Opinion on GT3TEK 996 spoiler

My 99 C2 was involved in an accident ... good thing there weren't any damage to the jeep which my wife drove into, however the front bumper on my c2 was quite scuffed and the top of the bumper skin which meet up to the hood caved in a little. There is also a small crack to the skin (possibly body filler) close to the passenger headlamp . The bumper had been repaired before as I had the dealership where I bought the car fix a scuff on it as part of the purchase agreement. It is repairable as I've been quoted between $600 - $1200 for the repair from various body shops... all dependent on the removal of the bumper and inspecting the back of it. I've been looking at options of possibly updating the look of the car by enhancing the exterior look. I like the look of the Porsche Aero Kit I but can't stomach the price tag of $2K for the bumper alone. I've looked at Duraflex and read the negative reviews and is now looking at one of the vendor sponsors GT3TEK. I like the look of of the Aero Kit I and is considering this bumper. http://www.gt3tek.com/products/996gt3.html Before I make the purchase, I hoping I can get some feedback from the folks on this forum whether they have any experience dealing with GT3TEK and their products .... fitment, finish, etc. I'm also considering the skirts and the GT trim ... not sure if GT3TEK offers them. Thanks

Hey guys, I'm a long time searcher, but first time poster on here. Looks like I'll be officially joining the community this week. I have a tough decision on my hands, after scouring used car sites, I've found a beast 996 Turbo and a stock 997 Turbo. I've searched quite a bit on here and around the web, and it seems as though it's more of a matter of opinion than anything else. Here is my predicament: 2004 911 Turbo 62,xxx miles 6 speed (Seal Grey w/black interior) asking $45k Mods (soooo many, but I'll list the main ones): Ultimate Motor Werks K24/26 zero clearance turbo package, Bill Rader GT3 cup car tranny w/straight cut gears, EVOMS stage 2 clutch, and many more. Seems like this guy knew what he was doing and built it right. Claims last dyno was over 600hp. OR 2008 911 Turbo 83,xxx miles TIPTRONIC (Cobalt blue w/red interior...I actually love this combo) Asking $46k This one is bone stock with the exception of aftermarket rims. Seems to be in good condition, and if it was a 6 speed I probably would have already moved on it. I guess I'm just looking for opinions, my concerns with the 996 is that it'll be too much of a beast to be a semi-daily driver, and the automatic transmission is definitely what's holding me back on the 997. Any suggestions?? Thanks!

Sorry folks, the thread should have read "Bumper", not Spoiler.

$46k for a 2008 even with 80k miles seems low. Does it check out? I would say this about heavily modified cars...in my experience you are buying someone else's headache.

No comment.....PM sent.

I would lean towards the 997. The 996 interior appears cheap and doesn't give me the feel that your in a special car.. Same goes for the fried egg look for headlights. That said, I find the miles on the 997 a tad high. I agree that a heavily modded car could be troublesome but it sounds like this one was done with a bit of strategy. Good luck with the decision

I have their rear GT3 RS style rear bumper. Great fit but I made a suggestion for them to improve the license plate light area. It wasn't cut enough to fit the lights as-is. I had to trim the thickness a tad. Other than that, looks amazing. Oh also have the GT3 rocker sides. I had all the prep/prime/paint done by shop that the local Porsche dealership uses. Cost was a bit high but came out perfect.

I've had a 996TT with some mods and now a 997TT with none (yet). $45k for a modded 996 car with over 60k miles is a lot of money. Have you ever driven a car with straight cut gears? For the track it's fine. On the street.... That said, a 997TT with 80k miles is a lot of miles for my tastes. If I were looking at spending $45k I would buy the lowest mileage, most fanatically maintained 996TT I could find with some moderate mods (tune, exhaust, suspension). Make sure the rear wing hydraulics have been replaced and the clutch accumulator/slave cylinder has been addressed. You will be fixing these if they haven't been done.

My opinion is I am pissed they don't make it for the wide body!! I want it so bad for my c4s!!

No, I've never driven a car with straight cut gears, that's probably the #1 thing on the 996 that is a red flag for me. I'm sure they are amazing on the track, but I don't think I'll be at the track more than 6 times a year, so they may be more a nuisance to me the other 90% of the time I'm driving it.

Whoops sorry didn't fully read lol, I was talking about the spoiler

I'll just say my 996TT was dynoed at 485hp to the wheels with just an exhaust and a Softronic tune. I never had any issues with the car and I do miss it. The 997 is more up-to-date in terms of interior and the front end (I liked the rear end of the 996TT just fine) but I loved my 996 because it was more raw and I liked the simplicity. Car was a blast and I tracked it a few times. Also did a KW suspension and some other minor work. My 997 needs some mods to make it more fun. Don't worry about power in these cars. When you get the money you can always upgrade and upgrade and upgrade. Better to learn how to drive them first because they are plenty fast and can be tricky at the limit.

My 2 cents is that you would be getting into an expensive car and your budget is too low. As someone already mentioned, you are probably buying someone else's headache. With either of those cars expect heavy outlays for maintenance and repairs. In the thousands, not the hundreds. Both models are very reliable, but mileage throws everything out the window.

ryem3 you're probably right. I was originally looking at 997 4S's when I stumbled upon the modded 996T, which then led me to eventually find this 997T. I was looking at the 997 4S as a place holder for a couple years until I could find a turbo, but the more I think about it, the more I want to skip the 4S and jump to the turbo. I wouldn't mind increasing the budget for a lower mileage option, and i think that's what I may end up doing as I get back to the search.

I would avoid both cars. At 45k I would look for a clean, lightly modded or stock 996tt X50 with reasonably low mileage. Or maybe a base 997.2? I wouldn't consider any 997tt under $55k and even then I would be cautious.

Hi I looked for a 997tt once the wife basically refused to ever support a 996 due to the front and interior. I dont agree with her though, a clean 996tt with AM rims looks really good imo. But I think you should also look at the 996GT3. Seems to be a better investment than a tt. A friend got a clean gt3 2004 and its great both in daily traffic, and I'm convinced even better on track.

Having both I feel 997 is a better overall option. 996 is dated, but it does feel a bit more brutal and similar to old Porsches. 997, you are stepping up to a much better interior and overall technology car. On that note, if 996 is what you are looking for, there is a local SF Craigslist car with 12k for similar price you mentioned. Good luck!

I can find you a pristine 996TT with less than 20k miles for around $45k, in fact there is one 996TT in Hawaii with 12k miles asking for $45k. I think it's a great deal for any turbo in today market. About 997TT, I would NEVER buy any 997TT below $60k or you might end up with a problematic car. If budget is an issue now, I would skip the 997TT and buy 997 C4S as your original plan unless you willing to pay more for a better car.

UPDATE: I probably should've stated earlier that I'm looking for a cabrio, which makes things a little harder. I decided against the 996 and I had the 997 checked out by a local Porsche dealership... They found a few issues. Here's a screenshot of what they found:

Yikes, 600 for a ppi that they didn't drive? For a car with that mileage I'd expect to put in a few grand to bring it up to snuff..some of that stuff you could do yourself.. Also strange they have it listed as a gt3rs..

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Quote: Yeah, I don't know why they put it down as a GT3 rs either. From the limited interaction I've had with this dealer, I can say I'm not a fan. Originally they said it would take about 3 hours, and they ended up having the car for over 24 hours, and all they basically did was a visual inspection! I understand why they couldn't drive it, but that kind of puts me in a bad spot as far as figuring out exactly what I'm getting in to. I had planned on spending a few thousand fixing it up upon purchase, I just want to make sure there aren't any surprises like bad turbos, tranny, or anything major.

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Quote: The coolant leaks are not fun, I had to replace two radiators and drop the engine twice to fix the main pipes leaking.

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Quote: Enigmatic issues like that are what I'm trying to steer clear of, although I'm not sure if that is entirely possible, haha. What finally led you to find the root of the problem?

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Quote: Well the radiators are easy to spot, the pipes over the engine is harder. At least one can get a peak on the right side pipe in the engine bay. But dropping the engine was the final call to find the root cause.

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Quote: Cool, thanks man, hopefully they can accurately diagnose it the first time and we can avoid the headache.

McKenna, what a bunch of a holes. Did they provide an original estimate for the work? Did they call and advise that the PPI would be $600? How absurd. Note that most of the items on that report have wildly distorted amounts, e.g the cupholders. Spoiler motors can be an issue, but are not tragic. Coolant problems are expensive. Brakes, tires, clutches, could add to your total. This is a very high mileage car, regardless of what kind it is. I would not do it unless you are prepared to entertain very expensive issues. As mentioned earlier, cars like this are buying other people's problems.

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Quote: there is no way you'll find a 996tt x50 for that low. To OP, I'd suggest a decent unmolested but medium mileage 997.1 TT can be had for low $50's. I'm looking and have seen a few. I'd stay away from any modded car, unless very minor. Remember the Mezger motors will go many 100k miles without any catastrophes. [email removed]

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Quote: I don't know why it says $600 for the PPI, I was quoted $449 and that's what was charged to my credit card. I think the owner of the car had them check something out for him, and that's what cause the higher price. Yeah, i figured I could take care of most of those issue myself (besides the coolant leak), so I'm trying to work that out with the owner now. He'll have to come down in price and locate/repair the leak for me to consider buying it.

I am interested in moving up to a Turbo. I saw a 996 turbo with 445K miles on the odo and I have never been so jealous in my life. I dig the 911 and realize everytime I drive it how much I love driving Porsches and would really like to have a turbo as DD. I still love Boxster/Caymans, but getting a little older starting to appreciate the GT aspect of the 911, the seamless thrust of a turbo and the comfort, luxury and space the 911 offers over the smaller car. At this point a 997 would seem like the obvious choice, but hoping some owners will chime in. My Porsche owning experience spans about 20 years. I have had a 944 Turbo S, 3 Boxsters (1 S) and a Cayman S and my current 996 911. I am not really into modding, most just had pipes and minor "hobby" type mods. I did do coilovers on the Cayman, but point being, I dont fool around with the much. Other than the 944, all of the cars ran exceptionally well and never had any major probs. Is the 997 as bullet proof as its predecessors? Also, I am still fairly confident I want a manual, however, the power upgrade from what I am used to is so significant, I want to at least consider PDK. So my primary questions are, reliability of the 997 and the beaten to death 6spd/PDK question. Thanks -Doug

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Quote: The miles are low for the price. To get a lower mileage non wrecked car is going to cost substantially more, which im guessing is an issue here. My vote? Tiptronic sucks. Hold out for a nice 997 6spd. On the 997 turbo, or a 996 turbo car for that matter. you are really really going to want a tune and an exhaust with a clutch that can handle it as a minimum, so if you find cars with those mods.....

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This on steroids. I sold my heavily modded M3 when I was pushing it more than driving it. It was great up until then. After a few, this last fix will set me free I was relay to get the heck out. BTW-I am done modding. I've had too many bad experiences personally. I buy them how I want them and enjoy them. And I did. As long as the aftermarket rims are the correct size I would buy that car. Be careful for wider rims, it can damage the differential. Price makes me a little suspicious. Quote:

Wow is it particularly difficult to add coolant? Since they stuck you with a $600 PPI, what's another quart or two of coolant added to the tab or free water? They should've at least called you so you can consult with the current owner.

a good thorough PPI from an independent Porsche performance shop (with a dyno preferrably a MUstang) is what you need regardless either 996 or 997 to eliminate potential future headaches low or high mileage means nothin it depends on its history on how it was maintained and type of mods no junk!. i'll stay away from a dealer for a PPI. A well tuned good running car with mods is fun and money in your pocket. Also, knowing the real reason (no BS) why the car is for sale is the ticket. Happy motoring!

It is a good dilemma to be in... Not a lot of people can have this decision to make. But just to add to the question at hand. I have owned the 996tt its a real fun car to drive around it but the interior is real bland and outdated. I now own a 997tt its a real blast to drive also the exterior and interior are more pleasing to the eyes. So definitely the 997tt.

That is ridiculous. How do you know they even LOOKED AT IT????? How can you take a car in for ANY service and mis identify a turbo as a GT3?????????? Not saying those issues are not issues, but I would RUN from that place. Beyond unprofessional, that ppi is worthless.