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Well... the easy way to answer the question would be... yes, the 996.2 is obviously better car than the 996.1 (Any iteration is better than the previous one)
But that is only, the "cold numbers"
It is the 996 better than a 993? absolutely... which one you would buy... that is another question.
For me, the 996.1 is growing in character and also in esthetic. More and more, I am falling in love with the "stealth" look of a clean gen 1, with a 18 wheels, with the litronic lights for me please, manual. If you are able to find a good 996.1 well optioned, I don't think you ever will regret not buying the equivalent 996.2.
Both are great cars IMHO. I bought the 996.2 because I love the 4S since I was a teenager. But I would be really happy with a nice 996.1
I have one of each, and would choose the 996.2 any day of the week.
I also have one of both. For a daily, a 996.2 would be my choice. But for track use or mixed track use the 996.1 would be my choice. The road feel and general sounds are sublime.
Drive both. Find clean examples and decide.
Just my 2 cents but my early build 99 C2 is such an incredible driving experience, always puts a smile on my face.
The only way I would consider a .1 is if it had the aero kit. The dailyability of the .2 is what drew me to it, also ( personal preference I know) I really prefer the mature look of the turbo headlight vs the Boxster lights. The extra HP is noticeable having driven both back to back but the 3.4L is still plenty of engine. There really isn't a wrong answer as both are great cars and if you end up with a less expensive .1 it just leaves more money for upgrades!
The only way I would consider a .1 is if it had the aero kit. The dailyability of the .2 is what drew me to it, also ( personal preference I know) I really prefer the mature look of the turbo headlight vs the Boxster lights. The extra HP is noticeable having driven both back to back but the 3.4L is still plenty of engine. There really isn't a wrong answer as both are great cars and if you end up with a less expensive .1 it just leaves more money for upgrades!
My opinion is that the torque is more noticeable than the HP. The .1 torque is gradual but from 5500-7300, it’s fast. The .2 has a torque bump and the cam comes on stronger, making it feel faster. That said, the .2 is only 1/2% faster than the .1
Well... the easy way to answer the question would be... yes, the 996.2 is obviously better car than the 996.1 (Any iteration is better than the previous one)
But that is only, the "cold numbers"
It is the 996 better than a 993? absolutely... which one you would buy... that is another question.
For me, the 996.1 is growing in character and also in esthetic. More and more, I am falling in love with the "stealth" look of a clean gen 1, with a 18 wheels, with the litronic lights for me please, manual. If you are able to find a good 996.1 well optioned, I don't think you ever will regret not buying the equivalent 996.2.
Both are great cars IMHO. I bought the 996.2 because I love the 4S since I was a teenager. But I would be really happy with a nice 996.1
This.
Recently purchased a 996 but the hunt was quickly narrowed to a .1 after I started looking and driving cars. The 996.2 started getting different wheels and clunkly looking body kit side skirts. Somehow it just lacked the grace of a clean early car with turbo wheels. IMO the early 996 cars are aging so well. It might be silly but another reason for the 996.1 was the sound. The 3.4L is much more raw, it makes that lovely high pitch ziiiiing at low revs which turns into a deeper bark at the top of the rev range. It's a great sound that isn't obtrusive or offensive. Sounds like a more refined air cooled 911 (and the engine block is a 964 part number). The 3.6 sounds good but it's toned down. You don't hear much until you're on it. The biggest complaint about the early cars was always the interior quality, but finding a car with full leather completely changes the feel and makes it a very high end place to sit. If you want a glove box & cupholder than obviously the .2 is the car for you.
Thanks for the replies and I'll keep an eye open for a nice .1 local to compare seeing as I've driven a few .2s already. In my head, I'm thinking of a making my version of a 996 "T", a no nonsense, lightweight fun car to drive, hell, it's probably not far from what some would consider a "T" version already. This car wouldn't be a daily but would get driven a lot.
3.4l - 3.6l and 20 hp difference .2 has quite a bit of updates/improvements over the .1. The main expensive one is that the ,2 gearbox is tougher. .1 is drive by wire, known to rust out and require replacement.
The .2 tip gearbox is better, if the OP was looking for a tip. The manual gearbox is essentially the same with only minor improvements. Not sure what you mean by "rust out". I have never heard of a difference in rustproofing between model years. A 99 is 5 or 6 years older than a 04, so I can see that a car driven winters in the north would be more prone to rust if it has been driven 5 or 6 additional years.
The .1 did come with cup holders by the way. They mount to the air vent covers (trim) on each end of the dash. If you look closely, you will see three holes in the trim that the holder mounts to. The only disadvantage to these holders is that the windshield is not too far away from the top of the holder and you can't put tall cups in it.
Let's not forget the main advantage of the early 996s; lever and cable to open the frunk and engine deck lid! It's hard to get locked out of the frunk in a .1.
It appears the 3.6 engines are more prone to bore scoring than the 3.4. As I recall from a recent thred, most of the rebuilds at Flat6 are engines in the early to late stages of bore scoring. It appears to me, based on threds in this forum, that scoring is now more common than IMSB failures. Maybe this is due to ageing fuel injectors that are washing cylinders, with the 3.6 being more sensitive to the thinner oil.
My recommendation is to look until you find a car that pushes your buttons. You will be happy with either version. I love my 99, but I am sure I could love a .2 also. Buy one that has been well maintained.
I just bought my relatively well optioned, low mileage, one owner .2 coupe in November. Having driven it a few thousand miles now, I’m very happy with my decision. But this is my only car. If it was a second car, that .1 linked to in this thread would’ve been the kind of thing I was looking for. As far as the .1 being “cleaner” than the .2, I disagree. They’re both a 996 with a slightly different character and you’d be happy with either, I’m sure. The best advice I’ve heard about which 911 to get is this: get the nicest one you can afford. Obviously, “nice” is purely subjective. Porsche has done an amazing job at keeping the 911 DNA alive throughout the entire lineage, so any iteration you get will be a 911 through and through.
Oh ya, JR is Jake Raby (Flat 6 Innovations). You’ll hear a lot about him.
I just bought my relatively well optioned, low mileage, one owner .2 coupe in November. Having driven it a few thousand miles now, I’m very happy with my decision. But this is my only car. If it was a second car, that .1 linked to in this thread would’ve been the kind of thing I was looking for. As far as the .1 being “cleaner” than the .2, I disagree. They’re both a 996 with a slightly different character and you’d be happy with either, I’m sure. The best advice I’ve heard about which 911 to get is this: get the nicest one you can afford. Obviously, “nice” is purely subjective. Porsche has done an amazing job at keeping the 911 DNA alive throughout the entire lineage, so any iteration you get will be a 911 through and through.
Oh ya, JR is Jake Raby (Flat 6 Innovations). You’ll hear a lot about him.
I saw that one, actually one of the reasons for considering the 996.1.
good deal. No truer words with these cars is pay now or pay later. Even if you can wrench yourself you will have to put money into these cars periodically as they are aging. At least if you plan to keep in top shape, which is in your best interest to attempt avoiding big repair bills. That car I linked above looks to be good to go so you could by and drive for a while without any further outage.
If if you decide to go with a .2, link bellow to another well optioned example. Clearly you can see I’m a fan of Blk/Blk. And imo, above all else, full leather interior is a necessity (which both cars have)...
01-18-2019, 05:15 PM
