996 option packages

Hi guys, I am fairly new to rennlist and currently shopping around for an '02+ 996. This site has been great so far for learning stuff about the sweetest sports car around and I appreciate all the knowledgeable posts. I can't seem to find what options are included in "packages" - and yes, I tried the search function... In particular I am looking at an ad for a low mileage '02 c2 that claims to have a "techtronic package" and a "sport package". I'd appreciate if anyone could clarify exactly what these packages included from the factory. Thanks for any input!

I have not heard of the techtronic package but if you are referring to the advanced technic package it includes headlight cleaners, Bose audio system, Twelve speakers, Projector beam lens Xenon bulb headlights, Remote CD Changer. Also not sure about sport package, did he mean sport seats? Can you provide a link to the car that we can look at?

From the 2003 Carrera 2 order guide (likely similar to 2002): P82 Technic Package. Includes options: 342 Heated Seats, 446 P83 Wheels Caps w/Color Crest, 476 PSM, 680 Bose Sound Package, P15 Power Seats, P74 Bi-Xenon w/Washers P83 Advanced Technic Package. Includes options: 342 Heated Seats, 446 P83 Wheels Caps w/Color Crest, 476 PSM, 680 Bose Sound Package, P15 Power Seats, P74 Bi-Xenon w/Washers 692 Remote CD Changer, P11 Rain Sensor/Dimming Mirror. I don't think there was a 'Sport Package'. There were several individual 'sport' options including: 030 Sport Chassis XLF Sport Exhaust P77 Sport Seats

try here. https://rennlist.com/gt3/guides/8_10/2002C2coupe.pdf

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That is awesome! Had never seen it before. Thanks!

Interesting... My C4S is optioned with the Advanced Technic Package, but it does not have heated seats, rain sensor or the auto-dimming mirror. It has all the other things listed above. I have added aftermarket heated seats and an auto-dimming mirror (with Homelink), so maybe I now have a poor man's Advanced Technic Package! (according to the list above, anyway...)

Thanks your the replies. It is really mind boggling how many options there are for these cars. Any suggestions on what options I should try to look for? I test drove a 2003 at the dealership but the salesman couldn't tell me what options were on the car. Does the sport suspension/exhaust make a big difference? From the option sheet in the above link it looks like you can get pretty much whatever combination you want, hence making it difficult to determine options you can't see (suspension/exhaust/etc). Here is the link of the car that got me wondering about the different packages. Looks like this car has a shorter shifter that looks nicer than the one I test drove.

I can only relate what I wanted: bi xenons, Bose, PSM, full leather, and 18" wheels. I was open to color, but my wife wanted red. Took 3 months to find the right car.

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2002 Advanced Technic Package did not include heated seas. They were a separate $415 option. No auto dim either. That was another $695.

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Highly personal... Often a better idea to pick your must-haves and then look for the nicest, cleanest, best maintained car without worrying too much about options. For me, I wasn't interested in any cabs or tiptronic cars, or any car that had a worn looking interior. Those simple gates eliminated perhaps 3/4's of the cars I saw advertised. Add in condition and mileage requirements and the selection will be even smaller. Some options were quite expensive originally but have very little value today imho... All the stereos kind of suck, the nav system originally on a 996 is antiquated, and options like full leather can be a nice upgrade, but I'd much rather have a non-full leather in perfect condition than a worn full leather interior. A few cosmetic options are love-it or hate-it, and expensive to convert... Full factory aero package is pretty expensive to retrofit. Personally, I like the clean lines of a base 911. The X50 engine upgrade package was quite expensive and pretty rare, one of the few options I might really like to have. Tons of interior options like different wood/aluminum/carbon inserts and different colored seat belts, carpets, stuff like that. Again, some of the 996's I looked at had some very expensive options when new, but didn't age well at all and looked a bit hideous... The US sport suspension (M030) isn't considered to be a big upgrade. You can buy the ROW sport suspension (lower ride height) brand new for about $1,000, or upgrade to something else. There is usually a white decal on the underside of the front hood with all the option codes, and often the same decal is on the warranty/service manual. It will tell you all the options on the car, color codes, etc. You can then compare the option codes to the configuration guide to figure out what the car has. Here's an example of the option decal off of a 996 Turbo that was at my dealer when I was in the other day... Fairly unusual car with lots of those expensive cosmetic options I was mentioning, as well as sunroof delete. If it wasn't speed yellow and tiptronic, might have been a bit more enticing!

Coupe and manual transmission are the only major options that I know I must have. Does full leather interior just add leather trim to doors and gauge cluster. I know with newer BMWs the standard cars have a synthetic leather and the leather option replaces the seats with real leather that is much nicer but doesn't look all that different. Some of the 996 interiors look very spartan while others I have seen look really luxurious. I agree with the sucky stereo/nav system. They do look really dated but I have seen a few cars on this site with upgraded aftermarket systems that are that make the whole interior look updated. Is it a big (and costly) deal to get something like a smoothly integrated system installed?

The full leather package covers the door panels, dash, A-pillars, etc. It essentially covers all surfaces in the vehicle that aren't covered in carpet. It's a very nice option that definitely makes the 996 interior feel more upscale. It's even more noticable if you find one with deviated stitching. I upgraded my entire stereo system to a modern double-DIN nav system. I did the head unit, speakers and amps. You can get a decent upgrade for a reasonable amount of money, but you can also spend a ridiculous amount of money. It's really up to you.

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I put an ipad mini and apple-friendly head unit in mine... Cost was the price of the iPad, $200 for the pioneer deck, and maybe $40 in other misc. parts. Install was free, I did it myself. I think it 'updates' the 996 interior quite well! Seats are always leather in 996's with no additional option needed. There are several extended leather options that can add an ungodly amount of $$ on a new build. I agree that they do look nice when in perfect shape, but that isn't always the case. Porsche also offered a loose-fit leather that I never liked, and some of the light color leather interiors look particularly nasty when worn.

I think it's called the supple leather option. It is rumored that Porsche used a higher quality and/or thicker leather for this option and that it wears better. I have this option in my Cayenne, and I must say that it has worn better over the years than the smooth, perforated leather in my 996.

Full leather really makes the interior look more like that of a $70,000+ car. For some that is no big deal. I wanted it, but if I had found a good car without it that would have been OK. Bi-xenon headlights, 18" wheels, and PSM were deal breakers. I would not have bought a car without many options. There are too many nicer cars out there to settle for a low-optioned one. And options don't really add much to the used value of the car, so why not find the most heavily loaded car you can?

Wow great info. Do you know where the 04 model is? Thanks.

Pre-most (2002 down) are easier to retrofit stereo. I also specifically looked for supple leather, heated seats with lumbar, bi-xenon, PSM, 6 speed. Because my wife is only 5-2, vs 6' for me, I wanted memory seats. As it turns out, she never drives it (too scared). 18s are nice, but if you get 17"s, a good excuse to get wheels and tires you really want. 2002 Technics does not include Bose.

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Mine did!

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Two packages... Technics and Advanced Technics. Advanced had Bose.

Ah... right. Mine is Advanced Technic package.

There is a highly optioned 2002 near my work that has 19" turbo wheels. Looks really nice but I wonder if the 19" wheels cause the ride quality to suffer at all. I may have to go for a little test drive...

Try 1). http://www.kindel.com/porsche/options/options.asp see inside hood for option codes 2). Call Porsche North America. When I bought my car I registered it on the Porsche site and called them to find out the car configuration and MSRP which they were happy to supply me Good luck

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Regarding the car in the link, I recently bought a 996 and tried to contact this guy but didn't have any luck getting a hold of him despite numerous phone calls and emails. One thing to point out about this car is that the photo shows 19K+ miles but its listed as 33K+ miles so the photos are likely old. My car has the full leather interior and I'm really glad I was able to get this option. I do like the painted center console in that Guard red car. Good luck.

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In my search I ran across some ads that just seemed fishy. Keep looking!

The guy from that link did reply my email so I think it is legitimate. I would be importing to Canada though so it would have to be an amazing deal for me to go through the hassle and expense associated with that.

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You probably already know this but 19 inch wheels (of any style) were not an option on the 996. I would definately hold out for a higher optioned car. I test drove 2 996 coupes, the one I bought (got lucky) and a 99 arena red coupe with virtually no options. The owners was a bit disconnected when it came to the value of the 99 as I bought my 03 for $1k more than the 99 owner was asking.