Purchase of a 996: what year?

I have a friend who is looking for a 996. I�m pretty familiar with 993s but need a little help myself to help him with information regarding any particular years to avoid or to try to select. He wants a cab with manual gearbox. From searching this forum I�ve read that the 02 models are pretty nice since they have a glass rear window, 20 more hp and some chassis improvements. I saw something about 02 and 03 models having a variocam plus surge at 3200 rpms. I�m not sure what this is or whether it�s a big deal or not. Is that something that occurrs if you happen to be right at 3200 rpms and hold it there? If that's the case I would think you could just avoid driving at a steady 3200 rpm or can the surge occurr, for example at a range of between 2500 to 3500 rpms?

Your friend should buy a 2002 or newer 996. 2002 and newer have a stronger engine...320 v 300; variocam that functions continuously rather than "kicking in" at some RPM level (I think it was around 4K, but not sure); as well as other enhancements. Also, of course, the newer the car the more warranty left and that's always important. Tell'm good luck!

Like agio said...2002 or newer.

I would argue only buy a 2002. My reasoning is that 2003 and later cars are equipped with the MOST digital bus technology for the entertainment and other systems. This digital system severely limits your options for adding an iPod or upgrading your stereo. 2002 was the year of the new engine, interior, and for the cabriolet, a new glass rear window. The only new thing to any extent on 2003 and later cars was the MOST bus which has proven to be a step backward.

I see it a little differently. I bought a 2001 996 - very happy with it. I considered the 20 horsepower but ultimately decided that it isn't enought to warrant the extra purchase price - 20 hp takes about an hour to add to your car if you really have to have it, or on the track just keep your foot down 1/10 of a second longer and you have offset the 20 horsepower. The other features are nice (glovebox, Variocam, etc..) but the deals right now are 2001 and older. Depends on your friend's budget.

Always get the newest Porsche you can afford. But there is nothing wrong with the '99-01 cars.

ditto - newest in your budget, unless you have some specific application in mind.

In addition to the 20 hp, max torque is up 15# at 4250 RPM instead of 4600. Chassis and torsional rigidity is increased, and the headlights mimic the Turbo, which differentiates the front end a little more from the Boxster. The variocam plus system used on the M96/03 motors (2002+) can set several lift/duration profiles based on engine speeds/loads. If you are accelerating gently at about 3200 you may feel a slight bump, probably as the variocam plus switches to a different profile. Moderate to hard acceleration and the bump is not apparent. Surge is not really the proper word and it is not a big deal. At a steady state 3200 RPM in sixth gear the engine sometimes seems to "hunt" back and forth between profiles, and in this limited context "surge" might be the way one would describe the action, although it is slight. Going 100 RPM on either side of 3200 stops it - there is absolutely no activity of this sort across the 2500-3500 RPM range. It can be annoying on a trip if 3200 RPM is what you wanted to cruise at, but I just drop down to 3000-3100.

Had a 2000 and 2002, now have a 2004 C2 - without a doubt I would spend the extra $$$ and get a 2002+ (turbo lights, engine, suede-like head liner, glove box, wheels, stereo + + + there is a vast diff between pre '02 and post '02 - remember that you always get what you pay for. And chances are the '02+ will have much less km's meaning perhaps less maintenance ???

[ 20 hp takes about an hour to add to your car if you really have to have it, [/QUOTE] OK where Can I drive my car to add the 20 Hp , in less then an hour....Ill Pay!! Just think Porsche had to change heads ,cam ,intake, to get 25 hp, but man I wanna know your secret! And oh yea buy the newest you can afford, Every Porsche improves over the last one....And the MOST system is not that bad, granted it is a PIA, but I simply took everything out and started from fresh!

Just how do you accomplish this in an hour? :-)

My 00 has the suede headliner, but it has full leather, PSM, litronics. Was the suede headliner part of the full leather package or a separate option?

Don't buy anything older than an '02 unless the cost is prohibitive. As others have pointed out, there were numerous little changes to motor, chassis, interior, looks, etc that make the later cars much better to own. I've had both.