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!

[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.

[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!

[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!

[TGJR]

LukeS said:

To Op
Re the carbon seats I was hoping to buy a car with these and other extras however 3 years ago when looking these cars were rare as hens teeth. No sooner were they going on the web then they were sold. Long story short I was lucky enough to buy a low owner low mileage car but the draw back as I thought at the time was the lack of extras on the car.
Having owned for 3 years now I soon learnt that it's not about the leather door cards, a lap timer that you never use or a 6 speaker radio you can't hear properly or want too because the car makes its own music.
It's all about the driving experience, performance, handling and engine.

Mine has the comfort seats and from my perspective I can categorically say I do not believe carbon seats or cosmetic extras would make my experience any better.

Like has been said many times just make sure the cars been well maintained and do your homework.
Hope you find something soon.

Thanks. I get your point on how often you actually use some of the extras a car can come with. We often fall into the trap of buying a car with a specification that is considered 'desirable' when we come to sell rather than a specification to suit what we want ourselves. As pointed out in a few posts, the important thing is finding a car that has a good history and it may be a case of biding my time for the right one.