I just sold my aircooled 911 to buy a 996....

I sure hope I made the right decision. Please talk me off the ledge and tell me everything will be ok....

I'm sorry, but I can't.

Does this make you feel better?

BTDT, start saving for some engine work Verstuurd vanaf mijn GT-I9195 met Tapatalk

Well, it all depends on why you want the 996 . . . If you want a car which is faster, more comfortable, handles beautifully, has working heat and air conditioning, is fun to drive, yet easily usable on a daily basis then, yes, you've done the right thing (assuming you can't fit both in your garage). However, if you enjoyed the symphony and smell of the air cooled engine, the raw seat-of-your-pants sports car experience, that wonderful ticking sound as the engine cools after you shut it down following a spirited drive, the vault-like clunk when you shut the door, the look of disbelief on the face of the person in the gas station when you tell them how old it really is, well, sorry to say you're going to be kicking yourself - start browsing the classifieds now ;-) The 996 is a better car, but the old air cooled cars are a better experience. By far.

That would be a tough decision to make but I think the 996 will have its day years from now (now is a great time to buy one). In the future when an enthusiast wants a manual gearbox 911 his only choice will be a 996/997 because Porsche will probably have ceased production of manual trannies (I think the day is coming, sadly). The air cooled models will be seldom seen on the road and stashed away in collections - much like the 356 now. The 996 is a great car if a little cheaply made.

The 996 is indeed a great car. I went through the same decision process. On the one hand an aircooled Porsche is a very desirable car, but it is not very practical for everyday use and in many cases lacking modern safety features that I start to find indispensable in*today’s heavy traffic (obviously applies more to a longhood then a 993). The 996 looks and feels as a much more modern car and I discovered that I use it so much more often than the old Targa I had. Still, after owning one for two years now, there really are a number of drawbacks that could have influenced my buying decision: - Suffered from engine damage at 50k miles after either the tensioner or IMS failed leading to a hefty bill for the rebuild. There is a lot of scaremongering going on, but it does happen. - The 996 was my first car that caused serious back-pain due to bad seats ( I am 6’4’’) and seating position. Solved that by mounting 997 sport seats that are brilliant . - Several little annoyances about build quality. Switch gear is flimsy to say the least and not comparable to a BMW of the same vintage. I had to replace several items. - Audio options are limited, certainly on the later models with fibre optics. Not easy (or cheap) to integrate bluetooth connectivity. From look and feel a generation behind several of its competitors . - Trunk space is quite small (I have a C4S), the aircooler had a much more usable trunk. Good luck with your decision

If you want a 911 that you can actually use every day - you made the right decision. Because the air-cooled experience also includes a rough ride, archaic heating and non-working A/C, lots of noise, the constant odor of oil and gas, and probably a bit of tinkering. The 996 is more comfortable, faster in every way, and can be driven daily. Each has their place, but the air cooled models, especially pre-964, are difficult to live with as a daily driver. I use my 996 with 97k as a daily driver until the snow gets too deep. If you're worried about the IMS, just replace the damn thing and be done with it. That is the only fatal flaw in an otherwise nearly bulletproof car.

I drove my Targa daily...at least until the snow came. I intend to use a 996 year round. I understand the 996 will be a more polished experience all around. I'm just hoping I'll enjoy that experience as part of the charm of an air cooled car is the fact it's a bit rough (a lot rough?) around the edges. I do like that you don't feel like you're overpaying to get a nice 996 though...

My biggest knock on the 996 is the noise, or total lack thereof. In stock form it doesn't sound like a Porsche, which is fortunately quite easy to fix with mufflers and an intake. An EvoMS V-flow intake and Fister-D style modified mufflers make mine sound like a proper sports car, but are still subtle when you don't feel like being a hooligan.

Don't listen to the Haters For reassurance just check Auto trader and eBay for your 996's , sort from high mileage down and enjoy seeing cars with 200,000 miles plus I'm a road tripper and wouldn't think Of driving anything else

You made a good call. I made the same decision, and wouldn't go back. At least not for daily driving. I like the creature comforts, and how comfortable the 996 is compared to my 84 911. Driving 300 reliable horsepower around while listening to music and having working AC is a nice change to the air cooled experience (at least the experience I had).

You made the right call man. I did the same thing back in 2007 and I haven't looked back once. I've glanced back for sure, but the 996 is just a better machine.

They are both amazing machines. You can't go wrong with either (assuming the issues in either model have been addressed). There is no right or wrong decision.

Quotes source post: 7975844

Hit the nail on the head!

I too was very sceptical of the 996 until 2 weeks ago when I picked up an 03 C4S after selling my 82 SC but I have not looked back I loved my air cooled car but it was just a mission to drive daily and the reason I bought a Porsche was to enjoy it daily. My C4S came with PSE and I must say it sounds every bit if not more like a 911 than the SC did. It has a nice deep rumble that after 3000 rpm sounds like an angry bear wakening after a long hibernation, I am in awe of the road holding ability of this car it is to me phenomenal and a far cry from the SC. Don't get me wrong I still love the air cooled cars and hope some day to have one again but right now I am really enjoying the 996.

You will love it....but......MAKE SURE YOU GET A NEW IMS.....Go to LN it's the best one out there.

Most IMS or RMS leaks for most cars have been addressed by now. The 996 is a great daily driver and is relatively inexpensive to purchase and operate. I've driven my 01 c2 for many years and many, many miles with nothing more than normal maintenance, tires and brakes. Air-cooled cars are beginning to be too expensive to drive. If you get a WB 993 and put major miles on it, you'll lose money. No regrets. Just drive and have fun. Life is too short. Enjoy in good health.

I just recently went through the decision to buy a 964 or a 996. I ended up buying an 03 C4S on the simple notion that I will be daily driving it. I am only 27 but I have driven quite a few of the aircooled cars mostly SCs. I have to say the pure analog feel of the aircooled cars is a refreshing experience, but for daily use especially in NY, a little difficult. In a few years I would like to get in an SC or older and just have both...perfect world.

Thanks for all the responses..

I just went through something similar… Sold my 1985 Coupe and purchased a 2002 Coupe. The 996 at this point in time is just a much more "useable" Porsche, whether it be for daily use or even taking to the track. To me the air-cooled stuff has moved into collector territory and I am not a collector. The newer stuff is still depreciating. Surely when you bought your 1986, you weren't thinking about collecting, but rather looking for a 911 that you could drive and enjoy - that's the 996 today!

I sold my 1980 SC in February I got tired of fixing it. A 34 year old car has alot more issues than any of the early 996's. I was browsing craigslist cars. Up pops a 1999 996 carrera , I think water cooled, not for me, but why not take a look? Took a test drive and i was hooked. More power, all the modern stuff, heating, ac, better seats and still the incredible porsche driving experience. The early 996's are one of the best values in the marketplace. The IMS thing is BS no more than 5% actually go bad. I thank the car market every day for giving me a 30K car for half price.

I am fortunate enough to have both, and my 996 puts just as big a smile on my face as the older car does. Two very different experiences, but I sure don't understand the hate against the 996. I guess that's how the 356 crowd felt when the 911 1st came out back 1964...

I sold my aircooled 911 two weeks ago, went from this: to this: Don't have any regrets so far Maybe the resale value will be much less in a few years, but I just like the smoothness and stability and comfort in contrast to the aircooled one. Or maybe I'm just getting old

well If you want a/c and a good ride you can go with the 993. Air cooled still more power then your last 911 but with a working a/c and a smooth ride..

I owned my 84 Carrera 911 , for 9 years, had very good times, even if the AC did not work most of the time. 7k miles cross country road trip and more , Last July I found my C4 w/Aerokit,& Fabspeed exhaust, and I am very happy with it, confortable , fast , and a delight to drive. I thought I would never sell my 84 /911, I still think about the 84 !! But I love my 2001 C4 !!!

i loved my 82 sc but the lack of ac, strange electrical gremlins, and noise from the targa roof were just too much to live with.

My first 911 was an ’85 Carrera with low miles. It was a great car – dead nuts reliable, fast, great-looking. My only complaint was that the AC was useless. That made it a tough choice for daily driving here in the SE USA, where temps in August are often over 100 degrees along with oppressive humidity. At the time (’96), it was the most 911 I could afford. Cost of entry was $20K for a sorted 60K coupe with documentation. These days, I suppose that car would go for $40K, or more if it wasn’t Guards Red. I don’t quite get the run-up in prices in the accordion-bumper cars. They don’t have the pure, clean aesthetics of the ’73 cars, nor the performance of what the same money will buy in a later 911 (don’t get me wrong – I’m a child of the 80s and lusted after 3.2 Carreras and the 959 my entire childhood. My ’85 911 was the first accordion car of many!). Still, all the torsion-bar 911s have a simplicity and gestalt that can be matched by very few other cars. Before the run-up in the pre-‘74s, I built a ’72 911 coupe which I still have. It has a tight but smooth suspension, modern tires, and well-modified engine internals while maintaining a stock appearance. I built it to personify what I love about torsion-bar 911s: clean, beautiful lines, neck-snapping throttle response, unparalleled road feel, kart-like handling, all with minimal distractions/frills. This still left a hole in the lineup for a daily driver. Fortunately these days, $20-something thousand pulls a really nice 996 with amenities that work. I picked up an ’05 C4S with 89K for under $26K. It doesn’t get much better than that. This car is the best daily driver I’ve ever had. Unflappable road manners, the AC spits ice cubes, it doesn’t fatigue me after an hour of driving, the list goes on. Yet, if I drop it down a gear or three, it turns into a complete hoon. Different tools for different jobs. Here are a couple pics: The C4S right after delivery, covered in pollen. I don’t have any good pics of this car yet – am too busy driving it And here’s my ’72 T coupe

The first (and only) Porsche I've had so far was a '99 996 coupe. I sold it after logging 126,000 miles because I needed a back seat to accommodate a growing kid, and regretted it ever since. It seemed that the more miles I racked up on it the stronger it got. I had put a Fabspeed exhaust on it and absolutely loved hearing the growl it belched out when the pedal went down, yet it maintained an audible - but liveable noise level when cruising. Despite having to replace the transmission at 60k (ouch $$), every day behind the wheel was a joy and it never failed to make me feel like a million bucks. The only thing I didn't like was the absent visual pleasure of those trademark Porsche widebody hips. I've been looking to buy an '03-04 C4 for a while now, but after reading about the ISB nightmares I wonder if I'm not a glutton for punishment. Regardless, I'm itching to get the addictive Porsche driving experience back into my daily life. The prices are great, and the high odometer numbers don't dissuade me since I know whoever got mine still had another 100,000 miles worth of asphalt to put under it before it would need a major rebuild. The 996 is a phenomenal machine and you'll not regret having it.

Been there and back. Sold my 80SC 3.6 hotrod, briefly owned a 99 996 and sold it and bought a 993. I expect the 996 will go the way of the 944. Porsche nameplate ,better handling ,working AC ,more modern feel BUT continued depreciation .