I've put 1967 miles on since purchase and here's my report. Mix of highway, city, and some sporty driving, no track.

Today I got a chance to release the hounds a bit on some hill country roads coming back from S TX. It was a fine fall day and the tach did find itself in the nether regions a bit.

Overall impression of the car: It is one of the most effortless and yet responsive cars to drive fast. I was able to point and shoot and be right on the money in most every situation. I can tell that Porsche spent a lot of time at the track, and a lot of time with various drivers getting the handling dead on. Very well done, compares to the Lotus Esprit which is high praise for anyone who's tossed one of them around.

The whole package just works together, and is quite harmonious. The yellow twisty road sign, and 35MPH speed limit was a challenge for me to take around 70 with short drops to 55-60. As I suspected, the rear engine car prefers to be driven a bit deeper into corners than other cars, and likes a little hanging out of the rear in mid-corner, then to tuck it all back in with some solid throttle on exit. Having the right gear is important to keep from bogging in 6th or 5th. The throttle response above 4500RPM is a thing of beauty. With a bit of training, throttle steer is very effective due to the quick response.

Highway droning with the sport package including seats is never going to be like a tuna boat with couch-cushion seats found in a Mercury sedan. It just isn't, and this is perhaps the only downfall of the car. Droning should be avoided on interstates and major highways for hours on end. The Merc or a big old Cutlass or something is much better. In town the 996 is a fine machine, not too much shifting needed as suitable torque is avail from 1000 up as long as you don't want the snap found in higher revs. One can boffle along at 45MPH in 5th or 6th and still have a bit of pickup to make a yellow light, or lane change. Shifting is only to get underway from a stop. It does the job, and gets you there.

Systems operationa analysis: Engine - good all around. Perky, torque but not monster torque like a tractor, just strong pull. I wish for a little heavier flywheel but I understand why it is the way it is, and the costs of having that light flywheel make up in the snappy throttle response. All in all, A rating.

Clutch and trans - very good. I think the gears are where the need to be, and the clutch gets them in and out with a minimum of fuss and fighting. The shifter is where I like it, and the feel is not notchy or sloppy, just a well done example of man-machine interface for the purpose of keeping the engine in a happy place. My only desire is for a 7th gear on the highway to get the revs down below 3k.

Brakes - Good. I haven't stressed them hardly at all. I had one section where I needed a lot of brake and I felt the ABS kick in for a few judders to let me know it was there, and on demand. Fade or speed to stop distance not really tested, but when you need to stop, it's plenty reliable.

Suspension - Just, outstanding. I have a little time in a non-sport model 996, and plenty of time in the 928GT and S4(including some track), along with time in the 968. I think the handling of the M030 equipped 996 beats anything else in the same non-race prep vintage. Yes, it's tight and a bit jarring but when the fur flies, the chassis will not let you down. The right tires plays a big part here and I'm going to be careful about matching the tires to the handling so that I don't disrupt that fine balance. The twisties are no match for the fine balance of the car, and although it took some getting used to, I was able to drive deep into some corners and not worry at all about the outcome of the exit. Here's where the sport seats are suitable, and helpful. I'd say this car should spend most of it's time in mountain or rural roads, just sawing back and forth around trees, forest, farms, ranches, lakes, rivers and countryside. As a teen, I had a Fiat X1/9 and what it could do back then was pretty impressive(excepting HP), but this car is just stone cold rush to drive at speed and in full control. Excellent workmanship on the whole chassis package.

Misc - HVAC controls, meh. They work, keep me hot or cold, air or not, easy to use, where then are needed. Radio, meh. Sounds fine. Lights, wipers, sunroof, doors, windows, etc all are up to Porsche standards. Only thing really missing is cup holders. I'm going to have to figure that out.

Summary; This is a fantastic car. I just enjoy all my time in it, and getting about 22-24MPG isn't bad at all. The car looks like it cost $40-60k still and no one but me knows it's less than the cost of a used Camry. What a bargain in the used car market. What a fine way to spend time in transportation. I'm going out again on Friday for a drive, and just look forward to the trip over taking my crew cab truck so much. I'm sold.

 

Glad you like it so much. Hopefully now you understand why my 928 is more garage art than daily driver. I like the 928, but the 996 is just a great overall car.

 

I wish there was a place in the US where we could make good use of the touring aspect of the 928. We have roads from central TX all the way to CA, and places in the great white north that would be perfect for 120MPH runs in the 928. Many interstates will support speeds over 90, but the granny drivers in the US are limited by states to maintain some revenue for the donut patrol. The 928 isn't happy droning at 70, it should be woke up at over 100 to realize the benefit of it's attributes.

The 996 is much different. I don't think I would like the revs at 100MPH for high speed long runs. More of a sprinter than a tourer.

 

Glad you're enjoying it doc. I agree with your comments about the 996 being a bargain in the used car market. My first 911 was my 996 C4S, and it's the car that got me hooked on Porsches.

 

What year is your car? I ask because my 2002 has decent cupholders. I mean decent in the sense that they'll hold two drinks but the location is stupid because it's over the HVAC, radio, and gearshift.

Other than that as an owner for almost seven years I agree with your observations. This car is such a great balance of performance and relative comfort that can be used every day.

EDIT - Just saw your other thread about cup holders on a 1999. Forget I asked!

 

I haven't had the experience of proper sports cars in my past, but your description is very accurate in my experience. I don't now about the sport suspension, but my standard suspension and seats are fine for longer distance touring. In fact it is quite happy, content and comfortable to drone on slab.

It makes me feel great every time I get in. I love to look out the office window to see it shining in the sun....a childhood dream car. The quintessential sports car. My only wish was that I had some sort of cloaking device that allowed only myself to see the Porsche, while others see a brown Accord

 

This is one of the few conclusions I disagree with. Both the 986 and 996 are great GT cars - desert driving between California, Arizona, and Nevada with the cruise set at...well, set...the cars just gobble the miles, and the seats are surprisingly easy on the posterior. I did a 700 mile round trip in about a day - including a couple of hours with a customer a few hours of shut-eye - and I didn't feel brutalized in the least. Both cars are noisy - the 986 being more forgivable, since it's a Cab; the 996 has much more wind noise than ought a ~$90,000 coupe.

Nice write-up.

Bone of contention: References to the luxurious appointments of Mercury sedans.

 

The 88 928 is turning ~2200RPM at 72. The 996 is about 3000. When one gets over 100 the revs are gonna be up there. I'm sure the 996 can do it, but it'll be spinning plenty fast.

 

The 996 will do 150 in fifth; I've found the gears sufficiently long to avoid feeling miserable. However, it's your car, so you get to do with it whatever you like.

Ultimately, you seem to quite like the car - which is nice. Nothing sucks more than buying a car that you really wanted and finding out that it wasn't what you'd hoped - like my BMW X5 experience...

 

Glad you're so pumped with the car, doc. Reading this thread I found myself wondering what MY, configuration and specs the car has. So I had to search back to a month ago for the thread you started when you first lusted for this car, listed all of the options it has, and chronicled the experience you went through to finally get the title mess worked out. You might want to consider inserting a link to the 1st post in that acquisition thread into your initial post on this thread.
The only thing which IMNSHO might take the car up a notch would be if it was a C4S with the RoW M030 suspension setup. But you might want to consider adding the Fister exhaust and the Softronics software..........and maybe the 997 shifter. Just my 2¢.
Enjoy your Christmas present.

 

Hey! Castle Rock. I used to live there in the Meadows. What a shilt hole that was. lol.

I think for this car, there are ways, so many ways to make improvements that if I started, I wouldn't stop until it was some kind of hermaphrodite monster. About the only thing I really want right now are cupholders and I've got that sussed out. I'm going to drive and enjoy. When I repl the rear tires, I might spring for some under-carpet sound deadening material. Other than that, I can't imagine much in the way of paradigm shifting improvements.

I'm sure there are better 996/997 models and equipment but I just fit this car so well.