Nice thread..... mod mod mod.....Nice to see!

I will continue modding my car with a plan to buy a stock 07gt3rs soon.... keeping both cars.

Something that I just enjoy having a car modded that no one else has....but also appreciate what comes in a stock gt3rs package....

 

You're right! As long as a person wants to spend money on their cars there are many ways to do so...

I think the GT3/RS coilovers are good enough from factory (for street and track use), just add solid bushings, buckets, rollbar & harness and voila! You're done (at least for me).

BTW I want that Miata that keeps up with a GT3 RS you keep talking about

Porsches from factory are "trackable sports car" in my opinion (not Panamera or Cayenne ). It is us, the consumers, that never find it enough and spend money trying to make it faster and better.

It is a bottomless pit for sure! But purchasing a regular 997 and spending big money trying to make it more track oriented (unless you keep it in a reasonable budget) is just plain silly when there is a model that Porsche offers from factory already: the GT3.

 

some turboed skinned miatas are quite capable in good hands when driven 10/10 compared to gt3 that goes 8/10 at its best as gt3 car owner too afraid to meet the wall and miata owner is not.

i have nothing against gt3. nice motor, all the same is same with tub I have so they will be faster on straight, i have a chance to be faster in a corner.
what I say - it is all personal but amount of fun anybody gets from this sport does not really depend of what particular car one drives. I personally have budget to repair/replace any part of my current car and do not currently have any desire to lock up same budget for GT3 car. As of talk 'GT3 never brakes' - BS, they all brake, engines blow, gearboxes go, wheel bearings go, as soon as one starts rolling up track miles wear and tear will intensify 200% and I plan for at least 10 good years with this car as with cars I had before and I can say with very good probability Cx car or GT3 track car may need new motor in 10 years.

plus, again, real track ready car is gt3 rs. $130K+ new. my car was $38K plus $20K mods over 2 years out of which may be $14K or so were relevant and remained, rest was pretty much foam out of nothing better to do. I do not feel any way restricted and in my current green group was passing some gt3 cars. so who cares? when I`ll get to yellow and higher they will be passing me. and some better guys in 20 year old rs americas will be passing those new gt3 cars. as more as I get absorbed into this sport i only think money - how much are consumables, possible repairs, etc. car model, raw power, engine mods, all that somehow got pushed into second/third plane. like right now i have a dilemma - whom to sell 335 RA1 tires set i got stuck with or where to find last set of 275 RA1 tires if they do still exist in the known universe. who cares of those gt3 cars...

 

PCCB's are a 5 figure replacement cost.. so i wouldn't say they are a "little bit" more expensive.. just sayin

 

it seems as though Paul and I paid the same for our cars...

Please find me a 997.1 gt3 for 58k.. (38K +20K in mods) We were able to get into our 997 bodied cars at a reasonable price drive them for a while and then able to do some mods at our leisure to get our cars more trackable (i am still in process) and when things break for instance a blown motor.. we can get one around 8K rebuilt from porsche (if i remember correctly). Find a gt3 motor that of course "never" blows up for less then 20K

take a 997.1 Gt3 at 75K and throw in your roll bar, harness, buckets, don't forget replacing your warn out PCCB's, track wheels, etc etc and you up to 85k+ easy..

I am def not hating on the GT3 i think its an amazing vehicle looks and performance wise.. I am also not putting my car (when its done) in the same category..

Modifying my car is 75% of the fun of owning it.. for me anyways. Its taking that raw shell and making it better and getting to see every little improvement make a difference. I can imagine a lot of people are in the same boat and feel the same way.. thats why the "ohh why don't you just get a GT3" or "pony up the cash and get a GT3RS" isn't always the best response to someone who loves what they are doing and has worked hard at earning the money to do it.

don't want to end up like this guy lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7iUKaPlBl8

 

I don't understand one thing, what is your problem with the PCCB? Not all GT3/RS comes with PCCB. On the other hand you have the option to swap the ceramic rotors and pads to iron

 

No problem with the PCCB's i am just stating the enormous replacement cost which needs to be considered.

 

I've watched the video before and it is quite funny

1- modding is fun for sure! I like it myself as well
2- your thread's title is "GT3RS on a budget"

What I was trying to explain was simply: when you're trying to match your regular 997 to the performance of a GT3 you will end up spending too much.

 

I think it is ridiculously expensive! No arguing there, but you can put them in a box and save them until you sell the car and use steels in the mean time

 

How much risk you're willing to take is one thing. I was referring to same skilled driver.

I love the GT3, in the future I would like to get a 997.1 or .2 GT3.

The thing after a while is that you reach a plateau and want a faster car so you could lower your lap times.

I think you guys understood me wrong. I was trying to say: "Don't loose yourself modding, without realizing you're going to reach used .1 GT3 territory"

Stop being so hostile please, I mean no harm

 

Ahhhh... this is a fun thread so I am going to throw my two cents in.

Everyone trying to somehow rationalize buying a GT3 over modifying a C2 or vice versa has lost their minds. There is absolutely no way any of us can place any kind of logic into what started out as an illogical decision. Meaning, none of us need these cars. They do not make any sense financially. Even the track guys have to admit there are much cheaper ways to club race and be competitive.

I think Larry said it best. "Inserting logic into emotional purchases leads to a conclusion drawn on an invalid argument .. thus (IMO) irrational."
-One of the greatest single statements I have ever seen on this forum!

So does it really matter if someone buys a 40K C2 and spends 20K on it vice dropping 70-80K on a GT3... My answer... who cares as long as the guy is having fun. I had a blast modding the ish out of my 997S and I learned a lot.

Okay my personal opinion....

If your going to seriously track a Porsche on a budget (Im talking about the guys hitting the track a couple times a month)... buying a used 997 or even 996 makes more sense to me than buying a GT3. Most of the suspension bits are similarly priced but the drivetrain is not. If I was scared of big maintenance bills then I would stick to the cheaper Porsche's with the cheaper replacement engines and transmissions.

I have heard the argument of purchasing the more expensive GT3 or RS or even Cup over heavily tracking a C2 or C2S several times now. The reality is that in the end the GT3/RS and Cup car are for more expensive to maintain in the long run. Hell a Cup car can cost anywhere from 5K to 8K a weekend in required maintenance alone.

But here I am trying to rationalize an irrational decision.

Buuuuttttt... keep in mind some of the fastest Porsche's in club racing right now are frankenstein monsters. Cars that started life as 964's but look like 993 RSR's with 996 and 997 engines.... good times!

Jason

 

Very good point! No hostility here! It's all fun!

 

To be honest, I do regret my decision. I would rather have spent the extra $ modding my car into a GT3. I really do wish I had.

Before I realized I had spent a lot of money into my car, and didn't want to sell it and get a GT3. Look at the result now



I just didn't want anyone to make that same mistake. It is not my place to tell anyone how to spend their money, it was just an advice saying don't overdo it and regret it at the end.

 

Trust me I've seen some drama going on the forum a few times It turns ugly after a while...

 

Sweet ride I thought it was a gt3! Lol