SS 1LE OR 718 GT4??
 

Has anyone had seat time in both?

I don't think I have ever seen a comparison between the two. The performance numbers for both are very similar.

For the price and performance I prefer the SS1LE. For less than the price of the GT4 you could get a ZL1 that easily would beat the Cayman GT4.


Nothing compares to the great V8 sound:w00t:

My bro has a Boxster that he has gone from mild to turbo wild on. I would say it is going to be hard to compare a mid engine 9000 RPM ride, one that is just what men around the world dream about... to a Camaro. If I could swing it, it would be GT4. It is the difference between a trophy wife (my oldlady) and a supermodel. I luv the oldlady but she just ain't in the ballpark.
My bro is a pilot so when I'm over at his house I beat the snot out of his ride and leave it with no fuel. Just drive it like I stole it. It is a heck of a ride. Of course I don't let him drive the Camaro. Just saying.

That new Cayman GT4 is something else. I don't think anyone who could easily afford one would know a Camaro exists. 11.9 @ 120 from a flat 6 is impressive. Those cars are something special. I have read that they are a bit too rough to daily drive, so that brings in the ZL1 1LE as a comparison. I think the Cayman is a super well balanced car though, where the Camaro is a bit nose heavy.

I recently spent a weekend riding and driving in a new GT4 up in the mountains of NC. After a 700 mile trip, I can say (thankfully) that the ride is nothing like a ZLE. It was still in break-in mode, so I didn’t really get to play with the good part of the power band. As such, I was really missing the torque of my ZLE. The 414 horses in the GT4 don’t want to come out and play at low speeds. When it comes to handling, the GT4 carves through corners with a very natural feel, where the ZLE pounds the corners into submission. As we were driving the Cherahola Skyway I found myself wishing I had the ZLE there for comparison, but I would not have enjoyed getting there on some of the secondary roads we took.

I could easily live with the GT4 as a daily driver, although both cars are compromised when it comes to usable cargo capacity. The price is what it is. In the Porsche’s favor is resale value. 2016 GT4s that sold new for $90-110K are still going for $80-95K, which makes no sense to me given the availability of the 718 version, which is a better car. What are the chances I will be able to sell my ZLE for 85% of MSRP in four years? I probably can’t even do that now.

The new 2020 ones are a heck of an upgrade over the outgoing model. 11.9 out of an m6 at that power level is no joke.

Finally saw a gt4 in person the other day at MSRH. Car looks really cool. Owner says he loves driving it at the limit. I'd take that over a non GT3 or GT2 911 any day. I'd buy the SS1LE though, because like Randy Pobst says, "I'm cheap". :D

By huge landslide victories
If I was buying a streetcar, gt4
Trackcar, camaro

The main problem with all manual boxsters and caymans is the gear ratios. There is no more enjoyable car to rip through some back roads and row through the gears, but it’s severely hampered by the fact that you never actually row through the gears because they are so damn long. This effects pretty much all boxsters and caymans.

Personally I’d go boxster spyder over gt4 because finally the boxster variant got all the gt4 stuff. It’s basically the same car with the ability to take the roof off in one of them.

If you aren’t aware of the boxster spyder, it does not look like a normal boxster so you won’t look like you bought the poor person porsche

My dad bought a 2020 boxster spyder, he is not rich

You do not need to be rich to buy a gt4 or boxster spyder because it will cost a out as much to own as a loaded rav4, assuming you don’t DD it and rack up the miles of course.

There is very little depreciation

hahah gt4 all day everyday not even a question. And FYI I love my 1/le. But go drive a gt4. You'll see

Odd comparison considering the massive price difference. A used GT4 is still twice the price of a new 1LE.

I am sure the GT4 is amazing, worth that much more money, I am not sure.

There is nothing comes remotely close to the performance per dollar of the camaro and corvette. Like it’s been charted in lap times for the dollar and they are off on their own planet.

That being said, if you were going to buy an ss 1le and a gt4, and it was only your weekend car and you drove it minimally, and then you sold it 4 years later, your out of pocket expense would probably be similar.

But Mid-engine, light weight sports car.

I do love my SS 1LE and it is amazing (once you get the solid cradle bushings in the rear), but the lure SS 1LE performance out of a 3200lb mid-engine car is VERY appealing.

If I made the switch, it would be the PDK version, no question. They are out now. I haven't seen any reviews/tests on them yet, but they became available as an option a couple mths ago.

This is my future dilemma.

I am 1-2 years away from seriously replacing the SS 1LE, but the short list is C8 Z06 or PDK GT4

Obviously the C8 Z06 will be in another league performance wise, but it isn't out yet and GM needs to absolutely nail it in all areas for me to consider it. I have had too many QC issues with all of my previous Corvette's.

I am quite happen with the SS 1LE from a performance stance, so to be able to have that level of performance, both in a straight line and in the corners from a mid-engine, light weight, PDK Porsche is very tempting, plus you get the quality and service of Porsche.

I will trade my SLE for a GT4. PM me! ;)

Definitely different driving styles required.

The Camaro, especially in ZLE form, is a chug along in the 2-4K range. In a GT4, you have to enjoy and be ok with living in the upper end of the RPM range. To me, I love it, especially with a motor and exhaust that sounds as good as the Porsche. I had an E90 M3 many many years ago and that thing was so satisfying to whine out.

Couldn't agree with you more.

And you're right, if you can afford the initial buy in price your cost of ownership in the end will be about the same of you get rid of the P car after a few years.

I drove the boxster spyder a few times.

The z06 will cost way more in terms of depreciation.

I put boatloads of weight on being fun to drive and less on sheer capability than probably most, especially on a camaro forum. The boxster spyder is indeed driving nirvana.

But, a c8 z06, which will surely be the fastest car under half a million bucks, and it’s mid engined........ yeah I’ll take a z06.

Agreed, I just want something that's the whole package and is fun to drive. I'd take a GT4 over any Camaro but probably a Z06 over a GT4, the Z06 is going to be more in the GT2/GT3 RS league, and probably faster than both.

I'm surprised at the fair treatment the GT4 is getting. It is a nice ride.

Not sure how a RAV4 even comes close the the 718 GT4 in cost. That car is over $100,000 with options. I too am not into a car with a high strung power band. 25 years ago, yes. There is nothing like having low end torque and mid range for a daily driver. Sex appeal is another thing. The GT4 has that in spades. If I could afford 100k, there are so many choices, it would probably take me 6 months of test drives and research to decide. My choice would have to be daily driveable because that's what I do.

If I could end up affording a GT4 I'd just keep the Camaro. It's so good on the highway and for me is actually very practical as it does a great job carrying my mt bikes. :)

Because a $35k rav4 will depreciate $15k in 4 years, about what a gt4 will do as well. Keep in mind I said with minimal mileage.

You should never have a purchase price budget, have a cost of ownership budget.

Asset cost - asset value - maintenance - repairs - insurance = ownership cost

Compare the gt4 to other $100k vehicles, and it’s not even close.

Next time you see a new mercedes s-class. Don’t think damn that a $100k car, what a baller. Think, damn that’s $15k a year in depreciation, what a baller.

There is no question that sports car ownership is not great from a wealth collection POV.

Hell, even a SS 1LE is expensive on a monthly basis after you factor in Insurance, gas, tires, brakes, maintenance, etc.

However to only collect money and never spend is retarded. What is the point of it, except for future generations.

You always have to strike a balance between investing and spending. Enjoying life is what is life about.

I understand that some of the millionaires out there brag about how much wealth they have obtained and how frugal they are, but who cares unless you enjoy the fruits of labor unless your joy in life is just collecting money.

Well, you could buy a Jaguar F Type SVR for about $125k new and trade it a year later for about $80k. I believe you should buy what you love. I've been in the car business since 1995. If you only buy the ones that depreciate the least, it will be a small list to chose from. If you trade often, you would need to stick to those vehicles.

I’m not sure you understand what I’m suggesting.

I’m not saying only buy the cars that depreciate the least.

I’m saying buy the car you love based on how much it cost to own and not what it costs to buy.

None of you can tell me if you had all the money in the world the camaro would be your first choice. It’s the car you love the most for the amount of money you were willing to spend. There is nobody here who would take a camaro over a zr1 vette if they cost the same amount of money.

It’s all about how much you love it vs how much it costs. All I’m trying to say is, know what it really cost when you factor that in.

Also I love the mclaren 720s, and I could buy one no problem. And then I couldn’t buy anything else. Just buying what you love and nothing else matters is an absurd statement by itself. It’s buy what you love in relation to what you can afford.

I spent most of my money on beautiful women, fast cars and booze... the rest I just wasted.

I agree most wouldn't choose the Camaro if money was no consideration, but I wouldn't say none. Some of us are not into "yuppy" euro or luxury vehicles.

I am by no means extremely wealthy but I do ok, enough to able to have had a GS and an SS 1le at the same time. You would have never caught me in a European car with a cost of entry that equaled the GS and SS 1le combined, not due to the money just preferance.

If money was no object I'd have a zr1, zl1 1le, and a gt350r as my sports cars of choice. I'm just a simple hillbilly who likes what he likes lol.

Love your choices!

Lol at only american muscle.

Naive is a better description than simple.

I could care less where a car is made, they all have their attributes.

I've gone to a Porsche dealership 2-3 times in the past 5 years expecting to get a Cayman or a 911. All three times I left feeling a bit underwhelmed. They are obviously very capable beautiful cars. The best way I can describe it is that they are too nice and too smooth etc for me. They seem to have taken a lot of the drama out of the driving experience is the only thing I can think why I left feeling disappointed after numerous/longish test drives in both types of cars. That being said, I'd love to drive a GT3 or GT4 and I'm guessing my opinion would change on that. For less money/cheaper monthly payments than the 911 GTS I want, I can have a ZLE and a nice boat for the family so I haven't crossed that it is worth a 130k plus for one toy barrier.

I will say both local Porsche dealers I've been to were very cool to me. They let me drive whatever I wanted for longish drives without any snobbery/pretense. This is in stark contrast to some Cadillac and Chevy dealers I've been to. One refused to let me drive an ATS V of all cars going on and on about how special it was (so special it had been sitting there for months on end) and another refused to let me drive a CTS V. Chevy stores were better, but still were very hesitant on letting me drive a ZL1, but eventually did. I've never had that issue with BMW, MB, Porsche or Audi.

The ZLE is a near perfect car for me right now since it has such overall astounding performance/fun to drive factor on a relative budget. While still having usable back seats for my nine year old daughter and her occasional friend that comes with on occasion. This combo is going to be very hard for me to replace in the future.

Edit: Last, I usually don't give a sh%! what people think of what I drive etc. But, I have to admit it is easier picking my daughter up from school in a "hopped up Camaro" as one teacher put it than rolling up in a very pretentious looking 911/Cayman.

For me, I'm pretty happy with the SS 1LE performance wise, but I have also had several Audi's and Porsche has that Audi feel and quality about them.

Getting the SS 1LE's performance with that Porsche quality, plus in a light weight, mid engine, small package AND PDK!!! would just be perfect. Plus I appreciate great engineering and very few do that as well as Porsche.

But then you look at what the C8 Z06 should be and it really does make it a hard choice.

Porsche's PDK is crazy good, but thankfully I'm a manual guy so that holds no sway over me. :D Their MTs are crazy good though also.

I forgot to if you want to do anything mod wise to them it has got to be M tax on roids.

I definitely get the appeal as a car guy and I'm sure I'll cave one day and get a P car of some kind.

Yeah, no modding for me if I get one, with the exception of an exhaust.

Yeah, that is the other point I left out, it would be my first P-Car as well and it is on my bucket list.

But again, if GM nails the C8 Z06, it is going to be hard to say no to that. I expect the 3LT version (without the Z07 package) to be right around the same cost as a GT4 optioned the way I want it.

Anyways, I am just researching now. I won't be doing anything for 12 -18 mths probably, but the planning stages are in place for sure.

Praying the C8 Z06 Z07 package is as hardcore as the ZLE. I'm all in if so. $100K+ is going to hurt though.

Minus the DSSV shocks. I would definitely go GT4 if they put the DSSV on the Z06. I doubt it though, they always go MRC on the Vette's.

Now if they went all out and put Ohlin coilovers on it, I would be all over it. But I doubt they would go that route.

I love the DSSVs, but ohlins would be fine too. I just want a suspension i don't need to mod. They always go with MRC, but I'm hoping they finally create a true, hardcore track version. I'm even more hopeful with the 8th gen given there will be even more models: stingray, gs, z06, zr1, and Zora (and maybe even that electric eRay). There's even more room now for a Z06 "1LE" (should still be called the Z07 package). They would still have an MRC version no doubt for the normal/sane people.

I believe they'll do it and finally have something that runs with a GT2RS.

Naive or maybe you're just talking out of your ass.

I don't care where a vehicle is made, I currently own two Miatas a long with my American muscle.

What the cars that I mentioned offer on top of the classic American muscle badges is a front engine rwd manual transmission setup which I am partial to and a great performance per dollar value. You won't find that anywhere else, and definately not in a European vehicle. Porsches are amazing machines, just not my cup of tea.

I'm naive but yet you've stated your preferances for cars that can't handle and spinout all over the place plenty of times lol. Different strokes for different folks, we all have our preferances.

What do you mean by naive?