Steve2112

At some point I was thinking of upgrading to a 997 at some point. I have an 04 40th AE 996 right now, and I am pretty happy with the car.

At the time of purchase about 3 years ago it was the most expensive 911 I could afford. The car is in great shape, bought it with a CPO and it had 12,000 miles on it. I did the IMS at 18,000 miles along with the clutch and other things while the job was being done like spark plugs, AOS, water pump.

At some point in a couple years I plan on upgrading - by then 997 prices should be down a bit more.

I like the headlights better than the 996 series, and I am hoping to get the model without the old IMS design. What year did the IMS get designed out of the 997 engine?

For previous 996 owners - how different is the interior? I have only seen pictures, and never sat in one in person. Are the turn signals and other levers on the steering wheel better quality? That is one of the gripes I have with the 996 interior - the plastic on the turn signal, wipers, etc. feel like cheap plastic that bends like a plastic spoon or fork/knife from McDonald's.

Thanks for any insight on people that have made the move - I would appreciate any insights you want to share!

Thanks,

Steve

stefang

'09 is the first year of the new engine.

Just go to the P-car dealer and drive one. Doesn't cost anything and you'll get your own impressions.

losdeanos

I just made the upgrade from a 02 Cab to a 997S, huge jump in performance and interior comfort. The cabin is a nicer place to be and the newer toys help. Ipod, Bluetooth, touchscreen ect. Even the non-full leather option is nicer than the full leather in the 996 IMHO at least.

utkinpol

if you are happy with the car - why to change it?
Any 09+ 997.2 is a good car, go to dealer, see those 997.2, look at 991, if you want one - why not. if you do not need one you can fix you your engine and keep driving it.
if you want better electronics you can always replace stock PCM in 996 with pioneer or kenwood unit with navigation, BT and any other features.
so it is all relative.

Spokane5150

^ +1

Mike in CA

I owned a '99 996 for 8 years, then a '97 Boxster S for 2, before I bought my current '09 997.2 S so there were a couple of years between the 996 and 997. The 996 was a mid year model so it had been upgraded with the newer headlights.

The 996 was a very nice car but IMO my 997.2 is a substantial upgrade. Your 996 is an '04 and I don't know if there were major interior changes from my car, but comparing the '99 to the '09 the overall feel of the 997.2 is one of higher quality pieces. Both cars had/have full leather but the detail in the 997 is significantly better. The grey plastic center console and dash trim of the 996 were replaced with soft-touch finish bits and aluminum look trim. The 997 has a vault like feel to it, more like the solid build quality of my old '84 Carrera, while the 996 had a few more squeeks and rattles. No a huge deal, but noticeable. And of course there's the obvious stuff like more power, better brakes, improved handling, more features, etc.

If you are happy with your 996 there's no need to feel like you should replace it right away. Some people knock the 996; I don't, like I said it's a very nice car and I enjoyed mine. But the 997 is definitely a step up, when and if you're ever ready to make that move. Just my $.02.

996_North

Just curious, but you had to get a new clutch at 18K miles ? or you were getting the IMS done and just chose to have the clutch done at the same time ?

82_930

I went from an '01 Carrera 4 to a '06 Carrera 4.

From my research, the '06 did not suffer from IMS issues. There is a tread on this, do a search.

I actually still own both as I did not sell the 996 yet.

The look of the '06 reminds me of my '82 930 that I used to have.

The interior of the 996 in my opinion is better thought out than the 997. For example, if you ever flip up one of the seats to put a passenger in the back, the seats in the 997 hit the roof (something that does not happen in the 996).

True, there are more electronic toys in the 997, but you can get all of those + retain a factory look by upgrading the head unit. Something that you would NEVER dare to do in the 997 do to how integral the head unit is to the car.

the steering wheel in the 996 is more of a sporty wheel in my opinion because of the bulges at the 10 and 2 o'clock positions. Something that is lacking in the 997 that I wish was not.

The purpose of those bulges is to rest your thumb on. (The reason of resting your thumb on those bulges is so that you do not curl your thumb around the wheel. The reason why you would not want to do that is because if you were to get into an accident or hit a pot hole, etc.. the wheel could rapidly turn and break your thumbs).

That being said, both cars are nice. Having a special edition like you is something that you may want to hold on to. But if you are looking for a change, then I would say that you could get anything up from a late production '05 and up without IMS fear. Like I said, there is a thread on here that specifically states which month of production that you should look to have to avoid the IMS.

Mike in CA

Just FYI, the sport wheel for the 997.2 also is thicker with the bulges you mention. It can be had w/o paddles for 6 speed cars.....

lvandermerwe

Had a 2004 Cab and now have a 997.2. I could have lived with the 996 but a few features of the 997 just grabbed me. Among others, the hips, the head and tail lights, the dash layout (no one-sided point), non-sport mode ride much more gentle, etc.
I know this is not an easy decision for you. You have a very nice car and have to decide on your own. Good luck.
Regards

gota911

Steve,

I had a '04 C2 for almost 3.5 years. I really liked that car. I have had my '10 997.2 C2S for just under one year and I think the 997.2 is an upgrade. The interior is nicer, the DFI engine has 385 HP and no intermediate shaft (IMS), PASM suspension is very good. Definitely worth the upgrade to the "dot 2" version of the 997.

J. Kid

My seats in my 997.2 do not hit the roof when i flip them forward I'm guessing you have your seats elevated high.

musicmovesme

I went from a 03 996 C2 to a 05 C2S. All I can say is wow huge difference in power, Steering and ride. Love sport chrono option suspension setup. Most of all the interior upgrades are almost to many to describe!! Just little things like partial turn signal three blinks then off etc..... Granted the 997.2 has even more changes loved pdk just wasn't in my price range. Will have to wait a few more years for that. Good luck

82_930

Slide the seats all the way forward before you flip up the back (like the way that you would when putting a passenger in the back) the seat will hit the roof. When you do this in the 996, it does not happen. Luckily, both cars prevent you from carrying females that weigh more than 100 lbs, lol... the car is fatty-proof!

CAA

Mike this picture you posted is really pushing me to spend some money at Suncoast. They sell this paddle shift wheel for around a grand and I've been on the fence regarding just living with the push button steering wheel.

Why didn't PCNA just make this the stock steering wheel??