The pricing was finally right so I picked up a 2010 GT3 from Schneider Nelson in Jersey. Given I just sold my GTR I'll give my brief review with pros and cons of all my toys.

Yes the GTR is faster. I immediately found out when I took my first drive off the lot in the GT3. I stalled. hehe. That clutch is heavy . All kidding aside, in the GT3 I had the sense that I was in a go kart. Not just in handling but aware that the engine was in the back, rear wheel drive and no weight in the front. For those who go kart, it's that immediate sense that you want to go fast to catch the guy in front but know that you'll spin out if you mash the gas in a turn. So every action I take is premeditated. Especially downshifting, entering a turn, etc. Funny but that's what makes the GT3 so much fun.

In the GTR I could be drinking a latte while on the phone (hands free of course) and be able to just do the triple click from 6th to 3rd and just floor it. I'll feel like Neo where every other car is at a standstill and I just zig zag my way through. Which is fun in it's own way but can get you into trouble.

Given the GTR's setup, I know that I simply cannot shift faster than it so stop light drags are pointless. Around a racetrack or twisty road, the GTR just feels very safe. No white knuckle driving, it just turns and goes. The only fear is not running wide but running into the guy in front of you. Which pretty much happens everytime you drive the GTR on the highway. It's like a caged animal.

That's where the GTR's fun ends for me though. The car is big and the ride is harsh ( I'm 37 and communte to NYC) with a bite that it made me feel bad for my passengers. The GT3 suspension is right at the edge where comfort ends and harshness begins but it's still on the comfy side so yes, it has a better ride than the GTR. I think Nissan addresses this on the 2011 model. The GT3 is nice in that it feels alive. It's a true sports car and the best street legal GT race car you can buy. GT meaning rear drive race car in the traditional sense.

Is the GT3 a daily driver? With the regular seats, most likely. I got the carbon fiber buckets so for me, no. Getting in and out can be a pain when you slam your thigh into sidewall of the rigid bucket seat. There isn't much cushioning either. The ride is perfect for a sports car though. Stiff but not harsh and definately no bite. The softer regular seats makes it fine to drive in NYC.

Ok here are my preferences. If not listed, They stay home.

Tight Twisty two lane Road:

Evo. No other.

Twisty road:
1st: GT3
2nd: Evo
3rd: GTR

Wide open road:

1st GTR

2nd GT3

Race track for laptimes and bullying:

GTR

Race track for fun:

1st: GT3,
2nd:M3

Going out to the city with friends:

M3 Chicks just love this car.

Snow/Rain/Ski trips:

Evo, Evo Evo!

Steering handling shifting

1st: GT3
2nd: Evo. A very close second
Tie: GTR's steering and handling better but I can shift the M3.

Do I miss my GTR? Yes and no. It was nice owning it. It's was like carrying a big gun. You never really get to fire it, but when you do, EVERYONE notices. It was a thug. Not pretty, but very cool.

Very nice review, thanks for sharing your experience The GT3 looks great, enjoy it!

Traitor!!!!!!!!!!!

Kiding

Congrats on your new baby!

For me not having a semi-automatic gearbox is literally a show stopper.

Kiriakos

Nice thanks for the review.Now if i could just get the damm dealers to let me test drive a Gt-R I would be set. It's funny BMW let me test drive there new M3 and Porsche let me test drive the Cayman-S and the Carrera. I have to admit the ride comfort and quality of the Porsche was first rate.

Life of a true badass haha. Great review . Lemme know if you need help with that M3 too!

In one of the earlier threads you said, "In searching for a new car and looking at Porsche I know why the 911 guys hate the GT-R. I'm constantly trying to justify the GT3. Currently I'm on the how much more fun I'll have. (although my friends say that all the fun will end when a newbie in a GTR passes me on the track) :( "

Come on out to VIR on 22 Feb, us GTRs are always looking for some Porsches 2 Pass (P2P).

Yep. I'll be slower and will get passed but that's okay because I'll have a boat load of fun trying to block you guys . (note the shifting hehe) Which group do you guys run with? Nasa? Emra?

Trading paint? Works for me...yeah, we run with NASA, Chin and whoever else has got the tracks. Just did an event with PCA at Roebling. Did you forget that you do shift in the GTR. Paddles are shifting, no different than what F1 cars are doing. All the guys that sit around talking about how GTRs drive themselves are full of crap. Shifting, toe/heeling and blipping are all going to be a thing of the past. Technology moves us all on. Let me ask you something, do you still long for the 3.5 floppy disk or getting rid of your remote control or better yet, the typewriter. We have been eating Porsches at these tracks and it really doesn't matter what they are: GT3, GT3RS, GT2, 911 Turbos, Cayman, whatever. Porsche owners are now coming around to our paddock and asking questions about what our cars are all about. You have fun shifting away while you watch me pull away! It might not be too late to go get your GTR back from the Porsche dealer and I just don't get your feeling about the roughness of the ride commuting to New York City. My GTR rides absolutely fine...if you want it comfy, put in the Comfort mode and chill. You must be very sensitive to road comfort. For me, the car is perfect but I having said all that I have, I do respect your decision to go after what you want. Congratulations on picking up your GT3! Seriously, very rare club and a great track car. I just hope that it can be comfortable for you on your commutes though...something tells me that you should have picked up the new M3.

SS Out!

Dude, you don't have to convince me man. I'm with you on how great the GTR is. I went straight for the GTR and loved it for what it was when it came out. I got mine back in Sept 2008 right in the midst of all the GTR hater hoopla so I'm not a porsche fanboy. I was defending it's rightful place in supercardom on 6speedonline long before most people got theirs. I'm just lucky enough to be able to try a few different cars and I love driving a manual. It's like drawing picture for me. Magic markers are great but I'll always use a good old fashioned pencil and eraser to draw a portrait. I like that my SLR has analog feeling button with a synthesized shutter sound when I know there isn't a shutter. It just adds the depth and feel that makes it more enjoyable for me. I also didn't trade it in. It went to an equally enthusiastic owner in bklyn. Btw I still have my M3 which I do use for commutes. It's the E92 so it's current and no it's not DCT

I am thinking that the 2010 GT3 will be my next car as well, after the GTR. I need to wait for one of those 2 year old 1,000 mile examples to come up in 2012. That will be a little more in my price range! Looks great! Love the white and the carbon seats! Did you get active engine mounts? Nose lift? Those are the options that would seem "fun" but not necessary.

I hear ya This thing was expensive The two must haves are the sport buckets and engine mounts if you're going to track it. I got the mounts and the seats but couldnt' find one with the lift. No more allocations so I had to pick from what was left. Dealers are taking 5-6% off list and eating gas tax and delivery so you'll save roughly $6000. If it's going to be a daily, avoid the buckets and DEFINATELY get the lift. Already scraped my lip. gosh what a horrible sound it made.

Nice review.

I love the GT3. After having owned a 993 C2S and a 996 TT it's my next Porsche model, BUT I won't buy one until Porsche drop the PDK gearbox in it. What are your thoughts after getting the GT3 about what the car would be like with such a gearbox? I believe that Porsche are losing sales because they restrict the car to a 6MT only.
Bish

Fantastic review!! It's good to hear owner feedback.

I don't think porsche engineers will ever willingly put a transmission in a GT2/GT3 car that can be found in a regular carerra. In this case it's their PDK. The GT3's manual gearbox is getrag while the std carerra's is sourced from Aisin. Just as the GTR will never share it's gearbox with any other Nissan. I'm sure the car would be fun but it would not be how it was meant to be driven. They will probably first try some affordable xtrac equivalent where the gear lever is on the center console and you have to firmly pull or push a lever to shift and no auto mode. That would be the best case. But if they are losing sales, I'm sure the guys up top will force the engineers to use pdk. Look at the panemera. lol. Below is a video of an appropriate GT3 transmission and how it is meant to be driven if it isn't manual.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVuFi5qQLvU...feature=related

i am a self confessed GTR nutswinger but i do hold a special place in my heart for the GT3, just turning the key on, i knew i wasn't near enough driver for the car... but i wanted to be! enjoy!!

There is one at my local dealer, Maplewood Imports in Minneapolis. Theirs is listed on eBay. I went in the other day to check it out and was actually impressed by how comfortable the carbon buckets were. It has engine mounts as well, but no sport/chrono. I thought leaving off the sport chrono was little odd, but I guess it doesn't really give you much without the PDK. I really wanted the nose-lift after I saw how low the lip is. It's gotta be lower than the stock GTR by at least an inch. They had theirs listed for $1,000 off MSRP in the showroom....I low-balled him with an offer plus the GTR (mostly jokingly!) he told me that he is actually concerned about getting it sold. Maybe if he hangs onto it long enough I can steal it for invoice next summer...

Oh, you can definately get way more than $1000 off msrp. At least $4k. Invoice is forseeable. Wish I was stronger than you. After I saw it at the NY Auto Show last March, it was over. Sport chrono is usless w/o pdk. And yes, the car is LOW. I had coilovers on my Evo and i didn't have it that low. Fortuantely the lip is only $185.00 but still.

It's not me that is strong...actually the opposite! I am scared of what my wife would do if I told her I was trading the GTR in on a new $115K Porsche!

+1 Thanks for posting. Congrats

GT-3 will be my next car purchase but there is no way I'll give my GT-R up to do it. It will just be added to the stable for when I want that manual experience.

Nice new ride. I hear you regarding driving the gtr into the city. I now leave it at home and take one of the audi's so my fiance doesnt sit next to me and start bouncing in the seat even before I start the car to prep herself lol.

lol. Hopefully the 2011 GTR buyers don't have to go through that. all the best.

Sorry if you mentioned it but what year was your GTR?

JT

No worries. It was a 2009 Premium.

Great to hear about your comparisons.

For comfort the GTR-
Can be fitted with non runflat tires.
Can have coilovers with adjustable shock rates that favor street driving or track.
Can have lowering springs that perform better for both street and performance driving and keep electronic control of the comfort or R mode settings on the console.

You didn't mention brake squeal- not a problem for you? If so then the brake lubricant for brake pads takes care of that.

The great thing about the GTR-
Has four seats if you need them, and a usable trunk (I go to Costco all the time)
Can do well in heavy traffic using the automatic shifting yet do well in performance driving with the paddle shifters. A manual transmission in rush hour traffic gets old fast.
Can get 20 mpg overall for daily driving if you remember to be smooth on throttle and brakes which is pretty darn good given the level of performance you have as well. I get 22 mpg overall.
Is easily modded to add 60 to 80+ HP from stock using a midpipe and Cobb Access Port and version 2.0 MAPs or custom MAP- then you really can fly.

Wow, this is funny. I just went the other way. Have owned Porsches for the past ten yrs and decided to try the GT-R. Maybe back into the nxt turbo due in a few yrs (998?)

Yup. I read in Automobile Magaizine that when they put on Pirelli winter tires on their long term GTR, it made the car dramatically more comfortable. oh wells I didn't really mind the brake squeal for some reason.

We're perfect examples of having the grass being greener on the other side syndrome lol. The crazy thing is we both not only switched cars but did the same color switch too lol. My GTR was black and my GT3 is white. Congrats! So what's your take on going the other way?

the blizzaks even made the car ALOT softer

Nice P car.

But i dont understand why people say the ride is so harsh. I have been in Porshe's that have felt worse. Some harshness is going to be had for a sports car IMO. Honestly my Lexus ISF has a stiffer ride on the same roads than my GTR.

But hey anyone here would love to have GT3 too. I know I would. Enjoy

hey i had a chance to do a nice HDR photoshoot with a GT3 not to long ago with the aeromotions guys. You are in jersey i am out on long island, if your ever up for it maybe bring out the cars or ill head out that way and meet up and do a nice shoot.
Congrats on the cars.. Every car u mentioned is bad ass in its own way. GT3 definitely has its "Own" Feeling when your in it.


Mark

The GT3 is really a focused track car that you can use on the street. The Clutch is very stiff compared to my turbo. I didn't get the front end lift, so I was scraping the front end alot. For the way I use my cars, the turbo is the better choice. I'll probably get another turbo when the 998 arrives. Till then I'm going to enjoy the GT-R.
My past turbos

I'm actually in Westchester. Definately up for a photoshoot with the cars. Too bad it's freakin freezing out here.

I gotta ask. GTR, GT3, TT, which was your favorite?

I get this question a lot. It's a 2 part answer though.
1. Most Bang for the buck, GT-R no question.
2. other wise, the turbo

They are just so beautiful to look at.....hope I will get one some day.

I just don't get it. You went from a GTR to a GT3 as a daily driver because the GTR's ride was too harsh? There is something seriously wrong with your butt meter dude.

I can't see why a GT3 would be a better daily driver than the GTR, especially with the heavy clutch, the harsh ride, no back seats, no boot.

Besides, what's wrong with all these people complaining about the hard ride of the GTR? Gosh, sit in a Veyron and you'll realize how comfy the GTR is, and you don't hear Veyron owners complaining. I just don't get it.

There's your answer. Even Nissan acknowledges it and is doing something about it for the 2011 model.

Chicks dig an M3 ( how can they tell it's not a 328?) over a GT3 or GTR? Ok... Maybe the gtr... But gt3? And I hear ya about the evo, great cars

As to whether they know it's an M3 I'm not sure but the typical responses from dates, and gf's are as follows:

"That's your car?!?!?"

"I really like your car"

"I LOVE your car"

"Nice car"

"I really like the tires" lol I then asked, "You mean the wheels right?" She said "uh huh". lol

My M3 is white with the carbon roof and dark wheels with the fox red interior. That's the killer combo. They love it Honestly though, I think most of the "love" stems from the fact they see themselves driving it and it's a car they would like to own. The GTR and GT3 are "cool" to them but they have no interest in driving or owning one. All I get for the others is "that's cool" "it looks like it's fast" but that's usually it.

As for all the responses to the daily driver issues. The GT3's weakness is the clutch. It's just too heavy for city traffic. My issues with the GTR is not just for my butt's sake but for the car's and the passengers. I feel bad for the car when driving in the city. Rough roads make for squeaky interiors and rattling cars after a while and I hate finding myself zig zagging through bumpy roads finding a smooth line. It's annoying when the light turns green and I can finally go and then all of a sudden I have to brake and turn to avoid a bump which I would normally run over in a GT3 or M3. It could just be me.

lol, that is so true....girls don't know what gtr is.....my gf thought my gtr was $20k nissan.

That Blue on the 911 Turbo is sweet!

What kind of discount are the Porsche dealers doing on the GT3's? Thx

Welcome to the GT3 club!!! I noticed you also have an e92 M3. Im sure you have been on m3post ?

I previously sold my 2009 GT-R and now have an e92 m3 and a factory gt3 cup (not street legal). I sure love the new gt3 when they are decked out with alcantara in the interior. You will enjoy it. I bought mine because the sound and the go kart, light weight feel is great. Not to forget that orgasmic sound of the 6.

Do you race the Cup or just use it for track days, etc?
Bish

Most are 5-6% off list. Negotiating via email is easiest and best. Don't go to the dealer because you'll end up doing something foolish lol I never actually set foot into a Porsche dealership until I picked mine up.

Yup. I'm under the same name on M3 post. The M3 is great but it's more of a daily use car. I don't spend hours looking at photos and obsessed in finding every drop of info on them like I do with the GTR and GT3 though. Your right about the GT3 sound. With the sport button on it's unreal. I've never owned or driven a car that sounded that nice. I also never really understood why people complained about the GTR's engine sound and ignored those comments by journalists. I get it now. The GTR is like a great TV that has no surround sound. You don't need it but what a difference it makes. I would love to have a cup car for track days Does yours have the sequential gearbox? oh and post pics if you have.

What a great thread. My 2 cents on the most recent comment on the GT-R's sound...yes, from factory it is just shamefully quiet. That's why you gotta mod the exhaust. With my Sunline Racing titanium midpipe and exhaust, my car's exhaust note now makes my hairs stand on end and will not be beaten out by any other sports car...

HMMM, Danny Popp's Vette turning 8000 rpm, (made the hair on my arms stand up) GT3 turning 8200/8400 rpm with straight pipes sound a whole lot better.

Peter