I test drove a new '99 996 after I had about 5K miles on my (then new) 993. I told the salesman he would sell a lot to first time Porsche buyers. Too refined, but a marginally better performing car all around, albeit in a margin where my driving skills don't belong. I took a factory tour in '99, where the guide explained all the cost cutting from shared parts, etc. I could not have been less impressed, but if it and the Cayenne keeps the brand afloat, so be it. I wash my own 993 for the sensual experience, but I would take a 996 to the car wash.

 

Interesting...

 

I friend of mine let me drive his 996 and for me it did everything better than my 993; it has way more power than I'm used to. It was however a GT3. I still perfer the looks of my car and I'm quite content with it.

 

Aside from all that has been said about the pure visceral superiority of the 993 (which I completely agree with), the 993 is just built better.

For those of you that have tinkered with both models you'll know what I mean. It's fairly obvious that the 993 was built largely by hand with materials and textures that befit a $70k+ car. When you take apart the interior of a 993 you see that the carpets are all glued by hand and the parts themselves are not designed to be snapped in and out easily.

On the other hand, when you tinker with a 996 (or a Boxster) the material quality and the textures look like they could come from any random $30k mid luxury car. It's like working on an oversized children's model where the pieces are designed to be assembled by an average person - no skill required.

Aside from the build quality, the entire car is simply designed to appeal to a wider audience. It's deliberatly more bland in both looks and driving feedback. That was the whole point - to sell more cars.

From a corporate survival perspective this was what Porsche felt it had to do to survive. That's fine by me and if I were a shareholder I'd applaud the move. Unfortunately (or fortunately for me), I'm merely an admirer and proud owner of the true 911 - my admiration stops at the 993 however.

The GT3 restored some of my faith and I'm hoping that the 997 will continue the trend. Obviously this is all just personal opinion and both cars are excellent but I'll stick with the 993 until I see something that fires me up more. Anyone know where I can get a Turbo S with about 20k miles for around $50k???

 

Hi

I will add my 2 cents here

First off Nothing is a sexy as a 1996-1998 C2 or C4 S

The 996 is a very good driving car, handles,brakes,exel...ect ect

The int on the 993, is IMHO is terrible..Aged and outdated

The int in the 996 is updated ,easy to use, nice to look at

I like the idea of an water cooled engine....but the RMS thing is killing the PCAR name

The 993 DO NOT BREAK like the 996
Al this coming from a guy who spent 1 year trying to decide what to buy.I ended up with a 996 CAB

 

The dash of a 996 though more modern also lacks the simplicity of the 993 dash and is harder to read. I also think it feels cheap regardless of how nice it might be because it feels to me like a boxster.

 

many feel that 996 appears cheap or this or that b/c it resembles boxster. i have had many 996's, a boxster S, a 964 and a 993. driven more than 40,000 miles on each of my father's SC and 3.2 carerra do not underestimate a boxster. they handle much better than just about any 996's including my GT3. they are just a tad down on power. but it's one of the greatest porsches ever made! 996 has many many short comings but resembling a boxster isn't one of them.

 

I owned a 996 for a while and sold it for the 993. It was great but I dod'nt care for
the flat view out the windsield
seeing boxsters from the front thinking they were 996
THE CENTER CONSOLE HARSH & SHARP INTO MY SHIN/LOWER LEG
clutch felt strange (to me)
rattles (1999)
weird looking hvac sensor on the right dash (cheap looking)
too soft & smooth (refined to touring?)

What I loved about it...
trunck space
leg room
gear whine
hearing the fine tuned suspension over struts in the highway (beautiful)
HVAC cold & powerful
dash, guages
soft & smooth for road trips! Awesome touring car

both great cars... I do miss it & wish I could have both!
993 is the perfect balance
I just keep going back and forth and back and forth on the different models. I keep ending up with the 993 as the perfect balance for me.

Enjoy

 

First, I must profess that I haven't done any DE's, so my driving skill is quite limited, but I will give my .02 anyway.

Last weekend I drove a 996C2, Boxster S, Cayenne Turbo, 996Turbo, and 996Turbo Cab in the Porsche World Roadshow. I did the "moose test" with a C2 where you swerve left and then right at around 70 km/hr to get a feel of the dynamics of the car. Also with PSM on and off to see the difference. What a difference! PSM really helps you steer with much more control. Ok, some would say that it is doing the driving for you. Well, ABS also, right?

With the Boxster S, they let us do 6 slalom runs with PSM on. Very nice handling dynamics. Did feel that I was short of power, maybe it was relatively low speed...don't know how fast, wasn't looking at the speedometer, was enjoying the slalom too much.

With Cayenne Turbo, no match even for the handling of Boxster despite its huge power advantage. But I doubt there is a better handling SUV out there.

The 996 Turbos were just amazing. They had us accelerating as fast as possible, and slamming on the brakes at the last moment before hitting the cones to demonstrate the awesome braking power of the newest ceramic brakes. I thought for sure I was going to plow through the cones, but no, it stopped with plenty of space left!

Then they let us drive around a make-shift track (turbo & turbo cab), I couldn't tell any difference between the handling dynamics between the two (ok...I am a novice), I did not feel any body flex on the turbo cab at all.
Both turbo's had enormous power and braking capabilities...I had so much fun.

I like my 993 (especially the styling), but I gained a lot of respect for the 996 from driving them, especially the turbo's. I think they are a lot easier to drive, especially with PSM. They are probably faster also, cheaper to produce, etc....etc...

In general, I like the 996's.

Would I give up my 993 for an equivalent 996? No. But maybe for a 996 Turbo.

 

I have driven a 996 cab 2003 and a 2002 996 turbo tip.
I believe the 993 is more of a sports car, less refined.
Both 996's were numb feeling to me. More of a lincoln town
car that a pure sports car. I find the interior of the 996 updated
however the 993 int. is pure business, I have no problem with it.
I think the 996 is a better car for the newer buyer. the 993 is better
for the guy who has followed Porsche for a long time and know the
idiosyncracies of the brand.

 

I test-drove a 996 back in 1999... no dice. Bland look, awful looking headlights, cheap looking interior, trunk and engine lid pulls that scratched simply from looking at them, driver simply to detached from the driving experience, to me it had no soul and looked like a design and construction that would simply not hold over time. After so many posts here with RMS problems, the lack of connection of the engine from the ones used in racing, problems with using the car for the track without adding this and that, I completely walked away from the idea of buying one...

A month or so ago I drove a 2003 Carrera with the aero kit and full leather. That was an impressive ride. The few changes they have done have transformed the car. But the worry of RMS (with a few members here still experiencing them in new cars after all these years) is still there… Porsches are not supposed to be disposable and that is the overall felling I get with the 996s… Porsche was out to make money at the cost of build quality. The only 996 I would buy is a GT3, a Turbo, or a GT2… because the engines and transmissions are of better quality and link to the old school…

If the 997 comes out with the same disposable engine, I really do not know what I would do. I have been holding off buying a new car because (1) I can’t afford the GT3, GT2, or the TT and (2) I do not want to buy a car that will not hold the test of time (no matter how much I love the looks of the C4S).

To me the ideal car would be the C4S with engine and tranny from the GT3… to quote the famous words of a popular song…. just keep dreaming, just keep dreaming, just keep dreaming dreaming dreaming (From the movie Finding Nemo)

Once the 997 comes out I will know... if it is the same engine, maybe I will start looking in the used market for a GT3 and in the junk yard for a set of rear seats to install for my kids (need a car with rear seats).

One thing is for sure... not getting rid of the 964.

 

Jaime,
what is the RMS in the 996 about? what does RMS stand for?

 

That's "rear main seal" -- the 996 has a reputation for leaking there. It's not a hugely expensive fix -- about $800 -- but there is a measurement Porsche takes involving the crankshaft and if it's out of tolerance, you get a new engine. If it's within tolerance, they replace the seal. If you're out of warranty, I'm not sure what they do, presumably they would goodwill it, as it's a casting flaw. For what it's worth, my former 95 C4 leaked at the rear main seal, so it's not a new issue for the 911.

I've owned a 99 Carrera 2 cabriolet for a few weeks now, after lots of 911s -- SC's, 3.2 Carreras, 930 and a couple of 993s. Speaking as someone who's driven 911s for the last 15 years, the 996 really is the typical progression for the 911 evolution (compare a 3.2 Carrera to a 964, for example); it's more powerful, smoother, more refined and things just work better -- the climate control, the defroster actually works efficiently, the convertible top is marvelous compared to the 993, the visibility in the cabriolet is excellent (retains the side windows) and it feels almost as solid as a coupe, particularly with the hardtop on. As far as rattles, it doesn't rattle any more than the 993s I've owned and the windshield doesn't squeak. I like the fact that the tach has the digital speed readout. I miss the sound of the 993, and I miss the curves of the body, but the car is seriously fast and handles beautifully. They took some of the rawness out -- not necessarily a good thing, in my opinion. I may put a Porsche sport exhaust on it to get some of that sound back. But it's also a heck of a comfortable car to take a long trip in; the 993 wasn't bad (I once drove from Kansas to Florida in my 87 930, that was fairly torturous) but the 996 is excellent. And yes, it feels great at those triple-digit speeds, as any 911 would.

I never thought I would own a 996 -- I was a dyed-in-the-wool air-cooled guy, but when I drove a couple of cabriolets, particularly compared to a 993 cabriolet, I was sold. I was torn between this car and a Turbo, and now I have an opportunity for a very good deal on a 96 Turbo, which is making me think bad thoughts, but while the 996 may be a more attractive car for "new" 911 owners, it's pretty damn good for the veterans, too. At least, it was for this veteran. Then again, I've never subscribed to the "if it's not a 911 it's not a true Porsche" school of thought either -- I like the 944 and the 968, and I loved my former Boxster -- so ... my advice is, spend some time with a 996 before you dismiss it on its looks or its technology. Frankly, 993 curves on a 996 powertrain is a very alluring thing, so the 997 may be a tremendous car.

Vic
99 C2 cab