996 driving impressions

I took the 996 out for a drive over the holidays on my favorite short route. For those in the SF Bay area, that's stevens canyon to pierce, up hwy 9, north on skyline, and down page mill. Door to door, less than an hour...very spouse friendly. And when you turn on page mill, you look at the "winding road, next 8 miles" sign . I did this once in the 996 with a friend driving my old 3.2L Carrera and again in the 914 with a friend driving a 68 911S. My abbreviated thoughts are as follows: 996: I got used to the power after about 1 week of ownership. It is fast, it turns, it has no vices on the road. If you are about the result, you can cover a lot of ground quickly and comfortably here. My friend was working the 3.2L and I was "point & shoot." I can see why people think the new cars have no soul. They are easy to drive at safe speeds and take a track to push them for the sensation of speed. But they are oh-so-capable. Seriously, there is no amount of money in the world that can make an early car this user friendly and effective. 914: I took this one out for a shake down drive before it goes to its new home. Old school in every way...smells like vinyl and oil, low to the ground and light. Not much in the way of power, but fun to drive at the limit (which is pretty low). Lots of sports car flavor in the 60s/70s sense....low weight, lots of tactile feedback. Fun, but I couldn't really cover much ground without a lot of work. The S was more of the same. Just 200% more intense. Yes, the old cars have soul (aka quirks) and attainable limits. After about 1 hour, the law of diminishing returns says you want to go home and this has gone from a thrill to a bother (such as when you just want to cover ground quickly to keep the peace). My assessment: 996 for everyday driving, touring, and tracking. The limits are just too high to be challenging on the street. Old(er) cars for the thrill, but realistically they are a weekend toy with a finite enjoyment window. Yes, they were built in the day when race cars and road cars were still pretty close. I can get in and feel like Mario Andretti for a while. Bottom line: all Porsches are thrilling in their own way. What is your kind of fun?

Thats a great write up, thanks for that. When I go back to Oz to live I will look for a 996 if the price depreciates enough. From what you wrote sounds like a good daily driver with the capability to thrill.

Excellent writeup! My thoughts exactly (as I've got both cars - old and new). On the track you can push them to the point of melting the tires (I've done it) and yet they are still very forgiving. How about working the throttle mid-turn in a high speed constant G 190 degree turn in order to place the nose anywhere you want and doing it with no drama at all. Yes, you can do that in an old school 911 too, but the back end will become much twitchier and likely to let loose if you're not careful. Thanks again.

A very good and informative write up, Rockafella.

after owning 8 different 911's you are a great source of info. I track my 03, 996 often. The PSM has never saved me, yet or maybe I just dont see the light on the dash ?

Well written.

I agree. My sentiments exactly. The car really does have the same "genes". Feels different, yet has similar moves. Rode my 87 3.2 Targa the other afternoon and it was good to know the oh so familiar sounds remain, but have to concur with the above statements. Now where are my keys...

the only thing I would change on the 996 's would be the Traction cortol on/off button,it's not really off when it says off it comes on if the pitch/yaw gets out of wack and it sences bracking.and dump some weight to match up too the older cars with the same HP.

Luckily for me my model year 2000 does not have traction control. The C2's only it had it as an option back then. It was standard on the C4's. Also, my car was one of the earlier, lighter versions at 2920 lbs., so that's good too.

wow.. what a great write up!!! thanks.. i was in the process of letting go my 84 3.2 and possibly trading up to a 996 turbo. got the wifey's ok... but this is making me re-think.. anyway, i have a side question. do all 996 turbo come in twin turbos? thanks.

Yes the do, they made 415 HP at the crank, you can chip them and get 85 more HP out of the box they are heavy 3450 lbs a true heavy weight.

But bloody fast as he11!

Good read. I've got a 86 911 that is my first 911. Its a blast to drive on nice weekends and such, but I'm being drawn away to the 2000-2003 Corvette, NO NO NO dont hate me. You're right in saying the older 911 are just a toy, and I need something else than just a weekend fun toy. I've looked at listings for the 1999-2001 911 and the pirce is about the same as the vette. I just cant get the vette out of my head. I love tinkering with the 911 and fixing things, but more and more its getting to be a PITA. Any thoughts for my "problem".

X2 with strupgolf I'm finding that working on the few things that need attention on my 80 SC are becoming more of a chore than fun. The thrill of driving the car is still there but I've been leaning toward something newer for some time. The pass side window has fallen off the track twice in the last 6 months and the thought of fixing that one more time is annoying. Nontheless, the "soul" issue has me perplexed. I suppose a test drive in a 996 would help some in answering my own questions but haven't found the right circumstances to get a ride or a drive. Just yesterday, I found a really nice Silver 996 with PSM option at a local dealership, got the keys and heard it idle + a few throttle blips but since a buyer was signing the papers to close his deal, there was no test drive for me. So for me the jury is still out. As you might guess, I too am glad I came across this post.

Rich and strupgolf, test drive the 996 asap. Find a good one and take it out. You'll find what you're looking for. Trust me. The 996 is a very well built and reliable daily driver with all the amenities but it's also a plaything that'll drop an SC or Carrera for dead anytime you please - straight or twisty road. The car really does come alive when you push it hard. I know. I have both cars and love them both, so I'm not trying to bash the air cooled cars at all, but I am honest too. Porsche has moved the 911 game WAY forward since your lovely cars were built. Again, find a reason to just test drive one and you'll see what I'm talking about. And drive the six speed! Have fun!!

I agree. I currently own a 996 C4 and the car is a blast to drive but it is lacking the connection you have with the road. With so many on board electronics (PSM, PASM) it is almost impossible to push the car too far. But with an older Porsche it is just you and and the car. I guess in an ideal world you can own both an older 930 and a new 997 but my bank account will not support both.

I was in your exact situation, torn between an older 911 and something that is realistically usable. We can talk about the soul, heritage, and character of the air cooled 911, that is all fun. But, when you get into the office smelling like oil/gas or that you haven't taken a shower because your air doesn't work, that makes one consider the loyalty to tradition. Many Pelicans blindly say get a 993....like it's a cult mantra. If you are a non believer (one who thinks water in a 911 is ok), then they will burn you at the stake (also known as flame you in the marketplace discussion board). I drove my my friend's 993. Nice for sure, but really not a big enough leap for me to give up my 3.2L Carrera. I still am very much a traditionalist and still felt the 993 has a bit too much hype in it. 996s and 997s are modern technology, bottom line. They will run rings around any of the 911s before it, just as every generation has done to the one before. The are representative of the time they are built...bigger cars because of bigger people, electronics to optimize power and efficiency, sanitized handling for the primary non-enthusiast demographic. I am sure enthusiast oriented factory settings disappeared after the 930 experience. I often feel that earlier car owners (myself included since I still own a 911SC and am track prepping) forget that these did not all leave the factory as hot rods. Yes, they became hot rods over time and in stock guise were heavy, big, and full of electronics for their day. I have driven Porsches from the 356 to the 996 (let me count: 356, 912 swb, 912 lwb, 914, 911 swb, 911 lwb/longhood, 911SC, 911 Carrera, 944, 964, 993, and now 996). Each subsequent change has the same complaint...more power, more weight, less spry handling. As the cars evolve, they become more capable in their own right demanding less of the driver to accomplish the same or more. A modern vette will also probably need a racetrack to feel connected...otherwise they are just crazy fast especially off the line. But I also considered a Z06 as a daily/weekend toy. You will get all kinds of opinions here. I got tired of having to chase problems, improve the car, stay on top of "old car" maintenance, etc. Get something you will enjoy in the way you use it and live happy.

Hey turbo23dog, Im the one who bought the silver 996 you were looking at in Northern Va. Were you the guy who was in a white BMW that came in to look at it? I traded in a 05 350Z on it.