Odd that all the .2 detractors already own .1's

Off the top of my head, differences include the 3.8 with more low end and midrange and 15hp, DEM's/lift as options, revised aero, updated electronics (nav, BT), revised suspension tuning. The incremental changes do add up. Either way you go though, you get an amazing car.

 

Well, the OP asked about the value of diff between .1 and .2, so naturally the responses were geared as such. They are all great rides.

 

So much good info here. Makes it harder and harder. 20-30k is a lot of mods and repairs and replacement. You can do a lot with that money. The LSD and coolant issue - matter of time and luck i guess before it becomes a problem. No one can predict that aspect.

Center lock is annoying but looks cool.
Front lift - there are aftermarket options for that.
3.6 vs 3.8 - well, 3.9 conversion is near 40k no? (sharkwerks)

I guess it all matters how much aftermarket stuff i will dump into this project.

 

.1RS to .2RS is worth the delta which is basically the same $20-30K
It's the gearing...
Having regeared my lowly.1RS i am halfway through the price delta already and the .2RS was not out at the time...

I just think gt3 to gt3 is not worth it for improved nav and a little hp

Dem means nothing to me and neither does front end lift

 

I looked at both when I bought my 997.1 GT3. I echo what everyone else said, at the time the delta was around $25 thousand and I couldn't justify the incremental cost vs. the incremental benefits.

If I ever move up from my .1, it would be to an .2 RS.

 

A non abused GT3 .1 or .2 is a great car. If you want better lap times become a better driver and save the 20 k.

 

ppl ask this question often.
here is the simple answer.
.2 is better, period. no and if buts.
.1 is better value.
how much is that "value" is based on your perception of how you should waste your money.

while my avatar shows a .2RS. i also have had .1RS, .1 non RS, .2 non RS and 4.0RS.
the above theory holds true for any model.

 

I love your answer man. But i think you are absolutely right.

 

Obviously your stated values are subjective. You may feel CLs are a loss, I do not.

As for a short list of some additional items: brakes (size, weight), better sorted suspension, better aero, far better looks,especially the fore and aft facias; hate the inserts on the.1s. RMS issues have been improved as has the coolant issues. Yes, there may be some, but far less on the .2s.

 

I owed a 2006 997S with exhaust, ECU and rear sway bar & control arms upgrade, and the end result is I have the same pace with a stock 996GT3
Now the S is gone and I have a 2007 GT3RS, my 1st impression is the engine is fast, but not the suspension. The car understeer & pitch a lot when pushing hard, also it rolls a lot with R tire. Ends up upgrading to GT2 rear swaybar. You have to fix the LSD no matter .1or.2 (mad). The R tire magnify the soft rubber joint movement, same as the 997S (also mad). Changed out all the rubbers from all arms. Recommend to change to cup front lip, and the factory sucks (feel the lifting at high speed), or block off the brake cooling holes to reduce air flow under the car.
I had driven the .2GT3 (very much stock) same track same day, car has less understeer and pitching due to it’s new front lip and stiffer springs (especially the front). Engine is easier to rev from low to mid high RPM, which make driving easy. A lot easier to pick up speed when exiting corner. There might be some corners u are stuck at between 2nd to 3rd gear and now 3rd gear is easier to rev (I wish I can afford the 4.0 final gear, otherwise, .2 engine improves the lacking situation). My feeling from the track is this 3.8 engine is under rated by a little. Feels 30 more HP than the 3.6.
For sure the .2GT3 is a quicker car (about 1-2 sec) than the .1GT3RS when comparing apple to apple (I mean both stock).
How you allocate the $20k delta on mod can yield different results. I would upgrade the suspensions. In the future, I will get the 3.9 update or 4.0 final gear when the engine come out (such as blew the coolant FTG) Sorry to say Porsche is very cheap on our cars!
Note: I bought the RS for 10k more just for the orange color and no performance gain, and giving away all the luxury items to dealer for free (does not sound right!).
The 996 cup car is a better deal for track use in my opinion, wish I can make it street legal.

 

how did they improve the coolant fittings OR none of them have fallen out yet since the cars are newer? They are still glued in right? no threads or welding or pins from the factory.

CL weigh more than the 5 lugs and require "specialty" tools that most guys would not own otherwise...

Sorted suspension - PASM sucks in both IMHO

Far better looks - in the eye of the beholder I suppose, subjective at least

RMS issue improved -- news to me

Heh... whatever floats your boat... one is a better value (as mooty said) and value is relative. If you have money to blow, then by all means go with the newer of the 2... or consider a .1 and spending the extra on making it a better car.

.1 with a SW 3.9 for example, or a BBI 4.0...

they are both fantastic cars and a bad decision cannot be made.

I paid more for a .1RS vs a .1GT3 and it is not a stretch to say that I paid a significant delta for nothing... but for me the value was there in widebody and no sunroof alone... FOR ME...

 

apparently it IS news to you. Improvements have been made and incidents are less. Facts are facts. Like what you like. It is what it is. PASM is relative and isn't the topic, the better suspension is. To say if one has money to blow then go with the .2 is ridiculous. It is a matter of how we all decide to blow our money on any of these cars.

 

Looks like you bought a .2 and paid a lot for it

 

Since it is fact, according to you, could you elaborate a bit on the RMS improvement? I am honestly asking... is it simply a revised seal or something more elaborate? My car had a leaking RMS and FMS when I got it with 3000 miles on it. It was addressed under warranty and has not been a problem since. I am under the impression that if you drive them with some regularity, then the incidence of RMS or FMS leaks is much less.

PASM is part of the suspension no? that is the little shock button you push for firm or soft suspension? or at least that is what I was referring to... I think PASM dampers (which are part of the suspension) suck in both cars for track use (my primary use). If they revised other suspension parts on the base GT3 then great as well... makes no difference on the street and for most de drivers the difference on the track would also be negligible.

With regards to your words in red above -- that is exactly what I am saying... the incremental improvements are what they are... I (me, just me) do not think the incremental improvements are worth the $25K+ price delta... I (me, just me) think that I would rather save the $25K+ OR if I was not in a saving mood, I (just me) would rather have a 997.1 GT3 with $25K worth of mods than a 997.2 GT3 that is stock. ($25K is 3.9SW and 4.0 BBI upgrade territory)

It is a simple value proposition and as moody stated value is relative, and I think your second sentence in red is saying that as well... so we sort of agree a little bit..

Buy whatever you want -- my opinion is only my opinion (which I think is obvious) but $25K to me is a year of tuition for one of my kids... so for a marginal hp increase, centerlocks, the same gearing, the same LSD, the same coolant pipes, a better chance of a dry RMS, better nav that I would not order, dem that I dont care about, and front end lift that I would not order -- it is not a good value proposition FOR ME.

Is the .2 a better car -- YES... $25K+ better? Not in my opinion..

A friend of mine just bought a low mile 997.2 GT3 for $114K... I find that to be totally ridiculous when a good 997.1 GT3 is $75K -- that is a $39K spread... but to him it was worth it... I get it.

In your words "to say if you have money to blow then go with a .2 is ridiculous" is from my perspective not at all ridicoulous.

For $25K+ more you get what you get... and only the buyer can determine if the improvements are worth it to him. TO ME they are not when comparing .1GT3 to .2GT3.

 

I was debating back in 2010 to either get the .1RS or the .2GT3 (20k more that time). Nowadays, I do not know and the value seems to be narrowed from an investment stand point. The RS holds value ok so far, about 99k on ebay. But I hate the fact that the .1 RS radio is so cheap and missing rear speakers. I was trying to add the rear speaker back into, but no wiring (deleted from factory), WTF. Maybe I did not dig into deep enough while removing the interior panels. Paid more and get less is the .1RS : )
Also want to mention the 3.8 has better MPG, worth it ? : )