996 MKI MKII and 986 interior differences

I recently bought a 99 996 and being new to this model, from the 944's I am a little unfamiliar with the differences between the MKI and MKII and the 986 interior parts. I bought the dash stereo AC vent trim (what is this piece officially called?) on ebay, thinking it was the same as my 996. But, that wasn't the case. This one had rounder design on the side trim and a different texture and color in the black plastic. How many different version of the interior pieces are there? Aren't the 986 and 996 pieces interchangeable? Was there a difference between the different 996 models or just the 996 and 986? Any other trim pieces that changed in subtle ways across the models?

I think most of the trims are diff among the 3 models. The easiest is to go to http://www.autoatlanta.com to check the part diagram for the actual part numbers.

There is a difference not only between the 986 and 996 interiors (the vents, instruments and door handles) but also the Gen1 and Gen2 versions of both (the Gen 2 has a glovebox, the buttons are matt and the centre console has cup holders). Also door panels can be different on all versions depending on the Audio config.

Many of the interior parts for the 996 MK1 and MK2 interior are the same, but not all. Most of the interior parts for the 986 and 996 are different (but a few are the same)

I think the piece you're referring to is the "horseshoe". That part is definitely different between 996.1 and 996.2.

986.2 vs. 996.1: The 996 door pocket covers are covered in leather. The Boxster version is just rubberized plastic. Other than this stuff, the differences are REALLY minor - like LesField mentioned, matte buttons instead of shiny, etc.

Biggest difference between Gen 1 and II is cup holder. While the Gen II is somewhat better, its location above the HVAC/audio stack is problematic

I'm surprised no one mentioned the glove box yet.

LesField did mention it... Other than the owner's manual and a few small things, it really doesn't add much.

.1 center stack components... .2 center stack components...

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While the interior layout changes don't amount to much, the finish they used on the interior components imho improved significantly... The .1 interiors seemed to chip up very easily, develop 'sticky ****' syndrome, and overall not hold up that well. The .2 interiors seem to wear much better.

Will door panels from a 996 MK2 fit an MK1? (assuming the panels came from cars that both had door speakers)

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It's funny I actually thought that double cup holder was a clever bit of design and it has worked for me every time! Although I did find out that an XL diet coke from in n out will not happen in those cup holders, made for an interesting drive home in my manual Porsche!

I believe 2000 & older 996 & 986 are identical from the front seats forward.

This is the 996.1 cupholder. It's the finest mod I've seen. Maybe prejudice because I invented it. Just need a hole saw on the end of a drill and the upholstery shop charged $50. I bought the console lid no eBay for a few bucks because I wanted to hang on to my stock Sav Beige. Covered in black to match the rest of the console. The only place my elbow ever touched the cover was on the very end so I didn't give that up. Secured it with some silicon sealer so I could pull it off if I wanted to. Respect

Nice cup holder ^^^ rwiii I bought mine from "the world's greatest cup holder" website.... Just did a quick search, and now I can't find the site. Anyway, the website is something like that. Works great.

I have a friend with a MK1, here are the differences I've noticed. -No glove box -Horseshoe -Blaupunkt stereo net Becker -Plastic dash -Manual levers for frunk and engine cover, not buttons. -Carrera logo located higher on engine cover -Engine size and Hp -Head lights -Vinyl back seats, not leather -Vinyl back of front seats -Taco Looks more plasticky -No cup holder, believe it is extra -The AC is of an earlier model -There is a folder holder under the stearing wheel -The computer is simpler, much more options on the MK2 -Ims is single row not dual as with m96.2 -Front side blinkers are yellow, smokey on mk2

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It's called the Ultimate Cupholder www.ultimatecupholder.com . (no affiliation). It works very well. Never had a drink spill using it, and located down low if the drink splashes your mat will catch it. May not be as elegant of a solution as the factory holders on the dash or rwiii's solution, but it really does the job well.

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#1 - correct #2 - What about the horseshoe? Mine's leather (optional) #3 - Mine's got a Becker (CD - 220? with cassette deck and CD changer) maybe it was an option #4 - Leather was an option #5 - correct #6 - what does this have to do with interior? #7 - ^ Ditto^ #8 - ^Ditto 6&7^ #9 - as #4 leather was optional #10 - ^ditto^ #11 - See # 6 #12 - Cup holders were not an option on the MKI - They're either aftermarket (ultimate cup holder etc...) or I think Porsche might make an insert for the center horseshoe area now. #13 - ??? the earlier models were air cooled - from what I understand the AC in the 996 was a major upgrade over the 993 and earlier air cooled models #14 - There was/is a "folder holder" under the steering wheel of the MKI also...if yours is missing, it was removed #15 - This may be accurate #16 - See #6... Regardless of having nothing to do with the interior, This is plain wrong - The early MKI's had the larger dual row IMSB - Porsche went to the single row bearing in the MKII's #17 - see#6...

Jup some of these were off topic and may be wrong or the other way around might be because of the amounts of that was clouding my accuracy. Also there are several that are the standard non updated option that might be different on your car. The horse shoe is the arrangement around the radio and AC. On the MK I it is a three part piece, on the MK II it is a single piece. Also the early MK I versions had the four spoke steering-wheel, which is depicted on one of the above posts.

I rolled with the ultimate for a few years and it was functional and kept the beverage well below eye level. It was not convenient to reach into the passenger foot well and my lovely passenger often put her solo cup in it and that created a "discussion". Not slamming anyone for the ultimate but for about $30 more including professional upholstery you can go my route.