Sorry for the late reply. Thanks for responding. I've dreamed of owning one but it is good to hear a dose of reality to what the actual ownership experience is. I guess if I one day have the opportunity to have one as a toy, I could shoot for ownership. I use my 996 as an everyday driver, as it should be. I live in Louisiana now (Texas prior) so I get the need for A/C. My 996 has disturbingly cold AC which is awesome.

Wait, did you use the RS for Drivers Ed?

Tex,
I loved my RS America, but in just two years I had gone "A Bridge Too Far" with the mods and it was no longer a pleasant street car.
In 1993 the national speed limit was 55 MPH and still strictly enforced. The RS America has no cruise control, and no arm rests. I was heavy into Driver's Ed, so my RS America had only two options: A/C and Limited Slip. I live in Florida (A/C is mandatory if you want to drive your car the other 9 months of the year). But it was also my daily driver.
I lowered the suspension with HD springs, added a Lightened Flywheel - good things for the track, but not on the street. I also chipped the engine for more HP at the high end and to keep the car from stalling when the A/C was on and the clutch was pushed in. And I removed the heavy resonator from the exhaust system and replaced it with a u-tube. Car sounded great, handled awesome, ran strong. But it really sucked on the street, particularly on long drives to track events. So I moved on.