2001 vs 2004

I am new here so if I do anything stupid please excuse me I am looking for a 996 Cabriolet and have found two cars that look promising. One is a 2001 the other a 2004 - both with about 70k miles on them. There is an 8k price difference. Any opinions on whether it is worth it to buy the 2004? I like the interior/top color for the 2001 much better. I am a long time porsche owner - an `84 Carrera - that I will be keeping as my weekend car. Opinions please!

Get the one that needs less money put into it (tires, brakes, etc...) Also, I would rather a car from the original owner with a complete service history.

Positives of 04 200cc of engine capacity better headlight design no spark plug tubes that leak evolution of many little bits and pieces to later variants where needed Negatives of 04 Replacing the stereo is a beast due to fibre optic system

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Depends if you want a glove box: 04 yes, 01 no I think the headlights on the 04 are a much improved look. Also I believe the 04 is a bit stiffer.

The 04 is also 5 years newer. While mileage rules, things like rubber components brittle and wear with time.

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+1 even if it really is only 3 years newer.

04 will have a 3.6 vs 3.4 and the extra 20 or so horses wouldn't be too bad. I think they may have also fixed some of the issues of the older models such as the porosity issues as well as d-chunk and slipped sleeves.. But I'm no expert on this just from readings..

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Man... I was never good at math.

+1 on the '04 model.... 2002 started some good changes

Personally, I'd go with the '04 as well (assuming all else is equal between the cars).

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3.6 low rpm torque makes it easier to engage clutch & drive in stop & go traffic redesigned AOS redesigned case with thicker cylinder walls

8 Large is alot of money to save by going with the 01! Both cars will be a blast to drive. Get the color you like. That is my unbiased opinion

I second the motion that lots of good documentation of prior ownership and maintenance is important. But, also agree that you should go with your favorite color combo because that's an important part of your appreciation of the car. At 70K you are going to be doing some significant maintenance soon no matter what year you purchase, so go with the one that most grabs you.

the 04 is the way to go. What is the color of the 04?

I wouldn't even consider the 01 if you can afford the 04. There are so many benefits that people have mentioned so far, however re-sale has not been brought up. Marketwise, Mk1's are really really soft and will get worse. Mk2's are at least kind of holding their value.

You didn't say if they were C2 or C4... Lots of drivers swear by the C2 for the handling properties of the rear wheel drive. If both are C2 then I would plug for the 2004 if you can afford the differance. Then again the color combo is important and any mods each may have ie:- 18 wheels, 3 spoke wheel, short shifter, leather interior all go to improve the looks of your vehicle. You have to feel 'money well spent' not 'I should have, why didn't I" feelings PLUS the dreaded bearing up grades which I will not go into on this thread, but those are importants things to consider when buying. Good Luck.. and

In addition to the other improvements mentioned, they stiffened the chassis in 02. All things being equal, get the newest car you can afford.

Thanks Everyone!@ Ya this is a tough one for me. 2001- Grey with black interior/top + turbo rims/good tires (going to mechanic today) - 3 owners - in perfect cosmetic condition. Decent price (22k) 2004 Triple Grey (hate the grey top!) 1 owner - few paint blemishes - good tires - really great price for 2004 (30k) -in the process of finding a trustworthy local mechanic to look at it. Logically I liked the 2004 - (pending PPI) - but everytime I see it with the top up I think that looks terrible.

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I'm insulted. Actually to each his own. I feel lucky that I found one with the gray top. To me black tops on anything but a black car look cheap. That why they offer choices. Don't buy a car you think is ugly. That never works out.

Sorry SSST! No insult meant - as you say - to each his own. I go back and forth - I didn't love the Arctic White of my `84 when I got it but over the years really decided it was the perfect color and ended up keeping it when I it stripped and painted last year - so I keep thinking the grey might frow on me. Is your triple grey or is the interior black? I am going to do PPI's on both cars and pick the one that I get the best report on. In other thoughts - I saw mention of major services to be expected @ 70k miles. I am aware of the clutch - what else should I be thinking about/keeping in mind?

Seriously - 8 grand. Sit down and count that out in cold cash!! It's a fairly tall stack of 100's!

Hmmm... $8k can buy a lot of maintenance since they are both at the same mileage. You could practically rebuild the 01 with some nice new parts or even performance additions and have money left over.

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MkI's and Mk2's in very good condition are both holding value and going up slightly.

Does either have the hard top included for the winter months depending on if you are N or S California.? All cabs come with them originally but some get lost along the way. Well you didnt say if either was a C2 or C4 or maybe that doesnt enter into your considerations. I think you would be better going for the 2001 if you hate the soft top on the 2004. You have to really like what you are investing into. Then you have 8 grand to play with for the 60/70k maintenance. If you are handy at DIY work then that will go a long way to bringing it well iup to scratch. The 3.4 against the 3.6 engine doesnt make that much differance. Sit behind the C2 3.4 engine and open it up and then tell me that it isn't fast enough for you. It will blow your socks off man. And they can have all the turbos they want. They are no good only on the tracks.Thats only in my honest opinion. You will go your way in the end and good luck to you.

I will probably keep the 996 stock for now (both cars are c2's btw)- I am going to use it as a daily driver for the next year or two and then trade it in on something. The 84 is due for some upgrades Basically - the lease is up on my Outback Turbo and no one makes a decent sports wagon for the US market right now - so rather then buy something I don't really like - I am going to keep my 2001 F150 for skiing/mountains/dog hauling and use the 996 as my daily 'work' vehicle. It's only 20 miles a day or so for me - with half of those miles on fun canyon roads - and I have always wanted a Cab - so I figured why not.

Your quote (to me) says it all...has nothing to do with the year/engine/etc. Why on earth would you spend $30K on a car that when you look at it, you "hate?" If you want a MKII but don't want a grey top, keep looking.

Definitely the 04 - for the numerous reasons cited above. I may be biased, though. ;-)

uh oh - went back to looking and now have a 2003 with 45k miles on it in the mix... I have never been this confused about a car in my life lol!

OK. Slow down and take a breath. Now, take that 8 grand that you almost saved and remember how great that felt.

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The stupidest thing you did was even thinking about buying a 996 in the first place hahahaha.. You don't have to be a lunatic to drive a Porsche 996 but it certainly helps if you are... lol there coming to take me away haha

Get the '04 and use the same mile '01 to beat the price down a little and close the gap ....(again assumes same amount of work required on both - like brakes, etc.)