To GT3 or not to GT3 and if so .....which one

[OCGT3]

Need some help guys

I had a GT silver 997.2 GT3 last year and had too many issues with it so it was given back and now I am going out of my mind without it and without a car. To the point where I actually loved driving a renatl Chevy Spark this weekend on the way up to Donington for track day on saturday......times are tough

Do I:

a: wait for new 991 GT3
b: look for a good 997.2 with low mileage
c: hold out and save for a 997.2 RS

a: I am worried about the new one and will it be manual etc (no doubt it will be amazing but price could also be an issue considering how expensive a c2s is these days)
b: Worried about getting a 2010 997.2 GT3 for fear that it has been ragged and will be in as bad a condition as the one i bought in March last year......but they look soooo good and if I was lucky I could have an awesome car
c: Do i hold out and save a bit more and get a 997.2 RS .... I love these but as my only car I would like to get one without red wheels (getting the standard GT3 colour wheels) and I would also de-decal it

I would love to hear what you guys would do in my position. I am sure there will be many different opinions but would be good to see

Many thanks in advance

[mrh1275]

i would go for a 997.2 rs, what was the issue with your old gt3 ?
or even a tidy 997.1 rs ?..

[OCGT3]

Old GT3 was a beautiful spec. picked it up with 3k on clock....in first few weeks needed:

new clutch
new flywheel
new suspension
new shocks
dash taken apart to find rattle
new sports exhaust valves
traction contol kept failing

too many issue for a car that i really wanted to be perfect considering how much it was costing me to keep and own

[Trev450]

If it was me I'd look out for a nice 997.2. Better all round car than the 1 RS and who knows when and what the 991 will be like.

[SFO]

OCGT3 said:

Old GT3 was a beautiful spec. picked it up with 3k on clock....in first few weeks needed:

new clutch
new flywheel
new suspension
new shocks
dash taken apart to find rattle
new sports exhaust valves
traction contol kept failing

too many issue for a car that i really wanted to be perfect considering how much it was costing me to keep and own

that's really awful ..

first time I have read of a 7.2 GT3 having so many problems.

[Durzel]

1k road miles, 2k track miles?

[puntograle]

OCGT3 said:

Old GT3 was a beautiful spec. picked it up with 3k on clock....in first few weeks needed:

new clutch
new flywheel
new suspension
new shocks
dash taken apart to find rattle
new sports exhaust valves
traction contol kept failing

too many issue for a car that i really wanted to be perfect considering how much it was costing me to keep and own

That sounds very strange. Did the car belong to a track driving club?? Though I cannot see why it would be sold after only 3k miles if that was the case. Even if it was mostly track driving, I would not have expected new suspension, shocks, etc.
...possibly you have an over enthusiastic OPC draining the new car warranty cover?

As for you original question, any GT3 is great! I prefer the earlier variants however if you have already had a 997.2 I suspect you may prefer the later cars. In that case save up for a 7.2RS!

[RDMcG]

There is no appreciable performance difference with the 991.1 and the .1RS,though its cosmetically nicer. The only nasty surprise I had with mine was a clutch at 12000 miles,earliest by far I have ever experienced.
The 997.2 RS is a better car in every way and so far has beeb very reliable,so I would recommend it. As I have not yet driven the 991 I have no personal take on it.

[TheDeadPrussian]

I'd try for another 997.2 GT3 - there are still good cars out there that have been treated well and not ‘abused’.
I’m not saying track work is abuse, but track work and then not keeping on top of maintenance and consumables etc is.

I wouldn't however venture outside the OPC network, as I would want (and did want when I bought mine) the reassurance of the Porsche 2 year warranty that comes with the purchase - just in case it does go wrong again.

Off Topic – I was at Donington on Saturday, what were you driving?

[Old Trout]

What was the question again?

[CarbonV12V]

Old Trout said:

What was the question again?

Not sure but my answer would be burger van

[OCGT3]

Durzel said:

1k road miles, 2k track miles?

i have no idea. it ruined the dream of owning a GT3 so I have tried to forget about it

Thanks for all the responses. There is a lovely looking black 7.2 GT3 for £84k on here at the moment. good spec too.

I was in a Caterham on saturday.....#5...my friend crashed it into the wall and closed the track for ten minutes...

[911Thrasher]

All I can say is RS

I guess either 997.1RS or save up for 997.2 or even better (and more expensive) 4.0 RS

Note: I use mine daily w/o trouble

[TheDeadPrussian]

OCGT3 said:

I was in a Caterham on saturday.....#5...my friend crashed it into the wall and closed the track for ten minutes...

Ahh okay, I hope your friend was alright (I didn't see an ambulance at least).

I used to own a Caterham and did some of the Academy last year. I was there in a Fun Cup car; I was driving it for the first time before we do some rounds of the championship this year.

Good luck with the search.

P.S. For everyday use I would go with a standard 997.2 GT3, but with the folding buckets for additional practicality, without sacrificing some of the 'race car' feel.

[Dr S]

Going back from 7.2 GT3 to 7.1 RS will leave you disappointed. I run a 7.2 GT3 for daily use. "Benefits" over an RS are that I can fit winter tyres (on smaller rims at the back though) and that by omitting roll cage and using folding buckets it's as practical as a stock 997 (if you don't need back seats). An RS without cage would look wrong in my eyes

[Lordglenmorangie]

OCGT3 said:

Old GT3 was a beautiful spec. picked it up with 3k on clock....in first few weeks needed:

new clutch
new flywheel
new suspension
new shocks
dash taken apart to find rattle
new sports exhaust valves
traction contol kept failing

too many issue for a car that i really wanted to be perfect considering how much it was costing me to keep and own

fk me, issues you are not kidding

Any way back to your dilemma , RS 4 all the way

[C2'S'man]

The RS.2 is my third GT3 and to quote the song, it's simply the best!!!!

They are all fantastic cars, but the RS is so special, get a drive in one and you will understand, then start saving...

G

[OCGT3]

So you would think I was just unlucky with my 7.2 GT3 and i shouldnt fear buying a second hand low mileage RS?

I just fear they are being sold on because they have spent their lives on the track, the owner is sick of them and I`ll be forced to spend my time making calls to OPC Reading trying to get the car collected from the office carpark.......

I owned my last one for about 16 weeks and it spent 10 in the garage.....makes me sad to think about how beautiful yet how cr@p

[C2'S'man]

I think you had a really bad experience with that car, which maybe had been ragged to an inch of its life, like I said, bad experience. Do you dwell on it and let it spoil any future Porsche purchase or move on, put it behind you and get into that RS?

I've not had that st to deal with, thank God, but what I can say is that in nearly 30k miles of GT3 ownership, spanning 3 cars the only thing that went wrong was a leaking front rad on my old 997. Apart from that all 3 cars have never, ever missed a beat or caused me any concern whatsoever and they have been used as intended!

Was I lucky were you unlucky, who knows, what I do know is that you may be denying yourself motoring nirvana because of one bad car....

Drive an RS, then decide....

g

[DiscoColin]

OCGT3 said:

I owned my last one for about 16 weeks and it spent 10 in the garage.....makes me sad to think about how beautiful yet how cr@p

So you got it all sorted out (presumably under warranty given its age) and then got rid of it? And now you are looking to get another...

Short answer - I bought a 997.2 as I just couldn't rationalise the extra £30k that a gen2 RS would have called for over what I paid.