A number of factors may play into this.

1. For a long time, Gen-1 were cheaper and much more plentiful than Gen-2 in the used car market, so they attracted the attention of folks looking for an affordable entry level 911 that created excitement, awareness and momentum early on.

2. Because there are less Gen-2 in general, and it seems that Gen-2 coupe owners hold on to them, you just don't have the volume for sale and therefore excitement that you get with Gen-1 which furthers the awareness and momentum towards Gen-1.

3. Mis-information on the Gen-1 vs. Gen-2 as to an understanding of the engine issues. He'll on this thread alone, we have claims that gen-1 engines don't suffer from bore scoring and very low chance of Ims failures where Gen-2 does, which is 100% BS. The claims may have been tongue-in-cheek, but many things said in jest become dogma if you hear it enough.

Bore Scoring: The Gen-1 may suffer less from bore scoring than gen-2 due to different bore coatings, but both do in fact suffer from it and it's preventable thru the same service procedures in both gens. Grade: Gen-1 advantage

IMS Failure: Both gens suffer from ims failure but early gen-1 and late gen-2 may suffer less due to particular imsb used. A simple solution is available for both gens with an aftermarket imsb. Grade: Its a wash.

Internal Engine Failure: Internal engine failure can occur to both gens, just like any engine from any manufacturer. Engine failure can be mitigated substantially thru the use of a better AOS, better cooling, preventing oil starvation and oil pressure instability. Plenty of things on the market or will be on the market shortly to address this. Grade: it's a wash

D-Chunking: The Gen-1 engine does suffer with "D-Chunking" which the Gen-2 does not. The essential companion suggests that this is most likely do to Porsche hanging the Gen-1 engines with a clamp on the cylinder, that was not done with Gen-2. Grade: Gen-2 advantage

Lastly, from a performance output, Gen-2 has an extra 25 HP/TQ over Gen-1. Grade: Gen-2 advantage.


My comments above are not to say that gen-2 is a better 996 than a gen-1, in fact I love both generations of 996. Not one is better than the other. Instead, my comments are to differentiate the issues and misinformation that seems to circulate from time to time, and articulate why the gen-2 coupe in general is an undervalued and attractive 996.

The engineers can dig in deeper and further differentiate since I am not an engineer. Just an owner of a 996.

 

Ironic because M97 is more prone to bore scoring than M96, and the 3.8L exponentially so

Yet prices don't reflect that reality at all

Yet

 

Crazy, isn't it. This has been predominantly a "Price" thread that has focused on the Gen-1. Its now time that folks wake up and realize that the Gen-2 Coupe, may be the most attractive bargain on the market. Why, because very few folks know it even exists. Wait till they find out...

 

I don't get the differentiation. 996 Carrera all the same to me I never chose one "gen" over the other. But if you're heart is set on cable throttle or 4S then yeah there's a difference there. Even the headlights are identical to me: both are racing mono-housings with single point of failure, and ten second pit swap

I do wish the Turbo had "ambers" though, that would just be neat

Only RUF

 

I don't think prospective buyers of 996's think about as many details as you guys want to believe. Sure some will know about IMSB and bore scoring to a degree, but other than that, I'm sure it's based on what fits the general bill. Mileage, color, transmission, maintenance, etc.


They don't find out the rest unless they wander onto Rennlist.

 

Gen public doesn't recognize any differences between any 996 headlights, or motors

I bet 99% of new 911 buyers have no concept of what a "dry sump" engine is

That's how Porsche got away with the switch in the first place

 

Bingo! I didn't have any idea how much I had to worry about until I bookmarked this site. I've been amazed my 996.2 CS4 hasn't fallen apart and required thousands of dollars of work

 

well naturally yours wouldn't because you had the car sent via flatbed to a Porsche specialist to have the engine disassembled for inspection alongside the 20 years of oil analysis and cross examined against the climate of the ownership in proportion to build date against the date of a factory fire

 

Style is subjective.

I prefer Gen 1 headlights, but I see the 996s as one generation, with a minor facelift in the first 1/3rd of the generation. (opinion.... yes)

I only wade into this discussion to say as a recent purchaser of a 996, that I bought based on condition and price. Not rarity of a particular variant or the difference between gen 1 and gen 2. Unless someone is buying just for the resale value and not to enjoy, those differences aren't significant.

Once a particular type of car becomes desirable (like the 993s for instance) people do care about those minor differences..... and when the car becomes really really valuable (like say the early 911s) again those differences fade out because no minor variant makes the car very much less desirable.
my 0.02

 

Same with me. A friend who is a Porsche owner mentioned something about "ISM issues". But when I found my car I didn't even know what a 996.2, or a C4S, was. All I knew was 911 Carrera. I had owned Porsche years ago. The car, with 41,xxx on the clock has run great since the day I drove her away from the dealer's.Then I discovered Rennlist....and read enough to scare the hell out of me. So now I am spending big bucks for preventative maintenance against all the demons we know, fear, and hate....
Interestingly though, when I posted looking for ideas on needed maintenance one guy opined that I should change the oil, then drive the car and don't worry. Another guy suggested that German cars are often best just left alone if they are running well as is.
So now, my engine is out, IMSB, clutch, flywheel, and a whole bunch of other stuff has been replaced. And so far we haven't found one damn thing that was broken....
Rick

 

Variocam+ puts the 3.6's greater tq under a flatter curve (and makes my PSE go wild).
Mine's an 02C2. I bought it because it had low miles, one owner, sale and all service at the same award-winning dealership, and what I thought was a pretty attractive spec (09991 for just tons of leather, aero sills, a-technic, and hilarious PCM which I removed for Console Delete's sake). I got it 7 years ago and have more than doubled its mileage, now 64k.
My estate will have to handle the IMSB / tire code questions, as I dont think I'd ever accept a reasonable offer for this robust, fun, distinctive -- even in Arctic/Blk!-- fun, fun, fun car.

 

Nothing is broke until the day that it is. Some of these things can be rectified once and forgotten about, some are just poor design (eg: material used for water pump blades and coolant tanks). Most all cars, especially European sports, have some bad designs that need to be accepted with ownership. It'd be like buying a Ferrari and complaining about belt changes. This is the first car I've purchased and then spent $4k on maintenance alone within a month of ownership, it was expected even though it had so few miles.

If we wanted to drive a car for 500k miles with little to no maintenance, that's basically looking at a Camry or Civic.

 

When I was on the hunt I was open to either a .1 or .2, didn't matter at all. I like the looks of both cars equally. Just had to be the right car. I was even open to C2 or C4. I would have preferred a C2 (that's what I wound up with), but if the right C4 had come along I wouldn't have kicked it out of bed. My main "musts" outside of mileage, coverall condition, etc., were it had to be a 6spd, and it had to have full OEM Aero, either from the factory or an install that would pass as factory. And then colors; I wanted one of the grays, blues, silvers or white. Had to be patient, but eventually they come along.

 

Truer words were never spoken.
Thanks

 

I was on the hunt for a 996.1 manual in Red, White, or silver.
I was about to travel several hundred miles to Ft Worth the next weekend to buy a red 996.1 manual with 80K miles for $18K.
Then my 50K mile 996.2 manual, in Seal Gray, with clear bra, IMS Solution, and Fabspeed mufflers popped up locally on Facebook for $20K and I jumped on it.
Best automotive decision I've made since I bought a non-running Fiat X19 for under $100 that I fixed with an $8 timing belt.