Porsche 911UK Forum

Welcome to the @Porsche911UK website. Register a free account today to become a member! Sign up is quick and easy, then you can view, participate in topics and posts across the site that covers all things Porsche.

Already registered and looking to recovery your account, select 'login in' and then the 'forget your password' option.

GT3 Buyer's guide

Slow Poke

Well-known member
Joined
27 Oct 2006
Messages
251
Been looking at some possibles this far as I would like to get one this summer, I have come across the following buyer's guides:

1. GT PP - July 2003

2. 911 + PW - July 2003

It is most likely that I will go for a Mark 1 as these fit my little pockets a bit better. I know of the fundamental differences between the Comfort and the CS specs. I will not buy one without putting it through the 111 point inspection and will buy the warranty too. Also realise it would be worthwhile to get the geo looked at sooner rather than later. This might not be an issue if it is from someone who has this checked on a regular basis. As my search goes on, I would be most grateful for any input from you all. Im going to apologise in advance for all the silly questions I am going to be asking.

Are there any other guides/ reference articles/ sources of information available? I have done a search on here and could not come up with anything.



Thanks,



Rish






Migration info. Legacy thread was 121245
 
best Mk1 biased buying guide I have seen is known as Oceancarrera :wink:

Whats your budget


Migration info. Legacy thread was 121264
 
Best VFM modern motorsport-inspired 911 Porsche have ever made :wink:

now what else do you want to know :wink:

:D

...

The Mk1 GT3 was the last hand built car Porsche ever made at Weissach. Budget mid-40's for a good RHD. Service history counts more than mileage. There are a couple of nice ones for sale in the marketplace at the moment - one original, one modified. Get it PPI'd by an independent who knows their GT3s (JZM or Parr). Don't be put off by a tracked car as these are typically some of the best examples - their enthusiastic owners service and look after them religiously.

Migration info. Legacy thread was 121320
 
40 K ish, though might stretch a wee bit further for a good car.

A tracked car is not going to put me off, as long as it has had all the servicing done at the right time. Details of what has and has not been done to it would be useful too. At the same time I am not going to discount higher mileage cars as they have probably seen balanced use.

Which ones are you talking about specifically? PM me with details please.


Migration info. Legacy thread was 121338
 
Good luck with that. I have had a run of financing GT3's....

Migration info. Legacy thread was 121364
 
New questions: part 1

I drive a 350Z which is a bit soft for me (girlfriend finds it a bit stiff
(no jokes please)
but hey, thats what I think.) I have test driven some C2's and a C4S and felt they were soft rides too. Not tested a GT3 yet.

The GT3 will be a daily drive and I will, in all prob, get a banger over winter months. Will a clubsport be too firm for daily use? Seen a nice one for sale and its in the right colour too. I know in the end, I need to answer this myself, but views would be nice.

On the upside, Insurance only goes up by a 120 quid or minus 400 if I add the missus! Weyhey!!!


Migration info. Legacy thread was 121414
 
Clubsport is no more harsh than the Comfort.

The only mechanical difference between the Clubsport and Comfort on the Mk1 is the LWF that is standard on the Clubsport.

There is NO mechanical difference between the Clubsport and Comfort on the Mk2.

If it is going to be a daily drive, the Mk2 is a better bet than the Mk1. But then again, I think you should really consider something like a C4S or facelift 3.6C2 if the car will just be a daily drive.

Any 911 will be a better drive than the 350Z.


Migration info. Legacy thread was 121415
 
Previous poster said:
Quote: Originally posted by Slow Poke on 01 March 2007

New questions: part 1

I drive a 350Z which is a bit soft for me (girlfriend finds it a bit stiff
(no jokes please)
but hey, thats what I think.) I have test driven some C2's and a C4S and felt they were soft rides too. Not tested a GT3 yet.
I went from a Z to a 911 too. I know what you mean about the suspension. Might be worth you going to an OPC and trying a 997 S. I know it's a bit more money, but the ride in sport mode is very firm. This might give you an idea of what you could do to a C4S with some firmer spring.

Also if you have been trying older C2s and C4s then there springs may be due a change anyway.


Migration info. Legacy thread was 121417
 
Ocean,

I have been through the whole, is a C2/ C4 more sensible, cheaper etc etc, but in the end I want to get the best for my money and I think the GT3 fits the bill nicely.

So,

The 996s I have tried have been 2003 with about 20K miles on them, so worn springs shouldnt really be a factor, should they?




Migration info. Legacy thread was 121432
 
Sorry Slow Poke, I'm not knocking your decision for a GT3 (heck I have one and recommend them to everyone!), but I'm just trying to get a feel for what you are looking for in a car. It's not just about the money either - it's about what is the best 911 for your needs/wants/budget.

So if you are looking for something harder than the Z and will be a daily driver, imho a Mk2 would be a better bet if you are looking at GT3s. But Mk2s are slightly beyond your budget of £40k at the moment. £40k'ish will get you into a Mk1 GT3, but the mileage/condition/history may be debatable with the potential for leaving you with bigger bills. So the way I see it, for £40k:


  • a higher mileage/potentially tired Mk1 GT3 which may need refreshing
  • stretch your budget to find either a good Mk1 or Mk2
  • consider another 911 that offers the same real world road performance and which is more suited to the "daily drive" but will still offer harder thrills than a Z when pushed
£40k is the minimum cost of entry into RHD GT3s. But it doesn't account for the maintenance costs which can mount up quite quickly. I've run mine for over 16k miles which is an age in GT3 terms. Plenty others on this forum who can probably share their TCO experiences on the GT3.

Just for comparison, £40k will get you a really nice C4S which needs nothing doing to it at all yet offers as much daily real world performance. It's just where the different models are at at this price point.

YMMV


Migration info. Legacy thread was 121437
 
Previous poster said:
Quote: Originally posted by Slow Poke on 01 March 2007


So,

The 996s I have tried have been 2003 with about 20K miles on them, so worn springs shouldnt really be a factor, should they?
No - should be fine at that age. You would need to change the spring to get the ride you are looking for. Keep looking for a GT3 - it will be better for residual values - just less practical day to day. But these are the choices we have to make when buying a 911.

That's the fun of it! :D


Migration info. Legacy thread was 121451
 
Previous poster said:
Quote: Originally posted by Slow Poke on 01 March 2007

New questions: part 1

Not tested a GT3 yet.
This is the key Slow Poke, you need to drive one 1st. The real danger is to read all the reviews, decide it's your best choice, decide to get one. You then run the real risk of heart taking over from brain on test drive. When you do test one be realistic, don't just go looking for the fast roads you know, go to the normal rutted, pot holed roads then see what you think. Try driving it fast on these roads & your first impressions will be that the car is trying to kill you. There are very few roads in this country where you can truly appreciate the differences of a 3 over any other 911. I've gone on record here before saying my Elan is frankly far quicker than the 3 on many roads.

As Ade says you are unlikely to get a good one for £40k and as we've recently discussed on another topic these are not cars to run on a tight budget.

Think carefully, these are great cars, but there don't come without downsides.

And just so you know I am talking from experience, I went and bought one as my 1st Porsche, simply because I liked the colour, the big wing & the carbon fibre interior mine has. Had absolutely no idea what the hell I was letting myself in for.


Migration info. Legacy thread was 121531
 
Thanks guys.

Ocean,

Didnt think you were knocking me. I have lurked here for a bit and recognise that you are a helpful contributors to threads and are quite knowledgable about the GT3. I fully appreciate what you are saying. To be entirely honest, my reasons for preferring a GT3 are twofold. The first one, I have stated. The second, 40K would get me a good C4S, but its hardly the classic a 993 is and is not going to be worth much over 25K in 3 years time. GT3s, on the other hand have depreciated as much as they can afaik.



Rob,

The point you make is quite a relevant one and one I have read several times. I agree, I need to drive one first. If I find too much of the "Hell, Im going to die" factor, I will back out and look for something a bit tamer.



Trust you wont mind me coming back and asking more silly questions.

Rish


Migration info. Legacy thread was 123586
 
Rish,
no probs with the qs. Let us know how you get on with the drives... the C4S and GT3 are quite different cars with different USPs. But both can thrill you. I remember the C4S coming second to the NSX-R in one of the Evo COTY editions a few years back, so it's certainly no "slow poke"! :wink:

Migration info. Legacy thread was 123594
 
Previous poster said:
Quote: Originally posted by oceancarrera on 09 March 2007

so it's certainly no "slow poke"! :wink:
Haha, you get it!!! :lol:

Migration info. Legacy thread was 123603
 

New Threads

Forum statistics

Threads
124,350
Messages
1,439,414
Members
48,705
Latest member
Scratch
Back
Top