just wanted to pop in and say hi. considering 996/911 either gt3 or turbo, advice appreciated.

1st off will explain i'm a vette guy by history. Know ton about their attributes and issues. Must confess to extreme ignorance re: porsches and any issues I should be aware of. My wants are good speed, handling and quickness. Hence the gt3 appeals 2 me. I had a new Z06 ordered and may still go that way, but am a bit put off by some issues creeping into the QC at GM, moreso than the base C6 which is actually quite robust/reliable, however rather plain compared to teh Z06. I don't want to hear how superior Porsche is etc... I think each have their attributes, but I would appreciate some more objective or substantive subjective criteria to consider . I really like the looks of the GT3, even moreso than the base Turbo 996.
What appeals to me about the 996/GT3/Turbo= don't see many around me in Winnebago/Freeport IL. Definately more of an eye catcher, although I suspect the Z06 would draw some stares as my current 2001 Z06 gets a few looks even today . The german(well from what I hear anyway) engineering advantages compared to the GM way of doing things on the cheap. While the general can sure build the vette to perform they are known to cheap out on interior and fit/finish items that drive me batty at times. I do want something comparable to what I have now which again is a 2001 Z06 with cam/headers making 400 rwhp and probably runs low 12's or mid 11's in the 1/4 mile depending on how crappy I am at driving [:-] that day and weather etc...
What appeals to me about the Z06. Can go down the road to local dealer and they can supposidly fix it. While that's debatable and the service is fair at best it's easier for me and that does factor in. Gas MPG is definately better in the Z06, mine gets almost 30MPG on the highway and even the new Z's can get high 20's to almost 30mpg on the hiway. I don't buy performance cars for the gas MPG, but it does factor in to my thinking to a lesser degree.
Probably the main factor that is influencing my decision now is that I don't know jack about porshces other than what I read in rag mags which is mostly crap as far as good info. So hence coming here. To try to crash course myself on all the in's and out's of these machines. I do love the looks etc... However, I am a bit of a tweaker and like to modify my machines somewhat for more performance/power. I'm so ignorant as to what can be done to these cars and what are the problems inherent on the lines. What are the things I should look for in a used car as I cannot justify the $$$ of a new porsche. So a 10-15k mile car is probably what I'm looking for. How long do the motor/trannies hold up? Sorry for the disconnection in my post as I'm just scrambling in my thoughts.
Anywho! I may keep my 2001 Z06 if I get a nicer low milage 996 for less than $70k, if I have to go higher my Z will proably sell. If I bought new Z06 I'd sell the older one just b/c there would be no reason to keep an older version of the same type car. If I bought a GT3 I might consider tracking it .
thanks all
John C.