Dont Waste your money on the 2002 996.

The 2002 996 is not worth a buy. I would wait for the 2004 model. It finally looks like Porsche woke up. The spy photo in Road and Track looks far more agressive, which is what the 996 should have been in the first place. I am not a big fan of the Turbo's front lights. Actually I am not a big fan of the Turbo's looks at all. The 996 with the GT3 body kit and lowered to European Spec, is the way the 996 should have been intended for sale. The GT3 is a sexier looking car than even the Turbo. Somebody really blew it in the design department. Hopefully they can change that with the 2004 model.

just love your reasoning and opinions.... maybe tomorrow you can post what you had for lunch and what the Fed should be doing to jumpstart the economy!!! Also maybe you can tell us why the Camero is the best car ever engineered. I really needed a good laugh today. Thx LOLOLOLOLOLOL

Que catso fie questo ragatse qui?...or should I really be saying ragatsa..*** boy. Maybe your next reply to this post, should be why you even responded to this in the first place, if you think its that dumb. Ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer.

I actually like the 2002 996 and may even trade my 2000 996 for one. You mention that the GT3 looks best (in your opinion). I'm not familiar with its front end. Where are there pictures I can see?

The GT3 looks exactly like a 996 with an Aerokit.

Tough crowd - but an intersting topic. I'm anxious to get a close look at the "new" dash on the 2002. My instinct from what I've seen thus far (exterior pictures) and what I've read about the improvements (most notably the new engine) are not enough to convince me to trade my '99 C4 coupe for a '02 - all things considered (particularly the whipsaw of luxury tax on the '02 and the depreciation on my '99 - which is a GREAT car). However, consistent with porsche's evolution approach, it looks like head to head the '02 will be a slightly improved version of the '99-01 MY cars (though there some marginal improvements between '99 and 01). If money were no object to me - I'd make the trade - but then if it were really no object, I'd be sitting in a Turbo!

IMHO, the 996 front end is better than that of the GT3. The GT3 looks to "ricey" to me. But then again, I think the 996 looks better than the 993, and not very many people share that view with me.

Tabor... you can count me in. IMO, the 996 is much closer to the original lines.

The pic in R&T looks to be a modified 996 shell. If you look at the front lights, they are the pre-2002 non-turbo lights, and the dimensions correspond to the current generation model. The only difference are the flared body panels above the wheels, which, if you look closely, seem to be merely bolted on. Looks to be just a 996 test mule... I do hope that the 2004 bodyshell will have more aggressive body panel flares around the wheels (a la 993), the 996 is too straight down the side. MY01 AS/BLK 996

Gee, 2004 is more than 2 years from now. What do you drive in the meantime? I would expect the 2004 to be a better car in many ways as automotive science is advancing rapidly, but I really enjoy driving my 2001 996 right now.

Kevin, i fully agree with you about what to drive for the next 2 or 3 years.I sold my 98 boxster and ordered a 911 c4 cab MY 02 and plan to drive that for about 4 years.Then you can allways buy the new modell in 2005, and opt for MY2006 so that you can be sure the first bugs will be corrected.

In a french magazine called I think Sport Auto they test the 2002 996. They also show full detail of the supposedly new interior. What a laugh. Do yourselves a favour, the car is a complete dud. If Porsche wanted to really impress, the car should have at least 350hp. I mean this a complete farce, the C36 has 349hp. Now I know you guys may say that it handles like a UPS truck, yeah it looks like the rest of the C Class, but f**k, the 996 looks like the Turbo and like the lowly Boxster for christ sake. Now the C36 may not be a handler but guys, I guarantee you that if anyone of you test drove the C36 and mashed that throttle and feel that power on the C36, you would feel that hint of dissention in your heart against the Porsche. Believe me.

Hi Maxeemum, I really don't think that we should compare the C36 to the 993 or 996. In my personal opinion,I think that C36 is a big step down (price and design) from the Porsche because it is afterall, a C-class Mercedes. you could supercharge it, turbo charge it, put Nitrous., etc. but at the end of the day, it is still a C-Class, which is a family car. Mani P.S. I test drove the C36, but somebody had forgotten their baby seat in the back...I think that is a dealer option.

I've seen, heard and tasted the 02. The interior is pretty much exactly the same with the exception of the glove box, tt instrument cluster arrangement (not very noticable), and the sub woofer on the passenger side floorboard if you ordered the adv tech package w/ the Bose. The exterior of the car looks MUCH better to me (w/ 18"s as the 17"s look a little out of place and small with the extra aero flair) although it is quite subtle. The exhaust tips are quite nice (just like the TTs). The front-end is EXACTLY the TT (same fenders, width, etc) only without the TT bumper. As for mechanical changes, the body and chassis is 25% more rigid than the 01. Lateral G's are supposedly quite a bit better owing to the increased rigidity and 8 (vs. 7.5) front wheels and 285 rear tires with the 18"s. Also, while I didn't notice it, many have commented that the 911 sound is now back as the exhaust has changed. More importantly, many who have driven it have experienced a much broader torque curve with power coming on much earlier than in the 01. All this with improved fuel efficiency! If you drive a cab, you gotta love the rear glass window! All in all, this car is largely what we've all requested relative to the 00-01, but it isn't so much that us 00-01 owners are going to get abused on resale or trade in. Porsche has done a great balancing job IMO. Oh, and a couple of things that were extra (ie: $255 3 spoke steering wheel, $110 OBC, etc) are now standard which helps justify the bump up on price. That said, it's pretty cheesy that the options and options packages have risen yet the hardtop delete option (a CREDIT) is the only one that hasn't changed!

Ben, excuse my ignorance but what is the "hardtop delete option"?

The 996 Cabriolet comes with a hardtop but you can have it deleted for a whopping $1465. It is delete option #750.