Decisions... 996 C2 Built or 996TT stock?

Sad news that my 968 was sideswiped and insurance wrote it off. I'm looking to replace with a 911 and though I love the aircooled cars, the pricing for a well-sorted example is out of this world. I will use the car for occasional weekend canyon runs and HPDE track days, no daily driving or commuting. I'm hoping to spend between $25-35K. I have found two very different cars and am having a difficult time deciding, so hoping some of you with knowledge/experience/level heads can assist. 1st car is a '99 996 C2 that the owner has made some serious investing in. It has a later 3.6 block bored and sleeved out to 3.8 with ported and polished heads, GT3 transmission, full Bilstein coilover suspension, full legal but high flow headers/cats/exhaust, strut bars, center radiator, stainless lines, GT3 seats, GT3 wheels with new tires, etc... It is also in perfect condition with a few thousand miles on the setup and approx 70K on the chassis. 2nd car is an '01 996 TT that is mostly stock with 110K miles. Shows some age in paint chips and fading cosmetics. Somewhat recent clutch and always properly maintained. When I test drove the C2, I was expecting it to feel faster than it did. The owner was in the car with me and I was taking it pretty easy, but it still didn't feel like it had the same torque and punch as a 997.1 C2S that I have driven. My heart is telling me to buy the TT because, well, you know. It is a car that I lusted after 15 years ago and the idea that I could do some simple mods and touch 500HP is very appealing. My gut tells me to buy the C2 because I can run it hard all day long at the track days I attend and not worry about blowing a turbo or worse. I also really like light and nimble cars and the C2 weighs approx 500lbs less. Please share your thoughts with me!

tt

Get the turbo. No question. I believe the 996 you saw has a released transmission not a true gt3 one. Either way the truck would be for me.

How serious on track days? The '99 sounds like it's ready to rock. The TT is an unknown given what you wrote. Has the suspension been upgraded or at least replaced? Either car should a PPI at an independent shop. Good luck!

My heart told me to buy the '13 Panamera TTS with 14k miles that I had them talked down to 87k on (about 20k below value). I could rationalize the purchase all day long. At 4am while driving down to pick it up, my gut said it wasn't the right decision. So I turned around and backed out of the deal. I ended up with a '99 C2 that I paid 14.5k for and have plenty of room to build it out the way I want it. I absolutely love the car. You won't get the "seat of the pants adrenaline rush" of the high HPs but that goes away after a few months anyway. That's why people spend so much money bumping the HP is to try and find that rush again. Whichever car you buy, make sure you have enough financial cushion that when crap goes wrong, it doesn't steal the joy out of your ownership experience. And always listen to your gut.

Tough decision. The TT will be faster, but the C2 will be more nimble and, I think, more fun on the track. If it's mainly DE and canyon carving I'd go for the C2. Either way, good luck!

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Sounds like you already have the answer to your question. Pretty sure once you're driving a Turbo and you see a C2, you will NEVER catch yourself saying: Man, I really wish I got that instead.

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This is really spot on. But once you have owned a turbo and then moved on to a C2, you will not find yourself looking at turbos with envy any longer. It may just be a process you have to go through though.

Both cars are track ready, just different degrees. I was in a similar situation and in your case would have gone C2. If you want the best car, you buy the Turbo. You don't need to modify anything to get great laps out of it. You can do pads alone and put down surprising times with lessons and practice. If you want the most track ready car, buy the C2. The work has already been done. It shouldn't feel as fast as the Turbo but is probably faster on the track. I went C4S and built it to about the level of the C2 you're talking about and thoroughly enjoy it. I also DD it into downtown (crappy roads and potholes) without issue and for track days its just a matter of resetting the firmness of the suspension, swapping pads and wheels. Simple as that. Since all of the shortcomings have been addressed, I know that I can beat on this car all day at the track. Just had two track days in a row - 300 hard track miles - without ever once thinking I wish I had been in a Turbo and in a lot of ways the extra hp really is a non-factor except for the straights and can mask bad habits.

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If you can verify the C2 engine was properly rebuilt buy it. You shouldn't have major expences in the near future. 2001 TT with 110K+ miles will be a constant drain finacially, more so if you modify it! I hate AWD especially on track.

Thanks for all the responses. The C2 was built by Vision Motorsports in SoCal with Carrillo rods and a host of other upgrades. Owner has all documentation and half a garage full of OEM and spare parts that goes with the car. TT is stock and aside from regular maintenance and a clutch is all factory stock. This means I'll be replacing the suspension and other bits starting right away. I know the C2 is the better buy for what I want to use it for. I just sense that TT values can only go up and do love the adrenaline rush you get when the turbos spool up. My track days have less straight lines and more twists (auto club infield, Streets of Willow, Buttonwillow). I also need to work on my car control and driving skills and agree that gobs of power will mask my shortcomings between corners.

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Wow very nice. It would definitely be the C2 if it was my choice!

C2!

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+996 and FIFY The c2 seems to already be somewhat sorted for track driving. Don't know if you ever plan on doing multiple laps but I have yet to see a street TT not encounter some sort of heat issues doing more than 10 laps driven at 9/10 on a track.

stock TT. Then exhaust, filter and tune.