Every 911 generation ranked

https://jalopnik.com/every-generatio...ked-1850221031

Thanks for the link! Would swap the LWB with the 997 only because a LWB Targa is the THE iconic Porsche to me. I’d drive my gold metallic ‘72 S Targa to the track and switch it out for my 917 many, many times in my dreams.

Satanist hate the 996

Good to see the 996 is moving up in the world of 911. I find it interesting that the 964 has as well. Two 911 models that were slighted early on, but now sought after.

Fun article. I didn't expect the 996 to end up so high in the list, but then again, the author is a 996 owner. I do fully agree with the ranking of the 993 -- I also found it a bit disappointing to drive compared with earlier and later 911s, and somehow its styling doesn't get better with age IMO. Zooming out though, any 911 is a great car and I would probably have a lot of fun in a 74-77 coupe with a rebuilt engine.

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After owning both a 964 C4 and a 993 Carrera, I would have reversed the order. Partly because of all the issues with the 964, such as the LUK flywheel, dual distributors, and rotting pins on the engine management unit in the frunk. Those issues are better than the motor problems of the 996. The 964 was a transition car between the late 80's Carrera and the 993, which dialed out those issues and improved the body by eliminating the add-on plastic rockers. Another blow against my 964 was the all-wheel drive. That was clunky and I believe I would have had a better opinion of the 964 had it been a C2. All that aside, it only took 1 hour to joust me out of my 993 when I spied a 2004 GT3 on the lot of my local dealer. They said it was the fastest delivery of a car they had ever made.

Can attest to the 997 take. My old man has a 997.2 green on tan Carrera S, 6spd manual. It is a perfect and beautiful car.

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Probably the last of the true driver's car.

Was surprised to see the 996 so high on the list, but makes sense since the author owns one. Most people who hate them never owned one. Also, agree on the 997 RS, but I also may be biased haha

Personally, I like the 993, 996, and 997. After the 997s everything starts getting too big and less and less analog. Not to say those cars aren't amazing performance machines just don't do much for me. Then again most of the cars I like tend to be from the years of those generations.

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Agree with all of your points and add the fact that I simply can't afford the new cars.

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For sure but I think like most cars the newer stuff will be more affordable one day and I still think I will prefer the 996 eras of cars. My current stable is all cars from that era, 04 MINI, 99 911, and 03 Cobra. In the past I've owned a 2000 Camaro SS, 2001 Mustang GT, 2002 BMW M3, 2004 R32, 2001 Audi S4, 2005 Jetta GLI. Probably more I am forgetting at this point so I am bit biased lol.

I agree... the 996 is just such a departure from the rest with the aero headlights, the pedals that swivel at the top .It still has the highest quality materials and engineering of Porsche ( although some missed the mark and need re-engineered) ....It set the stage for the cars that followed.. That's what drew me to it in the first place....The improved Aero was big ...and I knew the design issues could be fixed, but was glad they were there to make it affordable for me...

Exactly.....and I'll add. ......... ....after owning several 356's, 912, 914, I just wanted something similar to my old 356 cab, but with some amenities, like a decent heater.....air? I'll put the damn top-down...... Perhaps overall, I think that PAG has come a long way by using efficient coatings, on both surfaces....at least it is far better than the old bitumen coatings that made many of the 356's Flinstone vehicles or early 911's for that matter. Look, aesthetics, it has the essence of the 356, which never needed to have a lot of appendages....and while I'm not thrilled about the design of the space age flowing dash, it's growing on me...all of which is because there is a lack of current *$%&#@ nannyisms, these 996.1's in comparison to the latest seem to retain some of the early DNA..... And they simply cost less than an eighty-grand Ford F150, ( I'll keep my old Nissan ) even if an engine rebuild is required or have it Rabyized....it's a hell of a deal..... Damn the economy and AT SPEED GENTLEMEN!

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What color green is it? If I won the lottery I would repaint my 996.1. I'm into those deep metallic candy apple greens, frosty ice metallic greens, my latest favorite is the Aston Zagato Green, it's kind a misty pearl green. Oh yeah there's a color I just love, I saw it on a Lamborghini, Verde Ermes. Swoon. 💚 🍏 💚. Maybe some day. Green. Did I mention green?

People really got spicy about that list, but mostly it was just something totally subjective for fun. I mean, it IS Jalopnik after all. Nothing is that serious, haha. I love my 996 to death, but if the chance for a 997.2 S in a similar spec to my 996 came up, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

When I was in the market, I was considering the 996.2 C4S and the 997.1 C4S. I didn't want the Turbo; I just don't like the lines as much and I really didn't need the power after selling my 615 bhp 970.1 Pano. I had budget for either the 996 or 997 but in the end, the goofy headlights and the more "vintage-feeling" interior of the 996.2 won my heart. I could certainly live with and enjoy the 997; it's a great car for sure. But the 996 is more special to me precisely BECAUSE it's reviled by many self-appointed "purists."

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My favorite era as well. All great cars you own/ed.

Yea you knew you would get flamed no matter what order you put the 911's in..lol ...I think that was the whole purpose was to raise some blood pressure.... I would take any year model 911 as long as it was in good working order, that said you couldn't chase me down and pay me to take a 928..( sorry Tom Cruise..lol )

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I thought the early 996 was a great compromise for former air cooled guys like me and I never understood the headlamp hate.

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Any model line departure from a previous style that is radical enough will generate discord among fans. If the 992 had followed the 993 people would be griping that it wasn't a 911 no matter how good the performance. Even the 993 was too radical for some.

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I understand the headlight hate. If I was spending $73K+ for a 911 in 1998 I wouldn�t be happy that it looks identical to a $40K Boxster from the front. That was a huge mistake. Removing the amber and then switching to the Turbo headlights in 2002 wasn�t enough to correct the problem. The switch back to round headlights for the 997 immediately made the 996 look outdated. And not in a good way.

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I have a set of Variel Automotive headlight covers that I've yet to install. TBH they look pretty good -- may throw them on and post pics. Also helps if you have a good paint guy (like I do, of course).

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A good paint guy to do headlight covers? I�d think just about anybody could do a great job with a rattle can if the paint is right�

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For me it wasn't about round vs not round headlights, or that it looked identical to the Boxster..it was about Bug Eye vs Aero.... The Bug Eye look on all previous models of 911's was just so blamed outdated it was stuck in the 50's-60's.....the Aero look (even though it was used on the Boxster also ) was just so "refreshing"...even with the "slanted round" 0f the 997 it was still Aero looking and to me was an unnecessary apology...lol

The "it looks like a Boxster" cohort reeks of some serious insecurity. Buy the car you want.

When the 996 first came out, the headlights weren't the issue, the issue was that it was no longer air cooled. Infact, the Carrera GT helped to confirm the validity of the headlights. Something was right about the 996 because it was the most popular 911 in history up to that point. It was a brand new 911 that was all modern. Faster, lighter, more aero dynamic and more comfortable than previous models. But as what always happens, the 997 came out with round headlights and the rumor mill and belly aching started. Journalists needed headlines and controversy to be relevant. And it gave us something to beat ourselves up about on RL. The way the 996 was treated as the 997 was being released was very similar to how the 964 was treated as the 993 was being released. We now know how popular the 964 eventually became and it seems to be playing out the same with the 996. I loved the headlights in 2002 when I bought my 996 and still do today. I didn't want round headlights then and don't want them now. I wouldn't be surprised if the market puts a premium on them over the next 5-10 years because they are different.

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True But I remember hearing the Boxster comments back in 1998. Porsche changed them to clear in a single model year for a reason. Personally I don�t have a problem with the amber headlights. They�re a large part of the reason why I was able to purchase an early build 996 manual C2 with sport seats, M030 suspension, lsd and 408 hollow spokes with 4 new Michelins from a Porsche dealer in 2020 for $20K.

Don't forget that the Boxster was a HOT car when it first came out. Everybody loved it and everybody wanted one. Nobody complained about the headlights. Everybody loved them because at the time, when the Boxster was launched, the 928, 944 and 968 was fresh on everyones minds and didnt give a different headlight look a second thought.

99-01 headlights are the hottest ones to me

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As I remember it, the 997 evolved specifically to address the issues with the 996 from owners and perspective buyers, which included the look of the headlights, sound and feel of the doors when closed, and the radical departure of the 996 dash. While the 996 was actually structurally stronger than the 993, it did not feel that way. The 964 revolution is probably more due to Singer than any possible superiority to the 993. Owning both the 964 and the 993, I found it puzzling that the 964 has recently obtained such popularity. It's just my opinion, but I think that is also due somewhat to herd mentality. The four-wheel drive on the 964 was very awkward and heavy. The high point for the 964 was the RS America. Even more amazing, the RS was cheaper than the base C2!

You had the 964 C4 and the 993 C2, maybe that explains the difference. I test drove two 993s last year and was quite unimpressed -- liked my 996 C2 a lot more at the time. From several sides I've heard that the 964 is better to drive than the 993, but I've yet to drive one myself to confirm. I think that the 993 gets better with mods, but the two stock ones that I drove were not very engaging.

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That's because the 996 drives much better than the 993. That's expected. After all, it is newer technology with a much better suspension and a little more horsepower. Technically, the 993 drives better than the 964, but because the 993 is better behaved with its tail, it lacks the old-world feel of the rear end nervousness when pushed into a corner. If you want the excitement of the old air-cooled 911s you can probably skip the 993. The 993 still has the hand built quality of its predecessors, but the rear end demon has been dialed out a little more. In the end it is mostly about what floats your boat. While every model has its set of foibles, they are all "good" cars, each with a unique character.

Oh definitely. But it is fun discussing the differences between the generations. I went into that 993 test drive fully expecting to really like it and probably buy that car, so it caught me by surprise that I found it a little bit -- boring? I've owned classic cars all my life, now own a 2.2S so it's definitely not the case that I prefer newer cars in general. It was just different than I expected. I once had the chance to drive a 3.2 Clubsport and that car blew me away, it was so mesmerizingly good. I had expected some of that in the 993. Instead, my conclusion was that the 996 is more fun! (Still need to try a GT3 though.)

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For sure. No right or wrong answer. Just comes down to what you are looking for. I would love one of each model. But instead, I have room for only one. After driving many of the 964, 993, 996, 997 and 991s over the years, I continue to favor the 996.2. There is a lid for every pot.