Molly

I drove a 99 C2 all stock cab 6-spd and thought it felt remarkable fast to me. (and I know fast cars). I see some people state that the 99 is lighter, some benefit to having a real throttle cable, some benefit to no PSM, while I hear others state that the 3.6 is faster, more power, etc. Then back to the other side, people say the 3.6 is heavier, has e-gas, slower throttle response, etc so is no faster. I've seen remarks like the 99 is < 3,000 lbs - is that true and how much more does a later one weight. What is the consensus - is any year C2 coupe faster in the real world or is it really just negligible? Also, is the cab lighter or heavier than a coupe; I hear conflicting facts on that too.

Thanks

tmc

The cab is definitely heavier than the coupe.

I've driven both e-gas and non-e-gas 996's and can't tell the difference. In fact, I (subjectively) feel the e-gas car responded more quickly.

nick49

I own a '99 Cab and drove an '01 and '02 before making my decision to purchase the car I have. I did not drive these back to back but the '99 has always felt very good to me as far as throttle response and handling aside from pushing at times when entering corners too fast.

According to my manual the weights stated for an empty car are as follows, varying according to equipment options:

Coupe 2909.9 to 3042.2
Cab 3075.4 to 3240.8

The '99s also were available with limited slip diff as an option which is greatly appreciated by some.

dallasboats

99's are the lightest and IMO quicker, especially some of the first cars tested by magazines...........

Ray S

I've driven multiple examples (some back to back) and the 3.6 cars are noticeably quicker than the 3.4's that I have driven.

However opinions do vary (just look in this thread). My advice....head out to a dealership and see for yourself.

Truble10

[QUOTE=Ray S]I've driven multiple examples (some back to back) and the 3.6 cars are noticeably quicker than the 3.4's that I have driven.

Not sure I agree with this but do what feels right to you. I had a 99 for a bit and could not tell any real world difference between the 3.4 & 3.6. The small difference in HP should be offset by the small weight difference. One might 'feel' faster but many people think the 99's are the fastest of the NA 996 models. GT3 excluded. Any difference should be very small between the two.

nick49

Bottom Line:

I've been reading these posts for years and have concluded that no one, regardless of the year of car purchased, feels that they made the wrong decision. Everyone seems to be extremely happy with their purchase. Every year has subtile features that make it better 'um some, worse'n others. All owners seem to boast about the good features and downplay the negative ones for their year, myself included. You will most likely immensely enjoy your purchase regardless of your decision as to the year. I don't feel you will make a mistake.

P-Car fanatic

I agree. Maybe it was one of the factors that influenced me when I got into a 997s with a lot of expectation and was a bit underwhelmed - when I was really excited

lanny

how true

99firehawk

[QUOTE=Truble10]
the 3.6 is no heaver then the 3.4

washington dc porsche

Race another MY 996 doing so will definitely answer your question.

10 GT3

First, you have to look at when the car was produced. The 99' model year lasted almost 2 years with the first cars being built in late 97'. There were a lot of production changes across the first model year to fix a lot of issues. By 00', these changes added 10kg (22 lbs) more weight. The 99' is definitely not below 3000 lbs. Car and Driver's long term test 99' coupe (production car high optioned with the 18" wheels) weighed 3149 lbs w/o driver. Although the first pre-production Euro car they tested was 2900 lbs, none of the US production cars they tested weighed less than 3100 lbs.

The weight difference between a 99' and an 00' are negligable when considering the additional improvements. In 02' when the engine was enlarged from 3.4l to 3.6l there were a lot of changes made to the suspension, chassis, body and drivetrain. These changes added 25 kg (about 55 lbs), but were more than made up in their benefits in all performance areas. The 3.6l models are rated faster in all areas of acceleration and top speed over 3.4l models regardless of year.

Tiptronics add 122 lbs over comparably equiped Manuals. Cabrio and Targa models add almost 200 lbs over coupes. A C4 is 122 lbs heavier than a C2. A C4S (Turbo wide-body chassis) is 276 lbs over the same year C2. If you want the lightest car, buy a low option manual C2 coupe. If you want the heaviest then its a high option Tip C4S Cab with a hardtop (about 4000 lbs).

dallasboats

nope, mine is still the best.....................

Rob in WA

Porsche lists the 3.4l C2 @ 2,910 lbs.

Porsche lists the C4S cab w/tip @ 3,362 lbs, the hardtop weighs 74 lbs.

A targa is 154 lbs heavier then the coupe, and the cab is 176 lbs heavier.

The performance difference is negligible, less then two tenths of a second 0-62, and will come down to the driver. The biggest thing that will affect performance is a tip ( ~ .5 seconds 0-62 ), because of the slush box not the extra weight. The C4S has the same top speed, 174 mph, as the 3.4l. The 3.6l is rated at 177 mph, I really wish I had those extra 3 miles an hour.

The 3.4ls don't have the variocam plus surge at 3200 rpms. Another plus of a MY99 with cable throttle is that LSD was an option, look for one w/LSD.

Do some reading about the RMS, not a big deal, but something you should know about. The thing I'd be more concerned w/in an early M96 motor is the porous block problem. Your coolant mixes w/the oil and if enough coolant ends up in the oil, the bearings, rings and valves are damaged and it can be catastrophic. I'd look at getting a late '99 if you're set on the cable throttle vs. e-gas.

Graygoose997

<The thing I'd be more concerned w/in an early M96 motor is the porous block problem>

you need to check your facts.
there has never been a porous block problem on a 996..you are confusing this with a known _boxster engine_ problem on 98 and 99 cars