maintenance program at decent prices, why any1 would use nissan is beyond me.
like with any vehicle, people like to try and cause a fuss, or downtalk a car if they see it as a threat to there own type of car they drive. and as the nissan is so bloody good at what it does, people are trying to find a reason why others or themselves shouldnt buy one! creating horror storys etc, to justify why they spent twice as much on a car that the gtr will spank in most scenarios!
if you speak to a gtr owner, they may have a hundred storys about how unreliable or expensive a porsche is to run! but in reality, most of its probably hear say, or rubbish! yes every car has a few inherant issues, no car is perfect, and many cars cost a lot to run and maintain, its just part of performance car ownership!
as others have said, the only way any1 could decide on which car to buy is to drive a few similar cars, and see which one you like the best!
and thats exactly what i intend to do!
nickson said:
Stuff
You just spent that whole post defending the GT-R - go out there and get it bought! I reckon you'll only look to scratch the itch in the future if you don't right now. Alot of people say that the GT-R and the Turbo can be uninvolving, but I've heard that the two cars only come alive once you're pushing them - so make sure you don't pootle around on the test drives (not too much, be reasonable)!Good luck.
Edited by 911p on Wednesday 8th February 21:26
lol, i just wanted to put up some facts or at least more realistic info, for people on here who may be thinking of the gtr, but worrying due to internet rubbish they may have heard!
i started off thinking the same as every1 else, i would like one, but worried about reliability and costs etc, after doing some actual research, most of my concerns have now gone!
like i say, i have always wanted a 911 turbo, but i would never go and buy one just because its a car i want, i would drive a couple of other cars in my budget, and would buy whichever one i thought was the best lol.
i certainly wont be pootling around on the test drives, but i do find the dealer can get a bit arsey when you put your foot down lol. at the end of the day im buying a performance car, so the main thing i want to test on the test drive, is PERFORMANCE lol.
i started off thinking the same as every1 else, i would like one, but worried about reliability and costs etc, after doing some actual research, most of my concerns have now gone!
like i say, i have always wanted a 911 turbo, but i would never go and buy one just because its a car i want, i would drive a couple of other cars in my budget, and would buy whichever one i thought was the best lol.
i certainly wont be pootling around on the test drives, but i do find the dealer can get a bit arsey when you put your foot down lol. at the end of the day im buying a performance car, so the main thing i want to test on the test drive, is PERFORMANCE lol.
I have owned both at the same time an R35 GTR and a 996 Turbo S . Speed wise they were almost identical . In town the 911 was far easier to drive and park than the GTR an 09 model which suffered from jerkiness at low speeds ( I understand there is now an upgrade to fix this on the earlier models ).
I felt the 911 was easier to drive fast around the country lanes , but the GTR better on the Motorway .
I felt the 911 was easier to drive fast around the country lanes , but the GTR better on the Motorway .
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