GR86 potentially going from classic 911 to GR86

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Shea

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Hi,

I have a bit of a dilema, was accepted for the 2nd batch while my 1986 3.2 911 was in getting a mini resto. I can't keep both but thought I'll put the 1k down, drive the 911 for a couple of months and if I got the fizz from it after its resto I'd cancel the GR86, or I'd sell the 911 to fund the GR86 and hopefully pocket a bit of cash. Que a load of hassle from the restorer and them not answering calls, I still haven't got the 911 months after I should have, but the GR86 is ready to be picked up next week.

So I'm thinking still get the GR86 on finance, and when I finally get the 911 back make the decision then. But I'm very conflicted on whether to do this or not, basically after 11 years of running classic air cooleds I'm kind of fed up with crazy parts prices and specialists missing deadlines, delivering sub par work and charging an arm and a leg for the pleasure. A new sportscar that has similar weight, power, rear seat space to my 911 but with modern safety is very appealing, and on top of that no more 37 year old parts failing, 37 year old plastic disintegrating, weekends spent under a car working on it instead of enjoying it. Can get a 10 year service plan on the GR86 and have an easy life.

And just like that I've talked myself into getting the GR86, and then I say to myself "but the 911 is cool" and I'm back to square one.

So just wondering if anyone has any thoughts to help me, or has anyone moved from a classic to a new car and what their experience has been.

Thanks!
Shea.
 
I'm driving a £2k citroen C5 with broken window wiper motors :ROFLMAO:. I used to love the tinkering, not sure if I'm over it or if I'm just fed up with fixing the cars on the driveway or street as for those 11 years I didn't have a garage until a month ago. So maybe the passion to work on them might pick up again, but a house to fix up and a 10 month year old baby might not leave much time for that now.

Also I have another classic that would get promoted into the garage if I sold the 911, so that would always be there to tinker on.
 
I have mentioned this few times on forum, GR86 reminds me of 944. Similar in size and weight. Similar power and balance. Does not have cool pop up headlights, but in GR, people let you out of junctions.
My daughter teenager friends, think car is effortlessly cool.
 
Shea said:
I'm driving a £2k citroen C5 with broken window wiper motors :ROFLMAO:. I used to love the tinkering, not sure if I'm over it or if I'm just fed up with fixing the cars on the driveway or street as for those 11 years I didn't have a garage until a month ago. So maybe the passion to work on them might pick up again, but a house to fix up and a 10 month year old baby might not leave much time for that now.

Also I have another classic that would get promoted into the garage if I sold the 911, so that would always be there to tinker on.
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Based on this response I’d get the GR compared to driving the C5. Even though the C5 is one of the most comfortable cars I’ve driven.
 
Hi Shea,
I’ve come from Porsche 981 GT4 to an GR86, whilst not a 37year old 911 (fair play btw), I can relate the the sub standard service, how you are treated and to be frank fairly silly prices whilst I was a +10 year Porsche owner. Was given a slot for a 718 Spyder, but something just didn’t sit right with me whilst waiting for a slot, the service from a certain Scottish dealership went from great to terrible, to the point it wasn‘t even funny. I pulled the plug on Porsche ownership and thought okay now what…. missed the first allocation of the GR86 as attention was on other things, the second batch came around, test drove a GR86 and my gut told me all I needed to know . I’ve stepped off the power climb, and now something that doesn‘t do 0-60 in sub five seconds means you get to enjoy/exploit the car more of the time on the open road, why, because you have to select more gears and get to play with the higher revs without doing silly speeds. When I test drove the GR86 there was a retro feel which ties nicely into the relative light weight of the car which I thought was cool to have a new car in 2023 but feels like 2003. Back to the future but with a 10 year warranty!
Shea, trust your gut and see what feels right, theres no right or wrong, and decide what works for you.
 
Gibbo78 said:
Hi Shea,
I’ve come from Porsche 981 GT4 to an GR86, whilst not a 37year old 911 (fair play btw), I can relate the the sub standard service, how you are treated and to be frank fairly silly prices whilst I was a +10 year Porsche owner. Was given a slot for a 718 Spyder, but something just didn’t sit right with me whilst waiting for a slot, the service from a certain Scottish dealership went from great to terrible, to the point it wasn‘t even funny. I pulled the plug on Porsche ownership and thought okay now what…. missed the first allocation of the GR86 as attention was on other things, the second batch came around, test drove a GR86 and my gut told me all I needed to know . I’ve stepped off the power climb, and now something that doesn‘t do 0-60 in sub five seconds means you get to enjoy/exploit the car more of the time on the open road, why, because you have to select more gears and get to play with the higher revs without doing silly speeds. When I test drove the GR86 there was a retro feel which ties nicely into the relative light weight of the car which I thought was cool to have a new car in 2023 but feels like 2003. Back to the future but with a 10 year warranty!
Shea, trust your gut and see what feels right, theres no right or wrong, and decide what works for you.
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+1 - what Gibbo78 said - got the same motivation & intention
 
This may be of no help at all but I'm going through a similar (nice to have) dilemma.

I've owned my 993 for 17 years and for the first time in thinking seriously about letting it go thanks to the GR86.

When I compare the two....

The 993 is faster, more refined at speed, has a glorious engine and exhaust sound, better throttle response , had a superbly slick drivetrain and gearchange and has unique rear engine handling characteristics. On top of that I recently spent much money on upgrading the stereo.

The GR86 is much more refined at low speeds, has better ride on bumpy b roads, has around 40% better mpg, will have much much lower servicing and maintenance costs, has a great android auto integration and is still incredibly fun to drive quickly. And it's ULEZ compliant. And it's 100kg lighter than the 993. And it's got modern crash protection.

In essence they're both 2+2 reasonably quick and unrefined sports cars. Both classics. Both look great. Both great fun to drive.

In general it seems to be the GR86's keys that I reach for to go for a fun drive but that might just be because it's still new to me.

I'm not sure I'll still own the 993 in a year's time
 
Well my user name might be a give away. All I can say is that the GR86 is the first car I have owned since selling my 1986 911 Supersport Coupe that has actually put a real smile on my face whilst driving. The Boxster was a brilliant go-cart, my ULEZ compliant breathed on Saab 93 Aero is much fun now and handles well, goes fast and brakes really hard after a few tweaks but out of the box, the GR86 just 'has it' - notwithstanding a few very minor mods I will make. And to agree to your point, I do not miss the eye watering parts costs as lucky as I was with a mechanic. Roll on the GR86.
 
Gibbo78 said:
Hi Shea,
I’ve come from Porsche 981 GT4 to an GR86, whilst not a 37year old 911 (fair play btw), I can relate the the sub standard service, how you are treated and to be frank fairly silly prices whilst I was a +10 year Porsche owner. Was given a slot for a 718 Spyder, but something just didn’t sit right with me whilst waiting for a slot, the service from a certain Scottish dealership went from great to terrible, to the point it wasn‘t even funny. I pulled the plug on Porsche ownership and thought okay now what…. missed the first allocation of the GR86 as attention was on other things, the second batch came around, test drove a GR86 and my gut told me all I needed to know . I’ve stepped off the power climb, and now something that doesn‘t do 0-60 in sub five seconds means you get to enjoy/exploit the car more of the time on the open road, why, because you have to select more gears and get to play with the higher revs without doing silly speeds. When I test drove the GR86 there was a retro feel which ties nicely into the relative light weight of the car which I thought was cool to have a new car in 2023 but feels like 2003. Back to the future but with a 10 year warranty!
Shea, trust your gut and see what feels right, theres no right or wrong, and decide what works for you.
Click to expand...
Absolutely this. While I don't have the 86 I went from a breathed on M2 that did the 100kph sprint in under 4s traction willing to the GRY which can do 5s but only if you are brutal on take-off. The consumable (tyres, brakes, fuel) cost of the M2 was high and future maintenance was looking expensive too and I didn't drive it enough to cover that and insurance. The GRY can be driven harder on more broken up surfaces and is still cheaper and more fun. And now it is 2s or more a lap faster than the M2 was.
 
I have covered 12k miles on my GR86. I have Owned a few cars that are considered iconic now and make an interesting comparison. All the cars were mint so wear and tear not a factor

E30 m3 not even close to the GR86 very good car but now dated very overrated.
Porsche 968 sport with factory M030 felt strangely heavy never really bonded with it. Not a patch on GR86
Porsche 944 s2 great car felt more involving than 968 very similar to GR86 In many ways
Porsche 964RS cup pipe and a couple of mods. Real occasion to drive suspension very compromised on road epic on track. GR86 much better handling on road at least but not close to the sense of occasion .

I love the GR and it’s great fun to drive daily. Not comparable with a 964RS although probably faster on a bumpy road and a good 120k + cheaper without the old car financial jeopardy. One day I guess I will replace the GR and I am sue I will miss it there no better alround package looking at handling/engagement/cost.
 
Interesting thread, this. Good to read everyone's views.

I went from a 993 (C2 manual Coupe) to a GT86 a decade or so ago. The 993 was fantastic but as a 100k+ miles daily driver was beginning to get expensive. The GT86 was the only new car for similar money (993s were a lot cheaper back then!) which hit the spot.

The GR86 is superior in every way to the GT86 and I am extremely happy with it. Do I sometimes miss the 993, even now? Yes I do. I can't really say that about any other car I've owned over the 30+ years.

Not sure if this helps or not! Best of luck whatever you decide.
 
Thanks everyone for the great responses, I think it's no coincidence that alot of classic car enthusiasts have had their interest piqued by this car. It's the weight that really did it for me with the GR86 being the weight of cars made decades ago, I was looking at alpine a110s previously for the same reason. For toyota to build a steel bodied 2+2 with a boot, using more traditional building techniques and get within 160kg of the a110 is very impressive I think.

The responses here and a trip to the dealership (it was closed but an ice silver GR86, possibly mines, was on the forecourt)to have a look have convinced me to go ahead and get the car. I actually love the styling of the car in person and it's far more special looking than I would have thought which was my biggest gripe getting rid of the 911.

I'll have both for a period, will drive both and see how I feel, so will hopefully get a thread up comparing them.
 
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