Because the 996, we all know, is the ONLY 911 ever needing expensive repairs.

Smug sarcasm reflects badly.

 

This is a fair point. The quality and appearance of the 996 interior varies widely based upon options. Full-leather and 3-spoke steering for me are hugely important. My first 996 (back when they were new) did not have full leather and it had the 4-spoke steering wheel and it looked and felt pretty cheap. My current 996 has full leather and 3-spoke, and it is a night and day difference in look and feel. There are also a huge number of interior trim options (carbon fiber, wood, etc.) and colors, some look better than others. All of this said, the 997 interiors look better to me, so does the 993, but it was quite dated.

How is this an LOL, let alone a massive LOL? Are you suggesting that the AC on the air cooled cars is as good as it is on the 996? (it wasn't).

Also not an LOL as stated ("other than IMS/RMS"). Take care of those, and 996's are very reliable. The IMS on pre-2009 997's can't even be proactively changed without completely disassembling the engine, The 997.1 IMS is very beefy, so it fails less than the 996, but I'd rather be able to replace it proactively every 50k miles as maintenance, so for me the 996 is the safer option than the 997.1. The 997.2 in 2009 got rid of IMS all together.

People who aren't dicks don't think like this. They just buy the car they like and they couldn't care less what other people think. A car for you is apparently all about projecting an image, don't assume the rest of the world thinks like you.

Depending on your priorities, the 996 is a great car to drive period. For driving fun, the 996 captures the perfect moment in time when it was still a lightweight car (2900 lbs) but was still modern with great performance, climate control, heated seats, relaibility, ... The 996, at 2900 lbs, weighs less than the 993 and the 964 models that came before it and weighs much less than the 997.

A friend of mine has owned a long string of new Porsches, he just took delivery of a 2017 Turbo S and he also has a 458 Spyder among others. When I talk to him about his favorite car to drive, he said without hesitation that it was his 997 naturally aspirated. He regrets trading in that car and plans to buy another. He loves the turbos for the adrenaline rush, but his favorite car to blast around in was the 997 because it's so light and tossable. He never owned a 996, but the 996 is much lighter and much more tossable than the 997 and it's also about as fast as a 997. I think the body shape, build quality, and interior of the 997 is better than the 996, so I'm not trying to trash the 997 at all, but as far as driving goes, it's not even remotely uncommon that the 996 is preferred.

Out of curiosity, which 911 models have you driven or owned and what are your impressions of them?

 

Couldn't have said it better (or as well).
Some make a life habit of raining on other's parades.
It's possible to put counterpoints without sneering - it's called mature discussion, which is why I came to Rennlist.

 

Many of my PCA buddies consider me to be a "Porsche purist" or traditionalist. I think my grey hair and previous ownership of air cooled 911s has shaped my reputation with them.

But I now drive a terrific 996 cab...and that drives them crazy!

Life is good.

relinuca

 

For all that we hear about reliability, the Porsche Boxster, which shares many of the problems as her bigger sister, is the second longest car kept by its owners at 9.9 years. The only car kept longer is the Toyota Land Cruiser.

To me, the real issue with the 996 MKI is its headlights match the Boxster, making it easily confused with the Boxster from the front. Can't have your precious 911 looking like an inferior Boxster. From what I understand that is reason behind the headlight change of the MKII. Can't deny the snob factor, for at least some, with these cars.

 

I think that my car's headlights are shared with one of the best cars ever made. So for me, it's the opposite problem, whereby I am thankful my car shares something in common with the Boxster.

C&D also agreed, in part, evidenced by the Boxster making the top 10 list over and over again, not to mention that a variant (Spyder edition) won best handling sports car under $100,000 in America.

The 996 and Boxster are both in the camp of "incredible value" at insanely low prices. There's a Boxster for sale in Chicagoland now for $6,600. Wow

 

Great post, Arnuld. Well said.

There are two opinions here, neither of which is likely to ever be changed:
1) 996s are amazing examples of Porsche engineering and represent a great value
2) 996s are the Kardashians of cars and as such should be immediately exiled to Lower Slobvakia

I have 2 996s, so I am clearly in Group #1

Drive what makes you happy but don't be d-bag and trash someone else's opinion, personal taste or point of view.

 

Clearly, these cars generate enormous passion, and that's a great thing.
Enjoying your passion while respecting that of others is a sign of maturity.

What's some dislike, others see as character.

 

 

I own a 996. I was joking. Poking fun at the smug owners of other, more expensive P cars that often poke fun at us.

My humor is not always understood.

 

I wondered that, given your nick.
I'll log that for future reference.
Cheers.

 

This is good. Drive what u like!!!

 

I think I accidentally waived at an oncoming Boxster at least a half dozen times...

 

You're souposed to throw out two fingers like you don't currr

 

MK2