What's difficult to find is an honest assessment of the GTR's fun-factor. Conversations about the car almost always degenerate into Nurburgring lap time pissing contests which I find infuriating as my office and my home are not situated along an old F1 race track.

I'm strongly considering a gently-used 996TT, which are bargain-priced IMHO, as well as the GTR. Why am I in the 997 Turbo forum? Because I figure there are more people who have driven the GTR in this forum.

 

My friend owned one for 3 weeks before selling it at a loss. Now he drives a 09 997TT. He let me drive it for an afternoon by myself when he had it. My impressions is that it felt very big and disconnected. It was fast but not a 'smile on my face, fast'. The very fast 0-60 numbers come only when launching the car because of the grip out of the hole. But when just cruising and then smashing the gas it sometimes takes off and sometimes not really...depends on if it grabbed the right gear.
The stereo sounded good and nav was cool, but the interior and exterior styling felt too YOUNG for me...and I am only 38. It also looks kind of cheap.
I went into this drive wanting to like the car because its performance numbers and price are very appealing but left that drive with confirmation that the GTR is not for me and my wants in a car.

My friend got rid of it for the same reasons but also from the tranny noises and brake issues he was having.

Drive it for yourself and see what you think, I have found that there are many opinions on this forum and sometimes they are way off from mine.
You might find that it is for you.

 

I purchased a GT-R about 2 years ago, and sold it four months later. It is a great car for the money, and certainly a very able daily driver. It was, however, not very fun. Compared to my 997tt, which is heavily modified, it felt more like a sporty sedan and less like a sports car. The interior seems out of place compared with the technology and capabilities of the car. In the end, I picked up and modified a Maserati GTS Cambiocorsa...much more fun to drive and sounds great. Plus, the overall build and quality were much more in line with why I purchased the car.
I drive a Prius 75% of the time, so when I drive another car it must provide some level of excitement or thrill. The GT-R was clearly more fun to drive than the Prius, but never excited me in the way the Porsche or Maserati do.

 

i did and was totally impressed. it felt sportier and faster than stock 997tt.

 

This description is spot on with my experience with the car..I had the chance to drive one for two days from a friend. I was hoping to fall in love and get one of my own..all due to the media/press on these cars. But not for me...obviously fast, but it felt much more like my M5 than my Turbo. The interior was great...if I was 18 and a gamer. No thanks but cheers to those who have one..just my opinion.

 

Clarkson's 10-minute review: He liked it, but called it too technical, playstationy, disconnected.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXFSVoVqhYw

 

Im own my third turbo (had 996 and 997.1) currently (997.2 PDK) and have had a GTR for about 30 months.

The performance aspect of the GTR is shocking especially from a dig and modability is very easy and pricing is reasonable. A few simple mods and you have a 130 mph trapping car and 0-60 under 3 seconds. The car boldly goes into, thru, and out of turns like not other. The grip is intense and the brakes put your face into the windshield. So for true performance its a no brainer car.

But, to me, the car is just not as involving as either of my 997's. I just dont feel like part of the car. I feel more like Im in a big shell and am just turning. The car clearly allows me to drive to extreme limits but it doesnt make me a better driver. In the 997 I feel like I am part of the car and not just in it. Yes driving the rear engine car requires more work but that is half the fun in my opinion concerning the driving experience. To me speed and handling is only part of the equation. I like to enjoy the experience and the GTR is not as rewarding in this regard. Thus why I got rid of my 997.1 and got a 997.2 instead of a 2012 facelifted GTR.

Other opinions may/will vary but I have both cars. If I want to go fast and beat ever car or almost all then Ill drive the GTR. If I want to go almost as fast and really enjoy experience then I take the 997.1 and even moreso the 997.2. Im not saying the GTR driving experience is not amazing, just not so much as the Porsche. I love the ability to push the Porsche to its limits and actually feel the threshold. For me the 997 is the better car.

Now if you are considering a 996- I think Id go with the GTR.

 

I owned a GT700 996TT and also a Switzer P800 GTR. They are different so it will depend on what you are looking to get out of it. The trans on the GTR is amazing and it's so easy to drive.

Both great cars, I don't think you can go wrong. Easiest thing to do will be to drive them both and see which one you prefer.

 

I agree with the above statements, the GTR is certainly a capable car but feels very numb to drive and easy to get bored of. IMO it doesn't feel at all like driving a "sportscar". I find my 997TT much more fun to drive...however I recently purchased a V10 R8 and love driving that car (totally different "feel" than my turbo). To be fair I'm not a fan of the flappy paddles and both my 997TT and R8 are 6MT.

 

I think a lot of our opinions, while valid, are simply too subjective. They may serve a purpose as a primer, but I think the best opinion in the matter will be your own. Get out there and drive them!

They are different cars that do things differently. For the money, the GTR is tough to beat, but you also have to realize that there is roughly $40,000 more in a 911TT new vs new. In some ways it is very clear where that money went, in others it isn't.

The price/performance/etc difference(s) is/are a little bit more murky when talking about the 996 platform, as it is much older and comparing it to the very modern GTR is somewhat problematic.

-m

 

Good luck getting to drive a GTR! Before I bought my 997TT I went to Irvine Nissan in SoCal to test drive one. The spiky haired, annoying, 21 y/o sales kid wouldn't let me test drive the GTR without first agreeing in WRITING to paying $10,000 over sticker for the car! How are you supposed to evaluate (and agree to buy) a car without test driving it first? I'm a doctor and I was dressed professionally so I figured it was clear that I wasn't just looking for a quick spin in the car. However, I went to the Porsche and Aston Martin dealerships dressed in shorts and flip-flops and I was able to pretty much test drive whatever I wanted. For me, regardless of the speed and performance, it came down to service and attitude. This all harkens back to the whole heritage and prestige factor of owning a Porsche. Nissan still has to get out of the mentality of selling Sentra's and Altima's and get into the mindset of the clientele they want to attract with the GTR. Just my 2 cents...but if you can get a test drive, do it!!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

 

Here is some info


http://www.gmgracing.com/r35/



Watch that video on this page.. It should some it all up..


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF9vkKmQG0I



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt0eqZK2oWA



Its hard to argue the performance potential of this car... The build quality in terms of materials used could use a upgrade big time particularly in the interior. It fails when compared to the Porsche in many ways. But for the sheer experience of speed its hard to not like it.

 

That's a good point. When the Nissan dealership has a GTR on the floor, they probably treat it like a crown jewel and you're considered lucky to be able to get a close look at it. It might even be roped off .

At the Porsche dealership, the GTR would be just another one of their cars (at the low-end of the price range at that). Climb in, check it out, take it for a spin. It's just a different type of product and clientele that they're generally use to. And wait until you have to deal with the service department....

 

Agreed. I test drove a mustang gt, subaru, and a corvette. All the salesmen insisted that they come along for the rides.

At the porsche dealership I asked to test drive a cayman s and a 997s and they just handed me the keys and said try to have it back within the hour.

My turbo asked me to check my oil level a couple times. It was a little below the fill line. I called up a dealer to ask what brand and weight to put into it, the guy spent 10 min with me over the phone talking to me about it. I've never experienced this kind of customer service from anyone one before.

Sorry I haven't driven a gtr, but if the sale of my turbo hadn't gone through it was next on my list of cars to drive.

 

I had a 997.1 turbo and a GT-R at the same time. Both has the same 480bhp rating. I liked the GT-R but it was massive. I liked the gadgets. 0-100 mph was very fast, faster than my 997.1 turbo. But after 100 mph it really seemed to slow down, where my 997 would just be getting started. After 100 mph the turbo was much faster to me.

If you modify the GT-R is almost anyway, you warranty is toast. The black box in the car knows everything and Nissan will not hesitate to void the warranty.

I gave up on the GT-R when my car suddenly gave transmission faults and was undriveable. The next day it drove fine. That spooked me enough to sell the car.

Oh and servicing and dealing with a Nissan dealer is terrible. This type of car does not belong in a Nissan dealership. They are used to a different type of car/market. I think they should have made this car an Infiniti in the USA.