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.
Reliability - and maybe the interior appointments, if that's something that concerns you - are the know Achilles heels of the 996. The car was hailed as the best 911 ever when it was new. The 996 is an awesomely capable car, a fact that has been demonstrated repeatedly for the past 16 years.
The irony of KK's comment is that he spent so much time and effort obsessing over the M96's flaws that he never really enjoyed owning a magnificent car from the correct perspective: the driver's seat.
Sure, it's 2015, and the definition of "supercar" has change a whole lot in a decade and a half...it's even been supplanted by "hypercar" to describe an entirely higher order of automotive performance compared to the state of the automotive arts in 1998-1999. However, the 996 remains an amazing car to drive - it's comfortable enough to be a GT, quick and nimble enough to be a trackday car, and - unless the truly awful happens and the motor pops - easy enough to maintain that a reasonably competent guy with reasonable means can keep one on the road.
The Internet, and even PCA meetings to a lesser extent, will forever echo with hysterical cries of "IMS! IMS! D-Chunk!" - and sure, that stuff can happen. No doubt. But in at least one case - mine - the outright joy experienced during a vigorous drive in the 996 makes any anxiety about mechanical longevity well worth it.
In two and a half years of ownership, I have yet to see one other car that made me stop and think, "Gee, I wish I had that car instead of my 911."
That was a fun article to read. Of course the 991 boys will bash it, but we don't care. Many of them actually believe PDK and an abundance of nanny-matic "Please Save Me" computers are a good thing on a GT3.
The 996 brings some things that no car earlier than it offered, and that no car after it has possessed. The cars are a great mix of yesterday, with just the right amount of today.
This is why so many people save their cars, rather than throwing them away, after an engine issue.
A well-written article that mentions - but does not obsess on - bearing and d-chunk issues. It's sure to meet with intense disapproval from our resident gloomifier.
It also dares to point out that previous 911 interiors look like they were designed by a budget motel chain compared to the modern appearance of the 996's cabin. Yes, it's got a lot of plastic. Thankfully, it's not got a lot of plaid upholstery and thatched palm fronds.
It's nice to read a current article that isn't ashamed to remind us that the 996 was the fastest, most confidence-inspiring 911 Porsche had ever made.
These articles are great reads. I've had my C4S for a few months now. I've recently returned from a quick weekend trip to the mountains including several miles of forest service roads to get to the hike trailhead we did on Saturday. That got some looks! The owner of the inn commented about the car and showed me his VW Thing with a 2 liter 914 motor in it. Last Wednesday I was instructing at a club DE and did 3 sessions with my student in the passenger seat. I love this car and keep telling myself it's the 911 I'll keep very long term. I have a 72 project car and a 914 for when the vintage bug strikes but this 996 is for me the perfect balance of modern convenience and comfort while still managing to bring a smile to my face at the track or on an open road. It comes alive when pushed and responds very well. My students 2012 C4S with PDK was fun to drive but it was loaded with options I'd never use and electronics I wouldn't want to maintain long term. I've put more miles on my car in 2 months than she had in 3 years.
Of course the 991 boys will bash it, but we don't care. Many of them actually believe PDK and an abundance of nanny-matic "Please Save Me" computers are a good thing on a GT3.
Same people who post that they got rid of their GT3 after a year because they were 'bored', and are now trying to decide between a Lamborghini and a 488. And flame anything less than yesterday's latest iteration of Porsche, as 'hopelessly outdated'.
Ignoring the 'too much money x not enough sense' equation: If you've reached the point in life where you dump such an auto from 'boredom', it's really time to kill yourself. I appreciate my C4S, and would gladly take an old, 'outdated', 'slow' and archaic 912 or 964 as a second.
Because life is not always measured by 0-60, or lap times.
09-14-2015, 02:26 PM
