It's the reputation of the 996 I am afraid to say. Guilty by association. I feel bad for anyone whom has a 996. I personally do not like any of the model line. 996 line is probably the least expensive porsche one could obtain at this time and in the near future. I have had 964, 993 and now 997TT. Sorry not to offend anyone, it is what it is.

 

You seem to want to debate- OK.

Having owned 911SC, 964, 993 and 996tt, I would disagree with you. The 964, with it's odd styling, sketchy reliability and reputation for leaks (all true) would come in last in my book. All that said, I loved my 964; I still have the oil spots in my garage to remind me of it-

And comparing my 78 SC with my 996tt is like comparing two horses of 2 different colors. Both were (are) great cars in their own right.

You don't say whether you have 997.1 or 997.2, but from what I have read, there are significant differences between the two. From my perspective, why would I pay double for a car that's no faster than mine (but has oval headlights)? Doesn't make sense to me.

I do agree that it is what is-

 

corrected

 

I look at it like this---owning a Porsche 911 is like going to graduate business school (which I did). Going to Harvard offers one a high degree of camaraderie amongst those who have gone there and prestige in the world business school graduates. Crimson sticks together and will always thumb their nose at the Yalies. However, God forbid that you earned an MBA from Northwestern or Stanford:-) Those schools are obviously inferior, cheaper, and less preparatory for the "real world" job market. Though you have an MBA---well, it's not the same caliber of MBA that I have, obviously. BTW, I am being facetious. Same thing here with the 911 stuff----if you like it buy it, and if not then move along. From time to time I even wear my OSU sweatshirt. No harm no fowl:-)

 

Hey Larry, your white girl was hawt! Especially with SC.

 

Opinions are like ********, everybody has one and they usually stink.

 

Sooo, are you saying that you really wanted a 933, but could only swing the 996 ?

 

Not opinions but facts. They even got the side inlets wrong

 

Some people need round headlights. I'm convinced that's what it comes down to- and they buy into the narrative of 996 headlamp hate.

Fine by me- just remind them that the 997.1 NA cars have the same IMS bearing issues as the 996 (except most you can't do a LN bearing upgrade!), and 997.2 cars have cylinder scoring issues like the 996 NA cars do.

997.1tt AWD system feels more like an Audi's quattro- 996tt's AWD system feels like it's actually RWD.

To each his own. I think my car is incredibly sexy. Do I hate the 997 turbo? No, but they are a lot more common, and to me the headlights and interior aren't worth the $40k premium.

993tt? I wouldn't feel good about putting miles on it. Sure I'd love to stare at it in the garage....

 

I agree. Also note the 997.2tt has the same engine as the 997.2. Cylinder scoring issues are very expensive to fix.

 

I could have afforded to buy any of them if I wanted them bad enough. For looks---without a doubt the 993 Turbo. They are sexy. However, I didn't find them worth $70K to $80K. I'm not a Porsche collector, racer, or diehard fanatic---it's just a car. I wanted something to mess around with and have some fun as a third car. The 996T is a hoot and I'm not paranoid about parking it at the mall at Tysons Corner to go shopping while worrying about it. The car serves the purpose that I bought it for---nothing more.

Some guys start marking their territory like dogs around cars and women. Woof woof !

 

If you look at how Porsche depreciates and then look at the curve, Older Porsches usualy start coming up in value after sometime. The 993 when 8 years old was worth less than it is now depending on the year and model. I suspect the 996 will increase in value over time.

 

atcbi5 - that 997tt took a huge dive also! So your point is mute. The only 996 that acquired a bad rep are the M96 models. The TT, GT2, and GT3 are not in the same boat. The 997.1tt has the GT1 derived engine the same as in the 996tt, GT3, amnd GT2 engine and as some have stated the 997.1tt has the better engine than the 997.2tt.
BTW i owned an M96 996, had no problems with it at all. I did proactivley replace the IMS bearing with the L&N upgrade. It's still running today with no issues.

 

I love my 996tt with the exception of the stock front bumper. I like the headlights and frankly never understood the huge controversy over them. But the market has spoken and these aren't the golden child of the line. Thank God for that! We get an awesome car for for the price of a mid level new car. How great is that?

 

I still own a m96 as well. Had it since 2003 and tracked it for 7 years. When I replaced my clutch I had the IMS replaced. The one that came out was perfect. Only issue is that I do have scored cylinder but it still runs, just uses more oil been like that for at least 3 years now and 2 track seasons. Got the turbo for now until I rebuild the motor in it to a 3.8l. Considering Cup cars need a rebuild every 40 hours. The m96 was a strong engine and lasted a long time.