How many here came from more powerful cars?

Curious as to how many people here went to the 996 after previously owning a more powerful vechicle? I have yet to drive a 996, although I hope to get a ride in a friend's 996 once spring rolls around here in NY. Reading up on 996's they just seem like a good fit for my current needs/wants. Currently my street car leans more towards track than street - stiff coilovers, Recaro's, rollbar, no traction control, no ABS, no cruise, no A/C, loud motor, loud exhaust, lots of gear chatter. And at barely 2900lbs with over 370 ft lbs available from 2200 RPM till peak, the 295's struggle to keep the car pointed in the right direction...it is a complete blast! But after having several big offers thown at the car, I am thinking of taking one...investing the $ in some other interests I have while I search for a cherry 996 to make my street car. I'm thinking that a more tame street car (that can carry the little one in the back seat) + a dedicated track car is a better package for me vs. the extremely raw street car which is my current toy. Just wondering how many here came upon the 996 after having a faster street car. Was the overall package and driving experience enough to keep you satisfied? Or are you still itching for more power

well Joe, it seems you hit on a few good points. from the looks of your avatar, a Corvette seems to be your current toy. If you are looking for back seats for a "little one", a tame street car + a dedicated track car, a Carrera C4S would be a great choice. I had a modded S/C'd Harley Supercrew & a modded N/A Mercury Marauder. plenty of power from both and handling to boot. both sold and not missed. I upgraded in 07 to a N/A Harley with all the options. 4.10's, lowered, CAI, Diablosport tuner, catback. real happy with it and it can haul the family. I still had the need for another vehicle and came across a 2000 996 Cab Tip. very tame, 9500 original miles, super clean. back seats for the kids too! Car can handle itself quite well. But I'm no racer by any means. I'll pry go with the Fister D, F & R sway bar upgrades along with the current mods I've done since I bought it in OCT 09. So, I would say definitely look into a P-car and whichever model suits your budget. There are plenty out there in all forms...bone stock to highly modded....

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Thanks for your feedback and quick reply. Actually my current toy is just powered by a Vette powerplant - 1996 Z3 with mildly modded LS1, stage IV T56, 3.73 LSD....list goes on and on. It's been quite an adventure transforming this car from an underpowered roadster, to a nicely powered roadster (supercharged 1.9l) to a complete monster C4S would be nice, but it wouldn't leave much $$ for a dedicated track car. A friend has a 2000 C2, and I've seen a few C4's for sale not too far away. I need to get out and get a feel for the two cars. On paper the C4 seems to make sense for my area, but I really need to get some time behind the wheel of each. Here are a few pics of the transformation of my current toy, although it has since changed a bit since these were taken (~3yrs ago).

cool. that's a real transformation you got there; quite a project...but if someone is willing to give you enough for it, I say move onward and upward...

An LS1 in a 996. Do it

Now, if bmw would shove the E92's V8 in the Z4 they would have a Cayman and possibly and 911 killer. So long as they don't dumb down the throttle body and gear the trans right. Love your conversion.

Go for a newer 997 turbo.

Thanks for the compliments guys. An LSx 996 would be sweet but my next LSx adventure will hopefully be a FFR GTM A 997 or even 996 turbo would also be sweet...but they are well out of my price range for what I want to do for my weekend family fun car.

Joe, you can find plenty of 996's under $30K ( don't know about 997's), heck maybe even under $20K . Check ownership, mechanical history, etc. GL. I enjoy my ride just admiring it out on the driveway. I think I'm going to upgrade the suspension next...and go for a drive.

Ive had a handlefull of "faster" cars but the 996 is more of a complete package, that can run in the twisties, see over 170mph and stop relatively well. 0-60 is around 5 sec which isnt super quick but enough to keep you entertained....now my 99 Audi was quick but would run out of steam at 130mph, and couldnt handle or brake to the best of its abilities. Had a tuned Sti....was also quicker but would run out of steam at 157mph....braking was good but lacked a solid feel through the steering wheel. The 996 im very impressed with, its just a solid car that can handle almost anything you through at it. The 996 also has a constant symphony playing behind you, something none of my cars had...they sounded good and raw but nothing like a flat 6...

Do it, but you'll miss the low end torque that you've been used to.

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Well, you won't get a little one in the back seat, but the 996 GT3 is a perfect choice otherwise. Weighing about 3000 lbs with fluids, it will have all of the track stuff you want (fairly stiff coilovers, roll bar, etc) and NO nannies (no traction control, PSM, PASM etc. JUST ABS and that's it). There is more than enough HP and TQ to get you going - and quite quickly. [mine dyno'd at 373HP / 290 TQ at the wheels]. Plus you can run 315s in the rear I can tell you this much: I track my stock GT3 along side Vettes, BMWs, MBs, Porsches, Vipers, Lotus (Lotii?), etc., and the GT3 does not leave me wanting more. With equal drivers, very few cars can out pace a GT3. IMO, if you like the track there is no substitute for a GT3. -td

My last car was a 2004 GTO (still have it if anyone's interested). Yeah - I miss the low end torque, but the 911 is defnitely more of a complete package - the brakes and suspension match the engine perfectly. Once you're over 4000 rpm it goes from pretty good to "holy crap!". With the porsche, the braking and handling can keep up with the kind of situations you're likely to encounter when driving it to it's fullest - I can't really say that about the GTO. .. and hearing the sound of the engine coming from the back of the car just never gets old.

I actually sold my AC Cobra to buy my Carrera! I still DO own an '06 GTO, that cooks also

All I can say is there is no substitute. The 996 just drives... much more special than any tarted up BMW, Ford, etc.

Every car mentioned here has had it's time and place.... right now, for me and I would venture to say alot of members ( and soon to be owners/members ) here...it's the 996.

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"Specialness" or however you want to phrase that quality, doesn't really do anything for me...I'm more interested in a car's driving experience than it's badge or heritage. Take my Z for example, I could care less what the purists think, it outright rocks for a roadster and was a great experience to build. Wow, I haven't taken my car that far up into triple digits ever! It's just fun to rocket from zero to triple digits, the feeling in your stomach is so much fun and you better not be on an empty stomach or you'll feel light headed from the acceleration. I have to say that braking and steering are also excellent in my Z, it's not just a big motor, everything in the car has been upgraded and very few components have more than 10k miles. It truly is a dream to drive, however there is only room for 2 and as a track car there are still several compromises holding it back. This is what I'm a bit afraid of. On the street, the torque is just so much fun. Over 370ft lbs at the wheels just off idle is just so much tire smoking fun. Not to mention being able to pass in any gear you are in, yet having 2 overdrives for when you want to save a little $ on gas. I enjoy track days, but the little one is a big reason for a fun street car with rear seat + a dedicated track car combo. As sweet as a GT3 is, it won't work for my street car, and it waaaaay out of my price range as far as a dedicated track car goes. Now that is what I'm talking about! I built my car to be somewhat of a modern day Cobra. Lightweight roadster + American muscle, my car just has a few more luxuries than a real Cobra, but the Cobra was definitely an inspiration for this build! Knowing that someone went Cobra to 996 and is still happy with the performance is definitely confidence inspiring.

You will definitely be craving the power. I came from a 700rwhp mustang cobra, so anything short of a modified GT2 was gonna feel slow. But I still made the transition to a much slower car.

I dont think I could do only one car! Whether it be a Porsche or any other nice, quick ride. I get bored too easily. That may sound shallow, but thats me Nothing wrong with a little variety ya know!

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Whoa, now that's serious power! We've got a local shop that tunes a lot of FI LSx cars with big #'s like that, I've ridden in a couple but never had the pleasure of driving one

I think you should save a bit more and get the 6TT... it will suit you better. Go to 6speedonline.com and head to the 996turbo section... lots of gearheads overthere.

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I didn't say anything about the badge. Just sit behind the 996 and feel the clutch, shifter, brakes and steering... sound. It just kills any BMW/Ford out there. Tactile senses, chassis feedback... game over. The Z3 chassis flexes as often as Schwarzenegger at the gym.

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its pretty addictive. that kind of thrust at almost any speed or rpm never really gets old.

there is no substitute... for cubic inches I always seem to keep a V8 around, totally different type of ride. You should seriously consider a turbo. If I did it all over again tomorrow, I would have done a turbo and sold my AMG, but at the time I didn't think 1 car would have been able to do so much, and didn't realize how reliable the Porsche would be. The 996 + 997 cars are incredibly versatile, and I've been driving mine daily (except for winter in NY, and even then I will get it out on sunny clear days) for the past couple of years with no complaints. Better fuel economy than a big german V8 to boot (at least theoretically, all my cars seem to average 13 mpg). My point is, it would be far more than a weekend toy, and you would miss nothing with the turbo in terms of power, it was and is one of the fastest cars in the world, and a few hundred dollars of software can really dial that up a notch.

I had a Mustang a few years back with much more power then my 996 and quite frankly it sucked to drive it quickly. Too heavy, tank slapped in the rain if you even breathed on the gas pedal, wheel hopped under downshifting even if you know how to heel and toe as the live axle just up and took off under uneven pavement anyway. Chassis would lean - then tires would brake away without warning in fast corners. Fixes to change all this require boat loads of money to the point where the next thing you know you have a Salen priced car that still isn't as much fun as a P car. The more you fix handling problems - the more weight you add in parts. Oh, now I need more HP to over come the weight I've just added. And on an on it goes. Lets not even talk about what a Mustang is worth after 1 year shall we...

Some great points by all! The Z chassis does flex compared to modern coupes but it is quite stiff for what it is, especially with all the upgrades. However it is not an easy car to drive fast, it is not forgiving, especially if you encounter less than glass smooth surfaces, wet surfaces, or cold surfaces (or cold tires). The short wheelbase, semi-trailing arm rear suspension, and gobs of power make it quite the handful to drive. So much more challenging than driving the wife's e46, or an S2000 yet soooo much more rewarding when you get it right. I have located a number of local C2 and C4 cars (all NA), I'm going to have to spend some time getting a feel for them. I doubt a 996 TT is in the cards, but I'll have to do more research and when the time comes to pull the trigger something may pop up. Thanks again for all the feedback!