Jlopez55

I know this is a Porsche forum, but there is a lot of hype recently with the intro of the new z06. 650 hp for $80k is a bargain. The z06's performance abilities are amazing for the money and excuses are no longer required regarding the interior quality.

With prices of low mileage 997.1 GT3's in the low $80s, a brand new z06 is a viable alternative for about the same money. Comparing the 997.2 is probably more fair, but they are nowhere near the $80s price point.

Putting our 911 bias aside, which car would you rather have in your garage?

Gambba

I've just picked up a 997.1 GT3 and this weekend was blasting it up some mountain roads with a C7 (With Z51 options) in the group. I've not driven a C7 Z06, although am aware it's quite a beast and handles itself well.

I'd personally rather have the GT3 because I feel it is a purer and more raw driving experience than most cars, especially newer cars. The mezger engine is quite awesome, and I found the rev drop off in the C7 quite lethargic and not particularly spirited. The interior is far improved over the old corvettes and has some amazing gadgets and features (Valet mode, secret compartment and built in camera). The 997 is very different and to some they may wonder you'd pay so much for so little.....but for me that's just what I want. Almost race car emptiness in a street car suits me perfectly and I love it, as I did in my 987.

The stability of the GT3 pricing also comes in to play as well when deciding I imagine. After 1 year I'd guess the Z06 will have taken it's biggest hit and be at a substantial amount less than the GT3, but to be honest have no idea on previous model Z06 residuals.

I don't care about being blitzed from the lights or being the fastest on track, but what I do care about is having a car that I feel a sense of one with and that makes me work to do everything, and that's why I have a 997 GT3.

brake dust

The GT3! More fun to drive. Last of the Mezger engine GT3 series and what Porsche Motorsport still races. It will become a more and more sought after car as time goes on.

Antonov

Voted GT3. Doubt the GT3 is any less fun, certainly a better "investment" and definitely a more quality product.

NAM VET

I have never owned a 'Vette, but believe you get more performance for your dollar than any other sports car in the world. Formidable cars, no doubt. And you can buy two for the price of one Porsche. I also think some of them from the last 15 years are really handsome cars. But while the zoomy stylized look of the Ferrari's, from the 360 thru the current cars is just stunning, somehow the same snarky, shark-like look of the most recent Corvettes just does't carry it off so well.

I grew up with petite, diminutive cars, first a '59 Anglia (which I rolled in my HS parking lot), then thru a TR4, an MGB, a big '69 Charger R/T (certainly a huge car by anybody's standards), then back into a VW Type III, a brace of TR8's, a AWD Turbo first gen Mitsu Eclipse, a decade in a Superformance Cobra replica, lastly into a '07 Carrera S, and now for a month our '07 GT3. So I much prefer smaller, nimble cars, and the extraordinary road "feel" of our Porsche's. I like a car to envelope me, and not feel like I am sitting in some sort of barge. Not long ago, a friend asked me to put his Z06 in my garage while he was recovering from surgery, and when I sat in it, I couldn't reach over to the passenger door, even with my long arms.

Modern Corvette's are superlative road machines, but are just too fat for me to want one.

All the best....

tcsracing1

I picked up a white 997.1 GT3 for $80k this year even though i didnt need another car... It is just such a good 911.

I dont see myself tearing up the sofa cushions to find $80k for a new vette....

Einmalig

Interesting topic, as a current 997.1 GT3 owner former C6 Zo6 owner I have been tempted to consider the new one. Over the years I have owned several 911s and a few other European sports cars, but only one American Car other than my wife's Wrangler.

I had great fun in the Vette and a big smile every time I experienced the rush of power and torque. This was the car's only advantage over smaller displacement cars. I was in Detroit for the debut of the new Zo6 last January and was impressed with the the technical development and quality of materials evident on the new car.

Bottom line, a world class vehicle with serious credentials that is worth owning. That said, it is not as a viable substitute for a GT3 which delivers a completely different ownership experience and far greater levels of driver engagement. I would love to have both cars in my garage, but my GT3 is a keeper.

Targa Tim

I pick corvette. Always want to own one.

I don't need more Porsches in my garage.

r6elmo

I'm in the same boat at you. I also prefer the C6Z vs. the C7Z. I'd rather go NA vs. FI. For the me the choice is easy, the 7.1-3 will hold it's value over the next 5 years much better than the C7Z. The 7.1-3 i feel is better for the track, not so sure how well the superchargers and heat will hold up with the new Z. the C5Z and C6Z were fine on track except issues with the dry sump drying out on the earlier models.

SSTHO

Very cool Tom! lol re: sofa cushions comment.

Well said.

Did someone hijack your account Tim? Mid-life crisis? You should see a doc or take a long hard look in the mirror.

DLJ

My vote's for the 3.1 but definitely not selling mine for 80k !

BGA23

GT3. But then again I'm not allowed to get a 'Vette, wife won't let me. She'd rather have me get a 458 or a GT3 RS, says only old men drive 'Vettes.

Fisher

"Putting our 911 bias aside, which car would you rather have in your garage?"

1. You will never find anyone who is able to 'put their biases aside.'
2. I have bought 3 new corvettes from 2 dealerships and driven them for a combined total of over 200K miles.
3. My 997.1 GT3 provides a 'fun factor' that is in a league of its own.

My biases against corvettes go far beyond the qualities of the car itself. My experiences are that the dealers and GM do not live up to what is written in their warranties. They will fight you in court for the replacement of an engine if their mechanic leaves a plug in the coolant line that results in visible outside heat damage to the new (3K mile) engine. When their mechanic reinstalls an intake manifold using 'any type of bolt he can find because he misplaced the original bolts,' and you request they be replaced with OEM parts. Forget trying to get the problem resolved! The service manager will tell you, "You can't prove that my mechanic installed those bolts." If you pay in full for a new corvette and they tell you to come back the next day to pick it up because they need to finish dealer prep. It will be a waste of time trying to get them to remove the thick tar from the under carriage that they "worked late last night to apply." Your only recourse will be to buy new fender liners and just put up with the overspray on the drive train, because nothing other than a coarse abrasive will remove the crap. If you notice a rattling in the exhaust and ask for it to be fixed at 45K miles, when the warranty for exhaust parts was 50K miles. Forget getting it fixed. The dealership told me they would look for the cause of the rattling noise, that they also could hear, but it will cost you the going labor rate and not be covered under warranty because there is no warranty coverage for rattling. Then after putting up with the rattling noise for over 5K miles, the car won't rev beyond 3K rpm, so you take the car in for them to fix. They find the forward catalytic converter has broken apart and plugged the other converter, but there are now 51K miles on the car and the warranty for the exhaust is only 50K miles. You are then SOL and have to pay for replacement of the converters. Then the car still doesn't run right and you find from an independent mechanic that the back pressure has fried the exhaust valves and the engine needs rebuilding. BTW this is not the same engine they fried on the other corvette. Also a different dealer.

I can go on with many more of my past corvette problems, but you get my drift and my bias.

JustSan

X2 - so funny, my wife said the same exact thing

Jlopez55

I love my 7.1GT3. I think it offers the perfect blend of beauty, engagement, rawness and power.

My GT3 is strictly street driven, so I can barely utilize its meager 415 hp to the fullest, let alone the 650 in the z06. I would likely land myself in jail trying to explore the Vette's abilities.

I think I'm just caught up in the z06 media hype. I look forward to driving a friends when his is delivered February and see if it lives up to the hype.

Most likely the only replacement for my GT3 in the future will be an RS.