Weekend road car.... 997.1 GT3 or 964 C2?

[kevs 172]

g7jhp said:

kevs 172 said:

hondansx said:

If you want to lose grip then just don't put Cups on a GT3.

Comparing a GT3 to a 964 C2... lol... really surprised if it's even a discussion.

I agree,I have a 7 GT3 and a 993c2s,very hard to compare the two as I find them so different.

Yes they are very different, old skool v GT car but it's two potential ways I have thought about spending money on a road focused Porsche.

I was interested in opinions.

Kevs 172 when do you use your 993 from your 7 GT3?

Hi,the 993 gets used more as a classic and I can go out with the family(I have a young daughter) it has pss10's,rss mounts etc and CG set it up so it's lovely.
Gt3 is in a different league though,but as Steve says as a road car only it's a tough one!
I agree with Steve,if I kept one it would be the GT3.
Cheers

[stigmeister]

IMHO - 964.

Weighing everything up to reach the best compromise for enjoyable mainly road driving experience it would be the little air cooled car that i would sell last.

You probably would have to fettle a 964 to suit your purposes though - but then it could just be fantastic!

Whatever you decide, with either of these cars you can't really go wrong.

Stiggy

[SignalGruen]

I ran a heavily modified 964 and a 996.1 GT3 with refurbed suspension for around 1 year. I ended up selling the GT3 and plan to get another one (probably a 997 this time) next year but I would never consider selling the 964 for one. For me, the only area that my GT3 had my 964 beat was the engine (the noise at full chat is incredible) and it was also easier to drive quicker. I actually preferred the driving position, steering feel, handling, size etc of the 964 but then again I just like old cars and I use mine mainly on track. If only I could replicate that top end howl in the 964.

I would personally struggle to pay what people are asking for 964's these days unless it's one that has had a load of money already thrown at it - but you rarely see these being advertised. So in that case, assuming you haven't owned one before, I'd recommend a GT3 just so you can see what the fuss is about

[boxsey]

Slippydiff said:

There's another small caveat which will be a none issue for plenty, and a big issue for some others. The driving position/pedal layout on RHD air cooled cars is "less than ideal" when compared with a LHD versions. I briefly owned a RHD C2 and just could not get on with the pedal layout. As I said though, this will be a none issue for lots/most individuals.

Indeed. With the original 964 seats I would get mild back ache after a long journey because of the offset to the pedals. However, this all but disappeared when I fitted Recaro pole positions. I guess the higher sides offered more support and resisted the tendency to twist my lower body towards the pedals.

[BertBert]

Well for me my 6RS was an infinitely better day to day fun car than my 964. Can't speak for a 997GT3 though. I found both my 964 and 993s to be a bit puddingy for my taste. It's just a personal thing I think. The 964 is much rarer and special I guess though. And depending on how much tweaking has been done, it could be different. My 964 was stock.
Bert

[harrykul]

g7jhp said:

Yes they are very different, old skool v GT car but it's two potential ways I have thought about spending money on a road focused Porsche.

I was interested in opinions.

Kevs 172 when do you use your 993 from your 7 GT3?

Just a little point: I went to view a Gt3 a couple of months ago to have alongside my 993. Having driven it over a variety of back roads and fast a roads, I found it rather underwhelming.
Granted, I wasn't hammering it (probably hit 6K once), but it was typical of how I use the 993. It left me thinking that I'd never get to use a Gt3 as required to really enjoy it. I drove the same route in the 993 straight afterwards, and had a much more enjoyable drive.

[HokumPokum]

I find it hard to believe that the 964/993 c2 can be thought of as being as good of a drive as a Gt3,

Any Gt car has the sort of body control a cooking version can only dream of.


For me, i rather get a cooking 996 for much less.

[harrykul]

You could tell instantly that the Gt3 was a super high performance car. As a result it didn't shine on the road for me :it's limits are so high.

[Porsche911R]

harrykul said:

You could tell instantly that the Gt3 was a super high performance car. As a result it didn't shine on the road for me :it's limits are so high.

This 500%. It's a poor road car really with way to much forum ownership hype :-)

I love the GT3 as a thing, an icon etc, but for that road only weekend fun car there are better choices.

But the OP should still buy a GT3 1st to tick the box and then he will never wonder what if.

Edited by Porsche911R on Sunday 4th December 20:23

[Mousem40]

harrykul said:

You could tell instantly that the Gt3 was a super high performance car. As a result it didn't shine on the road for me :it's limits are so high.

Do people really feel that the only fun to be had from a performance car on the road is a la Chris Harris - getting the back end out with oppo lock at every roundabout?

I will freely admit in the 8 years of running GT cars, I've never purposefully done that on the roads, it's dangerous. But I don't feel I need to to enjoy these cars.

Even below 40mph you can truly get a taste of and enjoy the scalpel sharp steering, the immense brakes, the lovely crisp shift, the glorious engine note, the supreme chassis stiffness, the build quality, the turn in.....everything that makes them driver's cars.

Compare that to a stock 964, wallowy, slow, relatively sloppy shift, relatively sloppy steering, offset pedals etc. I just don't get the comparison, unless you have a special place for the air cooled version and it's compactness etc which I get. But I cannot see how it's a better driver's car at any speed. If you fettle one massively like Steve's car, ok sure, but that is so far off a stock 964 that it doesn't really count.

[birdcage]

I've owned:

997.1 GT3 RS
2 x 964 Carrera 2
2.5 Boxster
997.2 GT3
997 Turbo
964 Turbo 3.3
Cayman GTS

In no particular order

Best car for a Sunday morning drive at the cost, fun, noise and right amount of speed plus neutral stress free road handling

Cayman GTS

[BertBert]

I think that's a common misconception.

The GT3 delivers at all moments from starting in the garage, turning out the drive, the chunter of the diff. Pootling up the road. The noise, the response, the lightness, awesome. Fast, slow. A squirt on the straights, turning in in the corners, slowing for the lights. Belting it down the slip road. Giving it the beans in the twisties. Just fun, fun, fun. Aha, a roundabout in the damp, take it easy, squirm on the way out. Do the same in the dry, blast in, haul on the brakes, blast out. That's GT3 fun. Unless the 964 is very special indeed, it's a dull pudding in comparison.

There is no choice
Bert

Porsche911R said:

This 500%. It's a poor road car really with way to much forum ownership hype :-)

I love the GT3 as a thing, an icon etc, but for that road only weekend fun car there are better choices.

But the OP should still buy a GT3 1st to tick the box and then he will never wonder what if.

Edited by Porsche911R on Sunday 4th December 20:23

[Steve Rance]

I'd agree with this. The other thing to consider to balance things up is that the OP's question concerned a modified 964 and a standard 997GT3. If a spent half of the budget of modding my 964 on my 997, my view would probably be quite different.

[Porsche911R]

birdcage said:

I've owned:

997.1 GT3 RS
2 x 964 Carrera 2
2.5 Boxster
997.2 GT3
997 Turbo
964 Turbo 3.3
Cayman GTS

In no particular order

Best car for a Sunday morning drive at the cost, fun, noise and right amount of speed plus neutral stress free road handling

Cayman GTS

The problem there is people are after the Trophy look and Caymans are seen as the poor mans choice.
In here it's 911 or nothing which is a shame.. In fact every where it's 911 or nothing.

The driving part is 2nd to the ownership, But if the ownership makes you feel good then there is no right and wrong.
I love what the GT3 stands for and that Porsche build them, owning an icon is 60% of it I guess.
The next issue then is really every one wants the RS which again can been seen.

Edited by Porsche911R on Monday 5th December 08:36

[SFO]

964 is a much older design and less safe in an accident

[jms1]

I had the pleasure of driving my mate's 964 C2 the other day, having jumped of my own 997.2 GT3 (used to own a 997.1 GT3 so I am familiar with how the 997 GT3's drive. Loved the contrast between the two and wish I'd had the opportunity to go for a proper drive on some good roads. Andy's 964 has been breathed on so the engine is a little livelier than stock and it's running on KW V3 suspension etc, complete with Recaros and lighweight interior. It felt really compact and exploitable at sensible road speeds.

It is a lovely thing to drive but for so many different reasons to the GT3. For the majority of the time the GT3 never really gets in its stride as it's all so manic and fast when it happens and you need some proper roads for it come alive. Like my previous Cayman S though, the 964 will enable you to drive it harder more often. A GT3, I think as someone described it earlier, is a a weapon and even driven moderately spiritedly on the road borders on being anti-social.

OP try to drive both and see which one really lights your fire! If you can't decide they're both lovely cars to own and you stand a good chance of jumping out of either in a few months without losing out financially if you fancy owning the other.

Enjoy the process of looking, test driving and deciding. That's all part of the fun too.

Edited by jms1 on Monday 5th December 21:35

[Harris_I]

I'm surprised no-one has commented that the 996 GT3 would be a perfect combination of the involvement you get from air-cooled and bona fide racetrack credentials from the modern GT range.

Plus currently much better value than either IMHO.

[Pookster]

Porsche911R said:

harrykul said:

You could tell instantly that the Gt3 was a super high performance car. As a result it didn't shine on the road for me :it's limits are so high.

This 500%. It's a poor road car really with way to much forum ownership hype :-)

I love the GT3 as a thing, an icon etc, but for that road only weekend fun car there are better choices.

But the OP should still buy a GT3 1st to tick the box and then he will never wonder what if.

Edited by Porsche911R on Sunday 4th December 20:23

Couldn't really disagree any more

[PGNSagaris]

Harris_I said:

I'm surprised no-one has commented that the 996 GT3 would be a perfect combination of the involvement you get from air-cooled and bona fide racetrack credentials from the modern GT range.

Plus currently much better value than either IMHO.

I agreee with this. My brother recently bought one. Epic cars

[GT3andy]

Just my twopenathworth but the talk about a 997 GT3 being too good/fast for road speeds is just strange in my opinion. Have been driving Porsches for the past 25 years and around 30K per year road miles. Cars such as 994S2, 3.2, 964, 993 standard, and also highly modified 993 and can tell you that the 997 GT3 RS is so superior as a standard car to all the others I frankly just don't get it. Maybe is comes down to the use and road types. I live in the Cotswolds with very uneven roads, and no matter what we modified on the older ones, they were all a bit of a nightmare over typically rough UK roads . The GT3 RS however just soaks it up and leaves you to get on with having some fun. Each to their own I suppose. But i'd go for the 997 GT3 every day. Just an opinion of course.