Many individuals talk negatively about 996s, claiming the lights aren't liked, the engines are weak and incorrectly placed in the back and ultimately that's why they are affordable 911s.

Most comments come from owners who had high inaccurate expectations and somehow feel the car under delivered.

Let's be honest, for those of us who truly love the 996 it's not because we wanted the fastest car on the street or because it was cheap; we simply wanted the car which we saw at the dealership at a younger age and now we can own it.

If you buy a brand new 911 today, next year some thread will be talking about how the new one is some much better than the 2014 911. I like working on my car, learning about the engineering and learning to drive it better and better. I would truly appreciate feedback from those who love their 996s!

 

As a state employee, I cannot afford the new 2014 Targa. Nevertheless, I love the one I own. Oh yeah, my wife is alright too.. lol

 

I feel guilty everyday I get in mine and drive it
Guilty because I'm one of only a handful of people who get to experience the pure driving bliss that is the 996
It is truely the everyday supercar and it brings a huge grin to my face every chance I get to enjoy that wonderful steering, the wonderful shift action, that sublime chassis and that unique spine tingling exhaust note
I say 😜 to all the nay Sayers
Let them bash away on the forums it just means only the lucky few and the true enthusiasts get to know the truth and enjoy a wonderful automobile

 

I bought the 996 because (a) it was a 911 in my price range, and (b) the reviews of the car when it was new were nothing short of glowing. I owned a Boxster previously and loved it, but the 911 is the car many of us had on our bedroom walls as kids.

The specs are available on the Internet, as are the reviews. It's not difficult to know what you're getting with this car, and it's a difficult car not to love for what it is. In many ways, the 996, even with the "evil" of antifreeze and problems specific to the M96 platform, is a nod to simplicity. Sure my car has PSM and ABS, but I can turn 'em off. I can row through the gears manually. When I open the rear deck lid, I see an engine with parts, not a plastic cover stamped "No user serviceable parts inside." It's not SO different from the MGA I loved as a kid... a steering wheel and three pedals that, when used properly, make the things you're worried about go away for a while.

The ONLY people I've ever seen say anything negative about the 996 are other Porsche owners. I've never had someone at a car meet or a gas station walk up and say, "eew, that's a 996." Most of the time, people just do their thing, but every so often, I get "the look" from someone else who has the bug. Maybe it's a fellow Porsche driver. Maybe it's a guy with a TR-6 or an old 'Vette, but those folks get it and understand why we love the 996 for what it is, and that we don't sit around wishing it was something else.

 

^^^^
Well said. I drove a 996 this past weekend. Great car with a fabspeed exhaust. If we didn't already have a boxster I would love to have one.

 

Because I was in love with the MK1 GT3 and could not get one so I built the next closest thing :-)

 

Like Schnelly says, the ONLY 996 bashing I have ever seen is from other Porsche owners, most of whom have never even owned/driven one. Thankfully, however, this bashing has made the 996 to be the best deal in the sports car world.

So you are saying a 996 is equivalent to a Boxster?

 

Bah.... worthless thread.

I remember when the 964 was bashed just as bad. Now they are classics.
and the 2.7's sucked and 914's are not real Porsches ...etc...etc..blah..blah..blah

Had mine for about 8 years, it's been a great car and still holds my interest,

 

Just like the 964, good ones are slowly getting rarer and bad ones are slowly dying. With more electrics on cars 996's will be heralded as drivers cars one day, the looks probably won't be raved about but will be accepted as the definition of an era.

Never a truer word said that the haters are Porsche owners.

I love my 40th, it was between that and an early 997, thought the 40th had better spec, drove just as well and was a $10k cheaper. Must say I liked the 997 interior and look over the 996, but not enough to spend more for lower spec car.

 

I agree with your opinion. For me I have owned more cars than I may even remember over the past 35+ years including a 1972 911 when I was living in LA as a young man. Since then I have bought many performance oriented cars of all types; euro, Japanese and American. I have had new cars that were second, third or fourth cars, and sparingly driven, but always well cared for. After determining that I wasn't driving them enough I would sell them in pristine shape and suffer the depreciation hit. Well that gets old, so a few years ago I went looking for another fun car while my old Stingray was off the road for a restoration. I wanted something that represented a solid sports car driving experience but had already depreciated, and my 996 4S fit the bill perfectly. Wonderfully balanced, great looking, wife actually enjoys driving it, paid less than 1/3 of its original price,etc.

Couldn't be happier with the car, which is a fourth car for me at this time. I am at a point where I could go down and buy a new 991, but feel I have 90%+ of the driving experience for about $100k less. And for a car that I have only driven 3,000 miles in the last 3 years that works for me. In the end I really don't care what somebody else thinks, I own and drive cars for my own pleasure, not theirs.

Enjoy your 996, whatever version you have. They are truly great cars for today's money.

 

I started contemplating about getting a 911 back in 1970. They were well beyond my means so I checked out used 912's. Still too much. Then it became the bang for the buck issue. While I could afford a used one, the price they commanded drove me to other alternatives.(such as 3 different 944's) They IMSB issue is the best thing that ever happened to me. It made the 996 an undervalued car. Remember the Ferrari (FIAT) Dino? dissed by Ferrari fanatics for decades, now commanding prices approaching $500k. The 912 and 914 Porsche were scorned by Porsche fans as well. Good 912's are getting $60k these days. It may take 20 years but the day will come when Porsches evolution to water cooled engines will be hailed as the companies savior. While some of the quaint idiosyncrasies of the air cooled 911 were lost, overall the 996 marked a new era and a much better car.

 

Actually I meant garage space... wait, so you ragging on my boxster? Another porsche hater. I'd be offended, but you drive a tiptronic!



It will be great when 996s are remembered as the last of the true 911s!

 

With two kids I knew I was getting out of racing. Some of my racing buddies had 996s and showed me it is possible to lug around kids in the back seat. Knowing I could do majority of the work on the car myself also helped. I sold the race trailer and SpecE30 and found a nice high mileage 996. I love driving it everyday. I really have no desire to own a newer 991+ this car does everything I need/want it to.

 

This cannot be overstated. While the 996 is no supercar in today's automotive climate, that word was tossed around in reviews at the time. Sure, you might find a $25K Ferrari, but it'll be a salvage title and will have more issues than Michael Jackson's kids. I paid $30K for my 996, as the IMS hysteria hadn't reached full fever pitch when I bought - and I don't regret spending the money. I hope the 996 runs forever - it's a fantastic car, an incarnation of an icon, and the conduit between Porsche of old and the modern Porsche. The 986/996 models, between the water cooling and the part sharing, are probably the most important cars in Porsche's history, at least in terms of ensuring the marque's survival.

I never have, and never will, purchased a "luxury" car new. It's just not rational to pay an extra $50-80K in depreciation. I could absolutely afford to do so - once - but I'd rather have that money in the bank. At approx. the same time I purchased my 996, a good friend purchased a new 911 for just over $100K. I don't think he loves his 911 $75K more than I do, and I don't think he has $75K more fun when he drives it. Plus, my GT3-look 996 just looks cooler than his targa.

Would it be fun to have another 100 HP? Of course. If I decide I just can't live without 400HP, I'll bolt a used 100-shot to my Corvette for $300. The 996 is more than enough car for me.

 

My wife wanted a Porsche for Christmas...(truth)

AND, every time I consider dropping $60-70-80k or more for a car common sense kicks in and saves me tens of thousands of dollars. I've never been one to eat the depreciation nut, I let others' do it for me.
At the current price point of 996's, one can get one and properly baseline the mechanicals and still be all-in for less than $40-50k.

For me, it boils down to economics, and ROI. My wife loves her car, and her co-workers' all think it's brand new...as said: only other Porsche people do the bashing of the 996.