Looking for a 997 GT3

[TGJR]

I am currently in the market for a GT3 sub £80K and see that there is very little price difference between 996 and 997 variants. I owned a 996 GT3 mk 2 back in 2010/11 and having sold it for £38K it feels a bit 'wrong' to buy another one now for just about double that!

Subsequently I find myself drawn towards the 997 Gt3 mk1 and as I want one for road use and European tours I suspect that the slightly 'softer' nature of the 997 will be a plus in comparison to the more raw feeling 996. I would also prefer a car in comfort spec with reclining seats rather than buckets, again with road trips in mind and no intention to use on track.

Just wondering if anyone else has an opinion on the better model for my requirements and also if anyone knows of a suitable car either on the market or due to market. I have also considered but discounted the 996 turbo from my shopping list, it is a GT3 that I hanker for!

[Steve Rance]

I have a 997 Gen1 CS and a fair bit of experience driving 996GT3's is all formats. You are pretty much correct with your dscription of a 997. It is basically a bit softer and more civilised but its still definately a GT car that will give you civility when you want it and involvement and tactility in equal measure. Comforts are generally cheaper and easier to source than Clubsports but there is no performance difference between the two at all so the comfort is probably the better buy £ for £.

[Porsche911R]

James Batchelor has one for sale at £75k, wants a quick sale. PCCB and fixed Buckets.
full OPC service history, transferable Porsche warranty to March 2018.

is listed on facebook , just facebook his name cannot see it being for sale long as most are >£80k

One has to look at GT4's if you plan more road use imo. but if you hanker a GT3 it can only be a GT3.

Edited by Porsche911R on Monday 24th July 16:49

[TGJR]

Porsche911R said:

James Batchelor has one for sale at £75k, wants a quick sale. PCCB and fixed Buckets.
full OPC service history, transferable Porsche warranty to March 2018.

is listed on facebook , just facebook his name cannot see it being for sale long as most are >£80k

One has to look at GT4's if you plan more road use imo. but if you hanker a GT3 it can only be a GT3.

Edited by Porsche911R on Monday 24th July 16:49

Had a look at it on Saturday. Very nice car and a good buy but I am hoping to find something with a bit lower mileage and would prefer recliner seats for touring purposes. I may well regret not going for James's car but he needed a quick decision and I was not 100% sure. When spending this sort of money I think you need to be totally confident that the car ticks your boxes.

[Porsche911R]

TGJR said:

Had a look at it on Saturday. Very nice car and a good buy but I am hoping to find something with a bit lower mileage and would prefer recliner seats for touring purposes. I may well regret not going for James's car but he needed a quick decision and I was not 100% sure. When spending this sort of money I think you need to be totally confident that the car ticks your boxes.

low miles = £85k so one has to decide if to spend more for lower miles or not. I guess you might get lucky if you want "recliner seats" over buckets.

But come resale you will have to also list it lower and it's a much harder sell imo.

[TGJR]

Porsche911R said:

low miles = £85k so one has to decide if to spend more for lower miles or not. I guess you might get lucky if you want "recliner seats" over buckets.

But come resale you will have to also list it lower and it's a much harder sell imo.

Out of interest why do you think the recliner seats are so much less desirable than buckets - is it mainly a visual thing? Porsche do such good sports recliner seats and if the car is not being bought for track then I am unsure as to why it can effect value so much, though I am not disputing this assessment. I would guess that as the cars get older it will come down to mileage, condition and history to keep a good resale value rather than specification factors such as seats. Sat-nav is a good example - a must have extra on nearly new cars but when it is 10 years old it is almost a comedy point to look at how old fashioned it seems!

[Porsche911R]

TGJR said:

Out of interest why do you think the recliner seats are so much less desirable than buckets - is it mainly a visual thing? Porsche do such good sports recliner seats and if the car is not being bought for track then I am unsure as to why it can effect value so much, though I am not disputing this assessment. I would guess that as the cars get older it will come down to mileage, condition and history to keep a good resale value rather than specification factors such as seats. Sat-nav is a good example - a must have extra on nearly new cars but when it is 10 years old it is almost a comedy point to look at how old fashioned it seems!

Comes down to that GT car feel, other wise buy a GTS imo, 2nd hand it's even more sort after than new, many new buyers spec sports seats as they can sell the car for overs anyway, but 2nd hand the cars are a tough sell and the buyers fussy, down the line buyers want that full GT experience.

The 997.2 GTS is a very nice car as an example.

Those fixed buckets are about £12k lol. The foldings are £6k so not an easy add, look at GT3 pricing the seats are the biggest factor after miles,

Most 3rd party dealers won't touch a comfort car unless on a SOR.

If you never want to use the GT3 for track there are much better nicer road cars at 1/2 the price imo. I think you might find the GT3 engine a frustration, I did, but many find them ok, I await the slating for my GT3 bashing lol But Porsche have caught up with my line of thinking these days, more low down use and shorter gearing lol

I think as a project car a GT3 is a great buy, short final drive, a proper diff, some engine mounts, proper disks/ pads and a set of good shocks would see a mega drivers car.
But that's £15k min cost on top of the car.

Oem no thanks, Early PASM is a bit naff, the gears are long, the sus hard, the diff chocolate, and the upkeep massive, it's a 10 year old car. So you need to really want a 997.1 GT3 imo over a 2 year old GT4 for a road only use car in oem stock form.

I would take a long hard think about what you really want from a car, ATM a 997.2 GTS seem to tick more box's or a GT4 for a more GT feel.

I am in love with my little Cayman R, it has no kudos, you get it'snot a 911 Name calling but it's a great drivers car for £45k which leaves a LOT of money to tailor it if you have a max spend of £80k

I just don't think many people like driving a £45k car if they have £80k to spend which is a shame.

[Pookster]

Porsche911R said:

TGJR said:

Out of interest why do you think the recliner seats are so much less desirable than buckets - is it mainly a visual thing? Porsche do such good sports recliner seats and if the car is not being bought for track then I am unsure as to why it can effect value so much, though I am not disputing this assessment. I would guess that as the cars get older it will come down to mileage, condition and history to keep a good resale value rather than specification factors such as seats. Sat-nav is a good example - a must have extra on nearly new cars but when it is 10 years old it is almost a comedy point to look at how old fashioned it seems!

Comes down to that GT car feel, other wise buy a GTS imo, 2nd hand it's even more sort after than new, many new buyers spec sports seats as they can sell the car for overs anyway, but 2nd hand the cars are a tough sell and the buyers fussy, down the line buyers want that full GT experience.

The 997.2 GTS is a very nice car as an example.

Those fixed buckets are about £12k lol. The foldings are £6k so not an easy add, look at GT3 pricing the seats are the biggest factor after miles,

Most 3rd party dealers won't touch a comfort car unless on a SOR.

If you never want to use the GT3 for track there are much better nicer road cars at 1/2 the price imo. I think you might find the GT3 engine a frustration, I did, but many find them ok, I await the slating for my GT3 bashing lol But Porsche have caught up with my line of thinking these days, more low down use and shorter gearing lol

I think as a project car a GT3 is a great buy, short final drive, a proper diff, some engine mounts, proper disks/ pads and a set of good shocks would see a mega drivers car.
But that's £15k min cost on top of the car.

Oem no thanks, Early PASM is a bit naff, the gears are long, the sus hard, the diff chocolate, and the upkeep massive, it's a 10 year old car. So you need to really want a 997.1 GT3 imo over a 2 year old GT4 for a road only use car in oem stock form.

I would take a long hard think about what you really want from a car, ATM a 997.2 GTS seem to tick more box's or a GT4 for a more GT feel.

I am in love with my little Cayman R, it has no kudos, you get it'snot a 911 Name calling but it's a great drivers car for £45k which leaves a LOT of money to tailor it if you have a max spend of £80k

I just don't think many people like driving a £45k car if they have £80k to spend which is a shame.

Do you have this post on file to paste in when the desire arises?

[kev.vr6]

I can completely understand why you are looking at the 997.1 gt3.
Fortunately I have been lucky enough to have driven a lot of different Porsche variants and the 997.1 gt3 is one that I like driving a lot as unfortunately where are roads over here are so bad the 996 doesn't really work being so rigid but would be amazing on European roads and the pasm on the 997 really makes it a nicer car to drive.
I have recently driven a gt4 and was slightly disappointed as I expected it to be a bit quicker and doesn't give you the same feeling as the 997.

This seems to be a good car for you in a nice colour and clean rev ranges

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

[short-shift]

Porsche911R said:

James Batchelor has one for sale at £75k, wants a quick sale. PCCB and fixed Buckets.
full OPC service history, transferable Porsche warranty to March 2018.

is listed on facebook , just facebook his name cannot see it being for sale long as most are >£80k

One has to look at GT4's if you plan more road use imo. but if you hanker a GT3 it can only be a GT3.

Edited by Porsche911R on Monday 24th July 16:49

And hello... I'm on here too, as well as Facebook!

James

[Geneve]

I had a 997 GT3.1 for several years. But, for not much more money, I'd rather have the newer, and easier to live with, GT4.

[short-shift]

For me, having buckets in a GT car (GT3 or otherwise) is a key part of the idiom and appeal of the car; not having them sort-of reduces the sense of occasion of owning, driving and enjoying these cars.

Comfort is a personal thing, of course, but I find the fixed buckets to be superbly comfortable over long distances - they provide support and hold you in in all the right places (at least, they do for me!). I seem to recall many other threads along similar lines.

It's also possible to tilt the buckets slightly by placing a spacer or shim under the front of the seats (between the seat and rail, or rail and floor) to alter the rake of the seat. Lifting the front edge just a small amount can make a surprising difference. You can't do this on the fly, of course, but there is that ability to fine-tune the driving position to get it just-so.

But as I say, buckets are part of the GT car theatre, a piece of what makes these cars so special, and I think that's why they are more sought-after and command a premium on the used-car market.

[lemmingjames]

could always buy the car and swap out the seats? then either keep them for resale or sell them

[Slippydiff]

lemmingjames said:

could always buy the car and swap out the seats? then either keep them for resale or sell them

With OE seats, yes (and I've done so with a 997.1 GT3, having removed the CGT Clubsport seats and replaced them with the GT2 carbon folding buckets) but the Porsche fraternity in the UK seem less willing to embrace non-OE seat swaps (on modern stuff) generally.

[nigelonich]

TGJR said:

I am currently in the market for a GT3 sub £80K and see that there is very little price difference between 996 and 997 variants. I owned a 996 GT3 mk 2 back in 2010/11 and having sold it for £38K it feels a bit 'wrong' to buy another one now for just about double that!

I wouldn't be too constrained on price as many 996 and 997 non RS cars are sticking around for ages so find one that has been slow to sell that you like.

Sometimes they drop off the listings but then pop up again at a different dealer too so take notes!

Not helpful but I agree with many of the comments above around getting a GT4 instead for similar money but if your set on a 911 fair enough.

[lemmingjames]

Slippydiff said:

With OE seats, yes (and I've done so with a 997.1 GT3, having removed the CGT Clubsport seats and replaced them with the GT2 carbon folding buckets) but the Porsche fraternity in the UK seem less willing to embrace non-OE seat swaps (on modern stuff) generally.

Hence why id keep them in storage in the OP situation and swap them out to something i liked instead

[Slippydiff]

lemmingjames said:

Hence why id keep them in storage in the OP situation and swap them out to something i liked instead

I agree wholeheartedly, but it seems many owners won't consider removing/swapping seats, most seem to either sell the car if the seats aren't comfortable, or not buy the car in the first place. A shame when there's so many aftermarket seats that are far superior to the OE stuff that's designed to accommodate anything from Mr Average to 20+ stone Yank frames.

[TGJR]

nigelonich said:

I wouldn't be too constrained on price as many 996 and 997 non RS cars are sticking around for ages so find one that has been slow to sell that you like.

Sometimes they drop off the listings but then pop up again at a different dealer too so take notes!

Not helpful but I agree with many of the comments above around getting a GT4 instead for similar money but if your set on a 911 fair enough.

Yes well spotted. I have been surprised since starting my search how long a lot of these GT3's on the market with dealers have sat in stock. Quite a lot have been in for 4 months + and I can sort of see why. The dealers are probably not too worried about sitting on stock that has shown movements up in price over recent years where as with newer cars when stock is depreciating they are much keener to move things on.

Does make you wonder though if the prices are artificially high. Dealers can in effect move the market by putting cars up at strong prices (see a couple of 996 GT3's in the classifieds at circa £90K) and then private sellers look at what they are asking and think "crikey, my car has gone up in value nicely". There is a difference between what cars are advertised at and what they sell at as we all know. Plus, for private sales I doubt there are that many potential buyers with the cash in hand and not needing finance and/or part-ex facilities.

In other words.... someone should sell me a nice GT3 now for £60K and be grateful for it!

[Cheib]

TGJR said:

nigelonich said:

I wouldn't be too constrained on price as many 996 and 997 non RS cars are sticking around for ages so find one that has been slow to sell that you like.

Sometimes they drop off the listings but then pop up again at a different dealer too so take notes!

Not helpful but I agree with many of the comments above around getting a GT4 instead for similar money but if your set on a 911 fair enough.

Yes well spotted. I have been surprised since starting my search how long a lot of these GT3's on the market with dealers have sat in stock. Quite a lot have been in for 4 months + and I can sort of see why. The dealers are probably not too worried about sitting on stock that has shown movements up in price over recent years where as with newer cars when stock is depreciating they are much keener to move things on.

Does make you wonder though if the prices are artificially high. Dealers can in effect move the market by putting cars up at strong prices (see a couple of 996 GT3's in the classifieds at circa £90K) and then private sellers look at what they are asking and think "crikey, my car has gone up in value nicely". There is a difference between what cars are advertised at and what they sell at as we all know. Plus, for private sales I doubt there are that many potential buyers with the cash in hand and not needing finance and/or part-ex facilities.

In other words.... someone should sell me a nice GT3 now for £60K and be grateful for it!

There are very few dealers that will sit on stock for four months when they own the cars outright. I reckon most of the cars that have sat around for a few months are SoR...although there's at least one dealer (Hexagon) who will happily sit on cars they own for much longer.

[v8ksn]

OP If you find a car that is more or less perfect but it has buckets, I am more than willing to swap my 18 way adjustable seats for your buckets (nomex or leather - I dont mind)

This is a genuine offer and if you really twist my arm, I might be persuaded to give you some money too