Need some basic introductory info...

Well I got back last night from my friend's house and spent some time in his '04 C4s cabrio. I was never a huge fan of the 996 but really like the look of his car, especially from the rear. I also did a bit of searching and seems to me that 996 values having taken a slight hit since the appearance of the 997. Consequently I am expanding my future search for a Porsche to include a 996 model and need some information. My first question is what's the power differences for the years? I know his C4s has 320ish hp but some of the earlier 996s only had 296 so I'm a little confused in this aspect on which cars have what power. Also is the bump in power very noticeable? Would I regret buying an older model 996? Which models are the most reliable? I like his headlights better than the earlier models due to the redesigned lights, but when did this redesign take place? How much power can be squeezed out of these cars with aftermarket bolt-ons? No FI or any internal engine modifications. Lastly I love the rear of his car because he has the light bar going all the way across the rear end; very reminiscent of the older 993s. Is it possible to retrofit this rear end onto a standard 996? I don't want a cabrio and prefer RWD. Thank you for any information you can provide.

HP MY99 296 MY00-01 300 MY02-04 320 There's no performance difference because the 3.6L 996s (MY02+) are heavier, they feel faster because of the increased torque. They're all reliable - some of the early 99s had problems, but most of those should have been fixed by now through Porsche TSBs. The headlight change and horsepower bump came in MY02, these also have a bit stiffer chassis, better air flow, and a glovebox. You can buy a stick on thingy like the C4S rear has. These motors are pretty maxed out as it is and most agree that bolt on stuff(headers, chips, etc.) aren't worth it. You can put a supercharger on it from EVO that will give you 400+ hp. Most invest in a stiffer suspension ( I have the RoW M030 Porsche's euro spec sport), an exhaust, just because it sounds A LOT better minimal if any hp increase ( I have the PSE Porsche Sports Exhaust), and a shortshifter ( I have the B&M identical to Porsche's SSK) The best investment to increase performance is the driver - DEs etc. Good Luck

Thank you for the help; very informative. Anyone have pictures of what the back light strip "sticker" looks like?

there are places where ytou can get this sticker, but I have seen pics of what it looks like and it would not recommend it. It doe s not look good IMHO> I think Don from Cape Cod done this and then removed it.

Yeah I was not expecting too much when I heard it was a sticker. I wouldn't mind seeing how it looks though for what it's worth.

I thank Don in advance for letting me use his photo

Here's one place to buy. No affiliation.

hmm wow for tape that actually looks quite good i'm surprised more people don't like it. At least from the rear it appears to make the back look wider like the older 993s. Thank you very much for the help. I'm definitely leaning towards an early 996 now with an aero package. Maybe by the end of the year I'll be a fellow owner.

'99 is by far the simplest of all the 996 and the only year where EGAS is not used other(old fashioned throttle cable) then the '99 C4 and subsequent model years. NO PSM other then Traction Control as an option and liter weight. With an aerokit the 996 looks great so hopefully you can find one factory installed. '99 996 c2 was a 3.4 liter with 296 hp(throttle cable) and 2000-01 3.4 with EGAS came with 300 hp and 2002-up engine increased to 3.6liters with 320 hp(plus if you order a powerkit called x51 increases to 345 hp). By now most if not all issues with '99 should be taken care of which includes air bag lite/rear lid corrosion/gas cap recall to name a few. As mention many times is the issue with the RMS seal leaking-it can happen to any model year for the 996 and some have frequent replacements some don't and worst case scenario may need a engine replacement if crank is out of spec(PAG has a tool to measure crank if within spec). Other things to is leaky cam covers/coolant expansion tank may leak too. My '99 was pretty much bulletproof with RMS happened at 9k miles and once replaced never leaked again(car had 42k on the clock) and it's a daily driver and driven fairly hard on the track 10-12 times a year. So PPI is pretty important for a car with no warranty. For peace of mind I go with a 996 that is Porsche certified or still have some warranty left. Buying any car I can honestly tell you you be checking out the car with a magnifying glass and look for any small stuff and having a warranty will make you breathe easier. Woulda been nice if Porsche had done the reflector strip-looks very nice on the older 911's. I'm surprised why Porsche or any aftermarket company don't put one on their aerokit-it would sell like hotcakes : ). With the 997 coming in- a very good time to find a really nice 996. I loved the car and wished I could keep it and the GT3 but wife says "WHY?" : (. Good luck. Mike

couple of quick questions was the x51 package available only on the 02+ 3.6 ltr engines or was it available on the earlier 3.4lt engines as well? Also what does RMS actually stand for? Lastly what are the torque specs for each MY? Thanks for all the help everyone.

You can search on RMS here and you will find an encyclopedia full of information. From what was gathered here, it's not particular to MY99, all other years encountered same problem. Torque specs were posted here as well

X51 was not offered on the 3.4 engines, and PCNA opted not to bring it into the US for MY 2002. It became available with 2003 MY cars in the US.

Get an '02 or later. Porsche made many small improvements (better radiator airflow, exterior facelift, more power, stiffer chassis, higher quality interior plastic, etc) that make them much improved over the '99-'01. Rob is right. Not much to be done to the motor, except an exhaust for better sound. Suspension upgrade makes sense and B&M is probably the best mod for the money. RMS is the biggest wildcard. Have this checked out thoroughly. My '99 never leaked, but Porsche replaced it twice. Not something you'd want to pick up the tab for and if it gets out-of-round you need to replace the motor. Your timing is good and you should be able to get a deal on a nice 996. If you like the styling, check out the 40th Anniv as it includes the X51 and there are huge discounts on these. Good luck.

I would absolutely prefer a 2002+ model, especially with the x51 package but I think the prices of these are a little out of my range. I've seen some nice '00 and '01 models with full aero kits for around 50k. I like the gt3 rear wing better than the early aero kit wing, however. How hard of a swap is this? Does it attach at the same point as the aero spoiler or would it require additional drilling? Also what happens to the factory spoiler does it just get disconnected or locked down somehow?

If price is an issue, I would forget the X51 as the small power gain doesn't justify the price and there aren't a lot of them out there anyhow. I don't know if the aero kit adds any value, if it does I'd forget that too as you can always add that later (especially if you're not crazy about the "taco" wing)...I believe it's a completely different decklid, so it's not just a matter of drilling holes and swapping wings (the wing on my GT3 can't be retrofitted to another car). For 50k, I'd try to get into an '02 (not sure what they're down to these days) and do the body kit later. You'll be better off down the road.

good info thanks man.