OK, so I attended my first DE. I can already tell I'm hooked. My 996TT, with which I previously couldn't find fault, suddenly feels like a pig of a car with horrible suspension and not nearly enough negative camber. I'm reading all these threads about KPV's Moton
Club Sport revelations and about GT3 front/GT2 rear brake cooling ducts and all this stuff my car needs and thinking . . . even if I pour $10k into my turbo it still won't be the "track *****" that a GT3 is, dead stock, due to weight issues alone.

My 996TT is an '02 with hardly any options and nearly 25k on the clock. I've been offered a $76k trade, which seems good given the horrible market for these cars. I've also beaten the dealer down $6k off of MSRP on an '05 GT3 in Carrara (uhm, gorgeous!) with not too many options (around $110k sticker). Should I pour some money into, and continue to enjoy, "the pig" for a few more years and hold out for a 997 GT3? Or do I bail from this depreciating-like-a-rock poseur of a PSM-equipped four-wheel-drive 911 and go for a more purist car that's basically as fast, 500lbs lighter, has better suspension and brakes, and is fully sorted for track duty off of the showroom floor? Help!

 

if the GT3 is an 05, i say pull the trigger , esp with the miles on the TT - an 02 TT with single digit miles only brings low 80s right now, so 5K penalty for miles seems good to me. The GT3 doesn't really need all those options anyways.

I say try to get 1500 more on your trade. That would make it even more reasonable.

 

Is the track the only thing you're going to do with either car?

What are your current alignment settings?
Have you driven the GT3?
Have you driven a Turbo with X73?
Are you sure your Turbo weighs 500 lbs more than a GT3? My Turbo weighs about 300 lbs more. The "heavy" feeling is primarily the feel of the AWD, not the actual weight of the car.
If you consider your Turbo a "pig"...get the GT3. Sounds like you don't like your car.

 

The TT is 281# heavier with the AWD.
Sounds like you already made up your mind.

 

try to love your car once more. that'll help u clear your mind better. sounds like the mind is set already but think about what would u possibly miss about the Turbo. more people talk here is gonna confuse u more. if the DE is the major buying factor i'd say do it.

the 996 GT3 is pretty much the most reliable 996 out there being the last few production 996 model. it's built to drive hard. even though the 997 GT3 is around the block i don't think it'll be as reliable as the 996 now. plus since u're gonna track it why bother to wait for the new styling while u can enjoy it now. however, it is very hard, in my personal opinion once u step into the GT world u'll be very hard to look back for the 997 Turbo or below. your next car will most likely be 997 GT3 or GT2.

 

There's no way I would take a TT over a GT3 unless back seats were an absolute must. One is just more of a cruiser with a more numb AWD experience in which the computer does the "throttle steering" (or takes it away) and the other is a purist lightweight RWD driver's car (though without PSM if you encounter weather where you live). It's hard to beat the thrill of 8K+ RPM too! I've seen the 300 lbs heavier numbers posted here but I highly doubt that. Most of the TTs I've seen have weighed in at 3500 lbs wet. A GT3 is more like 3100 and there are some very easy ways to take another 100 too 200 lbs off if you get really serious. Check the Rennlist.com GT3 board for actual weights of GT3s both before and after diets. You're also gonna eat more brakes and tires on a TT using it in the way you describe because it is heavier.

 

Wow, your first DE must have had quite a lasting impression. To be honest, and this is not an insult in any means, 100% of people will never be able to drive their porsche to its limits in the first DE. I am sure your 996 TT has a lot more to extract at a track but if you truely feel the way you do then maybe you have already made up your mind. There is no doubt that the GT3 is more of a track car and more of an enthusiasts mobile. But then again the 996TT is not too shabby. Are you looking to club race in the future? If so get the GT3, do you need the back seat(little kids)? Every person has a different need and want, you see to want a GT3 so get it bro. I wish I was in your position. Post the pics of the GT3, i love white GT3s, very sexy color in that car.

 

do it pull the trigger

 

I loved my TT until I did a DE, and like you I felt it was a pig.

Went to look for a Boxster as a DE car and came home with a GT2. I really enjoy this car.

Then I bought a GT3 for my wife to replace her X51

For cruising, everyday use or inclement weather the TT rules, but for driving and involvement..the GT series satisfies.

The 997 GT3 is an unknown, and they may go away from the 3.6 block, but the technology always improves and the next Porsche is always the best one.

Only you can decide if a bird in the hand (996 GT3) is worth one in the bush (997 GT3, if it comes to the US). For me, I put my money where my mouth (keyboard) is, but if the 997 GT3 is better..well!

 

another one bites the dust

 

I went with a 993 TT thinking the car was a bit more viseral than a 996TT. I loved it ...and I love the 996TT as well. The rush of a turbo is good fun! Unfortunately I went to a DE as well and left bummed out on the car I loved. Moved immediately to a GT3 and I am thrilled. It has a real learning curve and I have lost the car many times...but it is a blast. The 8200 rev limit is probably impossible for me to give up regardless of how much fun boost is. Keep us posted and good luck!

 

[
Your wife drives a GT3 my kind of girl...thats all you have a GT3 and a GT2? Meaning nothing for real bad weather or everday?
QUOTE]Originally posted by cnc
I loved my TT until I did a DE, and like you I felt it was a pig.

Went to look for a Boxster as a DE car and came home with a GT2. I really enjoy this car.

Then I bought a GT3 for my wife to replace her X51

For cruising, everyday use or inclement weather the TT rules, but for driving and involvement..the GT series satisfies.

The 997 GT3 is an unknown, and they may go away from the 3.6 block, but the technology always improves and the next Porsche is always the best one.

Only you can decide if a bird in the hand (996 GT3) is worth one in the bush (997 GT3, if it comes to the US). For me, I put my money where my mouth (keyboard) is, but if the 997 GT3 is better..well! [/QUOTE]

 

Good stuff from everyone; thanks! Here's the thing: I've had the car for 3 years so I really know how to toss it around and I had a great instructor (John Goodyear from FL). Left PSM on and I certainly feel I was overdriving the car at times, that is, thrashing it beyond what was necessary to get better lap times instead of "finessing it."

However, my brakes were way hot (needed cooling) and I was using the outer 1" of the tires through most hot turns because the car is too high and is aligned at zero camber up front (but even the rears, at -1.6 I believe, were suffering similarly in turns once I got a good "stick" and was throttle-to-the-carpet through the apex -- as John was telling me, if you're not at full throttle or near it at the apex, you came in too hot).

Now, I studied Mech. E in school. And I avoid doing anything "half-assed." I'll do it right or not bother at all. After seeing KPV's thoughts on Motons (how cool is he for sharing all that in gruesome detail?!), I pretty much feel that there's not another solution for a mostly tracked, sometimes streeted 996TT wearing slicks. So to me it's a minimum $10k pricetag to sort the brakes and suspension on my car -- and although some of y'all don't care about such things, most of that money I'll never see again when I do trade cars and that concept has never sat well with me financially if there's an off-the-rack car that has most of what you're looking for.

So maybe that's my next question: would the Moton'd and properly-braked 996TT be as good or better than a stock GT3 around tight and technical tracks, like Barber? It's 10min from my house; given how much I enjoyed my first outing, I could see myself there 5 or 6 weekends a year minimally.

 

You should probably get a ride or see if you can drive someone's TT that has been modified. With the proper suspension changes and some added power you can be very happy on the track with your TT.

The last track event I did no one could stay with my TT including some pure track cars. Of course 700 ponies helps!

 

The beauty of the Turbo...plenty of room to modify!