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996 GT3 vs 997 GT3

Disco, having never driven a 997 GT3, and having only owned my 996 GT3 for a few months I found your write up very interesting. Thanks for taking the time to contribute to this thread.

Watching with interest.
 
Disco said:
Okay - with over half a decade in each I will pitch in on this one.

The simple bit is that the 997 is a better road car out of the box (and is also easier to drive). On the 996 you should immediately have the geometry changed to something not much like factory settings and then they are closer, but at factory settings it is safely understeary and somewhat less fun.

Engine wise there is a big difference in the torque curve with the 3.8 in the 997.2 that makes it much more drivable for day to day use but the gen 1 is more like the 996.

The chassis differences are a bit more relevant. Firstly of course the 996 has no traction or stability control at all, the 997.1 just traction control and the 997.2 has traction and stability. On track you really will want to turn all of that off anyway (otherwise it devours your rear brakes and upsets the balance), but if you find yourself out in the wrong weather on the wrong tyres you might consider it a factor. The other big 996-997 chassis difference is that the former has passive dampers whereas the latter has PASM. As a road car the PASM is fine, but to be honest on track the passive ones would be my preference even though the factory ones are a bit skittish and fidgety on bumpier surfaces. Another factor is that the differential is more aggressive on the 996, which (assuming that the plates haven't worn out) gives you better on track traction in exchange for worse low speed road manners (and an even more pronounced tendency to try and make you stall reversing around corners).

The interior is generally regarded as a 997 strongpoint, but there is more in it to consider. The 996 has the best bucket seats (the folding ones available on the 997.2 come second {both fit the majority of people} and the fixed ones introduced on the 997.1 are only for people not only slim hipped, but also narrow shouldered). But it doesn't have an oil temperature gauge, so you will have to learn to feel for when it is up to temperature (the feel of the gearbox is the purist's indicator of choice). The 996 also has the (default) option of the lower dashboard delete - IMHO with it deleted the 996 has the better ergonomics but with it in place I would favour the 997. The 997 has the option of the factory TPMS tyre pressure monitoring system (though it wasn't standard until the gen 2 and is very rare on gen 1 cars) which despite its foibles I would always favour. Other than that though it only matters if you were looking at the 997 gen 2 : its navigation system is not only much, much better than the gen 1, but is also usually specified with audio inputs (which talk to line, USB or iPhone) and bluetooth handsfree for your phone. The PCM console in the gen 1 meanwhile isn't something that I would choose over the CDR23 in the 996.

What else... I prefer the gearstick in the 997 - fits nicer into my hand and the shifter is metal bushed rather than plastic in the 996, but frankly that is not a difficult or expensive thing to fix. Another tiny thing that still resonates with me is that you don't have to push the clutch to start a 996 (so on a track day you can just reach in and fire up the car, which was an adjustment to me when I switched but more than that it makes it immune to the clutch sensor failure on the 997 which is minor but irritatingly common).

So - if I were you : which would I buy? If you can get a 997.2 I would, but if it were 996 vs 997.1 I would go with the 996 personally. I still get very nostalgic about my old one...

Hope that is of some use.

As for test drives - depends upon the dealer. A lot of them try to size up whether you are a serious buyer or a test pilot and can be... not as you would hope to expect. That said - if you rock up in a Porsche and speak like someone who has clearly done their homework then a test drive shouldn't be an issue.

:thumb:

Amazing response, thank you very much!

The other curveball in the price range is a GT4...?
 
Gareth64 said:
Lovely write up Disco!

Can I just ask one thing? I didn't know about having to push the clutch in on the 997. Why's that?

Cheers

Frankly I have no idea (I asked my OPC when they replaced my clutch sensor under warranty a few years ago and they didn't have an answer either). It is a pretty common thing with a lot of cars made since about 2005 in my experience but I have always thought it pointless personally.
 
phil84afc said:
The other curveball in the price range is a GT4...?

I've not driven one (try Nick W - he has one as well as his GT3 RSs), but it is a very different animal. Also remember that it is (a) not a 911, (b) has a normal Carrera engine in it and (c) they brought in 600 of them, so it is a lot more numerous than any GT3 and consequently is probably carrying some depreciation to come at this point in its life.

The not a 911 part is not snobbery by the way - just an acknowledgement that the only Cayman model to so far reach a strong flat price is the Cayman R (a fine car which is much less numerous than the GT4, but again something with an engine closely related to cooking Carreras) and that has values well below list. With that as the only precedent then I personally expect that the GT4 is a car that you would only buy because you preferred it to the raw GT3 experience - unlikely to be as sound financially but by all accounts easier to drive fast and an excellent car all round (and lets be fair - by Cayman standards the residuals will still be excellent. Just not likely to be as good as GT3s. Though if you are buying long term and to drive then you shouldn't really be too bothered about that).

By all means test drive one and factor it into your buying choices though - it might just be the right one for you. :thumb:
 
Disco said:
Gareth64 said:
Lovely write up Disco!

Can I just ask one thing? I didn't know about having to push the clutch in on the 997. Why's that?

Cheers

Frankly I have no idea (I asked my OPC when they replaced my clutch sensor under warranty a few years ago and they didn't have an answer either). It is a pretty common thing with a lot of cars made since about 2005 in my experience but I have always thought it pointless personally.

Its a saftey thing to stop you starting it in gear.
 
Lots of good advice here from people who have campaigned them for many seasons. My personal summary is the 996 is a more rewarding track car if majority of use is on track - in mk2 guise the RS is reputed to be the closest road car to the cup car of its time. The non RS mk2 is not much different.

If you are only tracking very rarely (<3 times a year) then the 997 with its comfort/road features would be a better fit. A 997 modded with passive suspension may be close to nirvana but I haven't tried one. I hear from people who have that the steering feedback still isn't quite the same as a 996.

The GT4 is an excellent modern road/track Porsche. Available with full warranty and modern comfort features. Very quick out of the box with a little less emotion in the drivetrain and steering (when compared to a GT3).

For me (as a track day junkie) my heart is totally smitten by the 996.
 
Senoj said:
Disco said:
Lovely write up Disco!

Can I just ask one thing? I didn't know about having to push the clutch in on the 997. Why's that?

Cheers

Its a saftey thing to stop you starting it in gear.

It is my understanding that it is good to start any car with the clutch pedal depressed as it puts less strain on the engine and is presumably more important on powerful cars. I do it on all m cars including the 996.

Pip
 

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