the perfect pcar? which one..

Let's say your wife told you to get whatever car you wanted, but it can be just 1 car. Let's say you know that would be a pcar. Your needs are: - commute 50mi day - 1 to 2 DE's a month, some TT's as well. - must be able to have 5 or 6 point belts - carseat compatible Anyone else running into a similar situation? What pcar are you using? I posted this to the 996 forum for a reason.

I commute 70 miles/day from LA to OC in my CPO '02 996 C2. One weekend at Willow Springs and a very fun outing at the Silver State Classic so far in the three weeks I've had it. 996 - you know it makes sense... I wish I'd known about the 6-point compatibility issue with integrated headrests, and I think that eventually I'll just have to find the $2.5k+ for a pair of GT3 seats. Meanwhile, I'm going to spend a lot of time considering the geometry of a crossed 6-point on a BK mount with loops for a tall broad-shouldered guy like me, and deciding (a) if I feel safe and (b) if I am truly happy putting my 5'10" gf in such a harness set-up. Edited to add: -Carseats and GT3 seats are not a happy mixture, as the back becomes pretty inaccessible. -There are many more expert people than me, but my read so far is that 996 bolt-in bars are not as strong as 993 bolt-in bars because the underbody plating is not so strong under the seatbelt mounts. I hope others will chime in with their expertise here.

audi rs4..just kidding, i'd get a turbo if i could..would complete the bad weather do it all aspect, for new england ski trips. Although my c2 with snows is pretty good.

I would buy a C4S or if I had the budget (available) a 996 TT

if budget is not a issue - RUF RGT will be my 1st choice - if I am in your shoes. too bad I live in real world... I just like NA 996 more...

Many, many, many moons ago I learned to separate the street cars from the track (race) cars. Neither are happy in compromise. If I were on a lean budget, a really nice 964/993 (even a 3.0 911) for running around, and an SM or SRF for racing. Fat wallet? First in line for a 997 turbo and a Cup Car or West/Stohr/equivalent.

Any 996 will easily fit the bill. Daily commmuter, baby hauler, rare DE, money no object, first choice would be a TT. I bought the C4S because I didn't think the $30K diff was worth the diff. I still don't. So, if there is some concern about spending money wisely on a P car, C4S would get top billing. Be warned, though. DE's can be very addicting. No such thing as a rare DE . Pretty soon, you'll find even the wonderful street bred P-car a little short on the track, and will start modding it.

Thanks guys for the info. Paiting, I am doing lots of DE already in the 964 (1-2 a month). Very true about addicting. It would be interesting to see how many 996'ers do lots of DE/TT with thier daily driver, and how it's working out for them.

First DE comming up for me next weekend in my daily driver 994 C4. Hope the bug wont bite too hard

Are you keeping the 964? If so, that can be your track car. I track the C4S, not quite 1-2 a month, but fairly frequently. It's also my daily driver except during the winter months. It's been working out pretty well. The sport suspension that comes stock with the C4S has been adequate over my first 3 years of DE. It is still adequate in that I can keep up with modded cars and even stay with GT3's in the advanced run groups, but I was now shredding the outside of my tires from too much lean and not enough negative camber. It was fun for a while being the only completely stock Porsche in the run group . Finally caved in and put in the X73. Now, I can pass some GT3's depending on the driver, heh-heh-heh . With you doing that much DE/TT, probably the best car for you would be the GT3. That's what I would go for. The compromises for the daily commute would be well worth the improved track performance. No place for a car seat AND a passenger together, though. In 2002, the GT3 was not available in the US, and it looked like it never would be imported. The best performing NA 996 in 2002 straight out of the box was the 996 C4S, and that's how I ended up with it.

if budget is not an issue... ruf rt12 and add the backseat back in

its like golf clubs. Ya gotta have a couple of them to play.....

Thanks everyone for your input. The more and more I look at possibly doing this, the more and more I think I should have 2 cars. The 964 for track, and another car for family duties. It just seems to hard to have 1 car do it all.

Just get a 996 and call it a day. =)

I agree with race911, there is no acceptable compromise vehicle for a daily driver and proper track applicance IMHO. If you are getting addicted to track driving (I've seen very few people who try DE and never come back), then a daily driver has no place on the track in the higher run groups....at this point you really want a properly setup car (suspension, brakes, wheels/tires) with proper safety equipment (cage, fire supression system, electrical cutoff, seat/harness with proper H&N restraint integration). Also track time is very stressful on a car's components, which require frequent service/checking between events; daily driver miles are unnecessary stress put on a vehicle for track time. I went thru this exercise every which way 'till Sunday and kept coming up with the same answer, 2 vehicles.....and a trailer.

All that having been said, the "perfect pCar/compromise car" might be a 968 Coupe. Lots of cargo room in the rear, good engine/transmission, good daily driver and probably the best balanced Porsche ever produced. 968's aren't really talked about much, but they were a great car. I know a rennlist member with a 968 Firehawk race car and it is very impressive on track.

Any of them someone is lucky enough to own.