Some thing different - What don't you like about your 996?

We�re always talking about how much we love are 996�s. Me included. I thought it would be an interesting take on what people don�t like. To be fair, I�ve only had my 4S for 3 months and my list is pretty short and overall minor stuff. I�ll save everyone from including IMS, RMS and AOS as it�s probably on most people�s lists. � In some angles, mostly from the front, it looks like a Boxer. � The sound of the doors shutting is not nearly as solid as other German cars I�ve owned. Including much less expensive ones: Golf R and GTI. � It makes a lot of noises, sounds and some minor rattles. Mine is a cab, so I may be more aware of them. I also realize it�s a 10 year old car and it�s not going to sound like my 2013 BMW. BTW � having the sounds isn�t all bad. It�s very engaging to the senses. After driving my 4S the BMW feels like a floaty cocoon. � It�s curious they didn�t carpet under the seat? � Turn signal and cruise stalk are flimsy. � FM reception stinks. � Some interior bits don�t fit together quite right. These are all very minor gripes, but I�m interested in seeing what others have to say.

I don't like how much it costs for race gas, brakes, tires, and maintenance

I wouldn't mind getting 30 mpg. I can afford the gas but I would feel better about the environment. Oh well.

Only thing I would want improvement on is low end toque/power, say about up to 3K RPM.

The manual frunk and rear lid releases could be easier to locate. PSE or a Gundo hack sound s/b standard. The manual button to put the rear spoiler up should be on the dash.

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+3 on the cabriolet squeeks, turn signal, and FM reception. I dislike the placement and durability of the frunk release on my '99.

+1 on the flimsy steering wheel stalks. Over boosted clutch on the tt Car key remote distance Most bus for 2003+ cars

Lack of steering wheel adjustment.

+996 on the flimsy controls • The amount of plastic in the interior • Stereo is awful, paying for the Becker Aux input to find it is only mono is even worse • Internet hysteria around limited issues, forcing you to change parts that are perfectly fine before you sell the car. • Console storage door that you have to slam shut • Sunroom rattles on a coupe • Intermittent wiper control…WTF • Cup holders perfectly position to spray coffee all over your console and shifter when you go over a pebble in the road • People think your flash driving one, no idea how good it is as a DD or how well it drives, or that their sh*tbox SUV costs way more

The headlights. The damn headlights. Why Porsche... of all the things you changed in the 996, why did the headlight shape have to be one of them!?! You were already changing so much, why couldn't you have just stuck with the round headlights?

Other things that bother me if I'm being nit-picky: - Lack of steering wheel vertical adjustment - Headroom - Low-end power (below around 3000rpm or so) - Fuel economy... why the hell does a 2900 pound car get 18mpg?

A few good ones here that I didn't think of. +1 on low end grunt, but she's a blast 3k plus. Spoiler switch placement.

Sunroof. I think it should have been an upgrade option, rather than a delete option. I hate them, but if I waited for a sunroof delete 996 I'd probably never have one. Oh yeah, the black bumperettes....

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Same. I've even looked into removing it. $1000 just for the non-sunroof roof panel, not to mention labor and paint. Guess I'm keeping the sunroof.

Sigh...

Lack of low-end power would be my biggest gripe. Otherwise, this is the most fun-to-drive car I've ever owned.

Lack of steering wheel height adjustment. I'm not abnormally tall (6'1") but even with the seat all the way down can really not see the oil pressure gauge unless I bend down to look at it. All those gauges and it's very tough to see them clearly. Unfortunate.

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USA suspension road height settings. I love my 996, freckles and all.

All relatively small stuff (except Item 7): 1. Radio reception reeks, AM and FM. I spent a ton on an aftermarket radio/entertainment system, but reception still reeks. That's probably my main complaint. 2. Cost of simple parts like new cup holder. 3. I agree about lack of steering wheel height adjustment. 4. Same button on the remote locks and unlocks. So, I really can't be sure if it's locked until I tug on the door handle. 5. Some cheapo parts like the turn stalk, plastic latches to fold down the seat, vanity mirror covers, flimsy power seat switches. 6. The fact that the frunk and trunk won't open if battery is dead. 7. The fact that hordes of beautiful models don't flock to me every time I'm in the car. I was vastly mislead into believing that would happen. That's about it. Personally, I don't understand all the guys that dislike the sun roof. I LOVE it!

^ Me too. Some of the goodness of having a cab with the stiffness of the C4. Perfect compromise.

[QUOTE 7. The fact that hordes of beautiful models don't flock to me every time I'm in the car. I was vastly mislead into believing that would happen. Personally, I don't understand all the guys that dislike the sun roof. I LOVE it![/QUOTE] I am one of those Porsche owners who are blessed to have hordes of beautiful models flocking to me when I'm driving my car. However, it's also a curse to have it happen when my wife is with me. I love a sunroof and I can't possibly think of a reason not to have one. In fact, I wouldn't buy a car that doesn't haven one.

The interior surfaces scratch way too easy.

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+1 to both of these...also, the side bolsters on the regular seats could be more supportive. Overall, the 996 is a great car IMHO?

The clutch in first gear

Huh.....good question....what don't I like......My cab squeaks and rattles as normal but I don't like that, find it slightly embarrassing even......and I mostly drive alone! Flimsy indicator stalks, yes, but since they actually don't break I can get over that. My center console lid donesn't latch easily - that'd be about it. I'm pretty darn happy with the car - even the headlights! I seem to recall Porsche earning some sort of design award for them in the day....... I get about 15 mpg in the city and am well over 20 on the highway and since I compare that to a pickup I'm exstatic with it. BTW, nice car Bob!

Absolutely ridiculous design when you can't (easily) get at the battery when it dies! Manual release anyone?! Bose sound system (premium?!) is just awful ... but only use it on long highway cruises. Agree on the low end torque. All forgotten though once you're out of 1st gear

When I traded in my 2005 C6 Corvette towards my 2002 Targa it was because of a laundry list of things I HATED about the Corvette. My Porsche however has an extremely short list and it's mostly nitpicking. Exhaust (stock) is a bit too quiet. Radio reception is laughable. Vision out the rear window with Targa roof open is terrible. That's about it.

I'm surprised someone hasn't carped about the instrumentaion; so allow me to do so. First of all, I disclose that I formerly owned a 911 SC and two different 993s, so my biases have some basis. Nonetheless, the 996 instrumentation is weak. The analog speedometer is pretty worthless, and both the analog and digital speedo accuracy is poor. All other gauges are difficult to read due to sunlight glare on the plastic overlay. Bottom line: Porsche should have carried over the traditional (vintage?) instrumentation from the 993s, including the improved placement of the spoiler switch. There; now I feel better. relinuca

I dislike the flimsy cruise and OBC stalks. They just don't feel "quality", but they work. When I bought the car, I thought the previous owner had overstressed them, but I guess they're all like that. I think the stock radio is poor, but I'll be changing that for one with nav and iPod connectivity, both of which I like on long trips. On short trips around town, the radio is off. Unduly expensive parts. Many are common with VW / Audi / etc., but the Porsche ones cost 3 or 4 times the price. The analog speedo is worthless, other than for entertainment as the needle sweeps up or down the scale. I have found that the digital one is easier to read, and on my car, fairly accurate (within 2 MPH at highway speeds).

The bipolar radio head unit that will not power on occassionally and the right *** that does not work properly. For an 80K car, why did they put such a cheap *** radio in this car. The fricken cup holders. I can't get those things to open 9 out of 10 times. SMH!

1. Why the hell are there 4 electric window button slots on a car with only 2 electric windows? 2. Why is the center console so damn far back. So far back you can never see what you are looking for from normal driving position. 3. Why no easy battery access when the battery dies? Really, Porsche this was a "good" idea? 4. Why does cup holder hold cups at a 30 degree lean? 5. It's not a wide body P.s. I am surprised no one mention has mentioned the 3 letter thing lurking in our engines we 996 owners never speak of...

So I did a quick recap and tried to group things - nothing scientific or exact guys. Poor radio reception and radio overall quality - 9 Cheap interior/scratch easily - 8 Flimsy steering wheel stalks - 6 Lack of low end grunt/torque - 6 Cost of parts/repairs � 5 Bad cup holder design - 3 Poor gauges - 3 MPG�s - 3 Rattles/Squeaks - 3 Lack of height adjustable steering wheel - 3 Sunroof rattle/delete option - 3 Spoiler switch placement - 3 Key fob remote/locking and distance of operation - 3 Lack of flocking models/hot chicks/flashy car - 3 Frunk/trunk manual opening - 3 Headlights - 2 Exhaust - 2 Clutch � 2 Seat bolster � 1 Visibility � 1 What�s interesting is most issues are very minor gripes that could be said of any car manufacturer with much less heritage and history than Porsche- especially if you consider Porsche 911 as a low end exotic high performance car. I�d be interested in hearing from 997/991 owners if Porsche addressed these issues?

I love the sunroof , would NOT buy a car without the hole in the roof!! and the ALL leather smell, is super !! FAST , good handling, and lots of FUN driving !!!, they could not afford to have a glove compartment in my 01 model ): the trunk is a bit smaller with a C 4 and the gas tank smaller than my now sold 84 Carrera. I could go more than 400 miles in the 84. Can never adjust the lumbar settings just right ! What a DRIVING machine !!! I can't believe I own one !!

- Wish I had a sunroof delete - Fear mongering (IMS, RMS, etc.) The car is seriously good compared to what you'd think if you believed the internet. - Road noise! - Cost of tires/how long they last - Headlights should have stayed round To all those complaining about torque below 3k RPM: why are you driving in such a low RPM? My car is rarely below 3k, unless I am in town at like 30 mph I keep my car between 3-4k! Keep that motor spinning!

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I believe the rear seat windows are electric in the cabriolet, but not in the coupe.

1) The seats are an ancient porsche design. 2) Always thinking about when the IMS will crap out.

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The only thing I hate about it is all the negative hype (both real and (mostly) imagined) that has destroyed their value. Great if you are looking for a 911 on a budget, but sucks to think about if you bought it new (not that we haven't easily gotten $80k of enjoyment out of it over the years). The minor annoyances I can think of are the lack of a cup holder for our MY (or maybe an option choice deleted it?) and how the full leather dash bubbled. Are the full leather cars that hard to find second hand? Do we have a rare option? Even the outer a/c vent vanes are leather! At least you got cup holders... I'll continue on my path of being a non-typical Porsche owner here. I despise the old round headlights (the 997 and 991 aren't as bad as the 993 and older). If the 996 had kept those, a 911 would still be her dream car. The post air-cooled cars have much cleaner lines to me, but they still keep the same overall style. Now the 996.2 headlights, those don't sit well with me with that sharp point. The .1s flow nicely with the rest of the car in my opinion. What's so tough about touching the terminals in the foot well with another power source? There is also the cable release tucked up in the bumper (passenger side IIRC). Annoying yes, but not horribly painful or convoluted. You've got a coupe. The other two are for the Cab rear windows. Having a coupe ourselves, I agree that those dummy buttons are kinda pointless. A different trim piece that eliminates then would have made sense (though they were hurting for money at the time so any cost savings was important). It was mentioned in the first post and the consensus is that if you actually drive the car you don't really have much to worry about. Drive it. Enjoy it. Upgrade it with the next clutch and don't lose sleep over it.

Yep - the rear windows ARE electric on the cabs.

I'm going to have to say: -crappy radio reception with crappy response when you hit the buttons on the radio -cheap turn stalk feel (reminds me of the '82 rabbit I learned to drive on); the stalks on my '99 audi feel way more solid! -no oil temp gauge! WHY!? I don't care about voltage! I'd rather have an oil temp gauge!!! -wish the steering wheel was thicker -wish it had a euro suspension from the factory -wish it had round headlights -wish it was 2wd with a widebody -not a fan of the interior dash/steering wheel; but when I'm actually in the car driving I don't mind! =D

Sexual Intercourse is next to impossible in the front seat unless a block and tackle system is deployed

Becker Stereo System SUCKS.... Their customer service is even worse. Their aux in Mod is MONO and they don't tell you so. got ripped off. other than that, I love my 996.

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Shouldn't need to block & tackle if both are willing Add one more for a tilt steering wheel Bob 01 C4 31 Ford cp chp & ch, 302/350 40 ******, 302/350, IFS 38 Ford cp, 327/350, IFS 57 Belair 62 356B --long ago

I'll add the stock sport seats aren't very engaging for track use. ... As in I slide around quite a bit. they're fine for the street but as dual purposes these cars are marketed for, I'd prefer deeper lumbar and bolsters.

I replaced everything in my car I wanted improved. So it basically it is perfect to me. Only things that I don't like are: Today's value of them That people dislike a modern head light design that doesn't fall in line with a head light out of the 50's era where all cars from that era all had the same type as every other car. Engine reliability and durability Engine replacement value doubled after the car stopped being produced.

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Which Becker do you have? My CR-220 is stereo, although I input from an iPod instead of the original CD deck. I agree that the frunk Haes amp and Nokia speakers are crap. I replaced mine ($200 for speakers and a used Alpine amp) and the sound is quite good now.

This is way too much complaining. I didn't think it would go past the first page. You guys are too old, just get out there and drive it like you stole it

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Yeah I was sorta surprised that they only changed out the back portion and really did nothing in terms of adding additional bolstering on the bottom seat.

I don't think its a good idea to launch your car at 3K RPM at every single red light and stop sign.

My biggest complaint about my 996 C4S is that I'm not driving it right now. I'm sitting in an airport waiting to board a flight. On the bright side, it will be waiting for me when I land in a little while...

Just got home. The car is just way to fast, to fast....no wait....I like that! That and having to buy the special order Porsche blinker fluid. I love my car...everything about it. I love that flat six symphony when I really get to punch it. Ha!

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That's what the front hood and a microfiber blanket is for!! My complaint is the car didn't come with a microfiber blanket!! BTW the IMS bearing kinda sucks!!

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... yep .... just like my dad's 1948 Chrysler

How is this "something different?" It's pretty much just the 996 forum, condensed into a single thread.

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I agree. Launching at 4.5K will provide more rewarding wheelspin. Be sure to disable PSM so your timing doesn't get "retarded."

Front spoiler on the turbo is a PITA, much rather have the one from the C4S.

Difficulty to upgrade 8-bit nav system. Love the sunroof- but there is a flutter when it is all the way open

Wow, I agree with most of the posts. Very nitpicky though. This car was way ahead of its time, and not much else can touch it. Bose = joke! Don't ever use it. The analog Bose system in my 02 turbo is far better. Low speed auto cut off of PSE...fixed that one in 5 minutes heh heh. Gas mileage is excellent for a sports car of this stature...best of any of my cars, far better than the Turbo, a true gas hog. Computer control is slightly confusing. 2002 Turbo - Basalt Black Metallic / 2003 Carrera 4S - Speed Yellow / 1955 356 Continental 1500 - Rust Red

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Do you really launch at 4.5k? I asked about launching a couple of months ago and got flamed. I believe you provided your insight on the thread. I have a 4S and I'm guessing getting all 4 wheels spinning is unlikely? I'd really love to get a 4 wheel drift going too. Maybe at a track day this summer. I've been tempted a few time to really give it a go, but I'm a bit scared of the consequences, clutch, drivetrain etc.

The cheesy vinyl sun visors against the alcantara headliner bugs the crap out of me. It's like the same visors going way back to the '70's or so. So cheap looking on an expensive car. Also the big yellow warning stickers on the vanity mirror covers. Bugged me so much I had the visors covered in alcantara and peeled the stickers off the mirrors. Agree on the center console storage compartment being too far aft for use while driving. Concur on the lousy sounding stereo especially with the digital HiFi system. Soft interior paint for sure. Now if my wife had a say it'd be: loud exhaust; car too low with difficult ingress & egress; loud exhaust; too much road noise; loud exhaust; spend too much money on mods; loud exhaust....... all of which I love.... well maybe not the money part.

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Heh - very seldom do I dump the clutch on high RPMs. It was unthinkable until I installed semi-solid motor mounts - the wheel hop was terrible. "Launching" got a lot better after I ripped out the front-wheel-drive components. Now the back end breaks loose and floats around like you'd expect. PSM off, of course. I would not regularly dump the clutch on any car - I was being 90% facetious.

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Cool.

High RPM launching, especially in a C4S/C4 is probably not a good idea with the pathetic small OEM clutch disc. I dont mind changing it but wouldnt want to do it often.

I am sure this has been said before ,,,,,,,,,,,but the the headlights, the car looks great from ever other view point but the front ,,,,I just don,t like the 996 headlights ,,,also the coolant hose fitting,s issue that troubles all GT3,s

I don't like the fact that its not here at the moment.

While we're nit-picking, I'm not a big fan of the 996.1 front bumper. It's too "round" and dates the car a lot. If you look at the car from any other angle, it still looks like a fairly new car, but when you look at the front end it scream "late 90s!"

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Agree 1000%!! I never look at mine!

I hate the front overhang. Wish the nose was a foot shorter.

Despite the problems, everytime I drive mine I feel like dancing like this guy! indian dwarf dancing - YouTube

My 2nd issue (I'm reaching here just for the sake of this post). The lack of an oil temp gauge. The air cooled models had this ( out of necessity) but Porsche thought it important enough to bring it back in the 997. I'd give up my voltmeter in an instant for oil temp. As if this isn't bad enough, my E60 535 MSport doesn't even have a temp gauge.

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I agree...a shorter snout would be nice. The nose on my Corvette is even longer, so when I got my 911, I was already in the habit of watching out for dips, driveway aprons, and other sharp inclines designed to wreck the front of my car.

One thing I dislike is all the hookers/panhandlers that approach me in my car. Stop lights, parking lots...they see the car and make a beeline.