Yard Dog

I’m in a bit of a dilemma. I have a 2015 GTS with MT and about 2K miles on it that I like a lot. I have an opportunity to buy a new GT3 that the original buyer backed out on. I am tempted. I have never driven a GT3 and I won’t be able to drive this one before making a decision though I have driven a TTS with AWS and liked that feature a lot. I will also take a substantial loss on the GTS however I end up disposing it because I won’t keep both cars. I am not hung up on the relative resale value of either car.

I think of the GT3 as a track car with buttons to push to make it more civil for the road whereas the GTS can be tracked, but is primarily a road car. I track occasionally, but my primary interest is in a road car. That said, I have the impression from all I have researched that the GT3 could be an excellent road car, too.

I have gone back and forth with this decision and am presently leaning towards keeping the GTS though I am sorely tempted by the GT3. It seems like much more of a driver's car. I know they are both great cars and I can’t lose no matter what decision I make yadda, yadda.

I am posting here and not the GT3 section because I figure there is probably no car for the GT3 set other than a 3 or an RS, and because I spend most of my Renn List time here so I more familiar with you guys.

So what would you do?

9914s

Do you need back seats? If NO then why not. I would also consider a low miles TT.

77tony

Mostly street=GTS. Mostly track=GT3 T

jw1977

What color is your GTS?

Porsche_nuts

How often do you drive the GTS? If it is primarily a weekend car, I'd do the GT3. If a daily driver, I'd stick with the GTS.

997s07

Having owned a 997.2 GT3 and now owning a 997.1 GT3 and a 991, I can say that the GT3 is not a daily driver for most people. If you like the manual transmission in a performance car then the GT3 will be boring. If you track a lot, get the GT3, as it will kill most other cars. There are some reliability issues with the new GT3 motor (check the 997 GT3 forum on the PDK GT4).

I would not trade the MT GTS for a GT3, at least not for a daily driver.

mathfuzzy

I'm just piling on at this point, but the answer to the question boils down to how you intend to use the car.

For my intended use, as an occasional DD, DE and weekend car, the GTS is a better fit.

whoadude

Also how important is your transmission to you? MT vs PDK is very personal, but you currently have the closest thing to a 991 MT GT3.

stratocaster69

I think this is a good analogy. I have a new GTS being built in December and wanted the GT3 after driving it. But its more raw for sure. I will drive the GTS and decide when my name comes up on the list to get one.

I only basically weekend drive the car though. If it was a everyday car, for sure I would opt for the GTS.

jimbo1111

+++1. As of late I'm not feeling the GT department. The aero on the 991 gt3 and Gt4 looks a little cheesy to me. And the engine issues are hovering even on the 4.0 from what I hear. The op may very well have the best that porsche puts out.

hsmith

Really tough decision. I can definitely understand the attraction of the GT3 but i wouldn't trade my GTS for one for what i use my GTS for which is weekend/track car with some DD use. The practicality of the rear seats and ride height/front bumper outweigh the extra performance of the GT3 for me. Plus i love the manual in my GTS which i would miss dearly.

Tcc1999

I hate to keep coming back to economics but, well, here you go. General input suggests that, while you can DD a GT3 it is more of a track car. Still, considering what you'll lose on the GTS and the cost of the GT3, is that dollar amount worth it to you. And by worth I mean a less comfortable, edgier DD. Do it if your satisfaction level (if you can measure that in dollars) is greater than the cost - nothing about any 911 is practical so throw that bit of reasoning out the window. While we all have opinions we are not shelling out any $$$ in this decision so you have to sit down and give it a hard bit of thought. Good Luck - it is a nice dilemma to have!!!

LandShark

This.

997s07

Yup! Turns out the Mezgers that were more than 3.6 L had problems. The 3.8 had similar issues as the 4.0. The way it looks, is that it is all over - the old GT cars are never to be reincarnated.

sean7a

Interesting post OP. I have the same "dilemma"... if only all of life's "problems" were akin to this.

So, I have a MT GTS as well. Few months old. Love it. Just started tracking. It's awesome. What's better than fulfilling every young boy's fantasy. You truly are driving a high performance sports car around a race track. It's heaven.

It's made me think though. I love my manual tranny. I was all for it. I thought guys getting pdk's on their cars were so silly. It's emotional or visceral connection to the beast that youre driving with a PDK. Especially a friggin high performance 911 with PSE. Nothing better than shifting that car and railing some back roads or cruising around town and listening to that sweet exhaust. BUT, now that I've begun tracking this whole MT thing seems so beta max. It's so VHS player to my streaming apple itunes movies. I want to go fast. I want to learn the nuances of carrying momentum around a track. Shifting an analog tranny is just archaic in that context. It's unnecessarily slowing me down.

I TOTALLY understand the argument for the MT, even at the track. I get the idea of that being one of the many aspects of high performance track driving that one needs to master. That being said, I'm a millennial and with technology out there that removes a silly old throwback way of managing a vehicle, it just seems right to go PDK and allow myself to focus on line, smoothness, pedal input, weight balance, etc. As I said, I can understand how others, especially from a generational perspective, would appreciate the MT at the track and call me a wuss for desiring the PDK. To each their own and no hard feeligns.

Life's short. The GT3 is a friggin car and a half. If you can do it, why not. It's all relative right? The GT3 to a GTS, a GTS to VW GTI and a PDK tranny to a MT. Everything is relative. If you have the means and it'll put a bigger smiel on your face, I say go for it. IF it's a DD, then think long n hard. You'll get bored on the drive to work. With the GTS you wont. You have a job to do with that car (shifting) and that's half the fun. Maybe you wont get so bored with the GT3 but staving off that boredom will likely come from breaking the law and speeding moreso than you would in the GTS. So you have that exposure to consider.

I'm in a lease. I've had the car a few months. I'm of the belief the car may hold it's value very well and come next year maybe I can hop out of the lease with little to no penalty. I'm hoping there'll be "money in the glovebox" and a GT3 lease payment wont be too much more per month and I can just swap vehicles and keep sending that check to PFS.