2K7TTMIA

Every car mentioned here has had it's time and place.... right now, for me and I would venture to say alot of members ( and soon to be owners/members ) here...it's the 996.

JoeZV8

"Specialness" or however you want to phrase that quality, doesn't really do anything for me...I'm more interested in a car's driving experience than it's badge or heritage. Take my Z for example, I could care less what the purists think, it outright rocks for a roadster and was a great experience to build.

Wow, I haven't taken my car that far up into triple digits ever! It's just fun to rocket from zero to triple digits, the feeling in your stomach is so much fun and you better not be on an empty stomach or you'll feel light headed from the acceleration.

I have to say that braking and steering are also excellent in my Z, it's not just a big motor, everything in the car has been upgraded and very few components have more than 10k miles. It truly is a dream to drive, however there is only room for 2 and as a track car there are still several compromises holding it back.

This is what I'm a bit afraid of. On the street, the torque is just so much fun. Over 370ft lbs at the wheels just off idle is just so much tire smoking fun. Not to mention being able to pass in any gear you are in, yet having 2 overdrives for when you want to save a little $ on gas.

I enjoy track days, but the little one is a big reason for a fun street car with rear seat + a dedicated track car combo. As sweet as a GT3 is, it won't work for my street car, and it waaaaay out of my price range as far as a dedicated track car goes.

Now that is what I'm talking about! I built my car to be somewhat of a modern day Cobra. Lightweight roadster + American muscle, my car just has a few more luxuries than a real Cobra, but the Cobra was definitely an inspiration for this build! Knowing that someone went Cobra to 996 and is still happy with the performance is definitely confidence inspiring.

Quadcammer

You will definitely be craving the power.

I came from a 700rwhp mustang cobra, so anything short of a modified GT2 was gonna feel slow.

But I still made the transition to a much slower car.

bigrob

I dont think I could do only one car! Whether it be a Porsche or any other nice, quick ride. I get bored too easily. That may sound shallow, but thats me Nothing wrong with a little variety ya know!

JoeZV8

Whoa, now that's serious power! We've got a local shop that tunes a lot of FI LSx cars with big #'s like that, I've ridden in a couple but never had the pleasure of driving one

redridge

I think you should save a bit more and get the 6TT... it will suit you better. Go to 6speedonline.com and head to the 996turbo section... lots of gearheads overthere.

ROK

I didn't say anything about the badge. Just sit behind the 996 and feel the clutch, shifter, brakes and steering... sound. It just kills any BMW/Ford out there. Tactile senses, chassis feedback... game over.

The Z3 chassis flexes as often as Schwarzenegger at the gym.

Quadcammer

its pretty addictive. that kind of thrust at almost any speed or rpm never really gets old.

htny

there is no substitute... for cubic inches

I always seem to keep a V8 around, totally different type of ride.

You should seriously consider a turbo. If I did it all over again tomorrow, I would have done a turbo and sold my AMG, but at the time I didn't think 1 car would have been able to do so much, and didn't realize how reliable the Porsche would be. The 996 + 997 cars are incredibly versatile, and I've been driving mine daily (except for winter in NY, and even then I will get it out on sunny clear days) for the past couple of years with no complaints. Better fuel economy than a big german V8 to boot (at least theoretically, all my cars seem to average 13 mpg). My point is, it would be far more than a weekend toy, and you would miss nothing with the turbo in terms of power, it was and is one of the fastest cars in the world, and a few hundred dollars of software can really dial that up a notch.

Torontoworker

I had a Mustang a few years back with much more power then my 996 and quite frankly it sucked to drive it quickly. Too heavy, tank slapped in the rain if you even breathed on the gas pedal, wheel hopped under downshifting even if you know how to heel and toe as the live axle just up and took off under uneven pavement anyway. Chassis would lean - then tires would brake away without warning in fast corners. Fixes to change all this require boat loads of money to the point where the next thing you know you have a Salen priced car that still isn't as much fun as a P car. The more you fix handling problems - the more weight you add in parts. Oh, now I need more HP to over come the weight I've just added. And on an on it goes. Lets not even talk about what a Mustang is worth after 1 year shall we...

JoeZV8

Some great points by all! The Z chassis does flex compared to modern coupes but it is quite stiff for what it is, especially with all the upgrades. However it is not an easy car to drive fast, it is not forgiving, especially if you encounter less than glass smooth surfaces, wet surfaces, or cold surfaces (or cold tires). The short wheelbase, semi-trailing arm rear suspension, and gobs of power make it quite the handful to drive. So much more challenging than driving the wife's e46, or an S2000 yet soooo much more rewarding when you get it right. I have located a number of local C2 and C4 cars (all NA), I'm going to have to spend some time getting a feel for them. I doubt a 996 TT is in the cards, but I'll have to do more research and when the time comes to pull the trigger something may pop up. Thanks again for all the feedback!