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YOUR RESEARCHBest options on a 996
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Replace are the same effort or expense however
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I guess what I’m saying is, any car can be made to be exactly what you want, not all changes are the same effort or expense however, so take that into account when looking at any potential car.
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Replace are the same effort or expense however
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I guess what I’m saying is, any car can be made to be exactly what you want, not all changes are the same effort or expense however, so take that into account when looking at any potential car.
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I am looking to buy a 996 and one you look past the price and at the options there are some interesting points of difference. What do people think are the best DRIVER options and what value do they add?
the obvious ones are:
Sport Exhaust or PSE
sport seats
Sport Shifter
M030 Sport Suspension
Flared Rocker Panels
XAG rear wing
It would be interesting to hear from owners what the best / rarest / driver Options - wood trims and electronics (nav and 6 CD changers) don�t count as they seem to be more trouble than they are worth after 20 years. Let me hear it - don�t hold back.
I have the XLF ( Porsche Sports Exhaust) and M030 ( Porsche Sports Suspension RoW) both in my 996. I think they transform the 996 Carrera into something else and if you ask me they should be standard. If I was to choose between the two I would choose the Sports exhaust , its simply something else !
I would say the sport shifter option could be addressed (maybe even better than the factory option) with a Numeric Shifter and cables. Aero package and LSD are two I would put up at the top of my personal list. One of the greatest things with these cars (in my opinion) is the very ample amount of aftermarket offerings, exhaust, suspension, aero, shifters, and so on. I guess what I’m saying is, any car can be made to be exactly what you want, not all changes are the same effort or expense however, so take that into account when looking at any potential car. Free advice, so it’s worth at least what you paid for it, look for service records and ownership history and weight that as much or more than any particular option, because you can add whatever you want later, and probably for less than the consequences of catching up on neglect on the maintenance front. You have found your way into a place with an incredible number of people who have forgotten more than I know about these cars, keep asking questions and you will make a great decision I’m sure.
For me, some kind of sports exhaust is simply essential. The stock exhaust is a bit too polite. I ended up getting a PSE retrofitted to my car (I wanted a switchable option) and I love it. It has really increased my enjoyment of the car, even just driving around town.
I found the stock shifter a bit vague and the throw was too long. A Numeric Racing short shifter has solved that. It's not cheap, but as others have said on the forum, it's how it should have been from the factory.
I also have the sports seats and RoW M030, but I can't really evaluate these because I haven't driven another 996 without them to compare. Certainly the sports seats are still very comfortable, and the M030 isn't too harsh either.
I'd say sport seats. I have standard seats and the seat back is not wide enough at the shoulders for me. I am tall (a bit over 6'2"), but not wide (used to be thinner before the Covid 15 set in (that is gained some poundage since working from home for the last 6 months).
Non-Mezger unicorn list:
996.2 C4S, X51, RoW M030, PSE, sport seats, SSK, sunroof delete, Carrara white with black hollow-spoke twists. That would’ve been my order back in ‘03.
X51 would have been great, but I think the best option is the Sports Seats. Much more hugging, looks better, and I ache less after a drive. So, that's an overall win for me.
Then next in order: SSK (go with Numeric, it is the best for a reason), Sports Exhaust. I don't have LSD or M030, so I can't comment on those. For aesthetics, the aero kit.
-Matt
Full leather hands down. Everything else can be added (or already has been by now), and even with the lowest of the option packages the car itself is still awesome (except for the plastic/"soft touch" interior)...
i'm a big fan of factory sport seats. if i were looking for a car, i'd put that option above the others for one simple reason - you can do just as well, if not better, in the aftermarket for the other components. stock sport seats always look appropriate for the model and year. aftermarket seats, if you'd opt for them, always look like an add-on. not necessarily a bad thing, but not quite as integrated as stock seats will look. i'd take an aftermarket exhaust over the sport exhaust every time. suspension and short shifter are abundantly available also.
