How much better '00 vs. '99?

I have been contemplating the purchase of a '99 996 (one of these with low miles is about the top of my price range). I have four friends who own 996s but all have '00 - '03's. I tooled around in my buddy's '00 with under 10K miles over the past weekend to try it out.......very nice!!! Some have told me the '00 and later are MUCH BETTER cars. How true is this? Is a '99 best to avoid since it was a first year build of the new watercooled cars? I may have to go the 993 route instead if the later 996s really are better and wait until I can afford one.

i never had a problem with my 99 after the rms was fixed

I'd say based upon all I've read on this board that there are a few lemons out there for all model years. I'm really more focused on what the major improvements have been since '99. I'm not in the market for a '00 or later due to cost so I'm just wondering if I'm missing out on a much better vehicle in the '00 or later.

The 996 was still in evolution in 99 through 2000. In fact, some earlier 99's were not the same as the later '99's (ex., E-gas). I believe that the 99 -2000 diference is fairly minimal, though. So long as all TSB's were addressed, good service record, good PPI report, it should be fine. I think '99's have an undeserved bad rep. More significant changes were made starting with 2001, such as increased torgue, HP, and subtler improvements. Worth the wait or the money, IMHO. If you can swing it, go for a 2001.

3 things that I know of with 00' compared to 99', 1) With 00' you get e-gas which means you have the option of getting one of those new supercharger kits someday and keeping up with the turbos (no small thing in my book), 2) If you get an automatic, the 00' tiptronic allows you to shift it manually without taking it out of drive mode (a very important feature), and 3) if you don't get full leather, the 99' has a cheesier looking fake leather material on the dash. You also can't get all wheel drive on a 99' so if you need a C-4 it has to be a 00'.

I had a '99 C2 cab for three years that was a daily driver. It had 55k miles when I traded it in for an '02 cab. I never had any major problems with it. By comparison, my '02 had to have the RMS and instrument cluster replaced. BTW, if your interested in a cab, get an '02 because that was the first year they had a real glass rear window instead of plastic.

There is a 99 C4 ... it had the E-gas and PSM came standard. The 00 car has a couple more horsepower, but I doubt you can feel the difference. I drove 00's and 99's and picked the 99 because it felt "right" to me -- but power, handling, etc., all the cars felt about the same. Vic 99 C2 cab

since this is your first 996, why a '99? i'd find the best deal on someting w/ factory warranty--which i consider priceless. there are people here that can't get their extended warranty cos. to cough-up on big-ticket repairs (engine/gearbox failures are not uncommon) which is what you can face with a 996. 'sides the aforementioned, '00s usually were much better optioned and you'd get the benefit as they are almost thrown in for free...and the likelyhood of getting some factory warranty on a '00 would make it a no-brainer for me.

Yep...there was a 1999 C4, I had one before my present 2003 C2! The really big benefits happened in 2002 with the newer "turbo look" front bumper and lights, as well as added torque from the new 3.6 ltr motor. You CAN feel the difference from a 99-01 car in the new models. The body is somewhat tighter and has more welds/stiffer chassis. As far as balance and feel....the rear wheel drive cars feel more like what a PCar should feel like, to ME, but are more of a challange to drive FASSST without PSM on!

So what I'm gathering here from you folks is that while the '99's overall don't seem to have significant mechanical issues (understanding that there are always lemons out there no matter what manufacturer) the later models are a safer choice due to: (a) some changes in options and (b) a current factory warranty. If a decent '00 or '01 is out of reach at prices in the high $40's to $50K range, would it be the consensus amongst most of you (who have owned both 993's and 996's) that a smarter move would be to instead go with a late model 993 (dare I say this on the 996 board) until a 996 is more affordable? I still need to save money for a house and /or a rainy day!

I think you'll find late 993 prices and early 996 prices to be fairly comparable. The cars are quite different; I've owned several 993s. I would recommend driving both; the 993 is a little rawer, less comfortable, but more "911-like" to someone who's familiar with the older cars of the 70s and 80s. The 993 is not immune to problems, either; I lost a rear main seal on my 95 Carrera 4. The cars also suffer from carbon build-up on the air injection ports, which will set off the check engine light on the 96-98 cars, due to the OBD2 system. The fix is about $4500. The 95 has the same problem, but it won't set off the light because it's OBD1. Other weak spots include rust around the front and rear glass seals, leaking power steering racks and climate control issues. Valve guides can also wear rather quickly, although this may be true of the 996, too. I'm assuming you want a coupe; if you want a cabriolet, the 996 is far superior, as the 993 has a cloth boot cover that you must manually fasten over the top when you lower it, which is, to say the least, a PITA. The 996 is faster, too ... it's a tradeoff, more modern, faster car versus the classic lines and rawer feel of the 993. I like both cars. Vic 99 C2 cab

What is E-gas? Earlier today I test drove 2000 996s. Boy that's a different car. It's certainly a 'nicer' car. Very refined. I'm contemplating trading for that. Why is 2001 better (2002 is 3.6)? Isn't 1999-2001 the same?

Another thing (if you care) is that he 1999 only had the option for Tracktion control. PSM did not become availiable in 2000. If it matters...

I mean did not become availiable until 2000 but reading now I can see someone mentioned that srry.

"If a decent '00 or '01 is out of reach at prices in the high $40's to $50K range" Are you saying this is your budget, or that this is out of reach for you? My suggestion would be that you get the newest car with the most warranty. A single repair could make up for the difference in cost. I just bought (took delivery yesterday) an 01 C2 with 31k miles for $50.5k. It has the right options (18", litronics, power seats w. mem and others) and because it is a very late 01 (6/01 build, 8/01 in service) it still has 20 months (or 20k miles) of bumper to bumper warranty on it (then 2 years/50k of porsche certified warranty). It has brand new tires and a brand new motor (RMS). I'm loving it. C.

no HP difference between 99 and 00. I don't think 00 is worth extra money, unless u are planning to SC it, sinec 99 did not have e-gas. Some people, me included don't like e-gas. there were no engine,body difference untill 02, which is stiffer and more refined

Advice that I've heard a lot - buy the newest or most expensive Porsche you can afford. The 2 main problems that seemed to plague the '99 's were the RMS and also a radiator expansion tube that sometimes overinflated. I would suspect that any 99 that had those defects would have had them surface by now.

"no HP difference between 99 and 00" I don't know whether it's a real difference, but I believe Porsche advertised 99s at 296hp (in the US) and 00s at 300hp. Even if it was a real difference you wouldn't notice 4hp in 300ish. I think that's what the original poster was referring to, not the 20hp hike in 02 that came with the displacement change. C.

"3 things that I know of with 00' compared to 99', 1) With 00' you get e-gas which means you have the option of getting one of those new supercharger kits someday and keeping up with the turbos (no small thing in my book)..." I'm missing something here. Why do you need e-gas to put in a supercharger? =Carlos=