Metaphysician

I posed this question in the GT2/GT3 forum earlier in the year, but realized I didn't cross-post in my home forum. The current hot market for 997 Turbos has me revisiting this idea, especially since GT2s seem to be holding pretty stable lately.

I love my current car, but part of me always had eyes for the 997 GT2. Either way I think a 997 wide body turbo-powered car is a long term hold for me, but seeking opinions on 997.2 Turbo vs 997 GT2. I may go to an occasional track day once a year or so. This car would primarily be used for cruising and spirited back road driving, and accumulate ~1-2K miles per year.

I originally chose a 997.2 Turbo because I liked the refreshed interior/PCM, taillights, and reliability of the DFI engine. And of course, last gen of the 6-speed. As far as the GT2, I like the more aggressive yet still subtle styling (front/rear bumper, wing, etc) and let's face it, it's a more unique and special car. I know the Mezger-based GT2 turbo engine is reliable as well, just need to address the coolant lines. The GT2RS is off the table due to price/value (to me) and rarity.

Anyone have time with both cars and have some opinions to share?

Here's the current car. Added RS wheels, lightweight CF buckets, SpeedTech 3" Race exhaust, and a DSC controller.

repcapale

Nice car. I do not have experience with a GT2, but if you can swing it I don't see any reason not to.

I also might be selling my .2 manual, but am looking at the 992 GTS as a replacement.

PowderJunkie

Agree, the 997 Turbos are amazing cars but a GT2 is more special. If you don't need the back seats then why not take the more powerful car.

Full Boost

I Just went through the same thought process. ( I was offered a GT2 off market)

They seem to be slightly behind on price increases (Especially here - I'm in AU) and seem to be good value (subjective) @ Early to mid $300's.
Where i ended up - for what i do with the car - (its one of a few i own) the delta just didn't seem worth it at the time - but I've just sold my S54 Swapped e30 - and may revisit this - but they are thin on the ground - especially here - they only made 1180 Worldwide - and only about 20 something here.

Saying all of the above - I have added a lot of Gt2 stuff.

I agree its a great long term hold - and one that is a blast to drive..... ALLLLLLL Day!

I know it doesn't help - just my thoughts

cyclrder

if you can swing a GT2, then you probably can just buy the GT2 and keep the Turbo. I'd rather have $120K invested in a Turbo sitting in my garage as you know that it will only appreciate.

I have to say... a GT2RS would about be the only car that I would consider trading my Turbo for.
Good luck and keep us posted!

Ryans Rebel

This may not be helpful but some insight from my point of view.

I have a 997.1 Turbo, 6-speed. I've always longed for a GT2 as well (997.1). Long story short.... the cars are similar enough to not warrant the swap, IMO. If money were no problem then get the GT2 or both! But the price delta between the two is too much for me to swallow at the moment. Especially when you consider the performance of the turbo!

Another thing to consider is the RWD GT2 vs. the AWD of the turbo. You having the 997.2 turbo, you reportedly have a more RWD drive feel vs the 997.1, which reportedly has a more AWD feel. I've never driven a 997.2, but my 997.1 deffinately feels like an AWD car. The AWD gives me piece of mind in terms of car control (I just drive my car around town and on some back roads). I have no idea how the driver aids of the GT2 compare to the Turbos so I may be out of line here. You may find the GT2 feels an awful lot like your 997.2 turbo. You should be sure and talk to several who have driven both!

Lastly, you may have more of a unicorn than the GT2? That is a 997.2 MANUAL vs. GT2. Having said all of that, we all know just how special the GT2 is.........

cyclrder

Metaphysician, does your car have a tune with the exhaust? My car is very similar to yours (other than being a cab)... will you sell the car with the GT2 wheels or back to stock? wondering what you will ask price wise? Being a mildly tuned car.. that could be very interesting pricing.

Have you thought about adding the GT2 rear sway bar? I did it on mine and it really made the car feel like it could better utilize the RS sized wheels / tires with the cup 2 tires... I also had my alignment set to as close to GT spec (taking into consideration that you can only go so far unless you change a couple of front end components to get more bandwith for adjustments.) Changing the shifter to the "short shift and adding steel components and changing the front transmission mount to the stiffer version will move you towards a more viscural feel. I also added the GT2RS lower side valances and that really made a nice addition to the style.... with a good setup, you should be able to get to 90% the feel of the GT2 without the downsides and costs...

Quite frankly after thinking about it.... a GT3RS could really be more interesting... being able to shift at a much higher redline would be something that would ring my bells...
Anyway, I clearly have GT2RS envy.

check out this youtuber... he is an engineer on superyachts and a real particular kind of guy... He converted a Turbo to a GT2. Maybe you can get some insight from him. Go back to the beginning of his journey. You can even right to him and he will respond.

Fdude

I’ve had a 997.1TT and now a 997 GT2. I actually was going through the same experience as you when I bought my GT2. Even though the TT and GT2 share the same body and engine, they are completely different cars. Like others have said the main differences are the handling, weight, and rwd. The weight differences are especially noticeable. With the 997.1TT the car felt composed but you can definitely feel the car is not a light and nimble car. The GT2 on the other hand feels much lighter and more tossable. The rear wheel drive GT2 also feels a lot more playful when taking it through corners or carving through canyons. The turbo has a more comfortable ride (the GT2 is not that harsh) but again if this is not your daily that should not be a problem. I had my turbo for a few years and it was my dream car for a while. Eventually, after driving the car enough I realized 997.1TT felt more of a cruiser/touring car while the GT2 feels like a purposeful sports car. After driving the TT for a while, I found myself driving my 996 carrera more often since it felt so light and nimble compared to the turbo. So eventually I looked into the GT2 hoping to have a car with the torque of the TT and provide the nimble feeling of my 996. The GT2 does not disappoint. I can definitely feel that the 997 chassis is a little heavier than my 996 but it is not a far off. It is probably one the best all around cars you can buy with a manual for weekend driving. You have the torque to cruise and pass as you please while also having the handling of a track weapon. I do wonder if the 996 GT2 might be even better. Hopefully this helps

Metaphysician

I did a full exhaust without cats, but no tune. I sold the stock black/silver lip RS Spyder wheels, so the car would go with the GT3RS wheels pictured. I might put the stock seats back in and sell the lightweight carbon buckets separately. Not sure on price yet, but I know some recent highmarks from BringATrailer were $144K-179K, so somewhere in that range.

I prefer the aesthetics of the GT2, so the suspension changes and little bump in power are bonuses. I don't think I'll go down the path of changing the suspension on my Turbo as it starts to change the ethos of the car (more grand tourer than track). The GT2 is more than a sum of its parts and I'd rather not try to emulate it on a Turbo. I'm still not a huge fan of the heavier AWD steering and wonder how different the GT2 being RWD would be. Can't exactly test drive one...

I can't really put a pin on it, but the GT3/GT3RS doesn't really interest me. Perhaps it's because they're more popular/commonplace, relatively speaking of course. Despite the higher-revving motor, I still like the turbo engine power.

Metaphysician

This is very helpful, thank you! How does the Turbo AWD steering compare to the GT2 RWD? I always felt the AWD steering was heavy, even if it meant more grip.

Fdude

I can't remember if the turbo steering was that heavy. However, the GT2 steering is light and more direct for sure. Also, I definitely get more feedback than the turbo in terms of steering feel.

Johnb55

The GT2 with RWD vs AWD in the TT is lighter and significantly (multiple seconds) quicker on the track. On the street, it feels more nimble and sportier, and to me is just more fun.
So my 2c: Do it!

ChrisF

+1. The 997 turbo is an amazing car. The GT2 is a different animal. Given the rarity, I still don't understand why GT2's haven't found a stronger market following.

The only downside to the GT2's is how few of them there are and those that do occasionally pop up tend to be garage queens. If you're at all serious about one, start searching now. Took me a long time to finally find one. Zero regrets. Do it.

osu s2k

I’ve had 997 turbos, a 2009 gt2 and 997.1 gt3rs currently …

I also have a 996TT and I’m keeping it for sentimental reasons but honestly it did everything the 997 turbo did for me, that’s another discussion.

do you have to approach the switch based on motivation and reasons. If your thought is to drive this a lot and put 50 to 100,000 miles on it stick with your 997.2.

if in the back of your mind you have some collectible reasons and see this as just a weekend fun car that might accumulate 1000 miles a year then GT two is your best bet. I think production numbers are important but worldwide 997.1 GT to production is approximately 1250 with about 220 in the North American market. My 2009 was one of 25 in North America. GT2 has the legendary mezger. And a GT car will always hold more value than a non-GT car.

GT two is much more playful, more purposeful in stock form and much more of an event. There was always something in the back of your mind that you thought “this car can hurt me“. That’s what made it fun. When I drive my 930 and in the back of my mind I think of the widow maker moniker, the GT two is the best modern interpretation of the widow maker If it’s outright speed I’m sure any of the turbos are easy to tune with a flash they can out run a GT 2.

if you like your 997.2 turbo you will definitely like the GT two. I also always thought the rear wing was better executed and I really dislike the fog lights on the turbos and thought the front facia of the GT two was better.

if values are hovering around 200 I think it’s a good entry point because I just don’t see those cars dropping as they are all trading around MSRP right now. I’ve been following the 2009 market for GT two as I like the upgraded interior and besides my car I’ve only seen one other car trade publicly in the last three years

i’m not as familiar with production numbers for 997.2 turbo manuals but those are technically still just turbos….Then I can always remember looking for a 997 turbo, whether it’s a six speed car or whether it’s a automatic that was always annoying, dealers listing their automatics as 6 speeds to get more traffic…..With GT 2 it only came one way


Either way they’re all outstanding cars first world problems as they say

Metaphysician

Thanks. I agree that GT2s seem to be undervalued. I've actually been tracking prices for about 2 years - a short list for sure.