When to pull the trigger ?

Question/Opinion-- I currently have an 01 C2. I would like to eventually sell it and purchase a GT3. Knowing that the 997 launch is literally around the corner,would I better off selling my C2 now and purchasing a GT3 before the 997 hits the streets? Or should I wait until the 997 is on the market, then sell the C2, and negotiate a purchase on a 996 based GT3 ?? Anyone care to speculate on which makes more sense from a financial/depreciation perspective ??

Sell 996 before 997 hits the market........ and wait until 997 hits the market and then buy a 996 based GT3? That what my logic says.... Will 996 based GT3'S still be for sale after rollout of 997's? Are you looking to buy a new, used or either GT3?

Makes logical sense. Sell C2. Wait. Then purchase GT3 close to /after 997 hits market. Is it feasible to think that there may still be GT3 inventory at dealer's then ?? At meaningful discount per chance?? Or some private party owners out there that would want to sell their GT3 and move into 997, assuming HP is similar (perhaps 997s) and styling changes are significant enough (inside and out ) to justify a switch ?? Is this at all realistic, or is this just wishful daydreaming on my behalf ??

hang on to your ride then wait for the 997. some are saying it may have as much HP as a 996GT3. if rumours do not pan out and the 997 only offers a facelift or a slight powerbump then get the gt3 but if the rumours are ture (340HP regular and 370HP for the S version) then the current gt3's has a lesser performance edge. it does, however, have the gt3 badge :P

The only way the 997 would be more desirable than the 996 GT3 would be if it were offered with the GT3 motor. The simple economic reality is for the base 997 to price out about the same as the 996 it's going to have a motor, probably with increased displacment, based on the standard 996 design. Adding the GT3 based motor, and the stronger transmission that accompanies it, raises the price by $30K+. Perhaps there will be a 997S in that configuration but I'd expect Porsche to continue the GT3 designation rather than just calling it an S. What I don't expect is that Porsche would offer a 997 GT3 in the US due to the low volume the 996 GT3 has been delivered in to date. Given the current rate we'll be lucky to break 500 cars for the '04 production run, much less hit the 750 that were reportedly allocated for North America.

Is the GT3 then immune from the presumed loss of desirability of 996 based inventory that will occur when the 997 becomes available ?? Is it just too unique and "special" to be affected by this ? Or is the fact that it is based upon the 996 platform (at least aesthetically), going to provide opportunities for those of us that would like to acquire this special car at a reasonable ( dare say bargain) price to what one would pay today ??

A GT3 buyer is not your average 996 buyer in my opinion. The reports of people trading in their GT3s after a few hundred miles can probably be attributed to folks that bought a GT3 because it was the hot new Porsche without understanding what audience the car was targeted at. I like to think of that audience as the sports car purist that wanted a 911 reminiscent of the '73 RS rather than the luxury GT today's 911 seems to be morphing into. As for the opportunities for buying a GT3 on the used market, it remains to be seen how their value will hold up. The closest comparison that can be made is the RS America version of the 964. It didn't exactly sell well when new but look at prices now and they've held up much better than standard 964s of the same vintage.

Steve- You own or have one of these cars on order ?? What options do you feel are essential (or nonessential) on this car (GT3) ??

Scott: I have a GT3 on order for a March build. Being as I'm also in FL I feel the only 2 essential options, that you can get on the car thru PCNA, are A/C and Litronic lights. For long drives down I-4 and I-95 where one is tempted to cruise at over 100 I also like cruise control to take Mr. Happy Foot out of the equation. Options to add after delivery are the real GT3 seats and a roll bar (since the US doesn't get the Club Sport option). I passed on the PCCB option despite the press raving about them. They may be the neatest thing since sliced bread but at approximately $7K per rotor for replacement, and they are not lifetime brakes when you take the car on the track, you'd better have a pretty big car budget to rationalize them.

Exactly the options that I would want. A/C, cruise, Xenons. Seats to follow. If I can ask, what was MSRP on the car, and is that what you paid or did you get discount ?? Repeat customer ?? Trying to get a handle on this. Local dealership here has one coming in, looking for buyer. Also, one allocation for build to suit. Wanted to see if MSRP is firm on order car versus car in inventory. My salesperson seemed to imply that there would be about 7-10% discount off list for the car that's on its way.....

Scott: MSRP on mine is just under $107K (I did get a few other options) and that's what I'm paying. After getting shafted on what was supposed to be an early allocation last year at a very large dealership I put a deposit down in June with a dealer I knew I could trust (having bought from them before) and I don't think anybody was discounting then. It could be different today for a dealer with unsold allocations or cars coming in unclaimed. Your local dealer called me a couple of weeks ago with a GT3 in stock and I think the sticker was about $118K but we didn't talk about pricing. Given the background, and what I'd expect for clientele, of your dealer I was surprised they'd have any unsold allocations or difficulty selling unclaimed cars. If you can get 7-10% off the latter and it's optioned close to what you want I'd say grab it.

Thanks for disclosing that info. It helps. They no longer have the car in which you speak, but as I said have a Blk/Blk, Xenons, AC, and Cruise along with a few other minor cosmetic options..( Yellow belts and reverse stitching, Crest in Headrest, GT3 insignia on storage etc...) for 106 and change. This is the car he said he would "work with me on". While not the exact car I would probably order, it is optioned similarly. And he did seem eager about moving it and filling his remaining allocation... but then again, he is a salesman !!

Scott: Sounds like someone backed out on the car coming in as most of the dealer or PCNA ordered cars are pretty tarted up (look at the 3 GT3s in stock at http://walters.porschedealer.com/ for a sad example). If I actually make it to JAX for the FL Crown Ocktoberfst this year it'd be interesting to have another GT3 to autocross with.

I agree with what Steve says about the GT3. His is not the first comparison I have heard to the RS America in terms of current day values. I am sure they will take hit at first, but I am hoping that long term values stay strong. I think this will depend on whether or not PAG decides to keep sending future versions of the GT3 to the US. When I started looking for a GT3, the Jax dealership was the first place I called. At that time (July & August 03) they had no allocations available, so some people certainly did bow out of their allocations... wish I had been more patient. The incoming one sounds nice and you could probably get a better deal on it, but being able to spec one yourself would be preferable... especialy if you plan on keeping it for a long time. Must have options in my book... full leather interior. Really makes the interior look and feel a lot nicer IMO. For longer drives cruise control is great and takes nothing away from the vehicle. Also remember that the AC and radio are standard, the option is to delete them. Just make sure before you start building as some people deleted them by mistake. The Bi-Xenons are nice at night, but I would be scared these days that they would get stolen. But to answe the initial question... trade your 996 based Carrera before the 997 comes out. You think that 996 values have dropped, they are likely to drop even more once the 997 comes out... especialy on the early pre face lift versions.

It is way to early to make 997 comparisons to the GT3. First, consider the fact GT3 is fundamentally a different car than the 996. Many just think of the GT3 as a 996 with less weight and more HP. However, that is just not a good analysis as weight and HP are the whole story. The GT3 utilizes a completely different engine block than the 996 with a more race inspired features such a true dry sump lubrication system and other internal upgrades. It also utilizes a different transmission that is beefy and arguably more durable than the 996. These are just a couple of the major differences and it is useless to compare the 996 to the GT3 based on these things alone. They look similar that is really all they are. No one knows other than some people in Stuttgart what the 997 will be. If it an evolution of the 996 with more HP utilizing the same basic engine then more than likely it will be impossible to compare the GT3 to the 997. However, if Porsche drops the M/96 engine in favor of the GT3 engine and detunes it a little, then you are getting closer to comparison. In an earlier post the GT3 was compared to the RS America available in the 964 platform, however the RS America was basically a 964 that was �lightened� up. It shared the same basic engine and transmission, which the GT3 does not share with the 996. The GT3 is a completely different car than the 996. People who have traded in GT3�s for 996 probably just didn�t realize what they were getting. Most people thing the GT3 is just a more powerful version of the 996. The question of how the value of the GT3 will fair on the used market is interesting. Way to early to tell. However, based on limited production and the thought by many porschephiles as the direct heir to the RS 2.7 I imagine they will hope up rather well. This assumes the 997 is just an evolution of the 996. If the 997 drops in the GT3 engine and transmission at a lower price�all bets are off.

The comparison of the GT3 to the RS America was made in terms of holding its value 10 years down the road... nothing was said about the similarities of the RS America to the base 964 model. Mechanicaly they were pretty much the same, but the RS America was more track oriented and built in more limited numbers... Hence the comparison in long term value. The GT3 does indeed have a completely different engine and tranny than the standard Carrera, they share no common parts. In fact, the GT3 drivetrain probably has more in common with a 964 drivetrain than it does with a 996 Carrera. But I do agree, it is way to early to even start predicting how the resale on these cars is going to be in the future. I plan on keeping mine for a long time so I am not really concerned at this point.

I guess I wasn�t clear in my thoughts on the RS America vs. the GT3 comparison. Most, if not all of the limited production number cars Porsche has produced have held their value better compared to the more abundant choices available at the time. I have no doubt that the GT3 will do the same in that regard. My point was that the GT3 has the potential to go beyond just holding its value better than the Porsche cars available right now because it dramatically more unique and purpose built than any car currently offered by Porsche, even more so than the RS America was compared to the 964. Additionally, if Porsche continues down the path of GTizing the 911, the GT3 could really see an increase in demand from the hard core porschephile that wants a more modern car but thinks that Porsche has gone soft and sold its soul to the bottom line instead of making light agile sports cars. I understood that no one was attempting to say the cars are not fundamentally the same with regard to their limited numbers and their basic track orientation compared to their contemporaries. I was just pointing out that this analysis could be somewhat limited because of the fact the GT3 is so fundamentally different than the 996. I think that at the time many saw the RS America as a band aid, or a pay more for less type of fix, to a poor selling 964. Whereas, many hardcore enthusiast see the GT3 as the �real� 911 of the current offerings. Please don�t infer any of this to be a slam or flame on any car, merely an observation from someone who likes all the different Porsche models and can appreciate their positives and negatives.

Brian... Thanks for the clarification, I'm picking up what your laying down.