When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I totally get what Waltk88 is saying and it's really hard to argue with a 997 GT3. It's a classic already and will only be moreso down the road. Plus very little to no depreciation and likely appreciation over time. You can't go wrong.
That said, at COTA two weekends ago, I flogged my GT4 for 4 sessions and then swapped cars with my neighbor for a session. He has a '13 Boxster S PDK with Borla mufflers (sound incredible) and he had track wheels with some R888 rubber and good track pads on his brakes. I lowered the top (allowed with this group) and flogged that Boxster S like the it wasn't my car for an entire session and had a blast. I left the transmission in Sport Plus and that PDK made use of every single horsepower that 3.4L 315hp engine could muster banging upshifts and downshifts with the Borla mufflers spitting and popping on upshifts and downshifts.
I loved it and wasn't bored at all. The time I spent shifting in the GT4, I spent instead working on my braking zones and lines in the Boxster S PDK.
So, all that said, I'm NOT getting rid of the GT4, so don't waste your time making an offer on my blue beauty. However, I wouldn't mind a PDK equipped car in the future to park alongside my analog ZR1 and analog GT4.
That said, at COTA two weekends ago, I flogged my GT4 for 4 sessions and then swapped cars with my neighbor for a session. He has a '13 Boxster S PDK with Borla mufflers (sound incredible) and he had track wheels with some R888 rubber and good track pads on his brakes. I lowered the top (allowed with this group) and flogged that Boxster S like the it wasn't my car for an entire session and had a blast. I left the transmission in Sport Plus and that PDK made use of every single horsepower that 3.4L 315hp engine could muster banging upshifts and downshifts with the Borla mufflers spitting and popping on upshifts and downshifts.
I loved it and wasn't bored at all. The time I spent shifting in the GT4, I spent instead working on my braking zones and lines in the Boxster S PDK.
So, all that said, I'm NOT getting rid of the GT4, so don't waste your time making an offer on my blue beauty. However, I wouldn't mind a PDK equipped car in the future to park alongside my analog ZR1 and analog GT4.
And this is pretty much why you're winning at life
Originally Posted by waltk88' timestamp='1458758274' post='23917391
However, my decision was based on pure driving pleasure over speed. For me, working the stick and clutch made for a more engaging driving experience. Specific to the GT3 vs. GT3 comparison, I also wanted hydraulic steering assistance over electric and Mezger engine over 9A1. There will be ever faster performance cars coming to market every year. I don’t think there will ever be a future 911 that feels as analog as the 997 GT3. I get similar positive emotion from my mechanical watches. They aren’t as accurate as cheap quartz watches or the clock on my phone, but I enjoy the romance of wearing a piece of analog engineering on my wrist.
Moments like these make me wish I studied harder in my English / Literature / Rhetoric classes back in school. This was perfectly put, gave me goosebumps haha
Though in the perfect world it'd be nice to have both, though at this stage in my life I'm sure I'll eventually get rid of the DCT car for another manual
Originally Posted by waltk88' timestamp='1458758274' post='23917391
However, my decision was based on pure driving pleasure over speed. For me, working the stick and clutch made for a more engaging driving experience. Specific to the GT3 vs. GT3 comparison, I also wanted hydraulic steering assistance over electric and Mezger engine over 9A1. There will be ever faster performance cars coming to market every year. I don’t think there will ever be a future 911 that feels as analog as the 997 GT3. I get similar positive emotion from my mechanical watches. They aren’t as accurate as cheap quartz watches or the clock on my phone, but I enjoy the romance of wearing a piece of analog engineering on my wrist.
Moments like these make me wish I studied harder in my English / Literature / Rhetoric classes back in school. This was perfectly put, gave me goosebumps haha
Though in the perfect world it'd be nice to have both, though at this stage in my life I'm sure I'll eventually get rid of the DCT car for another manual
Ha, I was an English major in college. Who said college learning can't be used in real life?
I enjoyed an incredible drive this weekend. This was my first run in the GT3 on a proper driving road, and I was blown away. The Ortega Highway (CA State Route 74) winds through the mountains of the Cleveland National Forest and has a great combination of high speed kinks, medium speed sweepers and 180 degree turns. I was lucky enough to catch traffic just right that I had what seemed like 15 minutes of unimpeded driving over the most exciting segment of the road. The drive highlighted two outstanding qualities of the GT3 – feedback and agility.
It sounds like a terrible cliché, but the wheel felt alive in my hands - so much feedback! This really improved confidence in the front end and made it comfortable to push hard. I was able to keep pace with the sport bike guys without scaring myself. They would pull on the straights, but the long sweepers were where I would make back ground on them.
Thinking back on the drive, the factors contributing to the feeling of agility were turn-in response and the ability of the car to keep up with a very high tempo of steering input. I was able to maintain a rhythm through the left-right-left kinks because the car could quickly alter course without any lengthy wait for the chassis to settle between direction changes.
This is a photo from when I had to pull over and wipe the sweat off my hands.
It’s been more than three years since I posted to this thread, but I have a pretty significant update. Today I dropped off my GT3 at the shop for an epic engine build. The stock 3.8l flat six is getting surgery to transform into a 4.2l monster!
Some of the goodies in the photo:
Dual Cone Carbon Airbox
Factory 997 GT3 RS 4.0 Intake Manifold (very hard to find)
4.0 Crank
Big Pistons
Headers
My goal with the build is to have the most viscerally enjoyable Porsche engine. It won’t make as much power as the latest turbo engines, but those won’t have the throttle response, high rpm rush or sonic presence of this thing.
03-23-2016, 12:05 PM
However, I wouldn't mind a PDK equipped car in the future to park alongside my analog ZR1 and analog GT4. 
