Man, these are great cars. With what frankly amounts to a lot of negativity on here and elsewhere re bore scoring, AOSs, IMSB failures etc. etc. etc., I fear that some prospective owners won't take the plunge, and they will be worse for it.

Took my '00 cab to this month's Cars und Kaffe here locally . Bombing down I-15, shooting around the on- and off-ramps, it struck me that this is the best-driving 911 out of many great ones I've owned over a few decades of loving these cars (with notables including an 83 911SC; a 72 911T with a 3.2; a 72 911E with a 2.7 RS engine clone; a 69 911T, several 951s, a 924 with a 951 driveline..) It's the perfect combination of old-school 911 feel and modern (yes!) reliability and smoothness. Despite all the cool cars at the event, all I could think about was getting back into my 996 and doing it again. This car makes the ones I regret selling easier to deal with.

If you don't have one, just do it - buy one. My only caution: if a 996 is your first Porsche, you will be spoiled moving over to anything else.

 

Best bang for the buck in the P world.
I laugh at the hardcore air cooled guys that dog the 996 out. If they ever got behind the wheel of one they'd sing a different tune! Also, the unique headlights are sexy!

 

Totally,. The old pre 90s cars drive like crap, which is why I sold my 87 targa over a year ago and just recently my 928....there is nothing like the modern cars and the 996 modernized everything without the over kill on the computers

 

Of course, it’s a 911.

I dunno where some of these other comments are coming from though. My 88 3.2 Carrera and other older 1970’s 911s I’ve driven, as well as newer 991 base Carreras and a 2019 GT3 all drove excellent. I’m not sure the older cars I had were any less reliable either.

 

Biggest difference is versus the carbureted cars. I can keep the synchrometer holstered. It’s great to have a car that just starts and runs the same every time.

 

I can't wait to get mine out of the shop and back on the road so I can enjoy it!

Mike

 

Um,,, My 69 wasn't as powerful but it drove good as my 996,, lighter and way
more nimble in the twisties,, no power anything and finger light steering,, lighter,
stopped faster. but 175 HP isnt 320.. If they were not over 50K now I'd have another..
I owned mine for about 10 years it was about the same as a air cooled bug for maintenance..
I tore the engine down and put it back together with nothing but a Chiltons.. Just to re-ring
and check bearings,, no damage.. Running the valve clearance was a 45 minute job about once a year.

In about a hundred K miles,, it got oil changes, new plugs, new wires.. Actually worked out to be
the cheapest car I've owned.. Bought it for 6500 sold it for 5500 and it needed a new pan.. the
one weakness the old ones had,, non galvanized sheet metal.

 

This thread is rather timely (and I couldn’t agree more), as my 996 had a guest over this weekend and I spent time tinkering/cleaning/driving a nice little 993 targa. Super cool, but just can’t understand how these are worth three times plus what the 996s go for. I realize nostalgia is what powers the classic car market but to live with on the daily, I’ll take my 996... particularly for the cost of entry. The 993 also really makes me love my e30 all the more. Similar vintage surroundings and driving experience (mine not a stock e30) but for a fraction of the cost.

There’s a reason folks say the 996 is one of the biggest bangs for the buck in all of the sports car world and they are dead right!

 

Although I don't have the experience with older Pcars like you, I couldn't agree with you more.

I live in the Henderson area and have this little stretch of road I like to open my C4 cab up.

I enter 215 from Pecos heading West exiting Eastern. Then enter 215 from Eastern heading East exiting Pecos.

It's my little personal race track. I haven't timed myself yet, maybe next time.

 

,My 12 minute commute to work has two routes, the long way or the short way...They both get me there in 12 minutes, but the long way is full of twists and turns, ups and downs and I can push it (if I don't get stuck behind an old Asian lady)= so much fun!

 

^ I rarely take the shortest, most direct route.

 

Totally agree with the thoughts above. Have been a BMW guy for a long time. Have several including a well modded e30M3. That car is well balanced and a total blast to drive. Just got my 03 911 a few months ago. Love it. Very different drive. Lots of torque, very settled and well planted. Great car for road tripping in. Have not tracked it yet but after baffles will give it a run. Neither is wrong...just different. And opening my garage to either of them puts a BIG smile on my face...
Anyway...drive what you love and love what you drive.

 

I bought a 996 because I wasn't sure how much I would like it and didn't want to blow the extra $10K on a 997. Now, I'm not sure I would want to pay more to move to a more recent model. I love the simplicity of the instruments and console. I wasn't sure about the headlights and now I look at it and go why the hell was I even worrying about it. It drives like a 911 and I can actually do my own work on the car. For me, its perfect.

 

The only downside to a 996 vs a 997 or 991 is if you intend on daily driving it. The car is 15-20 years old and old things need work if the mileage starts to accumulate. Plus, values may start to climb, so putting on miles will lower values over time.

That said, I drive my car 5,000+ miles a year. But I would consider getting a daily now that my 996 is becoming a classic.

 

I am a new 996 owner as of last week. After two and a half years of 1986 944 ownership, I decided to plunge into 911 ownership. I have had a couple of nice long drives in the 996, admittedly mostly freeway driving, but driving this car is sublime.

I have driven a couple of 991 GT3 RS’s and a 991 GT3, which are beyond amazing cars, but you can’t beat the fun/dollar equation you get from owning the 996. The 944 is super fun to drive as well, but having another 150 HP or so to play with increases grin width exponentially.