996 gt3...... good or bad????

[IS300]

Hi there... I'm having troubles finding the right 911....
then saw a local ad for a 996 gt3...

I have been told to stay away from 996s... ????

I am open find out if this is true or help me understand what to look out for with the 996
I would like more opinions PLEASE.....

[sammyf]

Stay away... because they are too fun!

Seriously though, 996 GT3 and Turbo's have completely different engines from all the other 996's

Check some of the other forums that have more water-cooled traffic.

[IS300]

bump didy bump bump

[tlarocque]

Dude.... 996 GT3 is a fabulous car. As mentioned above, engine is a race-derived Mezger, nearly bullet-proof lump. Get a good PPI and have the engine DME scanned for over-revs. Coolant pipe fittings have been a problem for some (especially if its a track car). There are a couple solutions but I wouldn't do it unless I planned on tracking the car. The stock LSD wears easily but there is a nice upgrade (again, mostly if you plan to track).

I will say, having owned 3 of them, that I don't find the 996 GT3 particularly fun to drive on the street. Somewhat harsh ride and you can't even begin to explore its capabilities until on a track. For street car at that price point, 997 or nice air-cooled 993.

Rennlist has a very active GT3 discussion forum. Lots of good information there.

Finally... if you don't want it, link to the GT3 ad???:-)

[996TWINS]

My friend regrets everyday that he sold his 04 996 GT3. Great car.

Would have made a fine companion with the Turbo.

[Matt Monson]

GT3s are fabulous cars. Go drive it. You'll buy it.
Watch this for a little inspiration.
SharkWerks 2011 Porsche 997 GT3 RS - Jay Leno's Garage - YouTube

[sprbxr]

I love my GT3.

The coolant fitting repair is a must whether you are using it on the street or the track. They alwys seem to blow out at the worst possible moment.

I have done several repairs on these coolant pipes. The best repair is to tig weld them in place but you must pull the engine and remove all of the fittings that you intend to weld. YOu might as well do all of them while you are in there. Its a tough weld because the coolant pipes are super thin and soft and you are welding them to cast aluminum. Spend the money on it at a shop that has done the repair before.

[Raven 911]

You can,t go wrong with purchasing a 996 gt3 IS 300 ,,,They are great cars with a race bread engine derived from the the Gt1 Mezger race engines ,,,as mentioned before it is common for the cooling pipes to come out of the housing,s ,these can be welded and also drilled and pined to solve the issue ,,,there are many threads on this topic.............

[Sweendk]

Go drive one before you make up your mind. I fell in love with one on line, but came home with a 996 Turbo. The GT3 is noisy. The clutch is a real workout. And I no longer fit in the sport seat. But the Turbo... quieter with more power. A beautiful driver. Good luck!

[spooldup]

Owned over 2 dozen Porsche cars in 3+ decades, I will never sell my 6GT3. Don't sweat the over revs, this has been discussed but the short of it is it's just hitting the rev limiter and unless you have some kind of force pushing the car from behind it cannot over rev.Depending on what is too rough on the street is a personal decision, I drive mine and never even think about it, my other 911s just sit until I figure I better drive them if they have been sitting too long.

[bell]

You can mechanically over rev if you misshift and go down a gear instead of going up. ....

[spooldup]

Right, I should have added that to my reply. I still would not pass up a chance to own a 6GT3, it is the most fun car I have ever owned. I can't help but wonder if they eventually build another like it with so many drivers out there praising the feel they deliver. You can't get the grin off my face with a wire brush or plastic surgery when I drive it.