2003 GT3 or 2003 Turbo

I am first on the list for a GT3 in my area. Dealer tells me it is roughly 100K, but he will have info by Xmas. My question is how different is a GT3 with NA380hp from the 420HP in the 4 wheel drive Turbo. Currently I have a 99 C2. Just wondering if I would be "wasting" my money on a GT3 when I could get a Turbo for only slightly more. Your opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

IMO, The 996tt is the best bang for the buck in terms of performance. Also accepts tunability very well. If your not a power/performance junky and want exclusivity maybe the GT3 might be for you. But not sure it will pan out, look at the GT2 market. I'm sure the handling will be awsome. From what I've heard the GT3 is not worth the price they are asking.

I have been asking myself exactly the same question as like you I am assured of a GT3 if I want one... Last week-end I test drove a 996TT and was impressed with the car's raw power, road holding capabilities etc BUT here are in my opinion the differences: The TT is a "grand tourer" of a car, with 4WD, all luxury items that you can think of, and all in all fairly "stealth" look (VS say a Modena) The GT3 is a sportscar with much more of a connection between driver and machine. For all intents and purposes, a street legal race car. Porsche has made so many TTs that they are not really exclusive anymore. The GT3 on the other hand will be quite different and will have, in my opinion, a lot of success with the DE/Club racing crowd. For guys like me who bought Porsche race cars but don't have the time to handle them or the money to have someone else to do it but still want to drive the car on a track and have good performance, the GT3 is the ticket. For guys who like gobs of power, comfort and an "easy" drive, the TT is the ticket. By the way, I think that I decided that I wanted to get a standard 997 C2 with the new PDK automatic gearbox instead of either the GT3 or TT... Good luck in your choice, it's a great problem to have JM

Personally I suggest you test drive, an extended test drive, the C4S before buying either the GT3 or the TT. Especially if you're looking for something to use as a daily driver also.

I agree with wwest, make sure you test drive both because they are quite different. The GT3 is a "street-able" track car and the TT is a "track-able" street car. The GT3 with its lighter and way more agressive chasis/supensions is actually going to be faster in the track. And the TT with its AWD, torque and rear seats is going to be more versatile, confortable and easier to drive fast at the limit. So the choice depends on what you what your 911 for.

They are VERY different cars. It is very well put to say the GT3 is a streetable track car and the TT a trackable street car. It depends on what you intend to do with the car. The GT3 will probably hold its value better than a TT. The GT3 is also rumored around $145k now!

the GT3 should have slightly better power to weight ratio, if it comes in at 2900 pounds, as promised. with 385 hp, that's 7.5 pounds per hp. the TT at 3250 and 420 is 7.7 pounds per hp. now, again, i'm being told the GT3 will cost $100,000 and not the $145,000 from the article in autoweek (not the most reliablke source...). i think the GT3 will be more than worth it, since it comes with the GT seats and the GT suspension at less than the tt base price. plus, i've never seen a TT for "base" price that was appealing straight stock and no options at all. -gordon

gmonsen The TT actually weighs 1540kgs or 3403lbs so the ratio is about 8.1 lbs per hp. Anyway, that is irrelevant the GT3 will be faster on the track anyway. Of course, the TT will be easier and cheaper to tune.

The TT is easier to tune because there is nothing to tune in a GT3, not the suspensions, not the engine, not the brakes, etc... except for maybe slipping in some slicks directly on the wheels But the GT3 is may be more difficult to use as a daily driver since its very low (30mm more than the regular carrera) combined with the low GT3 front spoiler, also you have no rear seats and very stiff suspension settings (race style solid/steel bushings, stiff springs and dampers, etc) So I guess we all agree, depends on what use your going to give your 911: more racecar performance or more versatily-confort. Personally when considering these cars I don�t care about resale value or exclusivity but rather which one is going to give me more pleasure while I own it. Thats the whole point to buying a car to me.

Thanks guys you have been a great help. I think I am going with the GT3 The lower ride height wont bother me, I am already driving a lowered C2 with the GT3 aerokit.

BTW, Don't expect the GT3 to come with GT3 seats as the GT2 did not in the US.

I had a really wonderful ride around N�rburgring Nordschleife in a GT3 a couple of months ago. The statement "streetable track car" seems well put. I can clearly recall spectacular turn in with not a hint of understeer. It made me wonder if there were any similarities to my 2000 Carrera (US standard suspension). I wish that I had a video of that lap, the sound of the engine was spectacular.

according to my dealer and a porsche race driver as well, the GT3 will come with the GT3 seats in either the comfort or clubsport finishes... btw, the 2001 GT3 came with the GT3 seats. -gordon

What do you guys think of the 2003 911 Turbo with the new Turbo kit that bumps hp up to 450hp ? My bro. is ordering one this week in Seal Grey with the Turbo Kit and Aeoro Kit.

The GT3 was only manufacturered for ROW in 99 and 00. There is no 01 GT3. The GT2 was made in 01 and 02 and in ROW it had GT3 seats. The US spec GT2's had sport seats. I would suspect the US GT3 will likely be the same. As for the clubsport package, again it was not offered in the US on the GT2 and I expect the same for the GT3. The likely cause for the clubsport, is that the addition of a cage would constititute a change in the structure of the vehicle and woudl require addition (expensive) crash testing. P.S. Your delaer can put all of the parts in once the car arrives in the US. Thats what I did. I tried to order the stuff using the euro codes and event with the 99 'special instructions' code and they rejected it all.

Base price in US for GT3 is confirmed at $99,900.

You need to decide what you want out of a car. Per everyones feedback, they are very different. I will get a GT3 as a track car that I can drive to the track. I have wanted a car that I could take to Europe on vacation and drive on the tracks there. The GT3 is the ticket for that. I have a TT and will keep it. It's a great car, fast at the track, but it's too big and heavy for me. I look forward to a 380hp NA car!! Roy ps. The base price is confirmed at 100K.

RWO - I'm looking to get a GT3 also. Driving on the tracks in Europe sounds fantastic, but how do you transport it and what types of problems are there with regulations, customs, etc? -Grant

[quote]Originally posted by wwest: <strong>Personally I suggest you test drive, an extended test drive, the C4S before buying either the GT3 or the TT. Especially if you're looking for something to use as a daily driver also.</strong><hr></blockquote> Are you implying that the C4S is a more comfortable daily driver than the Turbo is?

Grant, Some buddys of mine did it and used <a href="http://www.wheeltorque.uk.com/" target="_blank">http://www.wheeltorque.uk.com/</a> to setup the track days. For shipping, you can do a "drive on, drive off" for &lt;$1K shipping but I'll do an enclosed deal for $2-3K. I have a friend who lives in Belgium so I will ship the car to his house, he'll break the seal and drive the car out of the box. That way I don' thave to worry about some guy test driving the car... If you want, you can even ship it Air Freight!! You can bring the cars in on a Tourist visa. I lost the URL to that info, if I find it I'll e-mail it to you... Roy ps. Is that your "S" on e-bay? Really nice looking!

Roy - That sounds like an incredible amount of fun. Thanks for the info. Yes, that's my 73S that was on ebay. I've taken a local deposit on it, so ended the auction. I hate to lose that car, but I'm hoping the GT3 will help me recover <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />