superfans:
Hope to get some comments from the enthusiasts about using a GT3 RS as a daily driver around downdown. Wondering whether it would be difficult to get around in traffic jam? The clutch seems a bit hard (for daily driving). Thanks in advance for your comments.
You don't give a location, so we don't know what your driving conditions might be like if you ever drive the car out of town.
If you don't get to do extensive driving outside of the downtown area to compensate for the fact that the GT3 RS was never intended for crawling in bumper-to-bumper traffic or boulevard cruising, then the car wouldn't be right for you.
fritz
Thanks for your views. I've seen from other forums that some owners say that the clutch of the Mk.I GT3 RS may be a bit heavy, but once you get on a slightly free open road and press on the gas pedal, the GT3 RS would be phenomenal. You are probably right that the RS could be a tough car to get around bumper-to-bumper traffic and this is what I am a bit concern too. Have tried the car (briefly) and the clutch feels so heavy and high up and it could be a difficult car to move around during rush hours and so. However, it is such a beautiful car and especially that the price of a used one has come down a bit (after the release of the new Mk.2), it is kind of hard to avoid not wanting one. By the way, should one be concerned that the car has been tracked often?
I daily drive my '07 RS in central Houston. As others have mentioned, where you live has a tremendous impact on how pleasant or terrible it might be to DD a GT3 or RS. I'm a recent transplant to Houston from Austin and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a GT3 for a daily driver to someone who lived there.
In Houston the reality of daily-driving a GT3 RS is a bit more grim. I stopped noticing the heavy clutch after the first week but I routinely have difficulties with clearance and rough pavement. The roads here are terrible and it's a jarring, rattle-inducing experience to drive the RS up and down the streets around my office. There are plenty of places where I could take my C2S Cab that the RS cannot go because the front lip or rear bumper can't negotiate the ramp into the parking lot. I'm willing to tolerate a lot of inconvenience, and where the RS just isn't viable I just take my girlfriend's MX5 instead. It's workable for me, but maybe not for others.
With relatively smooth roads I think it would be no problem at all. If the road quality is poor I'd advise against.
As for buying a used car that's been tracked -- I don't see any problem at all with that. In fact, I sort of feel the opposite. People who track their cars are maintaining them diligently. They're crawling all over the cars every month, proactively looking for problems. I'd rather have a car that was driven on the track than one that was only driven 2,000 miles a year and was potentially neglected.
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Nov 18, 2009 7:25:31 PM
Mikla:
The RS in heavy traffic is a torture...
I think it's actually more torture for the car than for the driver While I never drive the GT3 in city traffic, I've been stuck in stop and go traffic on the Autobahn for hours (I only could bear it because I knew that finally I'd arrive at the gate to GT3 heaven in the Eifel
). One becomes familiar with the heavy clutch rather quickly, but the GT3/RS needs to be revved to really enjoy it - that's why I wouldn't use these babies as a DD. It's not that I'd miss any comfort, it's just that I can't extract the joy of driving this gem in normal street traffic. That doesn't mean that my baby is a garage queen: I've done 20,000 km this season and I absolutely looooooooooved every km
public roads: Porsche 987 S Seal/Cocoa, toll road : Porsche 997 GT3 Arctic/Black
Nov 21, 2009 10:26:12 PM
I've given up trying to save my front lip. The bottom edge eventually gets worn ragged. As the bottom edge wears, I just keep it "trimmed" for cosmetic purposes. Eventually it has to be replaced.
As far as the front of the lip is concerned, well, I scuffed it on a concrete parking barrier within four days of picking up the car. My solution was to buy a roll of black 3M anti-slip tape two inches wide. The tape is ordinarily used on steps and porches to prevent slips and falls. Cut a long piece to fit, trim it to look right, and stick it to the front of the lip. Any scuffs are now taken by the tape and not the lip. Replace as required. Done right it almost looks like it was made that way.
2008 GT3