PureBlue:

A very reasonable question.  Three reasons: availability, price and practicality.

By the time I made the decision to replace my C2S last year (which was quite an impulsive decision), the 997.2 GT3 was no longer available to order, at least not in the SA market.  Having bought the C2S (slightly) used, I really wanted to buy a new 911 and spec it myself - rather than having to live with a spec which was OK, but not quite of my own choosing.  At the time, I could have bought a used 2007 997.1 GT3 (with roughly 20,000 km on the clock) for about the same price as a new GTS - but I specifically didn't want to go back to the 1st gen 997.

Residual values in SA hold up extremely well and are effectively supported by the sole official distributor.  There were very few, if any, used 997.2 GT3s available at the time (which is still the case) and I would have had to pay at least R1.7m for one of those (divide by 10 to get a rough euro equivalent), vs. the R1.26m I paid for the GTS - i.e. a full 35% more.

Finally, there was the issue of practicality.  We only have one child still living with us - she's just turned 12 and can still sit reasonably comfortably in the back seat of a 911 (although this won't be the case for much longer).  With the back seats added as a free option to my GTS, this gives me at least some flexibility to use the 911 for family trips.  For instance, we recently took a 5-day vacation, which involved a 1,500 km round trip - with a GT3, I would not have been able to use the 911 for this trip.

So, in the end it was really a practical decision.  Having said that, I don't regret buying the GTS for a second - it does represent a compromise, but a very, very good one, which still feels special every time I drive it.  Smiley

I had a one-to-one chat with one of the PSDS instructors at Nürburgring last year who praised the GTS. In his view, unless you were looking for a pure track car, the GTS was the better one, with more torque at low RPM, 2+2 seats and as quick around the ring as a GT3 with the skills most people drive Smiley I tend to agree with that view.

So you made a brilliant choice with the GTS Smiley

If I were to chose only one 911 then it would be a 997 GTS PDK. Let's see what the 991 GT3 brings. With PDK and 2+2 seats I am in.


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997.2 Carrera S in Carrara White. PASM-Sport Suspension (-20 mm), PSE.

987.1 Boxster S in Arctic Silver. OZ Racing Ultraleggera Wheels, H&R Monotube Coil-Over Suspension, H&R Anti-Roll Bars, Sachs Racing Clutch, Single-Mass Flywheel, IPD Plenum, GT3 Throttle Body, Recaro Pole Position Seats, PSE, Alpine Head Unit and Amplifier, Focal Speakers