What an insane car!

Drove a 996 Convertible for the first time today and it was an awesome experience! I filmed a little video summarizing my thoughts on the beast. (Please excuse me saying inline-6 in the beginning!) Any feedback would be great! Thanks guys Porsche Carrera Cabriolet Test Drive and Review - YouTube

Heh. Cool video. It's a Porsche-uhh, and it's not a 'vert, it's a cabriolet. Otherwise, very nice!

Thanks for the feedback 5chn3ll! Stupid iMovie wouldn't fit more characters on one line so I put 'vert. Granted I would have put convertible had I had extra room, so good to know.

Whose 996 were you driving for the video?

An adult friend of mine. Nice guy!

Yeah, I'd say so - except my wife, nobody gets to drive my 911.

right around the time when youre going on about it being like a go-cart...what youre feeling at that moment is why we own them! also the reason why "going for milk" at 11pm takes an hour also, instead of vert, use Cab

Thanks for the reply CDLVancouver! It was seriously so fun to drive. Sounds better than my fathers 993 turbo..but I'd never tell him that.

Thanks for the review, Nice to see a genuine review rarther than some overpaid TV Celeb who's getting cash in pocket and has a conflict of interests. Yes that means you Clarkson, Hammond time to roll over!.

You aren't going to like this, but seems like you want honest feedback. You annoyed me straight out of the gate. You didn't stop talking for more than about 5 seconds for the entire video. Perhaps its just your voice or something, but I almost put it on mute. Secondly, I'm not sure of your premise for the website, but are you giving reviews for people to buy their first car? If so, perhaps then the review wasn't so bad, but I did not hear one negative piece of information. Everything was amazing, oh-mi-gawd, best this and that, etc. At least do a pro and con for the thing. Thirdly, am I the only one who cannot stand when people free rev cars to hear the "exhaust sound". Not one car ever made sounds good when free revving it. Under load, different story. Sorry man, I see you are enthusiastic about cars and such and thats cool, but don't talk so much, cool it with the revving, and give a bit more level headed review, and I think you'll find more viewers.

Kiss my **** 15 to 20000 Dollars for a 99 cab??...Not likely, Maybe a saloon (if that's what you call them) but not a cab. Again maybe if its done over 100,000 and it doesn't have the matching hard top with it. .. He keeps saying under $20000 and he is pissing me off. Well lets put it this way. I wouldn't sell mine for $20000 including a hard top with 65000 on the clock LET ALONE $15000. Its dicks like that who put the 996 way down in price. Then he finds out, as he is driving, what they are really like to handle. I wonder should we ask him again AFTER he got out of the car. Maybe he should re think his price range. Oh Quadcammer the reason he never mentioned the pros and cons for the 1999 996 cab is there are no cons for it. Take that as gospel if you haven't owned that year and model. And don't even mention that bearing **** if you reply because to me that's all it is. A load of **** slung about by the scare mongers.

^^ What they said. Review a $15K 996 convertible and get back to us as to how "insane" it is. Your buddies car looks extra clean and probably worth $25K easy.

Hurdi, I believe the term you are looking for is coup�. A "saloon" is a 4-door fixed-roof vehicle. You can get pissy about the pricing, but 996 values have tanked. Sure, you can find people (like me) paying $30K, but you can also find 911 cabriolets selling for $20K and less. Incidentally, a 14-year-old convertible with a plastic window isn't going to pull much of a premium over the same car with a fixed roof and a glass window. Your attitude about the IMS bearing is...bizarre. Have you looked at the poll at the top of this forum? 10% of the people here have had their bearing fail. 10% mortality for anything is a plague. Have you heard of term "decimate?" As in the Roman term for a tenth of a population being killed? The kid asked for opinions. Why not just answer him instead of ranting against him in the third person? Dude, time to switch to decaf.

I kinda liked the review. Rather than being critical of his very accurate price assessment I would think you might be happy to see a positive 996 review. The only way resale prices are going to recover is for people to understand what a good value the 996 is. If videos like this actually got traction it would lead to more 996 buyers which would help stabilize the resale if not increase it.

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Please tell me this is a joke and that you do understand just how flawed the poll is that you are referring to. As far as the video goes, didn't watch it so can't comment.

Sorry hurdi, but there are lots and lots of decent Mk1 cabs on the market for under $20k - you can't swing a dead cat without hitting one. And there's no premium in the used market for a cab over a coupe (may actually be the opposite). He could have expanded the price range and said $15,000 to $25,000, depending on mileage, condition and options. Frankly, $16,000 to $22,000 would probably catch 95% of Mk1 cabs - not a lot of $25,000 cars out there (they might be asking $25k, but they aren't selling them for that). pnirenstein - I personally like the running narrative (and your voice is fine - come on QC, really?). But, you do need to vary the topic - you just keep talking about the power and handling (and handling)(and handling again). For example, you could talk about the various body styles and options available in a Mk1 996 - like the car you were driving had sport seats, which is a very nice option not all that common. And, since the IMSB issue IS real, any video review this long should address it. But, almost every car has an Achilles heel (research tire wear problems on early 350Z's or Nikasil cylinder linings on the early V-8 Jaguar XJ8's), so no need to overblow it. Just say that it is a known problem in these cars and buyers should either look for a car that's already had the IMSB swapped out or budget a few hundred dollars to have it changed at the next clutch replacement. Point out that if they are buying a tiptronic (proper name for the Porsche transmission rather than "automatic") with the original IMSB, they may want to budget more like $2,000 for the bearing upgrade and do it right away since they won't have the transmission out to replace a clutch (this would be an important price negotiating point for anyone buying a tiptronic car with the original IMSB and a valuable nugget of info for your viewers). I suspect your reviews are aimed at young guys just buying their first sports cars - you won't have much credibility with older guys because you are so young. But, that's a great audience for you. If that's the case, then you definitely need to point out the negatives of every model you buy. There are not a lot with the 996's, but like I said, almost every car has some design flaw. Some are larger than others, and with the 996, the defects tend to be way overhyped. To a young guy buying his first Porsche, my biggest word of caution would not be the IMSB, it would be that he needs to understand that he needs to learn about the car and be prepared to work on it himself or maintenance will get expensive quick - it's not like owning a Honda Civic. I'll bet the car's owner could have written up a quick cheat sheet for you on important topics to cover in the review so that you didn't have to spend days researching the details. If you are reviewing pre-owned enthusiast cars and borrowing privately owned vehicles to use in the reviews, then likely every owner could do a similar cheat sheet for you off the top of his head. By offering a little bit of research and trivia and insider knowledge on the car you are reviewing, you will keep all of your reviews from sounding the same. I don't like to see the engine revved above 7,000 rpms just sitting in neutral either - made me cringe a bit. Also, PLEASE pronounce the name right - it is "Por - sha", not "porsh" (and if you're ever lucky enough to review one, it's "coon-tash" not "count-ack"). I think it would be cool to see you wear a shirt related to the car while reviewing it rather than a plain white t-shirt. You could probably buy a "Porsche is a two syllable word" t-shirt off ebay for $10 (and that would be really funny). By the way, you did a lot of things right. Great job and keep up the good work!

Thanks for the feedback kcattorney, I definitely need to do more research before reviewing cars. The market I'm after also knows nothing in comparison to you guys on this forum, so there is that to consider. I filmed a review of MY car that is on the same channel--an e39 bmw m5. That has tons of pros and cons since I've lived with the car for a while. Good idea for the cheat sheet. Thanks thepenguin99! My friends car is probably worth over 20k because of the low milage. But since the market I'm after will probably be buying high milage ones, I wanted to generalize the price. There are several for sale for around 19k with 50-90k miles on them near me. Sorry quadcammer, If my voice was annoying to you I can't fix that Thanks for the kind words thirteeneast.

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I kinda like it too. Somewhat researched and shows honest emotion, which is why we own the cars. So, I look at the apparent age of the reviewer, we all do need a next generation behind us to "get" these cars. I am not afraid of that happening, but, spread the word far and wide. I do need to pick on your constant reference to the back seats being rather challenged. Those back seats, utilized correctly, is what makes this car so dang useful. How many Ferrari's do you see hauling 3 people and a week's worth of camping gear around? We pulled in at my wife's annual family picnic last week in the 996 and got a few comments about how we were supposed to bring our own "drinks and food." Then I opened the frunk and lifted out the cooler full of ice, a case of COLD BEER and a dozen fresh brats for grilling! They stopped their jokes and started talking about how lucky I was as my 12 year old son crawled out of the back seat with baseball gear and a couple soccer ***** and 3 folding chairs! I could go on regarding the practicality of this vehicle but that is your job in your next video so your generation understands that it can be a second family car for all to enjoy. Back to your video. Keep working on the humor. And to that, I will point you to one of my favorite Top Gear Porsche reviews from Jeremy "the Porsche hater, Ferrari lover." BBC: Ferrari v Porsche 911: Jeremy Sees The Light - Top Gear - YouTube Watch the whole video but two parts always make me laugh. First time point 2:50 - 3:05, where he discusses the frunk and the rear seats. "a child could sit back here if he was thin. But of course he would be because your wife would be thin, because you own a 911 !" Politically incorrect but worth a chuckle nonetheless. The second is where he discusses the emissions quality of the Turbo and how it actually cleans the air in cities like London.... have fun, make more, and maybe you can earn a living playing with awesome cars... Sent from my iPad using Rennlist

pnirenstein The only thing I said was that you under priced the car. Better to have stretched it to $25000 and maybe mentioned the hard top (with the glass window) making the cab into a coupe for the winter months. The only time my canvas top goes up is when I leave it during the summer months. I hardly ever drive it with it up unless it's raining. Kcattorney:- I wanted the cab. If I had wanted the coupe I would have bought one..they are cheaper...I also wanted a house with a swimming pool... I bought one.. if I had wanted a house without one.. I would have bought a house with out one. They are cheaper as well mainly because they don't have enough land to put a pool in. Hope you 'get my point'. I have 'the best of both world's.. The coupe does not or ever will have the edge over a convertible. Don't tell me that there are several for sale between $15000 and $20000 near you... Tell me Texas style...SHOW ME... with the matching hard top, under 70000. Straight title. Nothing wrong with it. No wraps, unmolested, Yes maybe a coupe and I can figure out why.... but not a cab. BTW pnirenstein I think you did an excellent job praising the 99 996 for what it really is..Everything you said about it, I whole heartedly agree with and some. To you young man I say well done. I stand corrected "Show me" would be Missouri style. BUT and a big but it is... The car you showed me was over 90000 miles and only $2 under $20000 which to me, hardly qualifies as I did state under 70000 miles. Someone else states that he paid $11500 for one but failed to mention the mileage on that car. I hazard a wild guess at over 130000 miles or an insurance total or both.

If you want a stiff chassis, the coupe has an edge over the convertible.

pnirenstein, nice vid. a couple mistakes, which others have pointed out. it's funny when my 2 boys, at the ages of 9 and 6, just looked at the spelling and were already pronouncing it "Porscha" before I even had to learn them. you can research plenty right here on RL and through your own investigative reporting in your locale. Your generation, on a budget, looking to buy their first decent sports car or genuinely interested in a specific marque will definitely get a heads up with your vids. I had to ask my indi plenty of questions, AFTER purchasing my 2000 Cab, to learn about the issues these 996's have. Then I moved to a 996 Turbo. Coupe. Problem solved. the body lines of a Coupe are better than a Cab. OT, the only way I'd go to a Cab would be for a cruiser, not as a DD. I dont' care for the plastic windows on the Mk1's either. I dont have to treat a fabric roof or figure that if it does start to get leaks or gets buggy, that it'll cost $$ plus for repair and/or replacement. If my better half and budget would allow, I'd definitely pick up a 997 Cab over a 996 Cab.

Hurdigurdiman, here you are sir: http://www.californiamotors.com/vehi...lifornia-94901 I am editing and re-uploading the video. I can't stand hearing myself say inline 6. I changed the intro title to say cab, and at least pronounced porsche correct in the new intro voiceover. I'll post the link once its done. I'm very glad I got constructive feeback from you guys before the views spike on this.

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oh please, tell me another one crappy interior plastics, intermix, AOS, coolant tanks, etc etc. Lets not act like the 996 (or any other car) has no cons.

Here is the updated version: Porsche Carrera Cabriolet Test Drive and Review - YouTube

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Denial is the first step... From the door hinges forward they are identical to a Boxster, the interior quality is laughable for a car in its original sticker price range... In my and many other people's opinions the 996 is a great perforance bargain, but to kid ourselves into thinking its on par with some of the more desirable generations is unrealistic. These and many other well known reasons did create the value to drop off considerably. I paid about $20k for a nice E46 M3 a few years ago, and comparing it to the 996, I'd say even a very good condition 996 C2 shouldn't be worth much more than $20k. When you start going up from that price point there are cars that offer much more (Cayman S to name one). Also from my experience in the used car market Cab's don't demand a premium over Coupes like they do when new, because I know many buyers like myself don't even consider a cab. In some ways they may be harder to sell for certain niche cars, similar to having an automatic/ tiptronic. OP: You seem to be somewhat of a natural at it. Despite needing a few small tweaks... Great review.

Thanks ccaarmercill! I'm trying to review as many cars as I can in the under 25k range.

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So many great options around $25k "Performance" cars that I've always been interested in, in that range: BMW 335i Cayman S (some are dipping in the mid 20's) Corvette C5 Z06 Corvette C6 E46 BMW M3 Lotus Elise (my favorite in this range, was actually trying to find one on Island before buying the 996) Acura NSX and the 996 Carrera (C2) It's hard for me to keep cars for a long time, I always need to change it up. I've only owned 2 cars on that list, but have driven most. I kind of want them all for different reasons...

I bought my 99 cab for $11.5k. I live in Texas. Had a PPI. No problems. Car is fantastic They made more 996's then 993's, lots of people upgraded to 997s. Values have tanked. It's just the way it is. I'm 40 years old and have 3 adopted kids. Never thought I'd own a 911. Now I have one parked in my garage, covered. I'm glad values have tanked! Brian

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Thats a terrific list. I've driven the 335, m3 and carrera (obviously), but need to get my hands on the rest. Good for you bmo72! While its a negative for those who bought the cars new, depreciation can be a wonderful thing for others looking for a great deal.

"Show me" would be Missouri style. (From a proud Mizzou grad).

2900 lbs on a 3.4L 996 cab??? Really! LOL

Yep, my gasoline bill is crazy for the same reason. Every little errand seems to turn into a 100 mile detour along the coast or up to the mountains.

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Sounds just like me...except my M5 gets 13.7 mpg

Nice video, you obviously have a passion for cars...best hobby ever!!

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Thanks! Cars are just so damn cool

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I think we get that you prefer 996 cabs... But they are definitely not the preferred 996 for many (most) current buyers. When 996's were current models, lots of buyers wanted to have the prestige of a 911 and the glam of a cabriolet, but IMHO weren't really 'car' guys or all that concerned about performance other than the occasional stop light show off against some guy in a Mustang. TONS of 996 cabriolets with tiptronics help illustrate this point. I think the majority of those looking at purchasing a 996 these days really want a high performance car... Tiptronics are a huge negative (deal breaker for most), Cabriolets are a slight negative (deal breaker for many), and clean coupe six speeds are in my experience the hardest to find and seem to hold their price better than cabs. I wanted my sports car to be sporty, so I bought a coupe. Hold the swimming pool...

I stand corrected "Show me" would be Missouri style. BUT and a big but it is... The car you showed me was over 90000 miles and only $2 under $20000 which to me, hardly qualifies as I did state under 70000 miles. Someone else states that he paid $11500 for one but failed to mention the mileage on that car. I hazard a wild guess at over 130000 miles or an insurance total or both. BTW mine is the C2 stick shift which is more desirable (TO ME) than tiptronic or the C4 and is not as heavy as the coupe. Throw that bit of info into the equation and what do we have? Mine (apart from tires and maybe a clutch) still has the original everything at almost 66000 miles ie:- aol, water pump, plugs, coolant expansion tank, IMS bearing, BUT some burk effed up the gear box before I bought it so that is not the original. That was caused by (tongue in cheeck) GOOD USA DRIVERS. I am a Brit BTW who learned how to drive stick shift from scratch. WHOOPS now I have done it haha

Nice job on the review, I enjoyed watching and could tell you we're really enjoying driving the car! The coupe vs cab debate is pretty hilarious, saying a cabrio is more desirable than a coupe is hysterical. I've done years of price research and cabs are by far the cheapest and most common 996s. Similar to how the 80s targas are worth much less than coupes.

OK, I know we already beat the kid up on this, but I couldn't help myself. I knew this clip was out there, and found it this morning on Youtube. For all of you Two and a Half Men (Charlie Sheen vintage) afficionados, enjoy! (Even if you aren't a fan of the show, watch the entire episode on Netflix/Hulu or wherever - funniest episode they ever did IMHO) Apologies to our brethen in the Boxster forum. Two and a Half Men - Alan's Porsche [HD] - YouTube

Now pnirenstein that's what I call a great film. Your reactions as you drove further into the film are amazing. I thought at one point that you were going to have an orgasm hahaha. You absolutely fell in love with the car as we all did when discovering for ourselves what these cars are capable of. There was no hiding the delight on your face or the tone of your voice as you described the pros for the car. I am still smiling. Keep up the good work and thanks. 1999 C2 996 cabs rule OK..

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dont forget the 03-04 cobra's, you can get the absolute monsters for $25k and stockish ones for under $18k. On another note, i just picked up a 996 c2 coupe!

Aahahah the two and a half men clip was hilarious. The coupe/convertible debate is endless. I was searching for a low mileage stick shift coupe BMW e46 M3 for the longest time. They were all smg convertibles. What a shame. Ended up with an M5 because they only came with manuals . Thanks for the kind words hurdigurdiman, it was a blast to drive and film.

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I think it depends on the market. Here in Scottsdale, cabs go for a premium.

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When I was E46 M3 shopping every car was either Vert or SMG. Worst part about living in Hawaii, is the car market is very limited. No driving to another state to check out a car anymore . Normally I know what I want to shop for, last year when I got my 996, I was shopping for a handful of different cars. As someone said earlier about those 03-04' (terminators) Cobra's... That's another performance bargain for the price. I've always been curious about those, and how underrated they are. (plus they come with IRS)

Not all Mk I cabs have ****** plastic windows, bad IMS bearings. Spend enough time and money, and they're highly desirable! Just take a look at mine! LOL... With that said, how much would you spend on this fine example (look at signature for modifications)? Also, these cabs came with hardtops! In the midwest, why WOULDN'T you want a cabriolet? Suspension? Install coilovers. Performance? Install a supercharger. Lighten up the car a bit? Install light-weight wheels. Yeah, yeah, mods don't bring up the price, but there are enthusiasts willing to spend the money on a well-maintained, UNIQUE Mk I cab... or so I hope, if I ever sell. Hmmm, I just re-read my post, I should put down this beer, and refrain from consuming the remaining.

Pnirenstein, really enjoyed your enthusiasm. It mirrors the feeling we all get whenever we get into our 996's regardless of cab, coupe, tip or 6 speed. I recently wrote off my 99 996 and am starting the hunt for another. I'm seeing more cabs than coupes on the market and not much for under $20k. Hope to find one soon so I can be as happy as you were in your video!

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Thanks for the kind words, good luck with your search!