Porsche 911/996 is the perfect car.

Not sure how to start this post. I have 1/2 day off and I am avoiding work and jobs around the house, so I thought I would share what has been going though my head for the last 6 months. I have had a 1999 Carrera 4 Cab for 18 months and 16K miles. At times it has been expensive. Because of the amount of money and time I have been expending I debated about getting a newer 911 so I looked at upgrading to a 996 turbo, then looked at 997.1's, then decided to try a 997.2, then a used 991, then I went and looked at CPO 991's. What I decided after all that is that the 996 is the perfect car. My reasons are as follows. 1 - beautiful (but all 911's are) 2 - stellar performance - I know the newer ones have better performance but in my reality of daily commuting and driving the kids around you can not get near the 996's performance envelope 3 - enough technology that I feel safe having the other members of my family drive it ( airbags, ABS, traction control) 4 - not too much technology that you need an engineering degree to work on it 5 - practical - good gas mileage and with snow tires and a hard top can drive all year long. Enough storage space that you can take the kids around to school/sports/friends houses, but not enough storage space that the car becomes a junk yard. 6 - easy to service - if you want to do it yourself there are readily available parts and lots of how to's, there are plenty of indie's who can service the car for a reasonable price, and the dealer will happily drop off another Porsche at my house and take it away for service and bring it back if I so desire. this is perfect for me because sometimes I will do things and sometimes I just don't want too, but I like to have projects. 7 - reliable - it has never failed to get me to my destination or home So to summarize, in my opinion the 996 Carrera 4 Cab is automotive perfection. I could not find a reason to upgrade. Even after looking at newer 911's.

Agree!

I also agree. I regularly do the "which car would I rather own" scan when I pull into a parking lot, and frankly, there just aren't many cars that I realistically want to own. Sure, it would be awesome to have a Veyron, but I'm just not willing to absorb operating costs for anything more exotic than my 996. We gripe about $400 tires - imagine shelling out 42 grand for a full set of Michelins for a Veyron (and Michelin requires that you also swap out the $69,000 wheels -- the only wheels that fit those tires -- every third set of tires to ensure a proper bead seal). The 996 is the PERFECT balance of exotic-ish sports car with surreal good lucks, while still being VERY manageable to service and operate. It's been a very long time that I was still content with a car after years of ownership...but I still don't have any interest in moving on from the 996.

Well said!

Funny I just picked up my first 911 and have been driving it a lot the last few weeks. 99 C2. I just love the car and it is by far the best daily driver capable sports car I've ever owned. Compared to M3 and corvettes for me. But today I drove my M5 for the first time in awhile and I was reminded about how much I love that car. It does everything so well. It's the best all arounder I have ever owned and that is a long list I must say. If push came to shove and I had to go to one car it would be the M5. But I am very thrilled to have both of these fantastic iconic enthusiast cars to pick from each day!!

I do the best car in the parking lot game also. I always win.

I agree somewhat. I think this model is a tremendous value for what you get and one of the best bang for the buck sports cars you can get. With that said, if I had extra dough sitting around, I would not hesitate to get something else. I sold a few of my watches to pay for this car in cash and it's paid for. No car at this point entices me enough to take on a car note or additional insurance payments. Stuart Smalley's famous quote - YouTube

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You had me until that part. Now if you had said 996.1 C4 Coupe w/Aerokit, then we'd be in agreement

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Like this one?

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Zackly. I'd love to go hooning around a wet parking lot in a brand-new Evora S, or maybe a C7 'Vette, but "paid for" is my absolute favorite brand.

I do the "car check" as other cars go by while at a stop light. Unfortunately, my 997 is too often at the lower end of the food chain around here where it literally takes a McLaren or Lambo to turn heads since PCars, Aston's and Ferrari's are all too common. However, I love this car as I loved my 996. And yes, it is a Cab. I do feel sorry for you coupe owners who can't hear the sound of that sweet Flat 6 in its natural environment!

dgjks6 I couldn't agree more but I would include all 996 out there.

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Yeah there are lots of pricey cars in my area, but 911s still stand out a bit. I don't get into the whole "look at me" thing, but My ego was deflated a bit when I pulled up to a stop light with a Bentley on one side and a Ferrari on the other I disagree, the hard top offers a great acoustic experience while filtering out all the background noise

My 2002 C2 coupe recently was pressed into DD service. The more I drive it like an everyday car, the more super it's been. Superior composure and flexibility in urban nip-and-tuck, damn therapeutic when things open up a bit, and better mileage in the same application than my actual DD. The investors and theologians will do as they may: I'm nothing but grateful to them and to IMS madness*. No way could I afford this clean an example without their influence! *A mutated descendant of 2.2 tensioner tantrum, MFI fever, dilavar dander, and S.A.I syndrome.

I agree with the sentiment that the 996 is well worth it's cost, and that it can surprise you just when you seem to take it for granted. They are so easy to drive that it seems like they should also have the same dynamic limitations of a Toyota or Honda (which are also easy to drive). It's a personal opinion, but a cabriolet adds a dimension to a car driving experience that is unmatched by anything else including a Targa. I have a Cayman that is in a lot of ways more fun to drive and much more engaging. But the 996 cab is my go-to car on almost any nice day. The cab is that good.

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I concur

Actually I am always on the lookout for a silver 1999 carrera 4 with a tip, full supple leather, computer, and Litronics. I would consider a change to that.

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Just got snow's for my C4S last week! Yesterday, people at work were saying, "Good thing you didn't take your Porsche out today." I replied, "I did!!" You should have seen the looks I got and the looks I got while driving it. Since I've always driven my A6 Avant in winter, it's going to take some getting used to driving the C4S in the snow. Very different cars, obviously. Now I just need to put the ski rack on and I'm set!!

I agree with the comments in this tread. I loved my 996 C4S and it was almost always the best looking car in the parking lot. I've had a similar experience with the 997 TT cabriolet. I love driving it in all weather. I'm enjoying having a cabriolet even more that I thought I would. I really does give you a unique experience. The majority of people out there can't tell the difference between a 996, 997 or 991. They are all 911s and they look great.

Nice to read a positive post pointing out some of the great things about these cars. +996

Agree with comments. I also love the fact that if I take her out, I have enough room to fit my whole family - for now anyway. We go out to eat and my wife says let's stop at the grocery store and when we're getting ready to leave, I can just see the look on people's faces totally surprised that 1) yes, this car does have a trunk, and 2) how the hell did he fit 4 people in there? Love it!

I can just agree to the 1st post, although in my eyes there is one very very competitive rival to 996 and that is the e46 M3, however M3 loses the "ocasion" feel of driving, as it is a tuned up 3 series, but nevertheless it is also a very driverfriendly and easy to use daily muscle car, (can judge since I have owned both) what would I upgrade from 996? only a cooler 996: a turbo or GT3, if life goes up then a GT2 perhaps, but the design of the 996 has got me, aesthetically this is the most beautiful car out there, to all others there is something missing or something over the top. thank you, my 2 cents of thoughts

Agree!

I've also been satisfied with the 996's. I bought the 2004 C2 in 2007 as a CPO car and back then it wasn't bargain priced. I bought the 2004 C4S in 2011 and compared to the C2 it was a bargain, yet still a few grand more than most folks thought the top of the market should bring. I've used the C2 as my DD almost from the day I picked it up, didn't plan to have it as a DD but just couldn't walk past it in the morning and told myself I paid for it so I might as well drive it. It never left me stranded and I never found myself bored with it or desiring a different marque. I still look forward to getting behind the wheel and it is my preferred "winter" car. The C4S speaks for itself, to me it is simply a superb automobile with the perfect balance of refinement and performance. I drive it a few times a week and it became our car of choice for out of town road trips and anytime the wife and I are driving together. She is never shy about saying "we can take the blue one". We both are amazed at the number of folks who comment on the cars and how people look at us oddly as we load groceries where most people think the engine is. The time I spent at the Maserati dealership was pretty cool. Not the Maserati's so much, but the diverse inventory of high end and exotic cars on the lot gave me a chance to compare cars. I did my best to familiarize myself with the inventory and had a nibble on an Aston DB8 so took the time to tool around the lot in it for a bit. For me, there was no Jag, BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Gran Turismo or even a Panamera that had me thinking I wanted anything other than the Porsche's I have. I thought I might like a 2013 997S, but it just didn't thrill me. Back up camera's and massive touch control panels just don't interest me, in fact they annoy me. There was a 2012 997 Black Cab that I did really like and thought that maybe someday if I could I would consider owning it. At the end of every day when I drove home in either the C2 or C4S I caught myself smiling because I realized I already have the cars I want. And somebody once told me that the key to happiness is to want what you have. So, I'm happy.