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Went for a nighttime drive on Sunset last night in this .2 RS. Fully stock, fully ruined me. I was thinking of getting a 991.2 manual GT3 and having driven both, it’s not even close. Both are phenomenal cars, but for my use case, I much much prefer the 997.2.
I had a 991.1 Carrera and sold it for a 997.2 manual carrera. I am a guy who usually goes for the newer stuff, so I am not biased towards older cars… but I am speechless. This car is way; way too good.
I have a few 3RS bits (shifter, etc) going into my 997.2 C2 until I grab a GT car, so hopefully I can wait patiently for a bit.
I didn’t want to get out, I was screaming with how much fun I was having. What an absolute BLAST!
I had been looking half heartedly at 997.2's when a nice one came up here on RL back in 2010. Before I knew it, someone jumped on it and bought it. I recognized the buyer was in the same city I was living in at the time so I PM'd him and asked for a ride when he got the car. Never even been in a GT3 to that point. When the car arrived, he reached out and said let's go for a drive. I knew in the first 5 mins the car was special. 15 mins later, we pulled over and he threw me the keys. A complete stranger I met on a Porsche board threw me the keys to his new 6 figure car. Slipped in the seat, twisted the key and that drive forever changed my life. I have been addicted to GT cars and particularly 997 GT cars ever since. The second part of the equation was that the owner and I became close friends and have shared driving experiences ever since. I owe you one @SSTHO . You've ruined me
hahaha, LOVE it. The 'Ol - be careful meeting your hero - gig.
I never did have that experience.
Having never driven one, I just dove head-long (from a 964) into a search & bought one (997.2 / 3) ... so I sorta envy your halo experience (even tho it now comes with "longing to own one"),..
.... cuz for me, my first drive (1st day owning it) was sorta like: "Daaaaaamn this car is good,... and THANK GOD it's good cuz I just spent a boat load of cash on it", LOL
.... it did take me almost a full year to find the one I wanted tho,.... so there was that anxious time (at least)
I can relate. I had a 997.2 C2S. Drove a 997.1 GT3 and the GT3 blew me away.
I haven’t driven an RS of any flavor, but maybe someone that has owned both a GT3 and RS can chime in, but if you want an RS, get an RS, but otherwise you should be able to get a large portion of the driving experience in a normal 997 GT3. I wouldn’t settle if I was you, but if you’re simply looking for that amazing driving experience, clutch, shifter, steering and sound, the normal GT3 will deliver.
When you’re ready to buy, the GT3 cars for sale thread is a great place to look. Or any of the reputable independent Porsche dealers.
I drove my first 7.2 3RS in December 2022 shortly after taking delivery of my 4RS...ended up buying a 7.2 3RS for myself less than 4 months later. First time "never meet your heroes" has been a lie!
Awesome to read about your first time experience. I like seeing peoples reactions to driving 997 gt cars.
I've owned a 997.1 GT3 and I currently own a 997.2 GT3 RS. In my opinion, if you're not an amazingly skilled driver, it will be very difficult to extract the difference in performance. I certainly do not have the skills and I probably do not drive hard enough to notice a significant difference in the two cars. That being said, I love my RS but if I know what I know now and I was in the market for a 997 car, I'd probably save the money and get a 997 GT3. Then, I'd use the money I'd save to get the LW Flywheel, upgrade the diff, pin coolant lines (if necessary), ect. to make the car as awesome as it can be.
hahaha, LOVE it. The 'Ol - be careful meeting your hero - gig.
I never did have that experience.
Having never driven one, I just dove head-long (from a 964) into a search & bought one (997.2 / 3) ... so I sorta envy your halo experience (even tho it now comes with "longing to own one"),..
.... cuz for me, my first drive (1st day owning it) was sorta like: "Daaaaaamn this car is good,... and THANK GOD it's good cuz I just spent a boat load of cash on it", LOL
.... it did take me almost a full year to find the one I wanted tho,.... so there was that anxious time (at least)
Hah, you and I both definitely did the same thing. No experience at all in this seat, just a strong gut instinct that it's the right move. Hoping there's no regrets after writing that check
I have been around 911 GT3 Cars since 2004, the local Porsche Club I belong to had the most 996.2 GT3 in North America, it was quite the site in Tremblant on the Race track!
I have owned and driven the 996.2 GT3 and 997.1 GT3.
I have driven a 997.1 GT3 RS and been in the Instructor Group but in the passenger seat of 997.2 GT3 RS and even the GT3 Cup Car, that was an amazing experience.
I love the RS and if I could afford one I would get the 997.1 RS, its not that much better then the 997.1 GT3 but it looks amazing and is sill a very good car to drive on the street and the track.
The 997.2 GT3 is a whole different animal. If I would consider a 997.2 GT3 I am 100% certain it would be a 997.2 GT3 not a 997.2 GT3 RS.
The 997.2 GT3 is a great street/track car. The 997.2 GT3 RS is a great Track Car, not a very good street car, its too Race Car like if that makes sense.
maybe someone that has owned both a GT3 and RS can chime in, .
I went from a .1 GT3 to a .2 RS, first time driving each was after purchase.
GT3 is amazing, I thought that I couldn't be happier. It is subtle, under the radar and somewhat comfortable. However, the low options definitely made the car feel cheap inside (mainly the rubber dash) and .1 has terrible audio.
RS is more amazing (for me). Shorter gears are the way all GT cars should have come, if i had a non RS it would get RS gears. It feels like everything I wanted all of my previous (modded) cars to be- it is raw, less comfortable and makes all the right noises. Im sure you can add a LWFW and suspension bits to feel the same on a GT3 but just jumping into the RS feels insane.
Either are great options. At this point it just depends what you are willing to spend. Only thing you can do wrong is get one and not drive it. At this point miles make such a small dent in the value.
right on SR20,... Gut instinct was exactly where I was at the time.
How long are you into your 997 RS now?
About 2.5 months, but we're in the dead of winter and it's got a bit of a coolant leak I need to address so it's mostly been parked sadly. At least plenty of time to get it sorted before the good weather finally hits
I went from a .1 GT3 to a .2 RS, first time driving each was after purchase.
GT3 is amazing, I thought that I couldn't be happier. It is subtle, under the radar and somewhat comfortable. However, the low options definitely made the car feel cheap inside (mainly the rubber dash) and .1 has terrible audio.
RS is more amazing (for me). Shorter gears are the way all GT cars should have come, if i had a non RS it would get RS gears. It feels like everything I wanted all of my previous (modded) cars to be- it is raw, less comfortable and makes all the right noises. Im sure you can add a LWFW and suspension bits to feel the same on a GT3 but just jumping into the RS feels insane.
Either are great options. At this point it just depends what you are willing to spend. Only thing you can do wrong is get one and not drive it. At this point miles make such a small dent in the value.
so true. Back when I was looking, I could immediately tell that not only myself, but my WIFE as well, would only be happy long-term if the car had lots of interior upgrades. For {pretty-much} street-only drivers, having a deluxe interior makes being inside the car feel like it is a much newer car.
@Patrick Bateman you mentioned that you lean towards newer stuff,... so I'll take that to mean all the creature comforts and newness of materials. In a 997, it's soooo nice to have interior option upgrades. It took a while, but once we found a car with interior pieces painted {Aqua} to match the exterior, plus ext leather w/ yellow stitching to match seat belts & PCCB's, it was a no-brainer. My wife fell in love with the interior immediately (& truthfully it has taken her a while {years} to appreciate the engine / drivetrain, suspension & steering, because it is so much more raw verses the 964 Turbo she had been driving for 20 yrs). But now she definitely enjoys hearing the wail, and bangs gears almost as hard as I do. So I'm a happy camper and the car stays. Happy wife, happy ....
I have the 7.2GT3 with the RS drivetrain which includes the shorter RS gearing with the 3.89R/P, taller 6th, and the RS 4.0LWFW clutch set up. This is the way these cars should have come from the factory. Prior to the RS drivetrain conversion, I found the car utterly boring and rarely drove it. Now I absolutely love it. With the side muffler delete, lightweight bucket seats and a lightweight LiOn battery it's just about the perfect light and nimble street / track car. The non RS 7.2 body without the large RS rear wing and overt stickers is a more understated, some would say, prettier sleeker body. I really love this car as a fun weekend car. I doubt I'll ever sell this one. For track and racing I have a much faster dedicated 996.
Last edited by powdrhound; 01-16-2024 at 10:58 PM.
01-15-2024, 11:56 PM
997.2 3RS- I should have never driven one…
