Would you again?

The 996 has been my first and only Porsche I have owned. Totally ignorant to Porsches before my purchase, I could only recognize the 911's and the 944's. Now after soaking up tons of knowledge and variants of Porsches, I have desired others models. The cars that are of equal cost to buy that I have desired are the later 930's/964 T's (single turbo and 2WD, I love the simplicity), Carrera 3.2's (regarded as one of the best reliable motors), SC's (regarded as one the best looking 911's), 993's (has a widebody look for the C2's), and stripped down 300hp+ '70's model 911's (the ones you always see in Excellence that weigh 2000lbs with widebodys and massive tires, need I say more). So my question goes, if you were like me and discovered all the other cool models, would you buy a 996 again? My answer as I hate to say is, no. If your answer is no, what would you get? P.S. - I am in no way dissing the 996, it is a great car!

Interesting question. Another way to ask would be..........if you were so fortunate to have several Pcars (as you listed)......would the 996 likely be a 'keeper'......meaning, would it be in your garage at least as long, or longer, than others? My answer to your question......would be 'yes'. "Keeper", no.

I already knew about the other models and selected the 996. The performance is better, the maintenance is way less (e.g. valve adjustments), the air conditioner works, it is more comfortable, and is reliable enough to drive daily (the older models were too in their time - but they are old[er] cars now). Don't get me wrong, I love those other models. They are all great, but this is what I desire. Well actually, I would like a GT3, in a 997 model, please. Or maybe a 997S, or maybe just a Cayman S, or maybe a Ferrari, or . . .

Like you, this is my first Porsche and have had it for 2.5 years. Considering it would be a fair weather 3rd car like mine now, I would go for a 964/993 before another 996 (or 997). Nostalgia, raw feel - allure me. RB

Lets assume the <996 models would be a "second car" and not a daily driver. I know the 996 has the advantage of daily driving but it is not the only factor I look at now, I would purchase a "beater" for the the daily commute for the other models. The "rawness" of my friends '87 turbo is very, very alluring.

I have had this same thought process, I bought my Boxster S used from a distress sale and I was hooked, (no idea what I had bought it was just a great deal) then after a revisit to BMW I ran out an bought the first 997S I could find. I bought the 997S as it was the newest and greatest 911 at the time that I was aware of...at the time I wasn't a fan of exterior of the 996TT and the interior was just like my Boxster and I had no idea about GT-3's. So, after about a year of Rennlist I am very interested in the limited or more special 911's. Namely the 993S, (maybe) 993tt or the 997 GT3 stripped with only a with roll cage and a fire extinguisher. I think that I would make myself decide between the modern classic of the 993 variant or get the pure(est) new no frills Porsche: GT-3. For me my 997S is a great as a jack of all trades...just lacking in the "special" area and the "purpose specific" area.

Ok, I really love the interior and headlights of the 997, but they are far out of my range in budget. That why I mentioned the equivalent priced older models ($45k and less).

Got it, then I think we agree on the 993S. Haven't driven one yet, but everytime I see a well set up one I want it.

I would love the have a 928GT...is my favorite P....I had a 928S ..a looong time ago, and I loved the big 8 cyl in front...would I buy the 996 again...NO..I would buy the 997...just because I like new cars.

YES IN A SECOND....I have NO desire to own a 993....an older 964T maybe, but for my use....I drive it daily and put 20025k miles a year on it...NONE of the air cooled 911s would be practical for that....So you have 996 or 997...or maybe even a Cayman S....but I would not buy as my daily driver a 993, 964, 3.2L 911, 911sc or some hyped up early 911....why? Well I have everything I need...300 HP, a great chassis, very comfy interior and all the creature comforts I like....If I want a raw, seat of the pants car, I'd by a 97 Boxster, drop a 3.4L engine in it and have a fun screamer....still completely driveable on a daily basis....even more raw? Get a 914/6 or do my own 914/6 conversion....all the HP of the early 911s and lighter. I do love the look of the widebody 993s but the upkeep is $$$$$.....

I loved my 996CAB so much I bought a GT3 to keep her company!

I'm with you Dell, I'd buy a GT3 or TT IN ADDITION to my 996....

I would like to own one of each type of 911 ever produced. I would drive a different one every day, and love every minute of it. All 911's are desirable.

I would buy either a 996TT or a 997 - I test drove a number of 993s and liked them, but I liked the added refinement and acceleration offered by the 996. Alternatively, I could really enjoy an older 911 Turbo like the MY 94 Turbo mentioned in another recent thread.

Had a 993....great, raw car, but read about top end rebuilds for premature valve wear. Ummmm...big bucks. RMS on M96 engines (boxter and NA 996 cars, perhaps 997 NA cars). Me, GET a GT1 based car that is current...best buy is the 996TT. That is what I did. Bulletproof. No leaks. No valve or air duct issues. No CEL issues. AWD. Everyday. Beast when you want it. 997 is more refined, but not better by much IMHO. So, my 996 is a TT. That engine block should have been kept for all P cars. That block IS Porsche. JB

The 996 is an amazing vehicle. i feel lucky to have both new and old and both have their advantages and disadvantages. But if you buy a 996 for 30-35 k and budget another 13k if the motor really does fail, you still have the biggest bang for the buck for 43k and a warrantied engine. And if the earlier models haven't blown up by now the probablity is getting slimmer as time goes on.

Yes and no. I'd still get a 996 but no, not like the one I have...I still want a GT3.

I would only trade for a 996 GT2.

I have had a 72T, 79SC, 80SC and a 996 Targa. If I could I would have a 69S in the guarage to tinker with and the 996 to drive in comfort. I would still pick the 996 over the older turbos as it has as much or more horsepower with modern ride and comforts. I still hate to think of the smelly heaters and the constant oil leaks. the 69S would fulfill my desire to tinker and go for a donkey ride.

I love my 996 and I love my '84 Carrera. Two very different cars but also very similar in many ways. Would I buy a 996 again? Well, to answer that, I'll say that my next Porsche will be a 996TT, so YES! However, I will not be selling the '84 3.2. It fulfills a more basic raw old-school Porsche need that I don't think I'll ever tire of.

that is an interesting question because I came from 930 turbo's - totally different cars than the 996 - not all ways better, not all worse. I had an 86 turbo and an 89 turbo, the latter as I understand is still regarded as one of the best engine/trans combo's in Porsche's history. Super fast, raw, challenging, and fun. But that pre-996 interior looks REALLY OLD now. The first time I drove a 996 I was pleasantly suprised by the refinement. You will definately not get cold A/C like that of a 996 in an air cooled car, I can tell you that. If I had it to do again, I would have saved up for a TT or GT 3, and skipped the 996 - it is too refined for me. I still remember the first 930 I drove - that second of turbo lag seems so insignificant when you get thrown back in the seat like that. I came out with my eyes as big as silver dollars and mumbled something like, "yeah, um, uh, that thing's fast . . .I'll take it." That is what I am looking for in my next P-car - that awe factor. In contrast, the first time I drove a 996, I came out and said, "that's pretty nice."

i am shopping for my second p-car right now. first 996 cab is tip, and wife decides to keep it for her. i looked at air-cooled 911 really hard, but i can't really justify the price. guess i will have to get another 996.

I keep my 996 as a sort of daily driver when the weather is nice and the 3.2 Cab for nice weather weekends. In bad weather, I just drive my BMW.

newport - You always amaze me, you are one of the only who has popped a motor and still has love for your car. You consider a motor change like a changing the air filter.

I "popped" my 996 motor and love it more now than I did before the motor "popped" because the warranty covered it and the second motor is better than the first (so far). May be stupid but when my chain tensioners failed on my early car I still bought three more after that. This question is like "if you could change your wife what would you get"

I went from a 993, which is a great car, to a GT3, which is a much better car in my opinion. If I had to replace it, I don't know what I would replace the GT3 with.

Marv, Is that the GT3 that was at Porsche of Melbourne recently? If so, you got a very clean car. I would love to have a GT3. Back to the topic... I would absolutely buy a 996 again for the daily driver or weekend role. Mine is currently a fair weather car and I do not track it. (I'm scared of skinning up the paint.) Considering that, I'm planning to keep the 996 and my next P-car will likely be something to take to DE's and start developing some track skills. Probably a 3.2 Carrera or maybe a Boxster because of the price range. The GT3 is a little out of my reach if I hang onto my current 996.

Beautiful, tall blond, 28 years old, with big ****� oh yeah�. and RICH! Oh wait� that was a rhetorical question wasn't it!

Depends on what you need the car for. Its almost impossible to beat a 996 when price, daily driveability, and performance are factored in. For short weekend drives, my 3.2 is actually more fun, but would be difficult on a day in, day out basis. If the car wasn't for daily driving, I'd have to line up with the GT3 folks.

Probably not for me. I love my 996 but its replacement will probably be a 997. I subscribe to the principle that the 911 continues to improve so I buy the best, latest car I can afford.

I really like my 964 but it is not daily driving material in my book. Traded my pristine 928s4 for a 996 and it is somewhat of a disapointment. Just not built as well but it does turn, go and stop well! So if I want a more modern car as a daily driver the next one will probably be a TT or GT3. If we are going to sacrafice build quality we might as well go really fast in the process

Interesting question. Like many have said, I don't think any of the earlier 911's are suitable daly drivers. I enjoy my cab immensely but I'm thinking of picking up a 745i as my daily driver and a 964 coupe (mod it) as my fun car. This is my mid winter thought, I have a feeling come spring when the hard top is off and my summer wheels are on, I may feel differently. Stan

My answer is, no, I would not purchase another NA 996 because of the threat of the engine blowing. I can handle RMS issues but the thought of droping 10K on another engine is not something I'm looking forward to doing. I should have just waited to purchase a 996TT.

Ok, everyone agrees on the GT3/TT being the 996 of choice. This is the EXACT reason I brought up if you would buy again. Most are telling me NO from what I gather. Most would only buy another 996 if it were a GT3/TT. Most agree the 996 non-GT3 N/A motor is not the best and most would only buy a 996 GT3/TT instead, why, because the engines of the GT3/TT is based on a better, tried and true platform. My point is, would you buy another sub $45k 996 (eliminates the GT3/TT) or would you buy another 911 varient? Those who say putting another engine in a 996 after the first lets go and the car still being a great value seems a little crazy to me, I rather put that $10-12K into a 964T (same price range) and have one hell of a beast. If I had a GT3/TT, I wouldnt be asking this question at all, because yes, I would buy another!

I went through that personal debate 993 or 996 a year and a half ago. Made my decision and have no regrets and would make the same decision again.

I'd rather put $10K in mods for a 996TT.

Wow, talk about leading the answers where you would like them to go?? I guess my entry into 996 ownership seems much different than yours. The 996 was not my first Porsche and I had driven a wide variety of different Porsches prior to purchasing my 996. Simply put, I purchased it because it was the Porsche I wanted more than the rest. I think a better way to frame the question you seem to be asking is as follows. If you put yourself in a time machine and went back in time to the day you purchased your 996, would you make the same purchase decision again (assuming you had all of your present knowledge, no extra money/resources, and had to make the purchase the very same day)? My answer to that question would be "yes" I'd get the same car (with a few different options).

Nope. A GT3, while highly desirable, is too expensive for me. No desire for a TT. 996 fits right where I need to be.

Ray - I am not leading anyone, some have brought to light the same things as I agree on. As fas as rewording my statement, I can be a little wordy sometimes, it is how my mind works. I can be confusing sometimes, that is why I added other points to my orignal post.

If it's a time capsule question, then I would have bought a $45k 993 vs a $45k 996 (exactly what I paid), just for the resale aspect. I don't put a lot of miles on them, so I think the $15 to $20k observed depeciation on the 996 would maybe have been $10k or less on the 993 at this 2.5 year blast to the present. I'll give up some comforts for some $'s. All assumes similar cost of ownership, which I hear may be higher on the 993. Too late now - but my 996 is a blast, so no complaints there. RB

Leading Leading More leading Wow can you "lead" to your opinion any more???? In other words you'll just throw away opinions you disagree with and carry on with your original premise Here is the opinion you are "leading" to..... Do you see it yet?

When I went to update my '82 Targa I was all set to get a 993 Targa. I hated the way the 996 looked. After driving a few 993 Targas, I decided I wanted a cab. Then my brother bought a 996TT so I decided I would at least check them out. After I drove one, the deal was sealed. I was a little disillusioned as far as resale. I didn't factor in production numbers and the dot-com boom. It cost me less than $10k to drive my Targa for ten years. I paid over $100k for my 996 and am disappointed w/the plunge in value they've taken. Sometimes I think I should've bought a 993, and then I drive my car.

My 99 is my first pcar. I love it, already went through a motor, but the second one is alot better. I think when I get rid of this, I will be buying a spec boxster and a truck. I love going up in the canyons, but the more track time I put in, the more I realize I need a track car, and the 996 would be too expensive to make competitive. I work 2 miles from home so no need for a commuter, I can ride a bicycle, the porsche was purely purchased for my entertainment and mental health wellness. So if I were to do it again with the budget I have, it would be spec boxster or maybe a v3 930.

<----- Would be like Jerry Seinfeld. How's that for an answer.

this might have answered my question once and for all... hoping to be a proud owner of a Porsche this summer I have been going back and forth b/w the 993 and 996 from what i've been reading since I joined this board a few days ago and what you just said is exactly what I want... reliability is an issue too and it sounds like outside of the valve seat issue the 993 doesn't have many issues and I'd imagine the higher re-sale values and sharper decrease in depreciation are a reflection of that in a perfect world I could own all the variants of the 911, but for now I just want a first Porsche that fits my budget and somewhere down the road when I'm very successful I can start adding the "gems" to my collection

A 996 can be had for low to mid 30's. Even less than that in some cases. A performance bargain. Fantastic machine. The mechanical hysteria on these cars, in my opinion, is over blown. I can feel comfortable driving and parking with that much invested in the car and not constantly worry about it. Comfortable and a competent daily driver. Yes, in a heartbeat. I'd get another one.

What am I a manipulator of peoples feelings?

YES...and look what you have done to all of us

Jedi mind tricks!

Can we hide this thread until after I sell my car?

I knew this question would bring out a lot of interesting opinions. I would definitely buy the 996 again. Of course I already had a 964 that was growing tiresome as a daily driver, so I knew I wanted more refinement which made a 996 a logical choice. However, I also wanted a bit of "rawness" (or some might say "Porscheness"). I spent my time looking for the right car for me, and I have been VERY happy with it. I am also rebuilding the 964 into a more dedicated track day/DE/AutoX machine. I know I will enjoy it as well. The one area where I seem to differ from most of you guys is that I don't care about the market value of my cars. Market value is only important if you plan to sell. Barring some unforeseen financial emergency, knock on wood, I plan to NEVER sell any of my P-cars. In fact if I could find my '99 boxster (not any '99 boxster, I mean MY '99 Boxster, i.e. the exact VIN) I would buy it back in order to keep the collection complete. So for me the question is which cars (realistic to my budget) would I love to add to the collection over the coming years? Here is the list, in no particular order... - 986 (not 987) Boxster S - 993 C4S (or C2S) - 1973 911 Targa 2.4l (the car that started the passion) - 356, preferably pre-A, but I doubt I could be too picky (BTW, this is the car my wife is most passionate about) - 997 GT3 (this the only one I would dish out the BIG bucks for, but not until they drop below $90K) There would be a number of honorable mentions, but what you would NOT find on the list is... - any front engined P-car (I am not trying to be snobbish, I respect these cars, but am just not attracted to the looks) - any "impact bumber" 911, i.e. '74-'89 SC's, Carreras, etc. (Once again, the "impact bumper" look doesn't do it for me. Add the Ruf CTR front and rear aprons, and it is a different story.)

sounds like the crank-walk issue w/ DSMs... granted I just looked into getting one as a project to go w/ the VR4... it seems like it's not as big of an issue as ppl say it is as for all the problems w/ VR4s(grinding 2nd gear, IAC motor, PTU, etc)... they are true... after 6yrs of ownership i've gone through pretty much everything that everyone else has but yea, as long as the reliability is there, the creature comforts are obviously there, and the price is unbelievable... looks like i'm goin for the 996... only gripe is that it shares so many parts w/ the Boxster including the doors, interior, and the engine is just a larger version of the 2.7 used in the Boxster(hence the "Box" in Boxster meaning Boxer engine)

I say get the latest version of your favorite Porsche. So more than likely I'll go 997, and maybe if I'm lucky 997tt. Rob

I skipped the 993 because it was the same for the most part as my 964, dated interior and alot more money then the difference was worth. I thought about the 996 but after driving a couple TT's I decided that was the way to go. Now I have 2 964 motors only one is a rocket ship

i guess the thing that intrigues me as far as "reliability" of the air vs. water cooled is that the air cooled has a higher oil capacity and is better lubricated as well as uses the oil as well as air blowing through as a "coolant" as opposed to conventional coolant(water/alcohol) as far as driving a 993 in the winter... does it run 0W-40 oil in order to keep the engine from seizing or is the engine built to run in adverse conditions(heat and cold)???? but yea.... i'll sit back and listen... wanna know some more of the good, bad, and ugly of 996 ownership... wonder if there's a thread like this in the 993 forum

I love my 996 C4S. I would only trade it for a 996 TT. A 997 TT is out of my price range. So my answer is YES. I would like to add a second p-car to my stable. Maybe one day a boxster or older 911 as a track toy. Maybe a Cayman S.

Not at all. My only point was you very clearly have your own opinion (you would not make the same purchase choice again). Some posters seem to hold the same feelings and others like what they have. With your second post you were clearly trying to lead people to reach the same conclusion that you have made. I was only pointing out the fact that you phrased your statements in very biased manner.

Hmmm....really wasnt trying to consciously, sorry if I was. As the post keep coming, the shift has been more towards the 996 as a really good choice, this is the feedback I was looking for. For every car I said I desired it seems someone has owned and usually stated they liked the 996 better, this is good stuff.

Yes. Si. Da. Ja. Oui. Youbetcha.

I've been a Porsche -- specifically 911 -- nut ever since age 10, so I was already well familiar with all the 911 generations when I purchased my 996 six years ago. That in itself should answer the question on where I rank the 996 against the 993, 964, 911 3.2, 911SC, etc. The only model that could top it for me is the 996/997 TT or 996/997 GT3. Next question.

You can't beat the 996 value equation right now. Every once in a while I miss the 964, but the 996 is a MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH better car. If I was spending 50k on a Porsche, it would be a 996. The 997 will be the new 996 in about 3 years, and the 996 will be the 964. The 993 will keep on trucking as if in some space/time warp. I just don't get it.

Yep, that about sums it up, Rick. But perhaps rather than 996 becoming the 964, maybe it will be viewed moreso as the "early 997", or the first "modern" 911..... which I quess would relate it to the 964! FWIW, my next Porsche probably will be a 997. As I use my car for traveling to Florida beaches and the mountains of eastern North Carolina, the 996/997 is the vintage for me!

Yes, but a GT3.