When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I’ve owned a 996, a 997, and a 991. I loved them all, and they all has pluses and minuses, as mentioned above. The driving experience was great in all of them, but the 996 definitely had the most analog feel, and I especially enjoyed the clutch, shifter, and steering feel in the 996. I’m not going to criticize any of them - they are all different but all have the “Porsche DNA”. Don’t worry about the differences; just get out and drive your Porsche!
I just picked up 120lbs of soft-water crystals in my 99 C2 Driving home I thought 'now my 996 weighs almost as much as a 997'.
It’s really crazy to think the 996 coupe can weigh 2900 lbs, in a world where most cars are 3500-4000. It’s not like the 997 is heavy by any stretch. Even that car is pretty light. And then to think the new 992 GT3 RS is like 3126 lbs is insane.
Last edited by Mike Murphy; 02-28-2021 at 04:06 PM.
I like them both and I've said it before along with others is that the 996 was at peak analog car feel and the 997 was the beginning of the end of that. Nothing wrong with anything newer it's just a different era of car.
I've driven the 964 and 993 on the street and the 996, 997 and 991 on the track. All are works of mechanical art. All have quirks that you either like, dislike or are indifferent. And all have issues that will need to be addressed because they are mechanical boxes with wheels that will eventually wear out.
Bought my 2002 996 back in 2002 and still have it. When you go to a PCA event at the track or just a "get together", you find yourself wanting all of them for different reasons. While I have plenty of opportunity to get a 997 or any of the others, I keep keep going back to the analog feel of the 996 which creates pure enjoyment in driving. Not to mention that I don't want a techno interior with tons of gadgets and switches, nor do I want a nanny car that does all the work for me. But that's just me. You may be different and there is nothing wrong with that. I want to drive my car on the street and track. I want to feel the steering and every nook and cranny of the road. To me, analog is everything, but I passed on the chance to buy an RS America which was way more analog than my 996, because I liked the way the 996 handled better. Everyone is different and should be.
The bottom line is that anyone of the 911's are beautiful pieces of machinery. The question is what piece of machinery do you want? And why? Once you answer these two simple questions you will find the right 911.
Well I think they are both fantastic cars....I had a 997 and my current 996 aero at the same time but once I put the 997 3.8 engine and tranny in my 996 it was hard to justify keeping the 997. The 997 is still beautiful and I do miss it but I love the way the 996 Aero looks both from the front and the rear. I can see myself getting a 997 C4S again but the truth is what ever 911 you have you need to drive it. Some said it earlier, they are all great as long as they are taken care of. Right now I think I have the best of both worlds :-)
I just picked up 120lbs of soft-water crystals in my 99 C2 Driving home I thought 'now my 996 weighs almost as much as a 997'.
Actually, even with the added 120 lbs of crystals, it still weighed 10 lbs LESS than a 964
Originally Posted by Mike Murphy
It’s really crazy to think the 996 coupe can weigh 2900 lbs, in a world where most cars are 3500-4000. It’s not like the 997 is heavy by any stretch. Even that car is pretty light. And then to think the new 992 GT3 RS is like 3126 lbs is insane.
Could not agree more. You actually have to go back to the 1984-88 3.2 Carrera for a 911 that is (slightly) lighter than the 996. The air-cooled 964 and 993 models were actually quite a bit heavier.
Here are the weights for 2wd, 6-speed coupes for all models from the Carrera 3.2 through the 997.2
(All weight differences in parentheses are relative to 996.1):
I love the 996. There are elements of the body shape that I don't like relative to the 997 and other models, but the light weight of the 996 makes it feel like the late 60's/early 70's 911's (that's the highest compliment I can give), but the 996 is much faster than those early cars and has modern creature comforts. I would not change the 996.1 headlights if I could -- they totally fit with the modern (compared to 993 predecessor) elements of the rest of the car.
02-28-2021, 02:14 PM
