mjbrox

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A good friend of mine is looking at getting a 911. It looks like his Price range will put up at the end of the 996s or beginning of the 997s.

Aside from all the normal advantages a newer car would have, is there anything to consider that makes one model better or worse than the other in terms of maintenance, reliability, cost or performance?

Oh it has to be a manual transmission.

Also, are there any major issues in any particular model year?

yemenmocha

Much better front design on the 997, closer to the original 911. The 996 was sort of a futuristic experiment on that front end, and is frankly unforgivable:






Plus the interior isn't really the same as a 997:

Ray S

The end of the 996 will put you in a Mk II 996 or 996 4S. I assume by beginning of the 997 he is looking for an '05 or '06.

Reliability should be very similar as should performance (unless he spends for the "S" on the 997). The 997 gains a nicer interior and a more refined ride. Both cars use the same basic engine and chassis.

General advice is to buy the latest model you can afford, so I'd say get the 997 if his budget can handle it. If he has enough for the "S", I'd say the 3.8l engine and extra power that comes with it is a worthwhile upgrade.

Good luck.

996 C2


996 4S





997 C2

Ray S

^^ FYI, that is a '99. The OP indicated late model 996

philooo

996 internals are exact same as 997
On the track the 997 is not going any faster than a 996
Buy the one you prefer. 996 is better deal for the money
997 is better looking and a bit newer, but same weak point as the 996

If you can buy the late 3.8 997 or. Better a 997.2(2009+)

DreamCarrera

Why let facts get in the way of a good bashing?

Ynot

Personally I think the 996 is an ugly car, the 997 looks so much better both internal and external. The 996 looks very outdated, the 993 and 964 looks newer.

Vancouver-BC

Try and go with at least an 06 997. The IMS bearing was updated in mid-late 05, and there appears to be less problems with the 06 and later model years. The 997 is a much better car in many respects, and will be easier to sell down the road.

Zeus993

Or better yet... A 996 Twin Turbo. Better engine. Excellent value for the money.

Edgy01

While certain versions of the 996 are attractive, by far the majority of 997s are deemed to be more attractive by the majority of buyers. Also, at this juncture, with the 991 release around the corner, the purchase of a 996 today would put it TWO models back, instead of buying a 997 which would only be one model back. If he's close financially, just have him wait 12 months.

996s seem to not be holding their value that well, while the 997s seem to be doing fairly well at holding their values. That's good for those with a 997 in their garage, but bad for the buyers.

You will be able to afford a much more loaded 996, but then, it is still a 996, with many of the issues that leave some people cold. I believe that the interior was a big mistake. It carried over no visual clues from the 993 and seemed to be a marked departure from 911 interiors of the past. The 997 interior is much closer to the past interiors.

From a maintenance and reliability standpoint. keep in mind that Porsche has continued to perfect their craft at engineering and building a very fine sports car. There are issues with all models, but they are never that significant.

Some tips--cars that are driven bode better than hanger queens.

utkinpol

only 996 cars that ar worth buying are 996 gt3 or 996 turbo. regular street 996 with m96 motor may be problematic to maintain and those engines are known to have issues, both 3.4 and 3.6l. if you get a 996 with good gt1 block engine then it should be most likely fine, if owner does not like outdated electronics he can install new pioneer or kenwood unit there and car will look modern enough.

Ray S

The 997 Mk I uses the same basic motor as the 996. The 997 did not get the new DFI motor until '09

utkinpol

true, but m96 in 997 car is not really same as m96 in early 996 car. they had a lot of internal improvements done to those engines to make them a bit better.

Ray S

Porsche has continued to make improvements to this motor since it was first introduced in the Boxster in '97. That being said even that last version sold in the 997 Mk I still can and do have some of the problems experienced with the earlier verions. One negative change on the last generation of this motor is that the IMS bearing can no longer be removed and upgraded short of tearing down the entire motor.

utkinpol

It's exactly the reason why I spoke about gt3 or turbo 996 car to buy.
At least those motors can be repaired as they go and they will go long way from rebuild to rebuild.